PFF Names 7 Dukes To Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams

James Madison continues to receive preseason accolades, especially on the defensive line and at linebacker.
JMU landed seven players on Pro Football Focus’ preseason All-Sun Belt Conference teams on Monday, including four on the analytics outlet’s first team.
Defensive lineman James Carpenter and offensive tackle Nicholas Kidwell received first-team honors along with linebacker Jailin Walker and punter Ryan Hanson. Linebacker Taurus Jones was JMU’s lone representative on the second team. Center Tanner Morris and defensive lineman Immanuel Bush rounded out the Dukes’ selections with third-team honors.
This is the third set of preseason awards that Carpenter and Kidwell have received — Athlon Sports and Phil Steele released theirs earlier this summer — while Hanson, Jones, Morris and Walker have also received preseason honors from the three outlets.
Of the seven PFF honorees, four were named to the 2022 All-Sun Belt Conference team at the conclusion of the team’s inaugural year in the conference. Carpenter and Kidwell were both second-team All-Sun Belt selections, while Jones was a third-team pick and Walker was an honorable mention.
Hanson, who punted for Arkansas State University for the past three seasons, was selected to the third-team All-Sun Belt after the 2021 season. Bush, a transfer from Marshall University, was appointed to the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2020.
The Sun Belt Conference media days are set for July 25-26 at the Sheraton New Orleans and the league will release its own set of preseason awards before the event.