JMU football is mostly healthy ahead of Saturday’s game at North Carolina, but the Dukes were without several key offensive players against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 7. They could still be without some of those players against North Carolina, with left tackle Tyshawn Wyatt notably not listed on the team’s official depth chart ahead of Saturday’s game.

Running back Ayo Adeyi left the Gardner-Webb game after suffering a lower leg injury, while Wyatt and wide receiver Taji Hudson missed the entire game. Hudson and Wyatt both missed the first two games of JMU’s season. St. Francis transfer Jesse Ramil and Joseph Simmons have handled most of the load at left tackle through two games.

Will Adeyi, Hudson, and Wyatt play?

Head coach Bob Chesney was vague at Monday’s press conference, saying Hudson is progressing well and they’ll know more about Adeyi later this week. Hudson and Adeyi seem like they’re closer to playing than Wyatt, who hadn’t received medical clearance to play in games as of early September. Chesney didn’t mention Wyatt during Monday’s press conference, although he wasn’t specifically asked about the standout lineman.

Hudson, despite not playing in the first two games of the season, was dressed in pads for each of the two games. He seems close to being game ready, and he’ll add helpful size (he’s 6’4”) in the passing game whenever he returns to action.

Wyatt, who has 19 starts at left tackle and 14 starts at left guard during his JMU career, suffered a major lower body injury in the final stretch of the 2023 season. His recovery seems to be progressing slowly. Wyatt isn’t listed on JMU’s depth chart for the North Carolina game, suggesting he’s still unable to play.

Chesney’s depth charts haven’t exactly been gospel through two games, though.

Hudson has been listed as a starting wide receiver in each of the first two games, but he’s yet to play a snap this fall. Additionally, JMU lists Kyi Wright as a starting tight end, but he’s third among JMU’s tight ends in snaps this season. Taylor Thompson leads all JMU tight ends with 60 snaps played, but he’s yet to be listed on the depth chart at tight end.

Barring a surprising change in Chesney’s philosophy on injury updates, it’s likely JMU fans (and more importantly, UNC coaches) will go into Saturday’s game with questions about the status of Adeyi, Hudson, and Wyatt.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications