JMU football’s 2026 high school class currently stands at 19 verbal commitments, and on paper, it’s the best recruiting class in program history. The Dukes are adding players with legitimate Power Four interest, as quality players seem to be flocking to Harrisonburg now that the Dukes are an FBS program with a path to the College Football Playoff. JMU doesn’t have the same financial offerings as Power Four programs, but the Dukes have a quality combination of some revenue-sharing, good facilities, and great fan support that puts them above most G5 schools.

Landing verbal commitments from players like QB Rocco Marriott, CB Kamden Jennings, and S Dkwan Thomas is a big deal. The Dukes are attracting some of the best talent among Sun Belt programs.

Here are a few quick notes from the Dukes’ 2026 recruiting cycle.

There’s so much time until Signing Day

Verbal commitments aren’t binding. And there is a long, LONG way until Signing Day.

It would be a minor miracle if JMU arrives at Signing Day with all 19 of the current verbal commitments still planning to be Dukes. And if head coach Bob Chesney gets poached by a P4 school, keeping even 5-10 of those commits would become a Herculean task.

It’s easy to get excited about verbal commitments and what a player might become, but a verbal commitment in 2025 means less than it did a decade ago — and it didn’t always mean all that much then! With how much roster turnover occurs annually via the portal, high school recruiting has lost some of its importance.

Track & field speed

The Dukes have targeted defensive backs with track backgrounds. Whether that’s a coincidence or not remains to be seen, but it’s clear JMU’s coaches like elite-level speed at cornerback and safety.

This tracks with their love of underclassmen DBs Chase Regan and KJ Flowe. Both players came to JMU with elite speed for the high school level, and they both earned playing time as true freshmen.

All of the five DBs to commit to JMU in this cycle are accomplished track athletes. Will the Dukes keep that focus in future seasons? It’s worth watching.

Florida footprint?

There’s good high school football everywhere. There are quality players in every state in the country, but a few states stand above the rest in terms of statewide competition. Some states treat high school football like it’s a college sporting event, and Florida fits that bill.

There’s exceptional talent in the Sunshine State, which makes it all the more intriguing that the Dukes are developing good relationships in Florida.

Recent recruiting classes brought the Dukes a pair of studs from Florida in cornerback D’Angelo Ponds (now with Indiana) and quarterback JC Evans, who was instrumental in the Dukes’ first bowl victory in 2024. And Chesney is ramping up his emphasis on the state.

JMU brought in three Florida players in its 2025 class — all defensive ends — and the 2026 class has four verbal commitments from Florida. Prospects from Florida account for 21% of the Dukes’ 19 verbal commitments. Those prospects are:

• Cory Simon, DT (6’1 and 265 lbs)
• Phoenix Donghia, RB (5’11 and 225 lbs)
• Max Roche, TE (6’4 and 240 lbs)
• Trace Burney, WR (5’9 and 165 lbs)

All four guys have upside, with Simon and Donghia potential under-the-radar stars who could make an immediate impact in Harrisonburg.

The Dukes are hitting Florida hard, which comes after the Dukes started setting the groundwork for an improved footprint in Texas soon after Chesney’s hiring.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications