Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications

By Ben Hofer

As some of you may have seen, JMU football is losing roughly 96% of production barring a return by quarterback Jordan McCloud. That means that head coach Bob Chesney’s main priority is bringing in new talent via the transfer portal, either as starters for his system or as depth pieces.

So far, Chesney has knocked it out of the park from a pure talent perspective, including big additions like quarterback Dylan Morris (Washington), running back Ayo Adeyi (North Texas), and linebacker Jacob Dobbs (Holy Cross), all of whom are presumed starters next season. For the entire transfer portal class, check out our transfer portal tracker here.

Editor’s note: Thanks to Christopher William Jewelers for their advertising support this season.

Running back revamp

Early in the transfer recruiting process, a big concern was the running back room after losing all three of the players who got meaningful playing time last season. JMU has reloaded in a huge way in that department.

Ayo Adeyi, a transfer from UNT, was one of the best running backs available in the portal after racking up over 1,000 rush yards and averaging 7.1 yards per carry in 2023. Although I expect Adeyi to take most of the carries, George Pettaway may have a higher ceiling than Adeyi. Pettaway transfers to the Dukes via UNC, where he did not see many meaningful snaps in his first two years on campus, being buried in a loaded depth chart.

However, in the class of 2022, Pettaway was a highly recruited player. He was a consensus 4-star by all major recruiting platforms and considered the No. 12 running back in his class. His offer list was headlined by Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, among many others. By high school recruiting rankings, Pettaway is one of the most talented players to put on a JMU uniform in school history.

We’ll see how it translates to the field. With multiple years of eligibility, he has the potential to be the future at the RB position. 

Washington quarterback joins Dukes

Jordan McCloud, interestingly enough, still remains uncommitted. In the meantime, JMU went out and got a commitment from Washington backup QB Dylan Morris.

D-Mo, as he’s affectionately called, was absolutely beloved by the UW fanbase, especially for his professionalism while yielding his starting position to eventual Heisman trophy finalist Michael Penix Jr.

As a starter in 2021, Morris threw for 2,400 yards along with 14 TDs and 12 INTs under a notably very bad offensive scheme, and his head coach was fired during the season. Morris was also a four-star recruit out of high school, who has all the tools to succeed in a pro-style offense (which I expect to see next year) at JMU, but he feels like maybe more of a question mark until proven otherwise.

Wide receiver/tight end needs

The rest of the offensive transfer class is filled with major talent as well, including Mississippi State wide receiver Nakai Poole, and others.

This class is off to a hot start! With that being said, the offensive reload is far from over. Here are the positions that I’d like to see Chesney add to in the near future. 

The wide receiver room was one of the hardest hit by departures. All three of the most productive players at this position have left the program. Both Phoenix Sproles and Reggie Brown have declared for the draft after using up their eligibility, and Elijah Sarratt has transferred to Indiana following Cignetti and staff.

Two other wide receivers have entered the transfer portal, although neither player was likely to play a huge role in 2024. The next man up on the depth chart is Taji Hudson, who caught eight passes last year for 88 yards and a touchdown. That’s not great previous production, if you’re asking him to step up to be the WR1 immediately. Other notable returners include Omarion Dollison, Maxwell Moss, and Yamir Knight.

JMU added Poole from Mississippi State, who was a highly recruited high school player but again does not have meaningful college experience. JMU could still benefit from adding 1-2 veteran wide receivers who can either start or compete with the existing WR room. JMU offered several transfers in the portal, but many committed elsewhere. Leland Smith, a JUCO player from California, has numerous G5 offers and recently visited Miami. He remains uncommitted and could be a portal option.

The tight end position was captained by the mainstay Zach Horton in recent seasons, and he was very productive (27 catches, 275 yards, and six touchdowns in addition to key blocking responsibilities) in 2023. He has since transferred out of the program and leaves JMU with Kyi Wright and former Charlotte transfer Taylor Thompson. Adding another veteran here to compete and push Kyi Wright makes sense, but I am confident Wright will take a big step in a pro-style offensive scheme.

The talent level on offense has upgraded at key positions already, and the Dukes figure to be stout along the offensive line thanks to key returners and a few transfer additions. There are still question marks across the board, though. This is normal for a “reloading” year. Look for the new-look offense to be exciting next year, with a very high ceiling.

Keep an eye out on @JMUSportsNews and @DukesRecruits for any future updates via the transfer portal.