Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Football team concluded its fifth day of preseason practice and the first practice in full pads on Friday as they prepare for their first intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday morning. The Pride's first scrimmage begins with flex and drills at 10:10 a.m. followed by the scrimmage at approximately 11 a.m.
2009 PRIDE FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Entering the 2008 season Hofstra Head Football Coach Dave Cohen was cautiously optimistic about his team's outlook. Despite losing 24 players, including 14 starters, to graduation and having a relatively young, inexperienced team, the Pride mentor felt he had a talented mix of players on his squad to get through, arguably, the toughest schedule in school history.
While injuries are a part of the game of football, what Cohen and company went through in 2008, in regards to injuries, bordered on the unbelievable. Key injuries seemed to incapacitate starters all year long. Nowhere was that more evident than at quarterback where the Pride lost their starter Bryan Savage just prior to the start of the first game and later lost his replacement (Cory Christopher) near midseason. Injuries were abundant all around the team-mostly on offense-to the tune of approximately a dozen season-ending injuries and just as many surgeries.
But the Pride refused to give in and Cohen led the charge through the adversity by challenging his staff and team by saying, "we have to work harder, teach and develop our younger players faster, and prepare better for our next opponent."
Through those tribulations in 2008 has come a battle-tested team that entered preparations for the new season with a renewed commitment and dedication to put last year's season out of mind. Cohen followed up his outstanding 2008 recruiting effort with a new class that might have topped his previous best group. Add these promising newcomers to a group of 58 returning players, including 40 lettermen and 20 starters, and the potential for a successful season in the always tough CAA, which has placed league members in five of the last six FCS Championship Games including three National Champions, is there.
While injuries and other adversity can never be predicted, Cohen does believe that the returning members of last year's team had a tremendous learning experience. "I am confident that we will make a dramatic improvement in every facet and every area of our team," the fourth-year coach said following spring drills. "How far we take that improvement will be based upon our senior leadership and our locker room demeanor. But I am very excited about the prospects for 2009."
DEFENSE
When it comes to defense, Cohen, a long-time defensive coordinator, has a simple philosophy, "To have a successful defense, you have to be very good at defending the run," Cohen says. This has been proven by the Pride in each of the last two seasons. In 2007 Hofstra led the CAA and ranked 11th in the country against the rush and in turn ranked second in the league and 15th in the FCS in total defense. Last year the Pride fell to 10th against the rush and sixth in total defense in the conference with a unit that returned only three starters. The Pride will be looking to solidify the defense that posted the best pass defense (136.9 ypg) in the CAA and the fourth-best in the FCS with a solid ground defense. Hofstra's total defense average of 329.7 ypg last season was the program's fourth-best in the last 12 years. The 2009 Hofstra defense will return 26 players on defense, including 18 lettermen and nine starters. But even with many starters returning, Cohen is anticipating key starting battles on defense during preseason camp. "I am excited about the additional competition that we will have at tackle, linebacker and at cornerback in August," Cohen said. "We have returning starters back at some of those spots but, in some cases, we left spring drills in a position where the starter was passed by."
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Hofstra defensive line returns three of the four starters from last year with tackle Larry Abiola the only one lost to graduation. "This year we are bigger, stronger, more physical and have many returning players up front," Cohen says. At the tackles, sophomore Ronnie Cameron and red-shirt freshman Johnny Hartsfield emerged from spring practice as the front-runners for the starting roles. Cameron, who played in all 12 games and started two, tallied 13 tackles and 1 ½ tackles for losses as a backup last season. Hartsfield, an all-county selection out of Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport, Florida, had an outstanding spring to push him to the cusp of the starting lineup. Pushing these two will be junior Andrew Nelson and junior transfer Omar Jacobs. Nelson, who played in all 12 games and started 10 in 2008, recorded 26 tackles and was tied for third on the team in tackles for losses with 4 1/2. Jacobs, who transferred to Hofstra last January from Laney College in Oakland, California, played in 17 games over two years at Laney, recording 42 tackles and earning the team's Defensive Lineman of the Year award.
At the ends, two seniors - Kevin Smith and Joe Akabalu - are the projected starters entering the season. Smith, who played in 10 games and started eight, posted 24 tackles and three tackles for losses in 2008. Akabalu, who also played in 10 games and started four, tallied 25 tackles, four tackles for losses and two sacks. Both Smith and Akabalu will be pressed by junior Deron Mayo and sophomore Quincy Barr. Mayo, who played in 12 games and started seven at outside linebacker/end, tallied 33 stops, two tackles for losses and one interception. Barr, who played in 10 games and started two, was tied for the team lead with 2 ½ sacks and two forced fumbles, and tied for third with 4 ½ tackles for losses. He also ranked 23rd in the CAA in sacks.
LINEBACKERS
The starting linebacker unit returns intact and led by senior All-American candidate Luke Bonus. The three-year starter earned All-CAA honors for the second time in his career last season but made his debut as a first team selection after leading the team with 96 tackles, 6 ½ tackles for losses, 2 ½ sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He ranked eighth in the CAA in tackles. While Bonus will man the middle, he will have some experience around and behind him. Junior Said Gaida, who played in all 12 games and started four at one of the outside spots last year, was sixth in tackles with 50 stops and tallied 3 ½ tackles for losses and 1 ½ sacks and will back-up Bonus while bucking for a spot on the outside.
At the outside linebacker spots sophomore Basim Hudeen and junior Rashad Swanson are the leading candidates for the starting jobs heading into summer camp. Hudeen played in 10 games and started three as a red-shirt freshman in 2008, recording 33 tackles. Swanson, an All-America third team selection at City College of San Francisco who was red-shirted by Hofstra last season, gets moved up to linebacker from the secondary and is coming off an outstanding spring season. Pushing Hudeen will be Lackawanna Junior College transfer Tressor Baptiste, an All-New York City selection at Curtis High School in Staten Island, New York, in 2005, who was the defensive most valuable player at Lackawanna last season. Challenging Swanson will be athletic junior Jeff Aime, who tallied seven tackles in the secondary and on special teams last season after converting from running back.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The secondary returns three of the four starters, losing just cornerback Nick Altomare to graduation, and picks up a starter from the linebacker unit. At one of the cornerback spots, senior Leslie Jackman, who came to Hofstra in 2008 from Rutgers, returns to a starting role following a solid Hofstra debut. Jackman posted 43 tackles, three pass break-ups, and two interceptions while starting all 12 contests. Junior Jaron McNeill, who played in nine games as a back-up and on special teams, and posted eight tackles, will be pushing Jackman. The other starting corner spot is one of several positions on the team that are projected to be hotly-contested for during the preseason camp. Junior Garret Heron, who returns to the field in 2009 after a preseason back injury wiped out his 2008 season, impressed the staff during the spring and walked away as the front-runner to start. But look for Heron, who played in all 11 games in 2007, to be challenged by red-shirt freshman Dontavious Johnson, a 2007 all-area selection out of Palm Beach Lakes High School in Florida, as well as several newcomers.
Two starters return at the safety spots, albeit one coming back after starting at linebacker last season. Senior Ray McDonough, who came to Hofstra in 2008 from Glendale Community College, made a big impression on the Pride faithful last season by leading the team with four interceptions, seven pass deflections and two forced fumbles and posting 56 tackles. He ranked 10th in the CAA and 63rd in the FCS in interception average. Challenging McDonough will be junior transfer Devin Pruett, a two-time all-conference selection and team captain at Bakersfield College in California. Pruett transferred to Hofstra last January and will benefit from having spring practice with the team. There should be a great battle for the starting free safety job during the preseason camp as sophomore Chris Edmond, who played in all 12 games and started seven at outside linebacker last season, showed the speed and talent during spring drills to move back to the secondary and bump last year's starter Greg Melendez from the role. Edmond, who led the team with three fumble recoveries last season, was third on the team with 71 tackles as well as four tackles for losses and one interception. Melendez, who started all 12 games as a red-shirt freshman last season, was second on the team in tackles with 72 and broke up three passes.
OFFENSE
When you lose key members of your offense, more often than not your offense will struggle. While that was the case last year, the trials of 2008 could be beneficial to the Pride in 2009 and beyond. The injuries that the Pride suffered forced several younger players to contribute sooner than expected. That "baptism by fire" should provide invaluable knowledge and experience. While the passing game struggled with injuries and youth, the rushing game was given time to flourish, recording its best average (164.2 ypg) since 2001. Like the defense, the offense returns 28 players, including 18 lettermen and nine starters. The Pride's off-season strength and conditioning program could turn out to be one of the biggest factors in the team's health and success this fall.
QUARTERBACKS
There is not much that can be said when your returning, starting quarterback goes down with a season-ending back injury just minutes before the season opener. That is why you practice the back-up quarterbacks as well. But when your back-up quarterback goes down with a season-ending hip injury pushing a talented, true freshman into the line-up you wonder if outside forces are at work against you. That is what happened to the Pride in 2008 as Savage didn't make it out of the gate and Christopher made it to mid-season before newcomer Steve Probst was thrown into the fray. That background has set the stage for the competition that will take place in preseason camp for the starting job at quarterback between Christopher and Probst. Despite not practicing as he continued rehabilitation during spring drills, Christopher, who started seven games before going down, is listed as the front-runner for the starting job heading into the preseason. Christopher completed 127 of 190 passes (66.8%) for 1,163 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 272 more and five touchdowns on 106 carries in his seven games. But Probst, who played in six games and started five, was one who benefitted from being thrown into the lion's den last year. The freshman completed 102 of 170 passes (60.0%) for 951 yards and seven touchdowns. Following in his predecessors' footsteps, he was third on the team in rushing with 291 yards and one touchdown on 74 carries.
While Christopher and Probst's battle could be the main event in preseason camp, Cohen is quick to say that he will start whoever gives Hofstra the best chance to win. That could open the door for junior college transfer Coy Glass, who passed for 2,423 yards and 18 touchdowns in two seasons at Riverside (CA) Community College, and red-shirt freshman Joe Sidaras, an All-New York State selection who passed for 2,795 yards and 40 touchdowns in his final two seasons at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, Long Island. Sidaras had an impressive showing during spring drills.
RUNNING BACKS
In 2009 Hofstra could possess its deepest and most talented backfield in school history, topping some of the great units of the 1950s, 1980s and 1990s. After posting the best rushing numbers since 2001, the future is bright. Both starters, junior fullback Everette Benjamin and sophomore halfback Brock Jackolski, return and are joined by several players who are expected to make an impact in the very, near future. Benjamin, who started all 12 games while playing at both spots last season, led the Pride, ranked 11th in the CAA and 90th in the FCS in rushing, picking up 630 yards and five touchdowns on 135 carries. He also proved to be a more than adequate receiver out of the backfield with 26 catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Jackolski, who played in 11 games and started seven as a true freshman, was right behind Benjamin with 541 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns on 86 carries. He also hauled in 14 passes for 111 yards and returned 23 kickoffs for 548 yards.
Sophomore Kwabena Asante, who played in nine games last season and accumulated 105 yards on 38 carries, is penciled in to back-up both positions. But several newcomers are not only expected to challenge Asante, they could challenge for time in the starting lineup. Heading that group is New York State Player of the Year Miguel Maysonet out of Riverhead High School.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Pride offensive line, at times last season, looked noticeably undersized. That will not be the case in 2009 as the Pride's off-season strength and conditioning program has transformed the Hofstra lines. "I believe that how your offensive line goes is how your program goes," Cohen states. "We have many experienced linemen returning and they are bigger, stronger and faster." As a matter of fact, the Pride returns all five starting linemen from last year, as well as a former starter who returns after missing the 2008 season with an injury. The development of the young, offensive line during the season aided in the rise of the Pride's rushing game.
At the tackles, both starters return in junior Brian Frederick and sophomore Derek Moore. Frederick, who came to Hofstra as a tight end in 2006, is a two-year starter on the offensive line and has played in every game since 2007. Moore, an All-Ohio selection in high school, started every game at right tackle as a red-shirt freshman for the Pride in 2008. Frederick and Moore will be challenged by sophomore Kevin Brown, who saw limited action last season but has gained the size and strength in the off-season to compete for the starting job, and red-shirt freshman Jordy Paulemon, an All-Suffolk County (LI) selection, who also hit the weight room hard during the off-season.
The guard positions have an abundance of starters and experienced players returning. Heading the list are returning starters senior Mike Trice and junior Armand Poole. Trice started the first nine games before missing the final three with an injury. Trice will be challenged by the return of senior Jimmy Mangiero, who sat out last season with a knee injury. Mangiero was a starter at guard and center in 2006 and 2007. Poole played in all 12 games and started eight as a sophomore in 2008. He is another lineman who will benefit this season from the added size and strength. Pushing Poole is senior David Spanich, who started three games early in the season, then missed several games to injury before returning and eventually starting the final three contests.
At center, junior Jaren Harrell returns to a starting role after playing in all 12 games last season. Harrell will be pushed by classmate Tom Ottaiano, who played in 11 games and started one in 2008. Mangiero, who along with tight end Jose Cruz is expected to be the snapper on special teams, also has the experience at this position to see playing time if needed.
WIDE RECEIVERS
The Pride, who lost a solid receiver from last year in Ottis Lewis to graduation, return several others who will have a big impact. Junior Aaron Weaver, who Coach Cohen calls "Hofstra's most proven threat and playmaker" returns to a starting role in 2009 after recording 70 receptions for 595 yards and four touchdowns. The versatile Weaver also rushed 19 times for 61 yards and two touchdowns, posted the team's best kickoff return average (26.5) in 21 returns, returned three punts and even took snaps at quarterback last season. He is also expected to serve as the back-up punter for the Pride in 2009. The All-CAA selection should be ready to burst into the national limelight this season. Junior Anthony Nelson is penciled in to return to a starting role at the other receiver spot. Nelson, who played in 15 games for the Pride baseball team during football practice last spring, started eight games and caught 35 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown before an injury caused him to miss the final four contests. Nelson also returned nine punts (3.4 ypr) and five kickoffs (18.8 ypr). Pushing Weaver and Nelson will be sophomore Christian Dennis and junior Vaughn Davis. Dennis played in 11 games last season and caught 15 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown. Davis, who red-shirted last season, has the size and speed to be an impact receiver. Look for senior Derek Benson, who caught five passes for 62 yards in 11 games last season, sophomore Chaz Cervino, a transfer from Syracuse, and several others to challenge for playing time as well.
TIGHT ENDS
The Pride graduated three tight ends last year in starter Phil Riley, Bryant Carpenter and Mike Denimarck. Red-shirt freshman Dave Wilson returns after sitting out last season and will battle junior Jose Cruz, a University of Akron transfer who came to Hofstra last January. Cruz, who played in 24 games for the Zips the past two seasons, showed great hands and blocking ability during spring practice with the Pride.
KICKERS
The Pride return all four of their kickers/punters from 2008, including starting kicker Roger Williams and starting punter Shane Casciano. Williams, a sophomore, took over the starting place-kicking duties from returning sophomore Brian Hanly three games into the 2008 season and went on to finish the season second in scoring on the team with 45 points. He hit eight of 11 field goals, including tying the mark for the longest field goal (54 yards) in school history against Northeastern, and hitting the winning field goal against Rhode Island. Williams also connected on 21 of 26 extra-points. Hanley, who hit on three of seven field goals and one of three extra-points in his three starts in 2008, handled kickoff duties the remainder of the season. He had an outstanding spring season and is the front-runner for the starting job entering preseason camp. Another player who had an impressive spring was senior Henry Greco. The Nassau Community College transfer impressed the staff in 2008 with his ability and enthusiasm and will get a long look this season.
The punting duties last year fell solely on the foot of senior Shane Casciano. The three-year letterman averaged 34.2 yards per punt in 44 kicks with 32 going inside the 20, or resulting in fair catches or touchbacks. Should Casciano need help this season, versatile junior Aaron Weaver worked out with the punting unit in the spring and is ready to step in.
