HARRISONBURG VA: (JMU ATHLETICS) – For the second consecutive season, James Madison football had 11 student-athletes named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team. Defensive lineman Immanuel Bush, offensive lineman Pat McMurtrie, running back George Pettaway, and safety Jacob Thomas led the way as First Team selections ahead of the 2025 season.

Joining the quartet of Dukes and earning spots on Second Team were offensive lineman Carter Sweazie and long snapper Logan Ketcham. Capturing Third Team laurels were quarterback Alonza Barnett III, linebacker Trent Hendrick, and nickel DJ Barksdale while offensive lineman Zach Greenberg and cornerback Elijah Culp rounded out the selections for JMU with Fourth Team nods.

This is the second preseason All-SBC selection from Phil Steele for Ketcham and McMurtrie, as they were both Third Team honorees for the 2024 season. Four of the 11 Dukes earned postseason All-SBC awards last season, with McMurtrie being named First Team, Thomas grabbing a spot on Second Team, while Barnett III and Bush notched Honorable Mention selections. McMurtrie is also the only 2024 First Team All-Sun Belt honoree to be playing for the same team this coming fall.

Barksdale additionally grabbed the preseason accolade coming off a year in which he was named Defensive MVP of the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl. Before spending last season at North Carolina, newcomer Greenberg was a two-time All-Region 2 honoree at Muhlenberg College, earning First Team All-Centennial Conference honors in 2023 as well. The official preseason all-conference team from the Sun Belt Conference will be unveiled by the league ahead of Sun Belt Media Days, which is scheduled for July 22-23 in New Orleans.