HARRSIONBURG — The end is in mind even at the beginning.

James Madison coach Curt Cignetti employs a philosophy not many football coaches have the stomach to this time of year.

“It allows us to come out here and be our best because we’re not so worn out,” Dukes running back Jawon Hamilton said.

While any training camp is grueling for players and coaches regardless of its structure, the first-year JMU coach, Cignetti, said his belief is to maximize what he can get from his players when they’re in their helmets and shoulder pads prepared for a quick-paced practice.

“We’ve had great morale at the places I’ve been as a head coach,” Cignetti said. “And I think the players understand that everything we do is for a reason. We don’t keep ‘em in meetings just to keep ‘em in meetings. We don’t practice for three hours just to practice for three hours.”

Typically, Cignetti’s practices don’t last much longer than two hours. Of course players have weight-lifting responsibilities and meetings they need to attend during other parts of the day, but Cignetti said the three-week camp schedule he’s designed prioritizes the well-being of players instead of relentlessly pushing them toward exhaustion day after day to improve.

He doesn’t want his team burnt out or banged up before the regular season begins on Aug. 31 at West Virginia.

“I try to be very respectful of the players’ time,” Cignetti said. “It’s just something I’ve learned to do. Rest and recovery is important, and I think they really appreciate that.

“Other places I’ve been, during camp you got out of meetings at 11 at night. But it was nine o’clock at Alabama, you’re done, and that’s the same thing here. Nine o’clock, they’re out the door because it’s been scientifically proven that kids this age need eight or nine hours of sleep.”

During Cignetti’s four-year stint as an assistant under Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide had two 14-game seasons and a 13-game season. In 2009, Cignetti was on staff when Alabama beat Florida in the SEC Championship Game en route to winning the BCS National Championship Game over Texas at the Rose Bowl — it was Alabama’s 14th win in as many games that year.

JMU had back-to-back 15-game seasons when it won the FCS National Championship in 2016 and returned to the FCS National Championship game in 2017. The Dukes will play 16 or 17 contests this season if they get back to Frisco, Texas for the third time in four years.

Cignetti said his method should allow players to last mentally and stay healthy through a potential six-month season.

“And I think that’s going to be a big piece of it,” Cignetti said. “Managing this football team throughout the season.”

Cignetti is the third different head coach for Hamilton, who began his college career at Central Florida. He previously went through training camps with former UCF coach and current Nebraska coach Scott Frost as well as former JMU coach and current East Carolina coach Mike Houston.

“And Coach Cignetti is a guy that even if you don’t tell him, he can see if there’s something wrong with you,” Hamilton said. “He’ll tell you ‘take it easy.’ The care he has for his players is an awesome thing and it makes you want to go out there and give your all for him on Saturdays. He’s a great guy.”

Hamilton said the Dukes like that Cignetti is aware of what it takes to get through an entire campaign.

“We come out here, get the work done in maybe a two-hour period of time and then call it a day,” Hamilton said. “We go to meetings and then do the same thing the next day.

“It takes care of our body. We’re not being punished so much and we’re doing things the right way, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Cignetti even originally scheduled for his players not to practice on Saturday or Sunday this week to give them consecutive days off, but since Wednesday’s storms washed out JMU’s practice for that day, the rest of the week got pushed back a day. So, instead of scrimmaging in practice on Friday, JMU will scrimmage in practice on Saturday.

Wide receiver Jake Brown said training camp is off to a good start.

“Practice is real smooth,” Brown said. “Coach Cignetti believes that we’re not out here super long and that we get quality work while we’re here, so I think it’s been going real well.”