James Madison isn’t waiting around to define the Billy Napier era. Just weeks after taking over, Napier is already reshaping the Dukes’ staff, targeting experience that goes beyond the college game.

As per reports, James Madison is hiring Tennessee assistant offensive line coach Phil Serchia as its next tight ends coach, a move that adds NFL pedigree to a program intent on changing its trajectory.

Serchia arrives from Tennessee’s support staff, where he worked closely with the Volunteers’ offense in multiple roles. Before that, he spent two seasons in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Los Angeles Chargers, giving Napier a coach who understands both college development and professional expectations. That blend matters for a James Madison program looking to raise its ceiling rather than simply maintain relevance.

Before his NFL stop, Serchia served as offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Texas A&M Kingsville, where his impact was immediate. Under his guidance, Bo Villarreal earned All Lone Star Conference Second Team honors, while Don Hansen was named to the All–Super Region Four Third Team. Earlier in his career, Serchia also coached running backs and tight ends at Adams State, further rounding out his positional experience. The hire fits neatly into Napier’s stated vision for the program.

“We will build a culture that is centered around making an impact on our players as people, as students, and on the field as elite athletes,” Billy Napier said. “We embrace the expectations and are excited about the challenge ahead. We will assemble a special group of people and immediately get to work building a great program.”

That urgency comes after a turbulent postseason for James Madison. The Dukes’ loss to Oregon sparked national debate over playoff selection and the place of Group of Five programs in the expanded format. While criticism followed, Napier appears focused on eliminating any doubt about JMU’s legitimacy by strengthening the infrastructure behind the scenes. But despite all the criticism over the selection time changes in football, even lower-seeded teams give tough competition to top teams.

Last year, Notre Dame, the runner-up in the championship game, lost to Northwestern Illinois, which was a five-loss team. So, by adding NFL-caliber staff and coaches, Napier is making sure no one questions James Madison’s caliber in the future.

Billy Napier adds another major offensive weapon on staff

With Phil Serchia’s possible entry, Napier also brought in a couple of former Michigan State assistants to add to his offensive staff. William Peagler will serve as the school’s running back coach, and Aaron Pflugrad will join in as the team’s quarterback coach.

Peagler was a part of Michigan State’s staff in 2020 and 2021. He helped them finish 10-2 and reach their third New Year’s Six Bowl in 2021. He was also awarded the 2021 FootballScoop Running Backs Coach of the Year that season. He even developed players like Kenneth Walker III, who was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

One of the major reasons to hire Peagler is his recruiting abilities and extensive experience at different college stops like the Arizona Cardinals and Florida.

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Then comes in Pfugrad, who spent his first season at Michigan State last year before arriving from East Lansing, where he worked as an offensive analyst and offensive passing game coordinator. Before that, he was at Northern Arizona, where he developed true freshman RJ Martinez to earn Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2021. That kind of resume will help James Madison play too.

Now, let’s wait and see if all these risky and high-end hires will turn JMU’s fate or not!