George Pettaway holds the RB · Starter spot in James Madison Dukes’s running back room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

George Pettaway logged a 5.1% overall usage rate in 2025.

George Pettaway is a running back from Suffolk, VA who transferred to James Madison from North Carolina. The former four-star recruit played in 11 games for the Tar Heels in 2022, recording 20 carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per rush. In 2024, his first season at JMU, he appeared in all 13 games with 11 starts, accumulating 162 carries for 980 yards and five touchdowns while adding 24 receptions for 200 yards and two scores. During the 2025 season, Pettaway played in 12 games with 34 carries for 195 yards and nine receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. He earned Preseason Second Team All-Sun Belt honors entering 2026.