JMU football officially added Colin Hitschler to its staff as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Hitschler replaces Lyle Hemphill, who left for an assistant job at Texas A&M.
“I am excited to welcome Colin and his family to the JMU football family,” head coach Bob Chesney said in a press release. “Colin is an outstanding football coach who has been an integral part in the success of many high-level programs. His overall record speaks for itself, and his ability to develop his players into NFL talent is something he has demonstrated throughout his career. We look forward to having Colin make an immediate impact here at JMU.”
Hitschler, who spent 2024 as Alabama’s co-defensive coordinator before being fired in the offseason, was the co-defensive coordinator at Cincinnati in 2022 and Wisconsin in 2023. He’s worked closely with Luke Fickell and Marcus Freeman, among other high-level defensive minds. He also worked with Chesney over a decade ago at Salve Regina.
Here are three things fans should know about the Dukes’ new DC.
JMU is fortunate to land Hitschler. Yes, he was fired by Alabama, but that situation needs context.
Kalen DaBoer went 9-4 in his first season replacing Nick Saban, perhaps the greatest college coach ever. The Crimson Tide missed the 12-team playoff, a red flag for fans. DaBoer couldn’t go through the offseason without changes — he needs immediate improvement fast to keep his job in the pressure-packed SEC — so he made a few staffing changes, including Hitschler’s departure.
Does it mean Hitschler is a bad coach? Heck no. Alabama likely had too many cooks in the kitchen last year, with a defensive coordinator AND two co-defensive coordinators, including Hitschler. The Crimson Tide had a surplus of voices trying to interact with the defense and defensive backfield. For whatever reason, DaBoer decided Hitschler was the odd man out.
Regardless of exactly why Hitschler’s time in Tuscaloosa ended, it’s not common for a Sun Belt program to land a coordinator with this much high-level coaching experience at such a young age. Despite not turning 40 yet, Hitschler has been a co-defensive coordinator at three Power Conference programs (Cincinnati, Wisconsin, and Alabama).
He coached Cincinnati’s safeties in 2021, when they made the four-team College Football Playoff as a Group of Five team. His defenses in 2022, 2023, and 2024 were all in the top-20 nationally in scoring defense, and they were exceptional against the pass. He’s coached several NFL defensive backs, including a handful during his time with Cincinnati.
JMU’s defense returns a bunch of talent in 2025, including defensive tackle Immanuel Bush, linebackers Trent Hendrick and Gannon Weathersby, and defensive backs Chauncey Logan, D.J. Barksdale, and Jacob Thomas, among others. The Dukes also added multiple impact transfers, including cornerbacks Mekhi Rodgers (St. Francis) and Chantz Harley (Maryland), defensive end Xavier Holmes (Maine), and safety Curtis Harris-Lopez (Holy Cross).
On paper, the Dukes have one of the most talented defenses in the Group of Five for Hitschler to mold. It’s an ideal marriage.
The Athletic profiled Hitschler’s role in Wisconsin’s recruiting in August of 2023, sharing how he helped build an impressive 2024 recruiting class for the Badgers. Wisconsin’s class ranked 23rd nationally in 2024, per 247Sports.
Hitschler’s recruiting areas for Wisconsin included Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, making him a natural fit to recruit to JMU. The Badgers’ top three recruits in the 2024 class were from Pennsylvania and Maryland, a rarity for a program that traditionally finds most of its recruiting success in the Midwest. Even if he doesn’t stay at JMU long, his ability to attract recruits to Harrisonburg in both the spring portal and into the Dukes’ 2026 class should prove valuable.
His recruiting prowess earned him a top-20 ranking on 247Sports’ list of best recruiters in the 2024 class. He understands the East Coast and was instrumental in Wisconsin building out a strong class in 2024.
On the field, Hitschler’s developmental track record is impressive. On the recruiting trail, he’s shown himself to be one of the top salespeople in the country and should fit well with Chesney’s energetic approach to bringing in new talent.
“Colin is a straight shooter. I love the way he recruits. He’s honest, and I appreciate that,” one high school coach told The Athletic.
That matches what recruits have told us about interacting with Chesney.
While the Dukes would’ve loved to retain Hemphill, it’s beneficial that Hitschler has worked with Chesney previously. In 2011, Hitschler was the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach for Chesney at Salve Regina. The program went 8-3 that year before Hitschler left to move up the coaching ranks.
While they only spent a season together, the previous connection and relationship should help reduce any potential learning curve associated with working together. That gives JMU notable cohesion across the coaching staff.
JMU returns Chesney, its offensive coordinator (Dean Kennedy), its special teams coordinator (Drew Canan) and brings in Hitschler to lead the defense and former Holy Cross staffer Chris Grautski to run the strength and conditioning program.
“Chris and I have been part of seven champion seasons together, and I look forward to many more,” Chesney said in a press release last month.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of comfort and familiarity among coaches. Having a veteran strength coach and coordinators you know well allows for an important level of trust on Saturdays and throughout an offseason. Unlike last season, JMU won’t need to spend the spring and summer scrambling to build a roster and find cohesion. Instead, the Dukes can fine-tune their plan of attack to sustain success through November after dropping two games in the final month of the season last fall.
In Year 2 of the Chesney era, there’s coaching familiarity and significantly less roster turnover than his first season on the job. On paper, everything sets up well for JMU to strive for 10 wins and a conference title. If the Dukes remain largely healthy, a College Football Playoff appearance looks like a realistic stretch goal.
Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
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