Billy Napier isn’t wasting any time putting his fingerprints all over the James Madison program. Less than a week after being introduced as the Dukes’ new head coach, he’s raiding his old Florida staff and making moves that show he’s serious about turning JMU into a legitimate contender. The biggest splash? Landing a defensive coordinator who learned under Nick Saban and turned down multiple bigger opportunities to come to Harrisonburg.​

James Madison is set to hire Robert Bala as defensive coordinator under Napier, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Bala served as co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach under Napier at Florida during the 2025 season before new Gators head coach Jon Sumrall chose not to retain him on his staff. 

The reunion makes perfect sense. Napier knows exactly what he’s getting in Bala, a defensive mind he trusted enough to promote to co-DC in Gainesville. What makes this hire even more impressive is that Bala chose JMU over multiple Power Four assistant coaching opportunities. He also believes in what Napier is building with the Dukes.​

Bala’s coaching pedigree is what makes this such a coup for James Madison. Before joining Billy Napier at Florida, Bala coached inside linebackers at Alabama in 2023 under Nick Saban. That season, Bala helped guide the Crimson Tide to a 12-2 record, an SEC championship, and a College Football Playoff berth while Alabama’s defense ranked 16th nationally. Working under Saban is like getting a master’s degree in defensive football. And Bala absorbed everything he could from the legend. After his one season in Tuscaloosa, Bala wasn’t retained when Kalen DeBoer took over for the retired Saban. But he quickly landed on his feet at Washington for the 2024 season.​

At Washington, Bala continued to prove his coaching chops by developing one of the Huskies’ top position groups. He mentored starting linebackers Carson Bruener and Alphonzo Tuputala, who earned third-team and honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, respectively. Backup Khmori House was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American.

When Billy Napier brought Bala to Florida in March 2025, it was part of a defensive staff overhaul that saw the Gators hire multiple co-defensive coordinators alongside veteran Ron Roberts. Bala was officially named co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, giving him significant responsibility in coordinating Florida’s defense. “I’m excited about Coach Bala joining our staff,” Napier said at the time. “He loves the game of football and brings passion and detail at every opportunity. He is a great teacher and has a great understanding of the big picture. He will help the Gators continue to improve.” 

Bala expressed similar enthusiasm. He said he was “humbled and grateful for the opportunity” and couldn’t “wait to start working with these great players and make Gator Nation proud.” For JMU, landing someone with Bala’s experience, SEC pedigree, and recruiting connections is a massive win. 

Chesney’s confident approach

Bob Chesney is leading James Madison into their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. But he’ll be doing it with one foot already out the door. The 48-year-old coach was officially announced as UCLA’s next head coach on December 6. But he’s committed to finishing the job with the Dukes first, coaching them through their playoff run before heading to Westwood. 

When asked what fans should expect from JMU against Oregon, Chesney didn’t hold back on the confidence: “I think you’re going to see a confident bunch. I think you’re going to see an inspired bunch. And I think you’re going to see us continue to attack every single opportunity that we have. Confident, inspired attack – that will be our mantra as we go through this. That’s been our mantra up to this point in time,” he said during the selection show. 

His track record backs up that swagger, too. Chesney has compiled a ridiculous 131-51 career record across multiple levels, winning conference championships at every single stop, including Salve Regina (Division III), Assumption (Division II), Holy Cross (FCS), and now James Madison (FBS).​

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The JMU job was already a step up for Chesney. In just his second year with the Dukes, he’s taken them to 12-1 and secured that CFP berth despite losing a bunch of talent to Indiana when former coach Curt Cignetti left. Now he’s got to juggle flying to LA for his UCLA press conference on Tuesday, getting back to Harrisonburg by Wednesday, and preparing his team for a massive playoff game against the No. 5 Ducks on December 20.​