JMU’s Defensive Line Is Back With Experience, Youth

Daily News-Record
Jul 24, 2023 Updated 5 hrs ago
A year after James Madison’s defensive front led the Dukes to be one of the top defenses in the country, the purple and gold’s depth may have improved — even though it lost a key player to the transfer portal.
While edge rusher Isaac Ukwu hit the transfer portal after spring practice ended — and later committed to Ole Miss — JMU added a transfer of its own, and it also has homegrown talent waiting for an opportunity on the field.
And with Ukwu’s departure, the young, hungry defensive linemen can break into JMU’s rotation to pressure opposing quarterbacks this fall.
Position Outlook
Departing Players: Isaac Ukwu (transferred to Ole Miss), Jamare Edwards (graduation)
Returning Players: Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji (redshirt senior), Jamree Kromah (redshirt senior), Jalen Green (senior), James Carpenter (redshirt junior), Sean Johns (redshirt junior), Mikail Kamara (redshirt sophomore), Payne Bauer (redshirt sophomore), Zai Roberts (redshirt sophomore), Amar Thomas (redshirt freshman), Carter Banks (redshirt freshman), Grayson Cadd (redshirt freshman), Tyrique Tucker (redshirt freshman), Ike Thompson (redshirt freshman), Spencer Toth (redshirt freshman).
Additions: Immanuel Bush (Marshall transfer, redshirt sophomore), Riley Robell (freshman), Darold DeNgohe (freshman), Mychal McMullin (freshman), Samson Ogunade (freshman).
What We Know
James Carpenter is back and looking to build off a breakout redshirt sophomore season last fall.
The Roanoke native recorded 55 tackles last season, including 11.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks as he wreaked havoc in the opposing team’s backfields.
Not only was he productive and a second-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection last fall, but he was also consistent — even when it came to playing time. Carpenter played 625 snaps during the 2022 campaign, which was the most by a defensive lineman in the conference and the 17th-most in the country.
While he prides himself on playing virtually every defensive down, he might not have to this fall as the Dukes have built depth on the defensive front.
JMU signed Marshall transfer Immanuel Bush to help strengthen the interior with Edwards out of eligibility. Bush, a 6-foot-1, 302-pound defensive tackle, logged 17 tackles with the Thundering Herd last season, including three tackles for a loss and 1,5 sacks.
Jamree Kromah, a standout defensive tackle for the Dukes last fall, is expected to slide out to the edge but has the skill set to play both positions this season if needed.
On the edge, JMU has many options that it could deploy in 2023.
With Ukwu off to Ole Miss, the door to start on the edge on the other side from Kromah is wide open. Mikail Kamara, who made 14 tackles with 4.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks in five games last fall, is primed to be an option there. But so is Jalen Green, who recorded 22 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks, and an interception in 11 games last season.
Former Minnesota transfer Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji also has a case after he made an impact in his snaps as a rotation player last fall. JMU could also look toward Amar Thomas, a redshirt freshman who was a 2021 Washington Post First Team All-Metro selection after he posted 16 sacks in his senior year at Wise High School in Maryland.
What We Don’t
How will the loss of Ukwu impact the defense? While his on-field production helped the Dukes a year ago — 40 tackles with 10.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks — his departure left a hole in JMU’s defensive leadership.
Ukwu, the oldest player on the Dukes’ defense this spring, was the heart and soul of the dominant unit last season.
“He’s the team spokesman,” coach Curt Cignetti said of Ukwu’s impact on the defense last season. “He’s the voice. … He’s just so dependable, and he’s playing good football.”
When he went down with what appeared to be a significant injury at Arkansas State, it took the life out of the defense for a snap or two. But when he trotted back onto the field shortly after, JMU’s defense was in full attack mode.
And so was he.
“It was what fueled me for the rest of the game,” Ukwu said postgame. “Not just the anger from the hit, but the knowledge of knowing that at any moment it can be taken away from you.”
During spring practice this past April, even though Ukwu wasn’t a full participant in drills, he was a sounding board for others on the defensive line to ask for advice as he watched from the side.
With his departure after spring practice concluded, the defensive leadership must come from a different veteran. It could be Carpenter, but it could also come from one of JMU’s five senior safeties, including Que Reid or Cheese Sarratt.
The ‘X’ Factor
Kromah will likely be back in his natural position on the edge, which could have him primed for a big season with JMU.
While he was productive on the interior last fall, Kromah’s ability to get after the quarterback is on full display on the outside of the line.
He helped anchor JMU’s stout defensive front last season as the Dukes had the No. 2 rushing defense behind Georgia, the two-time defending national champions.
Before he arrived in Harrisonburg, Kromah recorded 17 tackles with 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack in four seasons at Rutgers. But during his senior year at C.H. Flowers High School, Kromah dominated with 17 sacks and was a Washington Post First Team All-Met honoree.
Kromah has an elite ability to get after the quarterback, and this season will be a prime opportunity for him to showcase his skills as he runs through in the opposing team’s backfield.