James Madison Goes Full Sun Belt

Thanks to some arcane and arbitrary NCAA rules regarding FCS members transitioning to the FBS, the Sun Belt East has been a gooey mess the last two seasons. You could put some blame on the victim James Madison, the plucky SBC newcomer chosen to finish last in the Sun Belt East in 2022 but refused to follow the script. Instead, an insulted Curt Cignetti went 6-2 in Sun Belt play, finished first in the East, and was forced to hand the divisional title to Coastal Carolina (whom JMU had thrashed). The very next season, the Dukes did it again, finishing the season 7-1 in Sun Belt play while watching Appalachian State get the invitation to the SBC title game. No wonder Curt Cignetti was so cranky.

Now that the Sun Belt no longer has to consider Cignetti’s mood (he left for Indiana and took a whole bunch of Dukes with him), the JMU is now completely conference championship eligible, one million percent. No more threats of litigation from the state’s attorney general! The Chanticleers, Mountaineers and whoever else dare challenge the Dukes in the East will have to win it for reals now.

If you’re not a Duke, you’ll find a quantum of solace knowing that James Madison is a team currently reinventing itself. Cignetti, as we mentioned earlier, bailed for the Hoosiers, and he took at least 17 serviceable Dukes with him (still, a solid five JMU players are featured on the Sun Belt All First and Second Teams). Replacing Cignetti and his good cheer is Bob Chesney, who went 44–21 at Holy Cross and has yet to bore a hole in a reporter’s face with his laser eyes. Chesney is a creature of the FCS but then again so was James Madison. What both have in common is a legacy of winning. The Sun Belt has taken note, selecting them to finish 2nd to Appalachian State this season.

Every Single Eyeball is on Texas State

The center of attention is unchartered territory for the Bobcats, who have spent most of their seasons in the Sun Belt living in the SBC West basement. That all changed last year when Texas State bid adios to Jake “Portal Pan” Spavital and brought Incarnate Word’s GJ Kinne aboard. Kinne, a spry young man with a closed cropped beard and a penchant for flashy belt buckles, brought a big pile of Incarnate Word Cardinals to San Marcos – so many that smartass pundits began referring to the team as “The Wordcats.”

Turns out, them Wordcats could ball. The first thing Kinne and his boys did was saunter over to Baylor and beat them 42-31. Later, they put up 77 on Jackson State. They would finish 4-4 in conference and cap the season by whipping Rice 45-21 in the ServicePro First Responder Bowl. Cignetti won SBC Coach of the Year, but many felt the honor belonged to Kinne.

The turnaround has morphed into high expectations. At Sun Belt Media Days, everybody wanted to talk to GJ Kinne and the two players accompanying him – star running back Ishmael Mandhi and new Bobcat quarterback Jordan McCloud, the reigning SBC Offensive Player of the Year and former slinger for James Madison. The Sun Belt West is expected to be an abattoir of Belt-on-Belt violence this year, but the talent and the schedule favor Kinne and his Bobcats. They seem to like their role as SBC assassins. Both Mandhi and McCloud arrived to SBC Media Days dressed like jewel thieves in a Quinten Tarantino movie.

Something Funny About that Texas State Schedule

For the past several seasons, Coastal Carolina has set the standard for scheduling ridiculously beneficial OOC slates. This year, the title shifts to Texas State, who opens the season at home to Lamar, at home to UTSA, at home to Arizona State, then a neutral site game to Sam Houston to close out OOC play. The Bobcats don’t play a true away game until October 3 at Troy.

Portaling Belt to Belt

Plunging into the portal is common practice in college football. This season several Sun Belt plungers have plunged right back into the Sun Belt. Among the most notable, Jordan McCloud (QB, James Madison to Texas State), Malik Hornsby (WR, Texas State to Arkansas State), CJ Beasley (RB, Coastal Carolina to Georgia State) and Carter Miller (OL, James Madison to ULM).

Who We Got In The Sun Belt East?

If you ask Sun Belt coaches (who, in turn, would likely ask their respective SIDs), Appalachian State would be the odds-on favorite to take the East, with James Madison finished second and Coastal Carolina rounding it out at third. It may surprise you not at all to know that his is how the East shook out last season (though JMU actually finished first, but was regulated to “second” thanks to those NCAA rules we mentioned earlier). Seems kind of lazy!

That said, Appalachian State does enter the season from a position of strength, bringing back Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Joey Aguilar at quarterback and placing a Sun Belt hight seven All SBC First Team picks. Head coach Shawn Clark bears the most Sun Belt experience of any coach in the conference. True, all-world RB Nate Noel portaled to Missouri, but the Mountaineers dig up running backs the way they unearth coal in them hills. And besides, Aguilar is throwing to one of the best wide receiver corps in the Sun Belt.

The interesting question is, Who pressures the Mountaineers? It’s been auto-acknowledged that the Sun Belt East is the tougher of the two SBC divisions, but let’s reconsider: Coastal Carolina lost 30 players to the Transfer Portal, including Grayson McCall. Old Dominion is weird, sure, but are they good? Georgia State may have lost more to the Portal than the Chants, and James Madison has lost nearly as many players to Indiana. And Marshall? The Thundering Herd was a mess last year. Why should this year be different? The entire Sun Belt East seems drained.

Georgia Southern is an interesting contender. Now in year three of Clay Helton’s lead, the Eagles are tied with the Red Wolves and Mountaineers for the most All Sun Belt Selections (9) with running back Jalen White and wide receiver Derwin Burgess Jr. leading the way. But it might be the defensive line that paces the Eagles, with Justin Rhodes and Isaac Walker dominating the trench.

Wild Man Pick: Old Dominion

Not only are the Monarchs led by the savvy and experienced Ricky Rhane, the linebacker corp led by Tackle Monster Jason Henderson may be the very best in the Sun Belt. Listen, ODU is just weird. They lose games they should win, and they win games they should lose. The Monarchs have a tough OOC and even stronger conference schedule – just the kind of slate Old Dominion likes for ruining seasons and shaking apple carts.

We Do We Got in the Sun Belt West?

Sun Belt SIDs coaches picked Texas State, and why not? The roster includes two Maxwell Award watch-listers in QB Jordan McCloud and RB Ismail Mahdi, and second-year head coach GJ Kinne is just fitting into his belt buckled has head honcho in San Marcos. Combine that with the Sun Belt’s best offensive and defensive lines, and you build a strong case for a Sun Belt Championship – and maybe more than that.

A SBC West Division title isn’t a given, however. The West is heavy at the top, with only ULM expected to hand Ws to all their friends in the division. Troy, the defending SBC champion, lost a lot of talent and its head coach Jon Sumrall, but Gerad Parker seems more than capable of running in Sumrall’s boots. In our opinion, the Trojans are going to need time to reload, but they will be a tough out regardless for everyone on the schedule.

South Alabama is in similar straits, depleted of top talent upon the departure of Kane Womack to Alabama. New head coach (and former OC) Major Applewhite with his first order of business replacing the capable Bradley Carter at quarterback. Redshirt freshman Gio Lopez is our bet to run the huddle.

Louisiana and Arkansas State are interesting teams to watch. Both finished with six wins on the regulars season, and both head coaches (Mike Desormeaux and Butch Jones, respectively) are beginning to see their patience bear fruit. The Cajuns had a setback when freshman wunderkind QB Zeon Chriss bailed for Houston in the offseason, but Desormeaux has the good fortune of having two experienced redshirt seniors in the QB room – Ben Wooldridge and Chandler Fields. A best in class offensive line and a set of shutdown defensive backs rounds out the Cajuns package.

Meanwhile, Arkansas State enjoys an encore performance from Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Jaylen Raynor at quarterback, who works behind a vastly improved offensive line and what might be the best wide receiver corps in the conference. A challenge for Butch Jones – taking on Texas State and Louisiana on their home turf.

Wild Man Pick: Southern Miss

If pluck were victories, Will Hall and his Golden Eagles would have won the Sun Belt last season by a dozen lengths. While the 3-win season in 2023 wasn’t exactly the stuff of legend, USM played a ton of hard games and endured a bevy of near misses. This year, Southern Miss is without the services of superstar running back Frank Gore, but incoming QB Tate Rodemaker of Florida State is a damn interesting guy to have behind center, and the DBs aren’t too shabby. The Golden Eagles get Arkansas State and Louisiana at home, which positions them to generate some dismay in the West.

First Team Up: ULM Warhawks

Come on down, new head coach Bryant Vincent and the ULM Warhawks! You’re the first Sun Belt team to make the scene in 2024, hosting FBS stalwart Jackson State on Thursday, August 29th (ESPN PLUS) at 6:00PM. An hour later, Coastal Carolina visits Jacksonville State (CBS Sports Network).

Five Fascinating Non-Conference Games

Georgia State at Georgia Tech, August 31, 7PM

Opening your season with a game that determines ownership of Atlanta is a boss move.

Troy at Memphis, September 7, 11AM

The Tigers are projected to be a top Group of 5 team in 2024, and this will be a terrific litmus test for new Trojan head coach Gerad Parker and the reigning Sun Belt champions.

Virginia Tech at Old Dominion, September 14, 5PM

It’s awesome that Virginia has such a healthy, active in-state rivalry with all the major universities. Great model to follow.

Arizona State at Texas State, September 12, 6:30PM

The Bobcats love luring victims to San Marcos. A win over Arizona State would cement Texas State as a New Years Bowl contender.

Tulane at Louisiana, September 21, TBD

Tulane has stolen two Sun Belt coaches in recent years – Willie Fritz and most recently Jon Sumrall. Can Mike Desormeaux make the Green Wave pay?

New Coach Stand Out: Gerad Parker, Troy Trojans

At Sun Belt Media Days, FunBelt Podcast got to meet all five new SBC head coaches. While all brought with them their individual personalities and strengths, the man who stood out to us was Gerad Parker, the former Notre Dame offensive coordinator now leading the men of Troy.

Much like his Trojan predecessor Jon Sumrall, Parker is part bull dog and part can of Red Bull, who is absolutely unfazed by stepping fresh onto the sideline of the Sun Belt champions. It won’t take long for Parker to place his stamp on this team.

Find the interview Coach Parker and all the Sun Belt coaches here.

Stand Out Player: Jaylen Raynor, Quarterback, Arkansas State Red Wolves

The Sun Belt Freshman of the Year was named this year’s Preseason Second Team All Sun Belt, underscoring the expectations set on his shoulders. If Raynor is feeling the pressure, he isn’t showing it. Few carry themselves with the poise and confidence as the North Carolinian thrust into the starter’s role in Week 4 last season. Can he build on a coming out season that produced 2,550 passing yards, 22 total touchdowns and the Red Wolves first bowl appearance since 2019?

Who Isn’t Winning the Sun Belt This Year?

The Warhawks

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