JMU football is in the College Football Playoff. In less than a week, the Dukes will face Oregon in the biggest game in program history.

While the 2025 Dukes are the ones who made this special season happen, the teams before this year’s squad laid the foundation for JMU football to thrive at the FBS level. Here’s what a handful of former players had to say about the Dukes making the CFP and what it means to them.

Percy Agyei-Obese, RB (2017-2022)

“Man, seeing JMU in the CFP feels like the next chapter in a story that’s been written by generations of Dukes,” he told us via DM. “The standard has always been the standard — winning, competing, and never backing down from anyone. You can look at the climb over the years and see the steady rise built on discipline, belief, and culture. Every season, every rep, every Duke who laid a brick in this foundation made this moment possible.

They tried to cheat us out of a Sun Belt championship in 2022, but we knew who the real champions were — and we’ve proved it ever since. JMU doesn’t run from adversity; we rise through it. When I went down to the Sun Belt Championship this year, players came up to me saying, ‘This is for you. We did this for you guys.’ That hit deep, because it shows how alive that culture still is — that same energy in the locker room, that same fire that never fades.

I’ve lined up in that uniform, under those lights, with the crowd shaking the stadium — and that feeling never leaves you. That mindset in that locker room, on that campus, and in that community breeds a different kind of confidence. Coaches come and go, but the culture never changes. The expectation to win and to hold the guy next to you accountable — that’s JMU Football. You have to be in that building, on that field, and in that community to truly understand what it means to bleed purple and gold.

Now, to see JMU as the first team in Virginia to make the CFP, it just validates everything we’ve always believed. There’s no better place in the country to play football than James Madison University. JMU over anyone… Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere — No Surrender, No Retreat. Once a Duke, always a Duke. This isn’t a Cinderella story — this is the standard, and the standard will always be the standard.”

Stephon Robertson, LB (2010-2013)

“I mean we all knew as alums the trajectory the program was headed,” he told us via DM. “There has been too much ground work done from a lot of us alums. Even though our playing time is done, we still support as fans now. This is their moment on the field. Means the world to see us be here. This team specifically continues to embody what we are as a fan base. Family. Football. Fun. I’ve been one of the believers and I’m more excited than surprised. Best part about it?? There is more to come.”

Jalen Green, DE (2019-2023)

“It was amazing to watch JMU accomplish the main goal that came with making the transition into the FBS,” he told us via DM. “Congratulations to a great year so far but “Jobs Not Finished”! Go Dukes!!”

Vad Lee, QB (2014-2015)

“We’re going to the College Football Playoff,” he said on JMUSN’s To The House. “I’m talking about the James Madison Dukes. We were just not too long ago, typically getting into the FCS playoffs playing for the natty in Frisco, Texas, every year. Trying to figure out when we’re going to play against North Dakota State. Now we’re playing against the Alabamas, the Oregons of the world. Come on, bro. This is crazy.”

Delvin Joyce, RB (1997-2000)

“It is unbelievable,” he said on To The House. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier either as an athlete or a fan as I am right now to see this program in the College Football Playoff.”

Mike Battle, LB/TE (1977-1981)

“It is an out-of-body experience,” Battle said on the JMU Sports News podcast. “I played for the first James Madison University football team. Before that it was Madison College. I had this same discussion when I was on the Board of Visitors and in a position to be a part of the athletic committee. We were sitting down in Williamsburg at a retreat and we were talking about the idea of moving up from FCS to FBS. I told this story. I said, ‘I was on the field when we played UVA for the first time and we got beat 66-9. I was on the sideline doing the broadcast for the local radio station when we beat UVA for the first time and had a guy jump into my arms and knock me offline and he destroyed my mic. We were so excited about that.’ I have sat here and been a part of and watched this whole transition to the point where we are today. This is what we are all about.

“My first year on the Board, I sat with Ron Carrier and watched JMU-Akron — one of our crazy FCS-FBS matchups — and Ron took me to the side and said, ‘If you’re not moving up, you’re dying. You gotta move this program.’ That’s what’s been top of mind for me. It’s been a mission since then, and it’s been the emphasis of so many in leadership since that time. So year, what’s it like? My god, it’s crazy. I remember crying when we beat Montana for the first FCS Championship. And now to be sitting here playing in the top level of college football. You know, what? Oregon better watch out because we know what we’re doing, and this team is an awesome set of young men. To be at a point where we can make that kind of noise, I can’t tell you how exciting that is.”

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications