HARRISONBURG — Among the herd of James Madison’s largest football players, you’ll always find offensive line coach Jamal Powell.

Throughout preseason camp, Powell rarely steps away from his position group and after the nearly three-hour practices, he stays with his players for conditioning drills, too.

Other position coaches grab their whistles to let their guys know when to sprint, but under the hot mid-August sun of two-a-days, the second-year Madison assistant runs side-by-side with the tackles, guards and centers. In his JMU cap, t-shirt and shorts, he’ll run, reach down to touch the end line and run back across the dry grass field to help motivate his players that have already sweat through their shoulder pads and jerseys.

“I like doing stuff with my offensive line,” Powell said. “Our sentiment in our room is that it’s ‘us’ and not ‘me.’ The offensive line is a group thing and it’s not about an overseer.”

Powell — the lone offensive assistant from the previous coaching staff to stay on for the 2016 season — has set a philosophy that JMU’s front line has followed.

“We’re just working for consistency and cohesion because that’s the biggest thing on game day,” senior center Kyle Rigney said. “You need five guys that can think and talk like the other four guys besides them.”

Rigney, senior right guard Matt Frank and senior right tackle Mitchell Kirsch arrived at JMU in 2012 as freshmen. They have had time to develop a friendship, Frank said. Before Frank was a starter on the offensive line, he worked as a defensive lineman alongside junior left tackle Aaron Stinnie. Frank and Stinnie became close when they transitioned from defense to offense. Frank, Kirsch and Stinnie started all 12 games last fall. Junior A.J. Bolden appeared in six games last year and has meshed well with first-team at left guard throughout camp, Frank said.

“That sync that you get when you play with guys for a long time, it helps the offense run more naturally,” Frank said.

What Powell has added to his philosophy this season comes down through new Dukes coach Mike Houston.

Houston places a large emphasis on pad level — the leverage coming off the ball at the line of scrimmage — and quickness to the point of attack.

A Texas Christian University alum, Powell had his unit work relentlessly on the sled and in the chutes over the last few weeks.

Last Saturday, JMU’s projected starting offensive line saw the importance of pad level payoff during the team’s scrimmage. Running back Khalid Abdullah ripped off a 44-yard run on the second series and continued to pick up yards consistently throughout the live setting.

“I think the big positive is the way our offensive line is playing and the thing is that we’ve seen it coming,” Houston said after the scrimmage. “I thought we turned the corner on the offensive line. I think we’re playing lower and with better intensity. The way that Khalid ran behind that offensive line, it really looked good.”

Powell said he’d like to have nine game-ready linemen by next week when JMU opens its season on Sept. 3 against Morehead State. Powell wants to have at least three players that are comfortable snapping the ball at center, in addition to two extra guards — with one having the ability to play tackle — and backup tackle that can play on both the left and right sides.

Redshirt freshmen Gerren Butler and Tyree Chavious as well as true freshman Mac Patrick have worked consistently with the second-team offense.