HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) 鈥� Four years ago, Billy Napier walked away from a Sun Belt Conference powerhouse he had built at Louisiana-Lafayette. It was, in part, because he wasn鈥檛 sure how that program would handle the financial challenges of new rules allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.
Four years later, Napier . And the Dukes鈥� ability to compete financially was one of the main drivers behind his decision to become the successor .
鈥淭his place has what it takes to dominate the competition for sure,鈥� Napier said of a program ranked No. 19 in the and headed to the .
Napier went 40-12 in four seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, dominating Sun Belt competition. His Ragin鈥� Cajuns won the Western Division all four years he was there and claimed league championships in his final two seasons. He was twice named the league’s coach of the year.
But after posting a 12-1 record and his second Sun Belt title in 2021, Napier left for Florida.
鈥淚 stayed at Louisiana after Year 2 when we had opportunities, after Year 3 when we had opportunities,鈥� Napier said. 鈥淎nd we probably, truth be known, would have stayed longer if it wasn鈥檛 for NIL. Because we know that was coming. We knew that roster was going to be tough to keep together.鈥�
Changed landscape
Napier went 22-23 at Florida, starting this season 3-4 in his fourth year leading the Gators.
As he surveyed the landscape, considering his future, he thought a lot about how college football had changed since he first took over at Louisiana-Lafayette in 2018. The NIL rules allowing college athletes to cash in on their fame went live in summer 2021, while this year marked the arrival of following .
鈥淚t鈥檚 very different,鈥� Napier said. 鈥淥bviously (revenue sharing) is ultimately a huge difference maker at the Group of Six level. Now, you evaluate jobs relative to alignment, resources 鈥� which basically means building infrastructure and hiring a great staff 鈥� and then the rev share that allows you to compensate really good players.鈥�
Napier said that, the transfer portal and have changed the game since he last coached in the Sun Belt.
鈥淏ut ultimately, football鈥檚 football,鈥� Napier said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to need to evaluate well. Basically going to recruit a high school cycle each year. Then you鈥檙e going to recruit a portal cycle each year. Then start over.鈥�
Those changes aren鈥檛 something Napier is thinking about in the abstract.
He jumps right into one of the most awkward positions in the country 鈥� seeking to retain players of a CFP-bound team while their current coach presumably is hoping to take some of the Dukes鈥� top talent with him west to UCLA. (No. 12 seed JMU faces No. 5 Oregon on Saturday night.)
鈥淚鈥檓 for transparency,鈥� Napier said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 rip the Band-Aid off. Who are you taking? And who wants to go?鈥�
Roster management
When Curt Cignetti left JMU for Indiana, he took 13 of the program鈥檚 top players with him. That group includes the Hoosiers鈥� leader in rushing touchdowns (Kaelon Black), its leader in receiving scores (Elijah Sarratt), its leader in pass breakups (D鈥橝ngelo Ponds) and its second-leading tackler (Aiden Fisher).
Nine former JMU players started multiple games this season for top-ranked Indiana, which and is the top seed in the 12-team playoff.
Chesney had to rebuild JMU almost entirely from scratch. He brought in 58 new players his first season.
Athletic director Matt Roan said he and Chesney navigated the entire season with openness and honesty, starting with UCLA鈥檚 first inquiries about Chesney after Week 3. That gives him confidence that Chesney and Napier will be able to work simultaneously and professionally toward the future of both coaches鈥� programs.
鈥淲e were very transparent throughout,鈥� Roan said. 鈥淭he day that UCLA announced that DeShaun Foster was being removed as the head coach, they started calling. And every program in America started calling. And we would have those open, honest conversations about where things could go. We鈥檝e been the adults in the room.鈥�
JMU president Jim Schmidt expressed confidence the Dukes will remain successful under Napier no matter how the fight over players turns out.
鈥淚 have no doubt that we may lose some talented players to UCLA,鈥� Schmidt said. 鈥淲e certainly lost some talented players to Indiana. I believe that we will retain the right players and I believe Coach Billy will bring some great players to round that out.鈥�
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