James Madison football coaching timeline: How Bob Chesney built on Curt Cignetti's success
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James Madison football coaching timeline: How Bob Chesney built on Curt Cignetti's success originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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At the non-power conference level, it's hard to find a college football team that's had more success than James Madison. The Dukes transitioned from the FCS to the FBS just four years ago.
Since then, JMU has gone 45-11 with two straight bowl appearances and a first-ever trip to the College Football Playoff in school history in 2025 under now-UCLA head coach Bob Chesney.
Chesney's success at JMU was partially thanks to the strong foundation established by Curt Cignetti, who led the Dukes for five seasons from 2019-2023 before going to Indiana.
Here's a look at JMU's recent coaching history and how the Dukes have had massive success under their last four head coaches, including Chesney and Cignetti.
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James Madison football coaching history
Everett Withers: 2014-2015
Everett Withers was named the JMU head coach prior to the 2014 season after spending two seasons at Ohio State on Urban Meyer's staff from 2012-2013. In 2011, he served as North Carolina's interim head coach after the school fired Butch Davis, finishing 7-6.
At JMU, he led the Dukes to a 18-7 record across two seasons, as well as FCS Playoff appearances in both years. The Dukes lost in the second round in 2015. Withers left JMU to accept the head coaching job at Texas State.
Mike Houston: 2016-2018
To replace Withers, JMU turned to Mike Houston, who had compiled a 28-7 record as the head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne and The Citadel. He continued that success his first season with the Dukes in 2016, leading JMU to a 14-1 record and a national championship. JMU defeated Youngstown State 28-14 in the national championship game.
During Houston's second season, he led JMU to a second straight national title game berth, falling 17-13 to North Dakota State, also now in the FBS in 2026. JMU fell in the second round of the playoffs during Houston's third and final season at JMU. He left to accept the head coaching job at East Carolina.
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Curt Cignetti: 2019-2023
Cignetti took over for Houston after spending six seasons as the head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2011-2016, and coaching at Elon during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
He led JMU to three straight FCS playoff appearances, including a trip to the national title game in 2019. The Dukes then moved to the FBS ahead of the 2022 season. Although a silly NCAA bowl ban on teams transitioning prevented JMU from playing in a bowl game, the Dukes went 8-3 during Cignetti's first season in the Sun Belt.
His last season at JMU in 2023, the Dukes finished 11-1, and hosted ESPN's "College GameDay" for the first time ever.
Bob Chesney: 2024-2025
Chesney had a strong reputation as a head coach long before arriving at JMU. He was 88-37 as a head coach at DII Assumption and FCS' Holy Cross, leading his team to seven straight postseasons from 2015-2022.
In 2024, he led JMU to a 9-4 season, capped off with a Boca Raton Bowl win over Western Kentucky. Last year, he led JMU to a Sun Belt Championship, and the school's very first CFP appearance.
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When did Curt Cignetti leave James Madison?
Cignetti accepted the Indiana job in late November 2023, helping guide the Dukes to their first-ever bowl game appearance.
Who is James Madison's coach now?
James Madison's coach is former Florida head coach Billy Napier. Although he finished with a 22-23 overall record with the Gators from 2022-2025, he had success coaching in the Sun Belt with Louisiana from 2018-2021.
With the Ragin' Cajuns, he was 40-12, and led Louisiana to two straight Sun Belt Championships in 2020 and 2021. He led the Dukes to a 5-0 start to the 2026 season, with wins over Liberty, Wagner, San Diego State, Old Dominion and Marshall.
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