We’re about three weeks away from JMU football’s season opener on Sept. 5. The Dukes are hard at work preparing for the season, and it’s a season that includes a lot of new faces.

JMU revamped its roster via the transfer portal following Bob Chesney’s departure to UCLA and Billy Napier’s arrival in Harrisonburg. Portal stars will play a key role for the Dukes this year, but there’s a collection of returners being underrated.

Here are five returning players who could take on much larger roles in 2026. 

Kells Bush, DT

If you’re just getting up to speed on JMU football’s 2026 outlook, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with Bush. A rotational player last season with just seven tackles in eight games, he’s a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt pick by Phil Steele.

Bush is a projected starter who looked leaner and more explosive in the shortened spring game. Listed at 305 lbs, he’s actually the smaller of the Dukes’ two projected starters in the middle of the defensive line. Rasheed Lovelace is listed at 325 lbs, and he’s expected to be a run-stuffer. Bush should complement him well, and he should have opportunities to pile up tackles for loss and sacks. In the Dukes’ likely 3-3-5 setup, he’ll often act as a defensive end rather than a nose tackle.

Even if he doesn’t reach Steele’s lofty expectations, fans should be intrigued by Bush’s final year in Harrisonburg.

Ken Willis, CB

Willis played in all 14 games for the Dukes last season, but he was a reserve defensive back and special teams guy. In his fifth college football season after starting his career at Cincinnati, Willis is competing for a starting spot at cornerback.

If he wins the job — DJ Kelly and Damier Minkah are other starting options at corner — he should smash last year’s stats. While Willis isn’t drawing all that many headlines, he should earn a bigger role this fall compared to his other four seasons.

Evan Bushong, OL

A redshirt sophomore, Bushong has a legitimate shot to earn a starting spot at left guard. That’s not easy to do given JMU’s experience up front.

He’s not a well-known name among casual JMU fans yet, but he could soon be a pillar of the program in the trenches.

Seth Gathers, S

The redshirt freshman safety didn’t play in 2025, but he’s another returner competing for a starting job. His teammates and coaches rave about him.

The Maryland native could go from an unknown to a starting safety on a Sun Belt contender. He has sky-high potential.

JC Evans, QB

Evans is firmly in the mix to win the starting job. Even if Camden Coleman beats him out, the Dukes could implement a package for Evans — before you roll your eyes, not every short-yardage QB package is as doomed as Matthew Sluka’s in 2025. His athleticism and size should be used this fall in some capacity.

It’s only a matter of time before Evans gets the keys to an FBS offense. Will it be JMU’s this fall?

Honorable mentions

Players like LB Gannon Weathersby, DB KJ Flowe, and QB Camden Coleman could be considered breakout candidates, but I tried to pick five players with smaller previous impact. Weathersby was a starter for the Dukes a season ago and a steady contributor who is entrenched as a defensive leader, and Coleman led a ranked FCS team for two seasons. Flowe has 25 games played, 21 tackles, and a pick-six in his two college seasons. He’s due for a bigger year, but his likely breakout feels rather obvious. Amar Thomas also fits the mold of a potential breakout player, but his breakout feels fairly expected given his expected increase in snaps at edge/OLB.

If anything, this exercise might hint that JMU’s returning talent is better than national outlets realize. The Dukes’ roster was pillaged in the portal, but they aren’t just a portal team in 2026.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications