Arkansas State Transfer Punter Hanson Joins JMU As A ‘Competitive Individual’

NEW ORLEANS — When Ryan Hanson takes the field with James Madison at Troy on Sept. 16, it won’t be his first Sun Belt Conference game of his career, even though it’ll be his first league game with the Dukes.
Before he transferred to JMU in the offseason, Hanson spent the last three seasons punting in college football at Arkansas State.
While he punted for the Red Wolves, Hanson set the career average punt record at Arkansas State and had the seventh-best mark in Sun Belt history.
“Ryan is a very, very competitive individual,” Arkansas State coach Butch Jones said of Hanson at the Sun Belt media day Tuesday morning. “He’s very consistent and he’s going to work every day for that.”
Hanson spent last season splitting reps with Will Przystup, who is set to be Arkansas State’s starting punter this fall. Against JMU last season, Hanson had four punts and averaged 46 yards with a long of 52 yards.
For Jones, the Red Wolves’ special teams depth was a first in his 13-year head coaching career, but in the end, he thought it helped push Hanson and Przystup to grow each day.
“We had a very unique situation with our specialists, unlike any place I’d been, with the quality of depth we had,” Jones said. “I think that competition between Will and Ryan, it lent itself to both of those individuals improving greatly.”
JMU’s Impact Felt By Sun Belt Commissioner Gill
During Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill’s annual media day press conference, he was asked about James Madison’s first year in the conference.
And he was quick to note the positive effect the Dukes have had on the league in one year.
“We can’t be more happy with their impact on the league,” Gill said. “The future for them is bright and as they grow, this conference will grow."
In addition to referencing JMU’s 8-3 season in football last fall, he noted the Dukes’ Olympic sports success, too.
The Dukes competed in five Sun Belt championship games and won the volleyball and women’s basketball tournaments to earn the league’s NCAA bid in each sport.
Moving Up From FCS
Like JMU did last year, there’s another FCS to Sun Belt transition this season — except its a head coach rather than a team.
Texas State head coach GJ Kinne will make his FBS head coaching debut this season at the helm of the Bobcats.
Kinne, who coached Incarnate Word last fall, wasn’t surprised to see JMU find success in the Sun Belt, knowing firsthand how good some FCS teams are.
“I’m sure there were people that were skeptical of what they could do, but if you’re a good football team, elite FCS teams can jump to the G5 and have a lot of success,” Kinne said. “Those top FCS teams are beating FBS teams every year. There’s really good players, really good coaches at all levels.”
In his move to Texas State, Kinne signed 12 FCS transfers and thought that they could be the next set of high-level players from Division I’s lower ranks to make an impact in the Sun Belt, just as the JMU players did a year ago.
“I think your top-level FCS players can make that jump,” Kinne said. “I saw it in the NFL firsthand. You see guys from all different schools, from different places getting an opportunity.”