Washington State 2025 Spring Opponent Outlook: James Madison Dukes

When the weather cools down and the pressure ramps up toward the end of this season, Washington State will make a trip to a place it has never been before to battle a team it has never seen before. The Cougars are set to take on James Madison in Harrisonburg on November 22 and it may be the most intriguing matchup on the 2025 slate for WSU. The Dukes are entering Year Four as an FBS team and arguably no program has had a smoother transition from the FCS in recent memory. Winners of last year's Boca Raton Bowl, JMU strung together nine victories in 2024 and that was actually down one from the year prior. James Madison has wasted no time in establishing itself a legitimate threat and the Cougars will need to be ready when they head to Bridgeforth Stadium in Week 13.

Offense

Led by second-year head coach Bob Chesney, the Dukes look to again be a contender in the Sun Belt title race this fall but the the offense... and specifically the receiving corps... is going to be totall revamped. Last year it was standouts like Omarion Dollison and Yamir Knight leading the charge on the outside but with both of them gone, now JMU will lean on transfers to pick up the slack in the passing attack.

Newcomers Landon Ellis, Nick DeGennaro and Jaylan Sanchez all look to play a key role in the receivers room this fall. Ellis, who came over from Richmond, will actually join his former quarterback Camden Coleman. Coleman is currently projected to be the Dukes' starter this season and will have a lot of familiarity with the junior Ellis who caught 50 passes for 588 yards and four touchdowns last season with the Spiders. DeGennaro was also part of that group at Richmond, hauling in 40 balls for 576 yards and four TDs.

Sanchez, meanwhile, comes from Villanova where he tallied three 100-yard receiving games last fall and had six scores. All three of these guys should make a splash for James Madison's offense and Washington State's D will need to familiarize itself with the trio or it might be a long day.

Another name that WSU will need to know is one that was around in the purple and gold last year; running back George Pettaway. Pettaway was 20 yards shy of hitting 1,000 in 2024 and was one of the Sun Belt's best backs. Now in his junior campaign, he appears as though he's gearing up for a career year in 2025 and JMU might use him even more heavily in light of all their other offensive changes.

Defense

Defensively the Dukes remain relatively in tact from the squad they boasted last year. Star linebacker Jacob Dobbs is gone but Trent Hendrick returns after a 54-tackle season. Immanuel Bush is back at defensive tackle and will be one of the more seasoned vets on the front as a redshirt senior. Bush made four tackles for loss and got in on 1.5 sacks last year.

The back end will not look quite the same, though. Transfer DBs Curtis Harris-Lopez and Chantz Harley are expected to replace Terrence Spence and Chris Shearin in the secondary. Harris-Lopez makes his way over from FCS Holy Cross where he played under Chesney and Harley, like the aforementioned Sancez, is an ex-Wildcat from Villanova.

James Madison is really leaned into the Northeast region when reloading this offseason and went heavy on the FCS talent from its former home in the CAA. If all the new faces can gel and do so quickly, the Dukes should again be a tough matchup and, by the time November rolls around, they could be a really tough matchup for the Cougs if they're firing on all cylinders. Washington State may have its hands full in this East Coast road trip.