Former Florida head coach Billy Napier is already back in the game, officially announced on Saturday as the new head coach at James Madison in the Sun Belt. Napier replaces Bob Chesney, who went 21-5 in two seasons with the Dukes before accepting the open position at UCLA. Chesney’s team won the Sun Belt championship on Friday and he will continue to coach the team if they are selected for the CFP.
“James Madison Athletics is thrilled to officially announce Billy Napier as the new head coach of our proud football program,” JMU AD Matt Roan said. “We strive for excellence and maximum success every day and understand that this type of coaching transition can be the price for that success. The challenge and opportunity is to reload and keep taking steps to ‘level up’ the trajectory of the JMU football program, and we are confident that we’ve done that with the hiring of Coach Napier. Following a deliberate and exhaustive search, it became clear that Billy’s pedigree as an incredibly experienced coach, a league champion, and winning games against the best teams in the country matched our goals at JMU. He’s a winner and he attracts other winners, whether that be his coaching staff or his players. He has a detailed plan to ensure that from day one, every step forward is a step up. Even more, he is committed to the development of young men through our holistic student-athlete experience. On top of all that, he is a man of commitment to his family, to the community and to this university. I’m fired up to work with Billy, and we’re ecstatic to welcome Billy, Ali their three children, and many family members and friends to JMU Nation, and to support them!”
Napier returns to the Sun Belt, where he previously spent four successful years at Louisiana before getting the Gators’ job in 2021. He went 40-12 (27-5) overall with the Ragin’ Cajuns, including four bowl appearances and a three-straight 10+ win seasons. His time in Gainesville was less of a success, as he was let go in October after a 3-4 start with an overall record of 22-23 (12-16 SEC).
The Dukes have been a powerhouse since moving up to the FBS level in 2022, when they were helmed by current Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. Napier becomes the third head coach of the program’s FBS era, following in the footsteps of both Cignetti and Chensey who had success and were then offered bigger jobs.
credit to James Madison Athletics for the image