(12-24-2023 01:53 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  If we’re starting a thread to discuss the makeup of the roster for 2024 shouldn’t it be a list of who is returning instead of who is not returning? Seems kind of backwards here.

To see what we're working with I took the roster and marked the following:
portal guys out
portal guys & recruits in
seniors that exhausted eligibility

Offense
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS HOMETOWN
11 Billy Atkins QB 6-2 207 Soph Parkton, MD
14 Alonza Barnett III QB 6-0 203 Fr Whitsett, NC
10 Brett Griffis QB 6-0 197 Fr Ashburn, VA
18 Blake Kendall QB 6-1 208 Fr Wellington, FL
2 Jordan McCloud QB 6-0 199 Sr Tampa, FL - ??
XX Dylan Morris QB 6-0 197 Gr Puyallup, WA - Washington
## JC Evans QB 6-5 201 Miami, FL

XX Ayo Adeyi RB 5-7 192 JR Mansfield, TX - North Texas
29 Ke'Marion Baldwin RB 5-9 208 Fr Saint Pauls, NC
6 Kaelon Black RB 5-10 210 Soph Virginia Beach, VA - IU
32 Kalin Jean RB 6-1 204 Soph Clifton, VA
25 Wayne Knight RB 5-7 185 Fr Smyrna, DE
7 Ty Son Lawton RB 5-9 205 Sr Staten Island, NY - IU
23 Sammy Malignaggi RB 5-9 200 Jr Nashua, NH
5 Latrele Palmer RB 6-0 220 Sr Boyds, MD
XX George Pettaway RB 5-10 195 SO Suffolk, VA - UNC
XX Tyler Purdy RB 5-11 210 Gr Chesterfield, MO - Holy Cross
40 Peyton Rutherford RB 6-0 212 Jr Berryville, VA
3 Solomon Vanhorse RB 5-8 183 Sr Alpharetta, GA

37 Blake Barnes WR 6-4 205 Soph Virginia Beach, VA
88 Ibrahim Barry WR 6-5 205 Fr Baltimore, MD - ??
1 Reggie Brown WR 6-1 195 Sr Lakeland, FL
9 Omarion Dollison WR 5-9 182 Jr Columbia, SC
16 Desmond Green WR 5-10 185 Soph Virginia Beach, VA - ??
83 Erick Harris WR 5-9 184 Fr Hephzibah, GA
19 Taji Hudson WR 6-3 200 Soph Cedartown, GA
20 Yamir Knight WR 5-8 182 Fr Smyrna, DE
82 Troy Lewis WR 6-2 201 Soph Chesterfield, VA
21 Chris Lofton WR 5-10 173 Fr Columbia, SC
84 Rykin Maxwell WR 6-2 196 Fr Charlotte, NC
12 Jayden Mines WR 5-10 185 Fr Ashland, VA
8 Maxwell Moss WR 6-0 180 Fr Brooklyn Park, MD
XX Nakai Poole WR 6-3 205 Fr Norcross, GA - Miss St.
13 Elijah Sarratt WR 6-2 207 Soph Stafford, VA - IU
0 Phoenix Sproles WR 5-11 194 Sr New Hope, MN

86 Collin Carroll TE 6-3 235 Fr Stafford, VA
85 Jordan Funk TE 6-3 247 Jr Gaithersburg, MD
81 Gabriel Hollingsworth TE 6-2 232 Jr Pfafftown, NC
44 Zach Horton TE 6-4 249 Jr Roanoke, VA - IU
89 Josh Phifer TE 6-6 233 Fr Peachtree City, GA
17 Taylor Thompson TE 6-3 231 Jr Prattville, AL
15 Kyi Wright TE 6-3 256 Jr Farrell, PA

55 Ronald Altman OL 6-3 291 Jr Springfield, VA
62 Wesley Bostic OL 6-3 316 Fr Prince George, VA
69 Breon Brown OL 6-3 296 Fr Richmond, VA
70 Brett Davis OL 6-3 296 Soph Ashburn, VA
77 Aaron Gunn OL 6-4 302 Soph New Castle, PA
68 Griffin Hart OL 6-6 305 Fr Leesburg, VA
78 Cameron Jones OL 6-6 327 Fr Weirton, WV
56 Nick Kidwell OL 6-5 316 Sr Knoxville, MD - IU
XX Hunter McClain OL 6-4 293 So Daleville, VA - Va Tech
XX Pat McMurtrie OL 6-6 294 Gr Verona, NJ - Holy Cross
75 Kyle Lenhart OL 6-4 292 Fr New Castle, PA
50 Carter Miller OL 6-1 296 Fr Spring Hill, TN - ULM
58 Tanner Morris OL 6-2 302 Jr Fayetteville, NC
71 Isaac Owusu-Appiah OL 6-3 310 Jr Manassas, VA
66 Cole Potts OL 6-3 306 Jr Johnstown, OH
XX Jesse Ramil OL 6-5 295 Soph Bingamton, NY - SFU
79 Joseph Simmons OL 6-5 322 Fr Dover, DE
74 Tyler Stephens OL 6-5 306 Jr Virginia Beach, VA - IU
60 Carter Sweazie OL 6-1 315 Fr Ashburn, VA
72 Josh Toner OL 6-3 310 Soph Marlton, NJ
52 Tyshawn Wyatt OL 6-4 325 Jr Richmond, VA
## Evan Bushong OL 6-4 305 Harrisburg, PA
## JaKobe Campbell OL 6-3 298 Raleigh, NC
## Deacon Rawls OL 6-4 340 Elizabeth City, NC

Defense
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS HOMETOWN
42 Carter Banks DL 6-3 220 Fr Lynchburg, VA
39 Payne Bauer DL 6-2 234 Soph Stephens City, VA
55 Immanuel Bush DL 6-1 302 Soph Lancaster, SC
48 Greyson Cadd DL 6-1 246 Fr Charlotte, NC
99 James Carpenter DL 6-2 282 Jr Roanoke, VA - IU
92 Darold DeNgohe DL 6-2 285 Fr Philadelphia, PA
10 Jalen Green DL 6-1 245 Sr Baltimore, MD
94 Sean Johns DL 6-3 272 Jr Leesburg, VA
3 Mikail Kamara DL 6-1 265 Soph Ashburn, VA - IU
9 Jamree Kromah DL 6-4 275 Sr Glenarden, MD
XX Terry Lockett DL 6-3 280 Jr Springfield, MA - Syracuse
93 Mychal McMullin DL 6-1 276 Fr Newport News, VA
8 Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji DL 6-3 270 Sr Snellville, GA - ??
98 Samson Ogunade DL 6-4 286 Fr Bowie, MD
XX Eric O'Neill DL 6-3 250 Jr Staten Island, NY - LIU
51 Riley Robell DL 6-2 286 Fr Harrisburg, PA
53 Zai Roberts DL 6-4 246 Soph Virginia Beach, VA
XX Lloyd Summerall DL 6-5 220 Gr Winter Haven, FL - USF
17 Amar Thomas DL 6-0 248 Fr Upper Marlboro, MD
61 Spencer Toth DL 6-2 267 Fr Bowie, MD
59 Tyrique Tucker DL 6-0 295 Fr Norfolk, VA
## Marcellus Nash DL 6-2 233 Chesterfield, VA

6 Julio Ayamel LB 6-0 222 Jr Gaithersburg, MD
43 Matthew Channell LB 6-1 223 Fr Chesterfield, VA
XX Jacob Dobbs LB 6-0 237 Gr Macomb, MI - Holy Cross
54 Brandon Fique LB 6-0 219 Soph Hampstead, MD
11 Aiden Fisher LB 6-1 227 Soph Fredericksburg, VA - IU
24 Trent Hendrick LB 6-0 228 Soph Richmond, VA
47 Noah Holmes LB 6-1 220 Jr Williamsburg, VA
0 Taurus Jones LB 6-1 214 Jr Portsmouth, VA - ??
52 Seth Naotala LB 6-0 222 Soph Newport News, VA
46 Jackson Snyder LB 6-2 207 Fr Leesburg, VA
5 Jailin Walker LB 6-1 218 Jr Richmond, VA - IU
33 Gannon Weathersby LB 5-10 204 Fr Atlanta, GA
## Immanuel Ezeogu LB 6-3 201 Suffolk, VA
## Anthony Walker LB 5-11 |200 Greensboro, NC

23 Brent Austin CB 5-11 174 Soph San Bernardino, CA - USF
31 Antoine Booth CB 5-11 173 Soph Jessup, MD
26 Devyn Coles CB 5-9 190 Sr Highland Springs, VA
30 Justin Eaglin CB 6-0 180 Fr Spring Lake, NC
2 Chauncey Logan CB 6-1 200 Soph Salem, VA
14 Nehki Meredith CB 5-9 177 Soph Virginia Beach, VA
16 Trevell Mullen CB 6-0 168 Fr Fort Lauderdale, FL
19 D'Angelo Ponds CB 5-9 162 Fr West Park, FL
37 Jamaree Seldon CB 5-8 175 Fr Williamsburg, VA
## Milt Ferguson CB 5-10 157 Virginia Beach, VA
## Tyler Brown DB 5-10 185 Annapolis, MD
## Phillip Harris DB 6-2 191 Charlotte, NC

32 DJ Barksdale S 5-9 180 Fr Rock Hill, SC
35 Jahquil Batts S 6-0 200 Soph Montclair, NJ
34 Chris Chukwuneke S 5-11 193 Sr Edison, NJ
38 Stephen Hollander S 5-9 183 Fr Phoenixville, PA
28 Kye Holmes S 5-10 192 Soph Bowie, MD
49 Francis Meehan S 5-11 195 Sr Wilmington, NC
1 Que Reid S 6-0 201 Sr Concord, NC
7 Jarius Reimonenq S 5-10 194 Sr Hattiesburg, MS
12 Josh Sarratt S 5-10 193 Sr Stafford, VA
21 Jamari Somerville S 5-11 193 Fr Indian Head, MD
18 Evan Spivey S 6-0 193 Fr Philadelphia, PA
27 Jacob Thomas S 6-0 206 Soph Ashburn, VA
## KJ Flowe S 5-10 164 Charlotte, NC
## Chase Regan S 5-11 176 Dillsburg, PA

Special Teams
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS HOMETOWN
63 Nick Gonzalez K 5-9 174 Jr Chantilly, VA
96 Connor Madden K 6-4 215 Sr Herndon, VA
41 Nathan Patterson K 6-1 195 Fr Centreville, VA
40 Camden Wise K 6-1 178 Sr Blacksburg, VA
48 Ryan Hanson P 6-2 210 Jr Elgin, TX
54 Jack Mowrey LS 6-3 224 Fr Charlotte, NC
XX Logan Ketcham LS 6-1 225 Jr Lafayette, CA - Laney College (JUCO)
47 Kaden Schickel LS 6-2 192 Soph Fredericksburg, VA - MSU

You can add Wayne Knight back in for the RB position. Probably worth the trouble to throw incoming portal guys (Dobbs, McMurtie, Ramil) in green, since they're likely to see significant playing time.

Thanks Polish for pulling the overall list together. Agree with Dukester, that the biggest concern is the type of impact players leaving, but honestly after seeing the overall list, I'm not as worried as before. Concerned but not freaked out. Think we have a very solid chance to stay on top of the SBC with a few tweaks:
QB - we need to figure this out whether it's McCloud, Sluka, existing player or TBD, but this is really no different than last year.
RB - definitely need some options here, but Palmer and presumably Lawton were expected to be graduated, so really it's just the loss of Black. Good player, but we should be able to find an equal replacement.
WR - Brown and Sproles were graduating, so the biggest loss will be Sarratt if he leaves. I'd hope someone on the returning list can step in as nobody really expected Sarratt to be as good as he was this year.
OL - Kidwell was already leaving for graduation, so it's just Stephens and Miller. Having Wyatt come back was huge and good chance McMurtrie can step in where Stephens was. Miller had a lot of promise, but started as a rotational guy but played a lot because of other injuries.
TE - Horton was a good player, but hopefully one of the guys can backfill for him.
DL - This is a concern as we expected to lose Green and Kromah, but Carpenter, Kamara and Okonji is tough. Need to find options and/or depth here.
LB - On paper this is tough as well losing Walker and Fisher and probably Jones, but my gut says Dobbs will be just as good (if not better) than any of them. He was a FCS all-american which was huge for us if we had any the last couple years as we transitioned to FBS and he is a tackling machine. If he continues to average 10+ tackles a game, then that will go a long way towards replacing half the LB room. Dobbs appears to be just a straight up football player.
CB - No significant changes here.
S - Pretty much all due to graduation, but on paper atleast, we've done a great job in our DB recruits recently. Might be young, but hopefully lots of talent there.

Do we have gaps? Definitely, but maybe not as much as we think. Figure out our QB, add a RB, possibly a WR depending on Sarratt, build up our DL and maybe add another LB. I trust our previous recruits and winning standard at JMU and by Chesney will keep us at or near the top. Maybe not 11-2 out of the gate, but we aren't going to go away.

Is Van Horse out of eligibility for sure? Any chance for a medical redshirt since he essentially only played part of game one this year ?
Would be huge to have a special teams returner threat and great 3rd down receiving back

(12-26-2023 10:50 AM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  Is Van Horse out of eligibility for sure? Any chance for a medical redshirt since he essentially only played part of game one this year ?
Would be huge to have a special teams returner threat and great 3rd down receiving back

Anyone’s guess, I would’ve said no until I saw Lawton somehow had another year left to enable his transfer to IU. Would SVH even want to come back?

Interesting that 6’5” wideout 2023 signee Ibrahim Berry is no longer on the roster.

Did he enter the portal quietly? He posted scout film on his Twitter on December 2nd.

(12-26-2023 11:48 AM)MarginalDuke Wrote:  Interesting that 6’5” wideout 2023 signee Ibrahim Berry is no longer on the roster.

Did he enter the portal quietly? He posted scout film on his Twitter on December 2nd.

I noticed that too when copying the list. On X he still shows himself in a JMU jersey and has been posting about the team, and HCBC is following him. I’m not sure what to make of that film posted, its hard to make anything out, so is it even footage of him? I thought he was a ‘tweener anyway, not athletic enough for WR and not physical enough for TE, but could create some mismatches if used properly.

(12-26-2023 08:41 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 02:04 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 01:53 PM)MarginalDuke Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 01:27 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 12:44 PM)81Duke Wrote:  Trying to "turn the page" here. Does anyone have a list of those players that have no eligibility left and will not be back next year?

We know these are gone via the portal with others still pending.

Aiden Fisher
Jailin Walker
Tyler Stephens
Kaelon Black
Mikail Kamara
Ty Son Lawton
James Carpenter
Zach Horton
Nick Kidwell
Carter Miller

But who else will be leaving due to expired eligibility?

6 senior starters:
Defense: Green, Kromrah, Meehan, Chuwuneke
Offense: Brown, Sproles

Starters returning as of now:
Offense: 3 to 5. OL: Morris, Potts, Wyatt. 3 maybes in Portal: McCloud, Sarratt. (I’m sure Sarratt is gone).
Defense: 3, all in secondary: Ponds, Logan, Thomas. (Tucker did start 4 games on DL).

Never has JMU football since I have followed it had so few starters and all conference players returning.

How does this stack up with the 2017 squad going into 2018? Feels very similar and if I recall, we had a lot of similar turnover.

I think our record masked a lot of Cig’s roster deficiencies and the SBC might’ve been the 3rd or 4th best G5 this year. I think we have a lot of room to grow under Chesney. We grew a lot under Cignetti when it seemed like we hit a peak under Houston.

2018 had about 10 starters returning, including several all conference.
8 as of now, probably 6, with 1 all conference (Ponds).

Losing so many starters is one thing, but basically losing all our difference makers is the problem. Our foundation that we built and was going to be reloaded with the HS recruits. I have a hard time believing we will be able to make up this offseason for anywhere close to the loses we have sustained the last 3 weeks, and that has nothing to do with Ches. It's just timing and the entire key coaching staff moving to a new school with increased benefits for players. The team continuing to practice and be together prior to the bowl at least allowed Ches the opportunity to talk with the players before they officially moved on to IU and other opportunities.

Why so gloomy?

I believe Chez is going to attack the portal and fill the holes. If I were him, I would be going strong for two-deep P5s who are nearly as good as the starter and maybe better, but haven't had the opportunity to prove it, and even though they have been getting some NIL cash, they need next-level exposure, which can't exactly be gotten sitting the bench.

If Chez can do only one thing to improve our roster, the max score would be five letters.... S L U K A! If we can get him to JMU, we will have the best offense in the conference, I'm sure. His superior skills make up for a lot of deficiencies elsewhere.

I am optimistic. I believe Chez is a major upgrade to IWINGOOGLEME!

Combine all our 2023 publicity/results, our long success story, the chance to play immediately with all the departures plus all the positives about Chesney, I would think JMU would be a very attractive place for talented transfers not going P4. It seems like Chesney has a good record of picking the right type of player that fits his vision, so I am very hopeful that we will be pleasantly surprised.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Purple. We had the exact thought at the same time!

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

(12-26-2023 04:05 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 08:41 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 02:04 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 01:53 PM)MarginalDuke Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 01:27 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  6 senior starters:
Defense: Green, Kromrah, Meehan, Chuwuneke
Offense: Brown, Sproles

Starters returning as of now:
Offense: 3 to 5. OL: Morris, Potts, Wyatt. 3 maybes in Portal: McCloud, Sarratt. (I’m sure Sarratt is gone).
Defense: 3, all in secondary: Ponds, Logan, Thomas. (Tucker did start 4 games on DL).

Never has JMU football since I have followed it had so few starters and all conference players returning.

How does this stack up with the 2017 squad going into 2018? Feels very similar and if I recall, we had a lot of similar turnover.

I think our record masked a lot of Cig’s roster deficiencies and the SBC might’ve been the 3rd or 4th best G5 this year. I think we have a lot of room to grow under Chesney. We grew a lot under Cignetti when it seemed like we hit a peak under Houston.

2018 had about 10 starters returning, including several all conference.
8 as of now, probably 6, with 1 all conference (Ponds).

Losing so many starters is one thing, but basically losing all our difference makers is the problem. Our foundation that we built and was going to be reloaded with the HS recruits. I have a hard time believing we will be able to make up this offseason for anywhere close to the loses we have sustained the last 3 weeks, and that has nothing to do with Ches. It's just timing and the entire key coaching staff moving to a new school with increased benefits for players. The team continuing to practice and be together prior to the bowl at least allowed Ches the opportunity to talk with the players before they officially moved on to IU and other opportunities.

Why so gloomy?

I believe Chez is going to attack the portal and fill the holes. If I were him, I would be going strong for two-deep P5s who are nearly as good as the starter and maybe better, but haven't had the opportunity to prove it, and even though they have been getting some NIL cash, they need next-level exposure, which can't exactly be gotten sitting the bench.

If Chez can do only one thing to improve our roster, the max score would be five letters.... S L U K A! If we can get him to JMU, we will have the best offense in the conference, I'm sure. His superior skills make up for a lot of deficiencies elsewhere.

I am optimistic. I believe Chez is a major upgrade to IWINGOOGLEME!

I'm not gloomy. I'm optimistic/hopeful, but I'm also realistic. Ches was who I hoped we would hire. That said, I don't know any other year JMU football has had this much change.

With two Duke assistants coming over, wonder if any of their guys in the portal would be options for us. Only a few that aren't committed, and already to committed to the P4.

https://247sports.com/college/duke/seaso...nkey=24009

(12-26-2023 04:19 PM)Dukester Wrote:  I'm not gloomy. I'm optimistic/hopeful, but I'm also realistic. Ches was who I hoped we would hire. That said, I don't know any other year JMU football has had this much change.

Deion totally flushed the Colorado roster when he showed up, but has any coach anywhere ever taken as many players along as FHCCC did to IU? I believe we lost 9 players and 5 recruits to IU plus the other decommits that haven’t yet announced where they’re headed.

(12-26-2023 04:19 PM)Dukester Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 04:05 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 08:41 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 02:04 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 01:53 PM)MarginalDuke Wrote:  How does this stack up with the 2017 squad going into 2018? Feels very similar and if I recall, we had a lot of similar turnover.

I think our record masked a lot of Cig’s roster deficiencies and the SBC might’ve been the 3rd or 4th best G5 this year. I think we have a lot of room to grow under Chesney. We grew a lot under Cignetti when it seemed like we hit a peak under Houston.

2018 had about 10 starters returning, including several all conference.
8 as of now, probably 6, with 1 all conference (Ponds).

Losing so many starters is one thing, but basically losing all our difference makers is the problem. Our foundation that we built and was going to be reloaded with the HS recruits. I have a hard time believing we will be able to make up this offseason for anywhere close to the loses we have sustained the last 3 weeks, and that has nothing to do with Ches. It's just timing and the entire key coaching staff moving to a new school with increased benefits for players. The team continuing to practice and be together prior to the bowl at least allowed Ches the opportunity to talk with the players before they officially moved on to IU and other opportunities.

Why so gloomy?

I believe Chez is going to attack the portal and fill the holes. If I were him, I would be going strong for two-deep P5s who are nearly as good as the starter and maybe better, but haven't had the opportunity to prove it, and even though they have been getting some NIL cash, they need next-level exposure, which can't exactly be gotten sitting the bench.

If Chez can do only one thing to improve our roster, the max score would be five letters.... S L U K A! If we can get him to JMU, we will have the best offense in the conference, I'm sure. His superior skills make up for a lot of deficiencies elsewhere.

I am optimistic. I believe Chez is a major upgrade to IWINGOOGLEME!

I'm not gloomy. I'm optimistic/hopeful, but I'm also realistic. Ches was who I hoped we would hire. That said, I don't know any other year JMU football has had this much change.

All fair but three other things to be optimistic about:

1) This thread feels like it isn't giving enough credit to guys like Toner, Hendrick, Tucker, Bush, Hudson who all have significant, and solid, track records, even if they weren't technically starters. Add Toner and the HC Xfer and wallah, there's your OLine. Hendrick and Dobbs is a solid starting LB corps. With Tucker and Bush inside, you're just hunting for pass rushers while the D backfield is largely intact.

2) The expectation needs to be relative to the competition. Coastal folded their only collective entirely. Marshall is a dumpster fire with the Huff situation and has less money than we do. ODU is just as portaled as we are. Georgia St. is even more portaled out with less money. Georgia So. is close to intact but the fanbase has turned on Helton, they kind of sucked anyways, and they'll be playing QB roulette again like everyone else. App returns the QB and is clear East favorite, but is losing most of their playmakers in the portal too.

3) The schedule. First, see above for a rundown of the East NIL/Portal wreckage. Even conservatively say JMU goes 3-3 in the East. Then JMU draws ULM and USM from the west - USM has a strong high school recruiting class but it's still ULM and USM. Ball St. and Gardner-Webb should be W's. Charlotte is better than those teams talent-wise, but still a poorly coached (Poggi ) wild card. Basically only UNC and App seem like they'd be surprise W's. 10 or 11 may be off the table again, but 8-4 doesn't seem too far fetched if HCBC is as good as we all hope and we find some skill guys on offense (Kemarion Baldwin and Maxwell Moss may be decent too just redshirted) and a pass-rusher.

As was mentioned above, the brand is going to attract good portal prospects now too.
Gimme some more of that kool aid!

(12-26-2023 05:38 PM)PurpleStreamers Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 04:19 PM)Dukester Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 04:05 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 08:41 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(12-24-2023 02:04 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  2018 had about 10 starters returning, including several all conference.
8 as of now, probably 6, with 1 all conference (Ponds).

Losing so many starters is one thing, but basically losing all our difference makers is the problem. Our foundation that we built and was going to be reloaded with the HS recruits. I have a hard time believing we will be able to make up this offseason for anywhere close to the loses we have sustained the last 3 weeks, and that has nothing to do with Ches. It's just timing and the entire key coaching staff moving to a new school with increased benefits for players. The team continuing to practice and be together prior to the bowl at least allowed Ches the opportunity to talk with the players before they officially moved on to IU and other opportunities.

Why so gloomy?

I believe Chez is going to attack the portal and fill the holes. If I were him, I would be going strong for two-deep P5s who are nearly as good as the starter and maybe better, but haven't had the opportunity to prove it, and even though they have been getting some NIL cash, they need next-level exposure, which can't exactly be gotten sitting the bench.

If Chez can do only one thing to improve our roster, the max score would be five letters.... S L U K A! If we can get him to JMU, we will have the best offense in the conference, I'm sure. His superior skills make up for a lot of deficiencies elsewhere.

I am optimistic. I believe Chez is a major upgrade to IWINGOOGLEME!

I'm not gloomy. I'm optimistic/hopeful, but I'm also realistic. Ches was who I hoped we would hire. That said, I don't know any other year JMU football has had this much change.

All fair but three other things to be optimistic about:

1) This thread feels like it isn't giving enough credit to guys like Toner, Hendrick, Tucker, Bush, Hudson who all have significant, and solid, track records, even if they weren't technically starters. Add Toner and the HC Xfer and wallah, there's your OLine. Hendrick and Dobbs is a solid starting LB corps. With Tucker and Bush inside, you're just hunting for pass rushers while the D backfield is largely intact.

2) The expectation needs to be relative to the competition. Coastal folded their only collective entirely. Marshall is a dumpster fire with the Huff situation and has less money than we do. ODU is just as portaled as we are. Georgia St. is even more portaled out with less money. Georgia So. is close to intact but the fanbase has turned on Helton, they kind of sucked anyways, and they'll be playing QB roulette again like everyone else. App returns the QB and is clear East favorite, but is losing most of their playmakers in the portal too.

3) The schedule. First, see above for a rundown of the East NIL/Portal wreckage. Even conservatively say JMU goes 3-3 in the East. Then JMU draws ULM and USM from the west - USM has a strong high school recruiting class but it's still ULM and USM. Ball St. and Gardner-Webb should be W's. Charlotte is better than those teams talent-wise, but still a poorly coached (Poggi ) wild card. Basically only UNC and App seem like they'd be surprise W's. 10 or 11 may be off the table again, but 8-4 doesn't seem too far fetched if HCBC is as good as we all hope and we find some skill guys on offense (Kemarion Baldwin and Maxwell Moss may be decent too just redshirted) and a pass-rusher.

As was mentioned above, the brand is going to attract good portal prospects now too.
Gimme some more of that kool aid!

Yeah point #1 is the big one for me, unless Cig was a horrible recruiter (which I don't for a second believe, especially since the last few classes have been statistically the best we've ever had) we probably have a lot of studs waiting in the wings for a shot. Part of the problem with Cig was he would keep his starters in the game far longer than they needed to be in many blowouts so we didn't always get to see what was available as next man up, but as we saw last few seasons when our guys got their shot they usually did well and there wasn't much of a drop off (or we got better). Ponds, Logan, Tucker, Toner, Kamara, Hendricks, Fisher, etc all showed that.

(12-26-2023 11:31 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 10:50 AM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  Is Van Horse out of eligibility for sure? Any chance for a medical redshirt since he essentially only played part of game one this year ?
Would be huge to have a special teams returner threat and great 3rd down receiving back

Anyone’s guess, I would’ve said no until I saw Lawton somehow had another year left to enable his transfer to IU. Would SVH even want to come back?

This is 100% unconfirmed tailgate talk, but a fellow fan stated that SVH spoke to wanting to finish as a Duke if he is medically eligible (based on the timing of his injury this season). While I do believe the credibility of the Duke who told me this, that conversation was a while ago (about mid-season) and I've heard nothing else. I'm going to believe it's possible because I love to watch SVH play!

(12-26-2023 11:57 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 11:48 AM)MarginalDuke Wrote:  Interesting that 6’5” wideout 2023 signee Ibrahim Berry is no longer on the roster.

Did he enter the portal quietly? He posted scout film on his Twitter on December 2nd.

I noticed that too when copying the list. On X he still shows himself in a JMU jersey and has been posting about the team, and HCBC is following him. I’m not sure what to make of that film posted, its hard to make anything out, so is it even footage of him? I thought he was a ‘tweener anyway, not athletic enough for WR and not physical enough for TE, but could create some mismatches if used properly.

Berry is officially in the portal, I guess that mystery can be put to rest.

I think Moss and Knight can be quite good and I hope Hudson takes steps forward but we’re looking thin there. Hope Chesney has some answers in the portal.

Thank you for putting this together PH!!

(12-29-2023 05:09 PM)MarginalDuke Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 11:57 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(12-26-2023 11:48 AM)MarginalDuke Wrote:  Interesting that 6’5” wideout 2023 signee Ibrahim Berry is no longer on the roster.

Did he enter the portal quietly? He posted scout film on his Twitter on December 2nd.

I noticed that too when copying the list. On X he still shows himself in a JMU jersey and has been posting about the team, and HCBC is following him. I’m not sure what to make of that film posted, its hard to make anything out, so is it even footage of him? I thought he was a ‘tweener anyway, not athletic enough for WR and not physical enough for TE, but could create some mismatches if used properly.

Berry is officially in the portal, I guess that mystery can be put to rest.

I think Moss and Knight can be quite good and I hope Hudson takes steps forward but we’re looking thin there. Hope Chesney has some answers in the portal.

Speaking of Moss and Barry, Barry committed first and swung Moss to JMU.

https://www.dnronline.com/sun_belt_extra...c9340.html

Really thought berry would have been great in a stapleton type role but he already has an offer from Illinois so we'll see where he ends up but to enter the portal a few days before it closes leads me to believe he's gone for sure