His buddies have departed, but Mike Greene is attempting to keep the same attitude and recipe for success they used in place.

Greene is the lone returning starter on James Madison’s defensive front.

“I can definitely tell we’re molding together really good,” Greene, the Dukes’ senior defensive tackle, said after practice on Tuesday about the new-look defensive line. “And off the field we’re real close and trying to stay together as a defensive line and trying to get like last year’s team.”

All-Colonial Athletic Association first-team defensive ends Ron’Dell Carter and John Daka have graduated, and former Dukes defensive tackle Adeeb Atariwa transferred to Virginia where he’s playing out his senior season of eligibility this fall. Atariwa, Carter, Daka and Greene combined for 79 tackles for loss and 37.5 sacks in 2019 to makeup one of the top defensive lines in all of FCS.

But Greene said he’s forging ahead and looking forward to seeing what the unit can do this coming spring with new personnel at every spot but his own.

He’s roommates now with defensive end Isaac Ukwu and defensive tackle Garrett Groulx, who both lined up alongside of Greene with the first-team defense on Tuesday at practice. Former Temple transfer Antonio Colclough was the other starter at defensive end opposite of Ukwu. Minnesota import defensive lineman Abi N-Okonji and defensive end Jalen Green appear to be in the mix for playing time, too.

“As a group we are competitors,” Greene said. “We just want to go out there and beat the person in front of us, even with each other. We did board drills today as a defensive line and we’re calling each other out because we want to be the best one out there.

“But everyone has their own game, for real. We all have different games. Isaac is more of a finesse-to-power and speed guy. [Colclough] is a power [player]. Everyone has their own style.”

He said competition among the position group is what helped drive the Dukes’ defensive linemen last season, and that he wants to continue the trend this year.

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- Greene said he’ll start working on facing double teams during fall practice, because he knows it’s coming when team’s spring season begins in February. “Double teams don’t stop,” he said, “especially in that 3-technique position. And even at nose, you can see them every play if [the offense] wants to, but definitely honing in on that.”

- Senior right tackle Liam Fornadel said he was excited when he found out JMU would be able to have a spring season. “That was my mindset,” Fornadel said. “With all the uncertainty around the fall season and spring season, I was just excited we’d be able to practice, go out there, work out and do what we’ve been doing, and so I’m really looking forward to see what the spring has for us.”

- In Fornadel’s first three seasons at JMU, he’s always played with a right-handed quarterback. These fall practices have brought a quarterback competition between senior Cole Johnson, a right-handed thrower, and junior Gage Moloney, a lefty. When Moloney runs the offense, Fornadel becomes the blindside protector. He noted the biggest change for him and the offense to adapt to with Moloney at quarterback is that the offense’s sprint-out plays for the quarterback no longer go to the right. Those plays now go to the left with Moloney.

- After JMU’s first practice this past Thursday, second-year coach Curt Cignetti mentioned how impressed he is with Duke transfer wide receiver Scott Bracey. On Tuesday, it was easy to see why Cignetti would think that. Throughout the window of practice open to reporters, Bracey lined up as an outside receiver and in individual drills he displayed quickness while running routes and also a knack to get in and out of his breaks smoothly.

- Another transfer in line to boost the Dukes right away is ex-Massachusetts safety Joe Joe Norwood and they could use his help at a few different positions. From this reporter’s point of view, Norwood brings good energy to practice and seems like he’s fitting in well, high-fiving his teammates and talking to them as practice started on Tuesday.

- Currently, Cignetti and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman have Norwood working at the spur position, which is where Wayne Davis played last year. But last week Cignetti said they’ve also thought about using Norwood at cornerback, though, that move would ultimately weaken the depth of the team’s safeties. And right now, safety Chris Chukwuneke is not practicing. Chukwuneke had labrum surgery, according to Cignetti. Davis has been moved to strong safety, the same spot former All-CAA choice Adam Smith played in 2019.