McCloud Voted Player of the Year, Dukes Earn Three Major Awards & 17 All-Sun Belt Honors

NEW ORLEANS – James Madison football dominated the Sun Belt Conference's postseason awards, earning three major awards, which was highlighted by quarterback Jordan McCloud being voted Player of the Year.

McCloud was joined by Defensive Player of the Year Jalen Green and Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti on the major awards list, while a total of 17 student-athletes were tabbed to the all-conference team.

This is the first time JMU has won Sun Belt Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year since moving to the conference.

McCloud accounted for more than 3,700 yards and 40 total touchdowns while starting 11 of 12 games during the regular season. He is 261-of-379 for 3,400 passing yards and 32 touchdowns with nine interceptions, completing nearly 69% of his passes. McCloud also ran for 311 yards and a team-best eight rushing touchdowns. A Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, McCloud won three Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week awards this season. He leads the Sun Belt in point responsibility (20.2), total offense (310.3), pass efficiency rating (167.4) and completion percentage (68.9%) while ranking second in passing scores, passing yards and yards per pass attempt (8.98). McCloud had five 300+ yard games and turned in 4+ touchdown passes in four outings.

Green was dominant in the nine games he played, as he still leads the country in total sacks, with 15.5, and tackles for loss per game, with 2.33 per contest. His sacks total set a new Sun Belt single-season record and accomplished the feat in his eighth game. Green is the first Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist and was voted Midseason National Defensive Lineman of the Year by College Football Network. His season was highlighted by a record-setting night at Marshall, in which he turned in career highs of 5.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks, which tied both the JMU and SBC single-game mark. Green also won National Defensive Player of the Week on three separate occasions. In total, Green had 50 tackles to go with two forced fumbles, one breakup and a pick-six.

Cignetti guided JMU to an 11-1 record and 7-1 mark in Sun Belt play to finish atop the East Division for the second consecutive season. The Dukes became the first transitioning team ever to win 10 games over FBS opponents in a single season and led the country with both eight wins over bowl-eligible teams and a 6-0 true road record. JMU ranked as high as #18 in the AP Top 25 and has been ranked for six straight weeks after putting together a 13-game win streak dating back to last season.

Joining McCloud and Green on the All-Sun Belt First Team were tight end Zach Horton, wide receivers Elijah Sarratt and Reggie Brown and defensive lineman Jamree Kromah.

Earning Second Team All-Sun Belt laurels were offensive lineman Tyler Stephens, defensive linemen James Carpenter and Mikail Kamara, cornerback D'Angelo Ponds and punter Ryan Hanson. Taking home Third Team honors were linebacker Aiden Fisher and kicker Camden Wise, while the quartet of cornerback Chauncey Logan, safety Francis Meehan, receiver Phoenix Sproles and linebacker Jailin Walker were each Honorable Mention selections.

The 17 total selections were the most for JMU since joining the Sun Belt, as it has 12 in 2022. It's the most honorees since the Dukes had a school-record 18 as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association in 2019.

JMU led the Sun Belt with 17 total honorees and six First Team members. The Dukes also tied for the most Second Team selections, with five. Troy had 16 total All-Sun Belt honors, followed by App State (14), Georgia Southern (13) and Marshall (12). CLICK HERE for the full 2023 All-Sun Belt Football Team.

Horton led all Sun Belt tight ends during the regular season with six receiving touchdowns and has tallied 26 catches for 266 receiving yards in his 12 games. Horton turned in a pair of two-touchdown games and had a career-best 116 receiving yards with two scores versus South Alabama. He also found the endzone twice at Georgia State.

Sarratt quickly became one of the premier receivers in the Sun Belt, as ranks second in the league in receiving yards per game and is tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns. Sarratt completed the regular season leading the Dukes with 74 catches for 1,076 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Sarratt registered five 100-yard receiving games, including one in each of the final three games. He capped off the regular season with his first career four-touchdown game, in which had caught three touchdown passes and ran another one in.

Brown, who joined Sarratt over the 1,000-yard mark this season, ranks tied for second in the Sun Belt in receiving scores, second in yards per catch (19.8) and fourth in receiving yards. Brown totaled 51 receptions for 1,010 yards and nine touchdowns to aid the passing game. He produced four 100-yard games, including a JMU single-game record 202 yards versus UConn. He also had three two-touchdown outings and made six catches over 50 yards.

Kromah, along with Green, is one of the nation's leaders when it comes to tackles for loss and sacks. He ranks third nationally in and second in the SBC with 1.7 tackles for loss per game. He's also tied for eighth in the FBS and third in the Sun Belt with his 11 total sacks. On the season, Kromah has 52 tackles with 20.5 for loss. He turned in six games with two or more TFL, including a career-best 3.5 at Georgia State. Kromah made at least 1.5 sacks in four games.

Stephens started all 12 games on the offensive line at three different positions, going four games each at left guard, right tackle and left tackle. He was part of an offensive line that led the Sun Belt in pass efficiency rating (163.73) while ranking second in passing yards (288.2) and time of possession (31:58) and third in scoring offense (35.2).

Carpenter started every game at either nose guard or defensive tackle and was once again one of the top interior linemen in 2023. A finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy and named to the watch lists for both the Bronko Nagurski and Outland Trophy, Carpenter tallied 43 tackles with 9.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, one interception, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and two recoveries. Carpenter turned in three games with at least 1.5 TFL.

Kamara rounds out the list of all starting defensive linemen making All-Sun Belt in 2023 after a stellar regular season at defensive end. He had 52 tackles with 17.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pair of breakups. Kamara ranks tied for eighth nationally and fourth in the SBC with 1.5 TFL per game. His three forced fumbles also rank top 20 nationally and tied for fourth in the league. Kamara made at least a full TFL in 11 of 12 games, including a career-high 3.0 at Troy.

Ponds started nine of 12 games at cornerback as a true freshman and was named to the Shaun Alexander Freshman of Year Fab 14 (semifinalist). He ranks tied for first in the Sun Belt and tied for fourth nationally in pass breakups (13) and is second in the league and tied for seventh in the FBS in passes defended (15). Ponds finished the regular season with 50 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 13 pass breakups and two interceptions with a pair of fumble recoveries. Ponds had two breakups in five games this season.

Hanson was crucial in JMU's field position all season long, as more than half of his punts pinned opposing offenses inside the 20, with a majority of his punts occurring near midfield or on the positive side of the field. A total of 28 of his 54 punts were downed deep in enemy territory to lead all Sun Belt punters. Hanson had a career-best seven punts inside the 20 at Marshall, with six down inside the 10 and three at the one. He averaged 40.7 yards per punt.

Fisher made an immediate impact when stepping in as a starter in game three, as he started 10 of 12 games at linebacker. He ranks 10th in the Sun Belt in tackles per game (7.6), as he led the team in total tackles. In the regular season, Fisher tallied 91 total tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception and seven pass breakups. He had three games with double-digit tackles, including a career-high 12 vs. Old Dominion.

Wise made 16 of 18 field goals and all 50 extra points to finish the regular season with 98 points. He ranks tied for 10th in the FBS and third in the Sun Belt with an 88.9% field goal percentage and is fifth in the league in scoring amongst all players, with 8.17 per game. He made three field goals in two separate games and had five outings with two or more.

Logan started all 12 games at cornerback this season. He has tallied 42 tackles with 4.0 tackles for a loss, six pass breakups and an interception. Logan had a career-high 11 tackles with a pick and PBU versus Georgia Southern.

Meehan started at strong safety in 10 of 12 games, turning by far the best season of his career. Meehan registered 42 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, a team-leading three interceptions, five breakups and a forced fumble. He had four games with 5+ tackles, including a season-best eight against UConn.

Sproles is no stranger to winning cultures, as he spent his final collegiate season with JMU after a strong career at North Dakota State. Playing slot receiver, Sproles caught 47 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns. Sproles had six games with at least four catches and went over 50 receiving yards four times. His regular-season finale was the best game of his career, making 11 catches for 99 yards.

Walker started eight of nine games he played this season at linebacker after overcoming an early-season injury. Walker is the 26th-leading tackler in the Sun Belt, at 6.11 tackles per game. On the season, he has 55 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four breakups. He also ranks tied for 14th nationally and tied for third in the SBC with three forced fumbles. Walker made a career-high 10 tackles with 2.0 TFL, a sack and two forced fumbles at Marshall.

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