Bohannon: Kennesaw State ‘gaining on’ goals

Heading into his third season as head coach at Kennesaw State, Brian Bohannon won’t let a little success make him or his team feel content.

He made it clear immediately when receiving the job at the school based a little more than 20 miles north of his former workplace — he wanted to win a conference championship, and eventually, a national championship.

In Year 2, the Owls had a chance at the first goal when they faced off against Charleston Southern. They didn’t play particularly well and lost 28-7. Still, an 8-3 season that included a Top 25 ranking and near-playoff bid exceeded expectations of many.

But not Bohannon’s.

“We still haven’t accomplished anything we set out to do, though we have made progress, and we’re gaining on it,” Bohannon said after the team’s final practice before heading to Samford for the season opener on Thursday night.

It will be the toughest opening game the Owls have faced in their short history. Last season, KSU came out with a disappointing loss to East Tennessee State before ripping off eight wins in nine games. Against Samford, the Owls will need to be in top form to knock off one of the best FCS teams in the country.

“It’s really been a great motivating factor for us in the offseason,” Bohannon said about opening with a tough opponent such as Samford. “We lost that last game, so we had that motivating factor and then you know you’re opening up with a playoff team. They’re ranked 19th in the country and have a Walter Payton watch list quarterback.

“And I think it’s been great for us in the offseason to get ready to play. Our kids have always risen to the challenge. They’re a challenge-driven team. I don’t know what will happen, but I know our kids will be ready to play.”

One kid that Bohannon expects to play extremely well will be quarterback Chandler Burks. As a sophomore, Burks stepped into the starter’s role and finished with more than 2,000 yards of total offense and 22 touchdowns. Bohannon, who helped develop the likes of Joshua Nesbitt and Tevin Washington into winning quarterbacks at Georgia Tech, has been happy with how Burks has stepped into a leadership role.

“He is such a great leader,” Bohannon said. “He’s the leader of our football team, there’s no two ways about that. He’s extremely intelligent, smart, a coach on the field ... just all the intangibles you look for in a guy at that position. He can run, he can throw, which is something we pride ourselves on here. We’re going to run the ball, but we throw it and we’ve been fairly efficient at it.

“I’m proud of him. I know he’s ready to play, and he’s going to have to go distribute the ball and execute for us to have success.”

Despite the offense being prolific in 2016 to the tune of the third-best rushing attack in the country, the defense dominated throughout the offseason in scrimmages and practices. Some of the concerns on offense include losing star A-back Chaston Bennett and center Malik Letatau -- both of whom were first-team Big South honorees in 2016. C.J. Collins has since locked in the starter’s position at center, while Bohannon expects the A-back position to be held by committee.

“There’s no question the defense was clearly better than the offense most of camp,” Bohannon said. “But I think the offense has gotten better. But now we’ll see what it looks like Thursday night going against a good defense. Our front seven has played a lot of football for us. So I think it’s a combination of their experience and the way they go about their business and then some lack of execution.”

With many of Bohannon’s original recruits now turning into experienced leaders and upperclassmen on his team, he’s been shocked at how fast everything has moved in the program.

“It’s kind of wild,” he said. “Any birthday we have we always sing happy birthday at the end of practice. All these kids that were green and pups when they came in, they’re 21 and 22 years old now, and it’s just amazing how fast it’s gone by. But the biggest transformation for us is where we’ve had to lead everything. … It’s been completely coach-led. It’s now becoming more player-led. That’s been encouraging.”

But with things slowing down for Bohannon — both the need of developing and teaching the way of doing things in the program and the need to sell the program itself — he still feels adamant about not being settled in with the fast-paced environment of college football.

“I don’t know if anything is ever settled to be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t know if I feel comfortable with anything. I’m always a little antsy. It’s a new year, it’s a new team. You just don’t ever know. I maybe am a little more comfortable in my role. But it’s ever-changing man, there’s always something changing.”