Bob Chesney has officially announced two of his most important hires for off-the-field roles within the James Madison University program, and Matt Transue -- whose career began as a student-worker at the University of Tennessee -- has been elevated by JMU athletics director Jeff Bourne.
Coming to JMU after record-setting success at Holy Cross as replacement for Curt Cignetti, Chesney has hired Jordan Smith as the program's director of football operations and tabbed Nathan Applebaum as the Dukes's first director of player personnel under Chesney, among the most crucial off-the-field roles in today's frenetic, NIL, NCAA Transfer Portal-world of college football.
Additionally, JMU has announced that Ukoh Essang has been hired as a defensive graduate assistant. Essang has worked in the FBS Buffalo program, as well as at Northeastern State and Pittsburg State.
Transue was elevated into an senior-level administrative position after he elected to remain at James Madison rather than accept an offer on Cignetti's new Indiana University staff, sources previously shared with FootballScoop.
Now JMU's assistant athletic director for football administration, Transue has previously worked in the football programs at Tennessee, the University of Memphis, Virginia Tech and Georgia Southern before joining the JMU football program in January 2022.
James Madison opens the Chesney era Aug. 31 at Charlotte, hosts FCS program Gardner-Webb and then has a showdown at North Carolina Sept. 21.