James Madison is targeting Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney as its next head coach, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
Chesney, 46, brings a 111-46 record with him to JMU. In six seasons at Holy Cross, Chesney went 44-21 with five Patriot League championships and four FCS playoff berths. Chesney guided Holy Cross's 2022 outfit to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the FCS quarterfinals.
Chesney went 23-9 from 2010-12 at Salve Regina University and 44-16 from 2013-17 at Assumption University.
James Madison is looking to replace Curt Cignetti, who took the Indiana job after a fantastic 5-year run in Harrisonburg. The Dukes went 52-9 under Cignetti with a trip to the FCS title game in 2019, semifinal berths in 2020-21, and then one of the most successful FBS transitions in college football history. In two seasons in the hotly-competitive Sun Belt, JMU is 19-4 with two Sun Belt East titles (NCAA rules prevented the Dukes from playing for the conference title).
The current JMU team is 11-1 and ranked No. 24 in the AP poll heading into an Armed Forces Bowl date with Air Force.
Overall, James Madison has been .500 or better every year since 2002. The Dukes have qualified for the postseason (or would have, if rules allowed) each year since 2014, under three different head coaches, and have not lost more than two conference games for 10 straight seasons. James Madison won the 2016 FCS national title; their semifinal defeat of North Dakota State was the Bison's only loss over a run of 36 playoff games.
Chesney's track record of winning matches with JMU's. In 14 seasons across three universities, Chesney has posted 13 seasons of .500 or better, and either reached the postseason or claimed a conference title 10 times.
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