By: Nolan Alexander
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State football turns the page to its sixth year of competition with the arrival of spring practice next week.
The Owls begin with their first practice on Monday, Feb. 24 at "The Perch" in anticipation of the annual Spring Game, held Thursday, Mar. 26 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium with free admission.
Led by Brian Bohannon for every season since its inception, KSU has no shortage of returning playmakers and linemen on both sides of the ball with eight starters back on offense and seven on defense.
"These 15 days will have a huge impact on the direction for this football team that we are really excited about heading into the spring," said Bohannon.
One of the spots to keep an eye on lies right behind center William Nana Fabu with who emerges as QB1. When Daniel David suffered a season-ending injury at Campbell, then junior Tommy Bryant filled in admirably until he also went down with an injury in the FCS Playoffs first round victory at Wofford.
Like Bryant, the "next man up" philosophy was thrust into action when Jonathan Murphy led the Owls to a resounding road victory.
This spring, both return and are joined by freshmen Xavier Shepherd.
"We're excited about all three quarterbacks and we'll need all three of them. Who starts and how much one plays will be determined by what they do this offseason. That was earned by Tommy last year. We'll see who wins the job and where all that falls," said Bohannon.
They'll be under the tutelage of a familiar face who returns to lead the quarterbacks, the most decorated players in program history, Chandler Burks.
"He's a special person and leader," said Bohannon, sounding more pleased with Burks' character than his credentials. "I think he will do a great job of helping them grow."
All-America running back Bronson Rechsteiner is gone with graduation, but there's no shortage of backs in the stable to line up behind the Owl signal-caller.
A known commodity, Kyle Glover, returns and is joined by a pair of rushers that Bohannon and staff are "excited to see compete" in Preston Daniels and Cade Radam.
"We need three, maybe four at that spot," said Bohannon.
While there is experience at wide receiver, Bohannon is looking for someone to separate himself as the go-to guy.
"There was a lot of growing up last year, it was by committee week-to-week as to who would play," he said. "We need to find a go-to guy in the pass game."
Caleb O'Neal, Ryan Pontrelli, and KJ Hancock lead a group that will look to expand an offense that has kept KSU in the top-25 polls for 33 consecutive weeks.
The slot backs are led by former All-American Isaac Foster who was sidelined with a midseason injury a year ago but has the capability to score every time he touches the ball. With Shaquil Terry ruled out this spring due to injury, the likes of Antavius Grier, Adeolu Adeleke, Iaan Cousin and Nykeem Farrow are slated to get plenty of touches with their eye on carrying the load this fall.
"Getting Isaac back healthy would be huge for us," Bohannon said. "But there are some guys at the slot position that will create a lot of competition and I'm excited to see who emerges from that group."
With seven returners on the defensive side, the goal is high for a unit that finished with the third best total defense nationally last fall.
Consensus All-American and Big South Defensive Player of the Year Bryson Armstrong returns for his senior season after recording 95 tackles, and 12 tackles for loss. The Marietta native is joined by Kareem Taylor and Chance Bates in a linebacking core that is charged with being more consistent.
They'll aim to do so under the leadership of promoted defensive coordinator, Danny Verpaele, and recently hired linebacker coach, Greg Harris.
Bohannon is also looking for stronger play from his secondary that has some experience returning from 2019. Markeith Montgomery, Bryson Perry, and Je'Cory Burks fight to solidify spots at cornerback, while Camari Louis, Cole Loden, and Jeremiah Compton will aim to put clamps down at safety.
Much like the significance of quarterback, a big piece of the defensive diagram is who holds the line of scrimmage and applies pressure to the opposing quarterbacks. Gone are departing seniors Desmond Johnson, Jr. and Andrew Butcher, but Peyton Moore, Joel Parker, Marquez Baxter, and Kerick Reese figure to factor into the defensive line fold.
"I don't know if you can replace DJ (Johnson, Jr.). Moore returns and a bunch of young kids that are very talented, just young. The experience factor will have to be gained every day that we go to practice. They all played last year in some capacity though," said Bohannon.
Whoever emerges as a contributor following the end of March will look to carry on a strong tradition despite the infancy of the program.
The Owls head into year six as the most successful five-year start-up program in college football history, posting 48 victories and surpassing Georgia Southern (47) and Old Dominion (46) during the final two weeks last season.
However, the bar hasn't been set. Bohannon has eyes on a bigger prize.
"Our ultimate goal is to play in January. We need to be more consistent on offense and be able to run the ball inside. We also need to be more efficient in our pass game, and on the other side shoring up some things on the defensive backend."
If the Owls have the ambition for a January date in Frisco, Texas, then there's no time to waste. 15 days isn't that long. It's a day more than the amount of time from the FCS second round playoffs to the completion of the semifinals.
Let's see if these 15 spring days will pay off with 15 more in December.
