The 2025 James Madison Dukes made history.
In just their fourth year of FBS membership, they won 12 games, claimed their first-ever Sun Belt Conference championship, and crashed the College Football Playoff party — becoming the first Sun Belt team to qualify in the event’s 12-year history.
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The quarterback that spearheaded that run is now headed to Orlando. Former James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III officially announced his commitment to UCF on Sunday, two days after the portal opened and roughly two weeks after the Dukes’ 51-34 playoff loss to Oregon.
Barnett spent four seasons at JMU, onboarding with the program in its first year of FBS status. After backing up Todd Centeio in 2022 and Jordan McCloud in 2023, Barnett rose to starter status in 2024, guiding the Dukes to a 9-4 season. He fired for 2,598 yards and manufactured a sensational touchdown to interception ratio of 26-to-4, while adding 442 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on the side. Barnett suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on the final play of the regular season finale vs. Marshall, causing him to miss the Boca Raton Bowl win over WKU.
In 2025, Barnett returned admirably from the ACL tear. He amassed 2,806 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while guiding the Dukes to the 11th-ranked scoring offense in the FBS (37.1 points per game). Barnett also posted 589 rushing yards and a team-high 15 rushing touchdowns while expanding on his dual-threat capabilities. He won Sun Belt Player of the Year honors, and right after receiving the recognition, led the Dukes to their first-ever FBS conference title. Barnett then started on the playoff stage at Oregon, posting 273 passing yards, 45 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns as JMU recorded the most points (34) and yards (509) on the Ducks’ defense all season.
Barnett joins a UCF team that’s fallen on hard times since joining the Big 12, fresh off its third-straight losing season. The Knights have shown flashes of excellence at running back and defensively during their young Big 12 stint, but quarterback has been the primary issue. In the past two seasons, UCF rotated between seven different starting quarterbacks. Barnett looks to be a clear-cut No. 1 option headed into 2026, which represents year two of Scott Frost’s second stint. The 5’11”, 216 pound North Carolina native prepares for his final year of eligibility in Orlando.
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As for James Madison, the future of the quarterback position is unknown. JC Evans (two passes, zero completions) is the only quarterback on the roster retaining eligibility for next year who saw action in 2025. With a new head coach in Billy Napier on staff, it is likely the Dukes will be active in the transfer market as they aim to repeat as Sun Belt champions and bounce-back to a CFP setting.
