Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
By Bennett Conlin
Last season, JMU led the Sun Belt in scoring (37 points per game). In fact, JMU has led its conference in scoring in each of the last four seasons. Ohio State is the only other FBS or FCS team to lead its league in scoring in each of the last four seasons.
It’s fair to say JMU’s offense rolls with head coach Curt Cignetti leading the program. The Dukes, led by transfer quarterback Todd Centeio, were phenomenal in 2022. They’re looking for more of the same in 2023, but several faces will be different.
JMU loses its leading passer (Centeio), rusher (Percy Agyei-Obese), and receiver (Kris Thornton). That’s a lot to replace.
Quarterbacks
We’ll start our offensive breakdown with the most important position in the sport. At quarterback, JMU has four players who started the spring battling for time. It’s currently a two-man race.
Jordan McCloud, a transfer from Arizona who began his career at South Florida, is the most experienced of the bunch. He’s played in 23 career games with 19 starts. McCloud has 3,251 career passing yards and 23 touchdowns, and he’s a threat on the ground. He has two years of eligibility left, and he didn’t play at all in 2022.
Alonza Barnett III, a redshirt freshman, is McCloud’s biggest competitor in the battle for the starting job. He’s super talented but inexperienced, with Cignetti often saying he needs more reps. Can he get enough reps in camp to win the job and lead JMU into a challenging September schedule?
Billy Atkins, a redshirt sophomore, started against Marshall last season when Centeio was hurt. It didn’t go well, with Atkins completing fewer than 50% of his passes and turning the ball over five times against a tremendous Marshall defense. While he might never become JMU’s QB1 at the FBS level, he’s plenty capable as a key reserve and should only improve during his remaining time with the program.
Brett Griffis is an interesting prospect, who comes to JMU after spending his freshman season with Wake Forest. He’s a depth piece right now, with ample room to develop.
Position outlook: Cautiously optimistic.
Cignetti’s track record with quarterbacks is great (he loves to tell the media that all of his JMU starting quarterbacks have won conference Player of the Year awards), but there are questions at the position. Outside of McCloud, the group is inexperienced. And McCloud hasn’t played in a game since 2021.
Still, I’ll bet on Cignetti making it work with either McCloud or Barnett.
Running backs
Kaelon Black, Ty Son Lawton, and Latrele Palmer figure to be JMU’s three primary running backs this season.
Black (R-SO) is super talented — he’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry in his JMU career — but he’s struggled to stay healthy. When on the field, he’s arguably JMU’s best back.
Lawton, a Stony Brook graduate transfer, is a close No. 2 option alongside Black. He’s played a lot of football (2,102 career rushing yards on 457 carries across 27 games) and led the CAA in rushing in 2021. He’s in line for a solid year.
Palmer (SR) is JMU’s bruising back, giving the Dukes an experienced power runner. He’s not as complete a runner as Black, but he’s more than capable of breaking out for 100-yard performances. Over four seasons, Palmer has 1,923 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s somehow appeared in 41 games!
Outside of those three, the Dukes also list Solomon Vanhorse (R-SR), Sammy Malignaggi (JR), Wayne Knight (SO), and Ke’Marion Baldwin (FR) at the position, among others.
I love Vanhorse as a receiving and return threat, and I’d expect JMU to use him creatively given the depth atop the running back room. Vanhorse is worthy of 5+ touches per contest. Knight possesses similar traits to Vanhorse.
Position outlook: Bright. JMU is deep at running back, and the top three guys at the position are all proven, reliable runners.
Wide receivers
Redshirt senior Reggie Brown is the guy at wide receiver, at least on the outside. He caught 24 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns in eight games last fall. He’s expected to take on a bigger role.
Phoenix Sproles, a redshirt senior from North Dakota State, should receive reps in the slot. He’s a reliable receiver with decent speed. Junior Omarion Dollison has game-breaking speed, and the South Florida transfer should receive some chances down the field.
Other guys competing for time include Elijah Sarratt (SO), Taji Hudson (R-SO), and Troy Lewis (R-So). Lewis and Hudson each transferred to JMU from ECU, while Sarratt came to the program from Saint Francis. Each of these three players have big bodies, which could prove critical when battling for playing time. JMU wants to run the ball a lot. When it comes to earning time at receiver in 2023, blocking will be important.
Cignetti has shown some excitement around true freshmen Maxwell Moss and Yamir Knight. Keep an eye on Knight’s career, as the Delaware product and brother of running back Wayne Knight put up absurd high school stats as both a rusher and receiver.
Redshirt freshman Jayden Mines is also a name frequently floated by coaches and media as a possible contributor.
Position outlook: Cautiously optimistic. Reggie Brown is expected to grow into the No. 1 receiver role, and experienced transfers like Phoenix Sproles and Omarion Dollison are built to contribute. JMU has so many options that the Dukes should easily find five or more guys they trust.
I see this position producing more than people expect, but with questions here and at quarterback, I have some hesitation about listing the outlook as stronger than “cautiously optimistic.”
Tight end
With Drew Painter gone, the Dukes hit the portal to add help alongside junior Zach Horton. Taylor Thompson, a Charlotte transfer and junior, figures to contribute as a receiving option. Pitt transfer Kyi Wright (R-JR) brings a big body with tremendous blocking potential.
Jordan Funk (JR) moved from defensive tackle to tight end, giving the room even more depth.
Overall, JMU should be solid at tight end. Horton caught 13 passes for 159 yards and two scores a season ago, and it could’ve been more if not for a few drops. He’s a physical blocker and figures to be on the field quite a bit this fall. The other tight ends all have specific skill sets that can be used in a variety of packages.
Position outlook: Decent, with high upside. I like the room, although it remains to be seen how much JMU will use tight ends in the passing game. They should contribute significantly in the running game.
Offensive line
JMU’s starting unit against Coastal Carolina in the 2022 season finale featured Tyshawn Wyatt at left tackle, Cole Potts at left guard, Tanner Morris at center, Tyler Stephens at right guard, and Nick Kidwell at right tackle. All five of those players return in 2023.
Wyatt (JR), Potts (JR), Morris (R-JR), Stephens (JR), and Kidwell (R-SR) form one of the best offensive lines in the Sun Belt. Kidwell earned preseason All-Sun Belt First Team honors, and the group has 118 starts between them, as Cignetti loves to say.
Other key reserves like Ronald Altman (JR), Carter Miller (R-FR), Josh Toner (R-SO), Joseph Simmons (R-FR), and Isaac Owusu-Appiah (R-JR) all return. JMU also added Louisville transfer Aaron Gunn (R-SO) in the portal.
This position is likely the hardest for younger players to break into in the immediate future. Several of the main contributors are good enough to play for Power Five programs, especially Kidwell, who could’ve had an Isaac Ukwu-like offseason if he entered the portal.
In short, an elite offensive line returns the majority of its key contributors. JMU is talented and deep at this position, plus the key players have worked with this coaching staff for multiple seasons. I view offensive line as JMU’s biggest strength going into the season.
Position outlook: Potentially elite. The Dukes could have one of the 25 best offensive lines in college football.
The bottom line
Old-school football coaches like to run the ball well and stop the run. Cignetti blends old school with new school, wanting to run the ball well but also understanding the need for a strong passing attack.
The Dukes should win the line of scrimmage often this season, setting up a deep room of running backs for success. If the passing game, which features question marks at quarterback and wide receiver, can perform like it has in every other season under Cignetti, the Dukes will be one of the most dynamic offenses in the Sun Belt.
JMU’s talent and depth surplus along the offensive line gives the offense a high floor. Quarterback and wide receiver performance will determine the ceiling.
Leave a Reply