North Carolina will attempt to start 4-0 for the second straight season when it welcomes James Madison to Chapel Hill ahead of ACC play. The Dukes' roster includes former Tar Heel George Pettaway and a handful of standouts from Holy Cross, the previous stop for new head coach Bob Chesney.

Ahead of Saturday’s tilt, we provide some insight to JMU from key players to its playing style and scheme.

Here’s an inside look at the Dukes, including notable transfers, and their coaching staff:

“James Madison is 19-4 over the last two seasons. They are a very proud program that’s won a lot of football games. They beat Charlotte worse than we did. They’re 2-0. Bob Chesney is their coach. He was 113-46 as a head coach, [and] he’d won five straight conference championships at Holy Cross. They’ve got a tremendous amount of transfers and I think that’s what changes when you’re playing Group of Five teams.” - Head Coach Mack Brown

“[I’m] really impressed with them. I’ve never played these guys, but always heard about them and seen them from a distance. When I was in the Sun Belt, they weren’t there yet, but I know they got great tradition and a great fanbase that cares a lot about football and you can see it’s a program, I think, on the rise. New staff there, and he’s got a great resume. Their head coach, he was successful where he was before. [I’m] very impressed. They play extremely hard, they’re well coached, and they got a lot of confidence for sure because they’re a quality program. We got our hands full. We’re gonna have to really play well. We’re gonna have to play better than we have so far to win the football game. I’ve got a lot of respect for what they do.” - Offensive Coordinator Chip Lindsey

“The things that they’ve done at Holy Cross and the things they’ve done the last two games, not the complete package has made it down to JMU, but they’re doing a lot of really good things on offense. Just the multiplicity of the things that they do formationally, with the personnel groupings, with the abundance of tight ends that they have and layer in in their different packages, and where they rotate receivers and running backs. They line them up all over the field. Normally, teams have a z, teams have an x, teams have a slot, [and] teams have a running back. This is kind of positionless football. They’re moving guys around and the same formation might be with a different personnel grouping, but there’s similarities and differences with what they’re doing so it’s a challenge schematically to get ready for.” - Defensive Coordinator Geoff Collins

On RB George Pettaway

“His shiftiness out in space [stands out]. That's really what he wants to do, get out in space and get one-on-one matchups with guys. His shiftiness and the ability to catch the ball as well, it can be a factor.” Safety Antavious ‘Stick’ Lane

“George Pettaway’s got great vision in between the tackles and if he sees somebody out of his gap, he can slip through and make a big play.” - Linebacker Power Echols

George Pettaway - Running Back

Prior to transferring to James Madison, Pettaway spent two seasons in Chapel Hill, where he recorded 20 rushes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Through the air, he tallied five receptions for 21 yards.

In two games, Pettaway is their leading rusher, amassing 114 yards and one score on 18 carries. He has been equally as impactful in the passing games with five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Omarion Dollison - Wide Receiver

Dollison transferred to JMU from USF in 2023 following three seasons with the Bulls. While he played in 11 games and secured one catch for 54 yards and a touchdown, Dollison has emerged as a top receiving threat for the Dukes early in the 2024 campaign.

Dollison leads the roster with 80 receiving yards, and has scored one touchdown over the first two games of the season.

Cam Ross - Wide Receiver

After a decorated four-year career at UConn, Ross has made an immediate impact with James Madison. He is tied for the team lead with four receptions, tallying 76 yards.

While with the Huskies, Ross appeared in 28 career games, recording 114 catches for 1,356 yards and four touchdowns.

Taylor Thompson - Tight End

Similar to Dollison, Thompson came to Harrisonburg in 2023 after three seasons at Charlotte. Although he played in just seven games as a junior, Thompson has been an early target for quarterback Alonza Barnett III.

Thompson is also tied for the team lead with five catches, and has 56 receiving yards through two games.

Tyler Purdy

Purdy joins George Pettaway in the Dukes’ backfield, transferring to JMU following five seasons at Holy Cross. He saw action in 34 career games with the Crusaders, tallying 164 carries for 937 yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Purdy added in 32 receptions for 426 yards and four scores, and also earned All-Patriot League honors in 2020.

Jacob Dobbs - Linebacker

As did Purdy, Dobbs joined the JMU program in 2024 after five seasons at Holy Cross. He played in all 43 games with the Crusaders, earning All-American honors and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2023.

Dobbs is Holy Cross’ all-time leader in tackles (432) and tackles-for-loss (46.5), while recording 22.5 sacks, four interceptions, and four forced fumbles. Through the Dukes’ first two games, he is the team’s leading tackler with 18, and has notched 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack.

Dobbs was recently named to the Butkus Award Watch List, given to the nation’s top linebacker, and to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, given to the player "who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement."

Khairi Manns - Defensive Line

Manns is among JMU’s most experienced transfers, coming to Harrisonburg after four seasons at Maine and one at Colorado. In 37 career games, he recorded 117 tackles with 16.5 tackles-for-loss, 9.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

Helping the Dukes get off to a 2-0 start, Manns is tied for second on the roster with 12 tackles and has tallied one tackle-for-loss and half a sack.

Chris Shearin - Safety

Entering his sixth season of college football, Shearin joined JMU this offseason following two seasons at UConn and three at Missouri. Between the two schools, he has played in 44 games with 86 tackles, nine pass breakups, four interceptions, and two tackles-for-loss.

Shearin is also tied for second in tackles (12) with one tackle-for-loss and a forced fumble in two games.

Bob Chesney - Head Coach

In total, Chesney has 14 years of head coaching experience, including the last six seasons at Holy Cross, where he led the Crusaders to a 44-21 record and five consecutive Patriot League titles. In 2022, he helped Holy Cross capture an undefeated regular season and clinch a berth in the FCS Quarterfinals for the first time in close to 40 years.

While with the Crusaders, he secured their best three year stretch since 1989-91, amassing a 29-8 record from 2021-2023.

Holy Cross’ most notable wins with Chesney at the helm include a 10-point win over UConn and a six-point win over Buffalo in 2022.

Chesney earned the Patriot League Coach of the Year honors on three separate occasions and helped develop two Walter Payton Award finalists in quarterback Matthew Sluka and receiver Jalen Coker, and a Campbell Trophy Finalist in linebacker Jacob Dobbs.

Dean Kennedy - Offensive Coordinator

Kennedy followed Chesney to James Madison after two seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Holy Cross. While with the Crusaders, he guided them to two Patriot League championships and, in 2023, was responsible for the offense finishing top-20 in eight statistical categories.

Following the 2023 season, eight of the 11 offensive starters were named to an All-Patriot Team, including five First-Team selections.

Kennedy has also spent four seasons at Florida (2018-21) as the assistant quarterbacks coach, and one year at Mississippi State as an offensive graduate assistant (2017).

Lyle Hemphill - Defensive Coordinator

Hemphill joins the Dukes’ staff after a two-year stint in Durham with Duke, where he served as the safeties coach and the co-defensive coordinator. In 2023, the Blue Devils finished top-20 in red-zone defense and scoring defense, categories they were second and first in the ACC in, respectively.

Prior to his stint with Duke, Hemphill served as the safeties coach (2017-19) and defensive coordinator (2020-21) at Wake Forest. During his tenure as the Demon Deacons’ defensive coordinator, Wake Forest was one of just three FBS programs to secure 13 or more interceptions for three consecutive seasons.

The 2024 season is Hemphill’s 23rd as a coach at the collegiate level.