James Madison Football: Can Dukes regain FCS crown?

Defense

James Madison’s championship efforts of the past few years have been solidly fueled by one of the nation’s top defenses at the FCS level. The Dukes were the top group in the country, allowing just 11.1 points per game. They also led the FCS in turnovers gained, snatching 31 interceptions and 13 fumbles in 15 games.

This year, the defense has to deal with a lot of retooling. The unit lost major talent at all levels of the defense, beginning on the defensive line. Andrew Ankrah, Simeyon Robinson, and Cornell Urquhart have all exhausted their eligibility. Likewise, the linebackers lost veterans Brandon Hereford and Kyre Hawkins to graduation.

The secondary is probably in the best shape of any group on the defense. Starting safeties Jordan Brown and Raven Greene both graduated, but cornerbacks Rashad Robinson and Jimmy Moreland both return. The pair at the corner positions combined for 15 of the team’s 31 interceptions in 2017.

Focusing on defensive coordinator Bob Trott

The key to remaining dominant on defense this year is less on any individual personnel group than on the mastermind of the defense. Bob Trott enters his third year as James Madison’s defensive coordinator, and his hard work now begins as he works with his staff to rebuild a turnover-wracked unit.

Trott is going to depend on a lot of FBS transfers this season to mitigate the losses. To deal with losses in the front seven, Trott and his staff recruited heavily from the FBS ranks. The Dukes brought in Wake Forest defensive lineman Paris Black and Virginia defenders Juwan Moye and Matt Terrell to fortify the group.

Last year the defense had the benefit of being able to cycle a deep group of talent in and out of the rotation. That depth construction could pay major dividends as well as the Dukes defense rebuilds. How well Trott manages the turnover will help determine whether James Madison makes another deep run in the FCS playoffs.