JMU Sports News Network · JMU SportsNews Podcast

2025 End Of Year Recap | JMU Sports News Podcast

·1 hr 34 min·5 clips

Bennett Conlin and Jack Fitzpatrick open on New Year's Eve. They spend the first stretch talking through why the week off mattered, since the Oregon loss stuck around and Bennett had also been sick for most of December. The mood is casual and a little worn down. From there, they turn to a year-end JMU recap, looking at how the year finished and what the program needs next. The conversation keeps circling back to recovery, both personal and football-related. They joke about the texts Bennett was sending, then use that frustration to frame the bigger offseason question: what kind of team should JMU be building. One answer they keep returning to is roster quality that can survive close games. That leads into a comparison to a Grand Valley State type of team, the kind that can live at 7-3 even with three one-possession losses. The standard is practical, not dreamy. They then shift to the recruiting board, where the staff already has visitors lined up and names worth watching. JT Hooten is the first one they highlight. He is described as a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker from West Alabama with a long list of offers that includes Liberty, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, Kennesaw State, Delaware, Texas State, Jacksonville State, Southern Miss, and JMU. His visit is set for January 2, which makes him feel like an early and serious target. Another visitor from Southwest Minnesota State comes up next. The hosts like the production there, especially the interception totals, and note that the Minnesota connection could make him harder to pull away. Travelle Jones gets mentioned as another linebacker they want to keep an eye on, though the discussion is still early and a little unfinished. The show does not pretend every visit will turn into a commitment. Instead, it treats these names as part of the slow, real offseason process of stacking talent and figuring out fit. The back half of the episode keeps the same fan-room energy, with side comments, self-corrections, and a few rough edges as the hosts think aloud. It wraps with the usual listener asks to rate, review, subscribe, and fill out the survey, leaving the whole thing sounding like a candid checkpoint between seasons.

As heard by us

A candid JMU offseason check-in that gives the recruiting picture enough shape to be useful.

This JMU offseason check-in starts with the Oregon loss and the rough December stretch, then gets to the part fans actually need: what the roster looks like now, who is coming in, and why the linebacker spot matters.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You're catching up on JMU's year-end bruise and the first real offseason names.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from JMU Sports News Network