College Football Playoff team loses 23 players to transfer portal

Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes quarterback Alonza Barnett III (14) celebrates after a play during the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

James Madison finished the 2025 regular season 12–1, won the Sun Belt Conference championship and earned the conference’s first-ever berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff as the No. 12 seed.

The Dukes were matched up against No. 5 Oregon in the first round and fell 51–34, as Ducks sophomore quarterback Dante Moore threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.

While the loss closed the most successful single season in program history at the FBS level, it also marked the beginning of a period of rapid personnel turnover.

Shortly after the regular season, James Madison head coach Bob Chesney accepted the UCLA head-coaching job on a five-year deal.

Chesney remained with the program through its CFP appearance before departing, after which James Madison named former Florida head coach Billy Napier as his successor.

Those moves, a sitting head coach departing for a Power Four job and a high-profile hire arriving before the portal window, set the stage for rapid roster turnover.

As of Friday, the 247Sports transfer portal tracker lists 23 James Madison players as having entered the portal, which officially opens at midnight and runs through January 16, with the most recent departure being redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Lofton.

Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney looks on during the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

While Lofton did not see any action during the 2024 or 2025 seasons, the remaining list of departures includes several key contributors from the Dukes’ breakout 2025 campaign.

Most notably, starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III (Sun Belt Player of the Year), workhorse running back Wayne Knight (All-American; 1,770 all-purpose yards in 2025), and starting interior offensive lineman Carter Sweazie have all entered the transfer portal.

Napier now inherits a program coming off historic on-field success while navigating significant roster turnover and a coaching-staff reset.

He previously rebuilt Louisiana into a Sun Belt power after serving as a coordinator at Clemson and Alabama, posting a roughly 40–12 record with two conference championships before moving on to Florida.

At Louisiana, Napier earned a reputation as an elite recruiter and developer of FBS talent, producing NFL draft picks such as defensive backs Tracy Walker and Simeon Thomas, offensive linemen Robert Hunt and Kevin Dotson, and running back Elijah Mitchell.

Even so, the task ahead will not be easy, as Napier must immediately use the transfer portal to replenish starters at several key positions (QB, RB, OL) while installing a culture and scheme that can retain returning players and attract potential transfers.

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