James Madison Is Looking To Hire, Um, WHO As Its Next Head Coach?

Since the turn of the decade, the James Madison Dukes have been somewhat of a football powerhouse.

Even through their transition to the big leagues of the FBS, they've maintained a level of consistency and competitiveness that few have been able to match.

This is due, in large part, to the embarrassment of riches they've had in their coaching ranks.

When now-Indiana Hoosiers coach, Curt Cignetti, took over in 2019, the Dukes finished with three top-five seasons in the FCS and then followed that up with an eight-win season and a top-25 finish in the FBS.

You all know how I feel about Coach Cig as a football mind, but the dropoff was minimal when Bob Chesney took the reins in 2024.

In only his second season in Harrisonburg, Chesney has the Dukes on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff.

Chesney was rewarded for his hard work by accepting the UCLA head coaching job, joining his predecessor in the Big Ten.

This means James Madison is in the market for a new head coach of its own, and for a fanbase that has seen so much winning over the past six years, the next guy brought in better be a killer himself.

Let's see just who the Dukes had in mind to be the next skipper to don the purple and gold, shall we?

Oh. Oh, no! Dear God, NO!

Listen, I don't have a lot of ties to James Madison University outside of one of my closest childhood friends being an alum there, but I've always admired the Dukes and would hate to see them stop their winning ways.

With all that being said, I implore you, powers that be at JMU, to stay far away from this man.

Yes, Napier was successful at Louisiana, a fellow Sun Belt school, prior to his stint in Gainesville, but I promise you, after watching the coaching wizardry of Curt Cignetti and Bob Chesney for the better part of a decade, having to witness the football malpractice that is William Hall Napier on gameday will be a shock to the system.

You had better hope he forgot every awful habit he picked up while at Florida, including hiring an offensive coordinator, or you are in for an awful time.

Napier is the antithesis of a guy like Cignetti. His slow, methodical style applies to everything: talent acquisition, in-game adjustments, staff hires.

You'll feel like you're watching a documentary on paint drying at half speed.

I've already gotten some pushback on X from JMU fans who think I'm overreacting, but take it from someone who had to witness this guy turn a once-proud program into a school that people think is a worse coaching destination than Ole Freakin' Miss, you don't want this.

I hope it works out for your sake, but the first time this man calls a bootleg dump-off to the tight end on 3rd and 12, don't come crying to me.

I tried to warn you, Dukes fans.