JMU football (5-1) is halfway through its 2025 regular season. Time flies when you’re having fun, or when you’re yelling at your TV about a lackluster passing game.

Anyway, we’ve arrived at the halfway point of the Dukes’ season, which means it’s time to hand out our midseason report cards. Here’s how we grade the Dukes’ various units through six games. We use Pro Football Focus (PFF) to help us hand out grades.

Offense

It’s a tricky group to grade through six games. Through two games, the Dukes were hellbent on using Matthew Sluka regularly. Through the next four games, the Dukes are still using Sluka in unsuccessful packages, but it’s mostly Alonza Barnett’s show.

The passing game is trending in the right direction after a 290-yard performance against Louisiana from Barnett. But the game before against Georgia State, he threw for just 74 yards. Landon Ellis stepped up at wide receiver with 120 yards and three touchdowns against Louisiana, but the position group has largely underwhelmed this fall.

The offensive line and running game have been solid for most of the season, with Wayne Knight leading the way. The once-overlooked running back now leads the Dukes with 537 rushing yards, and he’s added 138 receiving yards. Knight ranks third in the FBS in all-purpose yards per game.

Thanks to Jordan Fuller, who has 53 rushes for 312 yards, the Dukes have barely noticed injuries to Ayo Adeyi, George Pettaway, and Jobi Malary. It’s possible those three injured backs are all available against ODU.

Overall, this unit has performed below expectations. But there are reasons for optimism.

Grade: C-

Midseason PFF MVP: RB Jordan Fuller, 84.4 PFF

Defense

We don’t need much suspense here. This group gets an A.

JMU ranks 4th in total defense and 10th in scoring defense. The Dukes are the only FBS team yet to allow 300 yards in a game this season. JMU defense has held 4 of its 6 opponents to their season-low in yardage, and JMU’s opponents are averaging 142.4 fewer yards per game vs. the Dukes than in their other games.

What’s not to like?

There aren’t any obvious weaknesses, with the defensive line rotating a bunch of contributors. The linebackers have been stellar, led by Trent Hendrick. The secondary is filled with veteran standouts worthy of all-conference consideration, including Jacob Thomas, Elijah Culp, Justin Eaglin, D.J. Barksdale, and Tyler Brown.

Colin Hitschler’s group is one of the most effective defenses in college football through six games. Impressively, 15 JMU defensive players have PFF grades above 70 through six games. For comparison, Ohio State has 16, Michigan has 14, and Alabama has 12.

Hitschler will almost certainly hold a P4 defensive coordinator job or some FCS/G5 head coaching job in 2026.

Grade: A

Midseason PFF MVP: LB Trent Hendrick, 83.1 PFF grade

Special teams

This unit has gone up and down during the season, but it’s been on a steady rise in recent weeks. The Dukes returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the win over Georgia Southern, although field goal kicking (3-for-6) isn’t particularly impressive. The Dukes are 0-for-3 on kicks over 40 yards, but punter Patrick Rea is averaging just over 40 yards per boot, and he’s had nine of his 20 kicks downed inside opposing territory.

ESPN says JMU has the 69th most efficient special teams unit in the country. The unit has been decent.

Grade: C

Midseason MVP: Patrick Rea, punter

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications