JMU football head coach Bob Chesney appeared on “Wake Up Barstool” on Thursday morning, and he discussed a range of topics in his 16-minute interview. Among the most notable was Chesney’s answer to a question from Barstool personality Big T (Conner Knapp).

Knapp asked Chesney about being a rumored candidate for Power Conference job openings and whether he discusses those rumors with his team. Here’s Chesney’s full answer:

“There’s nothing really to talk about. I worry about what we’ve got to do here on a day-to-day basis, like every other coach in America. But ultimately to me, I think, there’s a lot of different guys that say a lot of different things when it comes down to it. I can tell you that we’re perfectly happy here. If you saw this student body and you saw the stands, this is a big-time place to play and coach football. We love everything about it. And ultimately, are there things that someday may show up that are life-changing? Possibly. But I’ve been in this situation a lot of times. In every place I’ve been, they always talk about, hey, he’s leaving. That seems to be a thing that happens all the time, especially in recruiting. For me, we just take it one day at a time and do the best we can. But at the end of the season, I think a lot of different people have a lot of different decisions to make — our players included nowadays. To me, the best thing is open and honest and transparent conversations with our players when those things come up. But we’re so focused right now on just being the best we can be. You don’t get to this point where I’m on this show, our name is in the conversation because we’re letting a lot of external conversations come into play. That’s now what happens. How did we get here? We got here because we cared about having the greatest practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday that we possibly can. And we’re walking into Thursday right now, and that’s all we should be caring about. Ultimately, our guys are singular in their focus. They’re locked in. I’m excited about this team and their continuous progression.”

Clearly, Chesney isn’t denying the possibility that he’s going to leave this offseason. Nor should he. He’s making less than $1 million to coach JMU annually, and he’s among the best coaches in college football. Curt Cignetti is now making $11.6 million annually to coach Indiana.

If you could multiply your salary by 10 to do the same job in a new location, would you do it? A lot of people would say yes, of course, especially in an industry as fickle as college football coaching. It’s smart to maximize your earning potential when you can because fan bases and donors change their minds quickly.

Chesney also made it clear he likes JMU, saying it’s a “big-time place” to coach. The Athletic recently reported that JMU spent close to $2 million on its roster this fall, with plans to grow that to $4-6 million.

If Chesney gets passed over for his favorite openings during this coaching cycle — he’s likely not the top candidate at Virginia Tech (James Franklin), Auburn, Florida, LSU, or Penn State — he could run it back at JMU for another year or two and wait for a job that he thinks will allow him to win big at the P4 level.

Regardless of Chesney’s decision, JMU is an attractive spot for coaches. What the Dukes lack in salary, they make up for in resources compared to Sun Belt peers. JMU is set up to win, and the program has shown it can propel coaches into Power Conference roles.

JMU also has at least four regular season games with Chesney left, and a 7-1 record. The Dukes have one of the rising stars in college football coaching and a clear path to a Sun Belt title.

JMU and Chesney need to make that opportunity count before the offseason carousel reaches its apex.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications