The plan is to begin preparations for their unconventional spring season as soon as later this month.

James Madison coach Curt Cignetti said if his Dukes stay healthy and don’t encounter any more coronavirus-related issues, then they could hold their first official practice on or within a few days of Oct. 17. The NCAA is allowing programs not competing this fall to go through 15 practices over 29 days, according to the second-year JMU coach, in order to be ready to play in the spring.

Last week, the Colonial Athletic Association announced its members will have six league games from March 6 through April 17 and that CAA schools could also play up to two non-conference contests as part of their schedules.

“We’re excited to start spring practice in October,” Cignetti said, “and hopefully when the students get back we can keep our [positive coronavirus tests] down, which will enable us to practice and come out of there better, develop players, create competition, some scheme development and then head toward January.”

With no campaign this fall and regular spring practice scrapped in March due to the pandemic, JMU hasn’t held a formal practice since the week leading into its national championship game loss to North Dakota State last January.

Dukes players returned to Harrisonburg initially in July and started their strength and conditioning drills only to have the fall season postponed on Aug. 7 – the same day JMU was expected to open training camp. After that, members of the Dukes were able to continue working out, but an uptick in coronavirus cases on campus and within the program forced them on a three-week hiatus until Sept. 16.

Cignetti said lifting and running drills in addition to position-specific skill instruction have gone well upon the team’s restart last month.

“The thing I’ve learned recently is how much they love playing football,” Cignetti said, “because you could tell how excited they were to get started again after we had to hit the pause button when school began. … So I think everybody is really happy to be back in a routine, get between the white lines and get everything else out of our head and do something they’re all passionate about and that’s playing football.”

He said the roster is in good shape and that he doesn’t expect any opt-outs come spring at this point from any seniors who may have the choice to forego their final season and pursue the NFL Draft or simply move on after graduation.

If that stays true, the Dukes will have a roster that features 21 upperclassmen including returning offensive line starters Liam Fornadel, Truvell Wilson and Raymond Gillespie and a tandem of running backs, Percy Agyei-Obese and Jawon Hamilton, who were so effective last year. Agyei-Obese was a first-team All-CAA choice in 2019 for his 1,216 yards and 19 rushing scores, and Hamilton was a third-team all-league pick for his 919 yards and five touchdowns.

“It is nice to get out there on Tuesdays and Thursdays with skill instruction,” Cignetti said, “which is pretty similar to practice except you don’t go offense against defense and it’s no contact. You get all your individual work in, and I think we’ve got a good-looking football team.

“The offensive line has a chance to be really strong. We’re obviously very deep at running back. We’ve added some tight ends. And [Duke transfer wide receiver Scott] Bracey has caught my eye … and the young kid, [freshman] Antwane Wells has caught my eye at receiver a little bit.”

Cignetti said from what he’s seen so far, the quarterbacks – senior Cole Johnson and junior Gage Moloney – have thrown the ball well and that he likes the additions of Minnesota transfer defensive lineman Abi N-Okonji and Massachusetts transfer safety Joe Joe Norwood.

All strength and conditioning drills have been run by recently hired Derek Owings, who was added to the staff last month as the director of strength, and he replaced ex-strength coach Brian Phillips.

Cignetti called Owings, ‘a sharp guy.’

“It’s always going to be a little different,” Cignetti said, “but philosophically it’s a lot more of the same than different, but that was part of my criteria when I made the hire. Rest and recovery would be at a premium. Injury prevention, leaning guys down and making ‘em flexible, quick, fast and explosive. And he’s high tech. He’s really, really smart. He’s done a great job and I have been very impressed. Got a lot of positive feedback from the players.”