For Kennesaw State football, excellence is demanded.
The Owls are coming off a third consecutive 11-plus win season, establishing themselves among the best in the FCS. After beginning its program only five years ago, coach Brian Bohannon has amassed an overall record of 48-15, setting the all-time college football record for most wins by a start-up team in its first five seasons.
But the argument about the program’s youth has started to grow stale. After three consecutive playoff exits before the semifinals, all by less than 10 points, the Owls have found themselves on the outside of the bubble, looking in at the FCS elite. As the team prepares to enter its sixth season, Bohannan’s mission is more focused than ever: bring a national championship home to Kennesaw.
Here are five things to know about the Owls going into spring practice, which begins Monday:
Last year was filled with inexperience
Despite last season’s 11-3 record and trip to the second round of the FCS playoffs, the Owls entered 2019 with plenty of uncertainty. The group lost 10 of 11 starters on offense and four of five coaches on defense from their 2018 quarterfinals team. As a result, the Owls were forced to rely on its offensive line to power their run-heavy offense. Even with the team’s youth, Kennesaw State executed on the ground, ranking first in the FCS with 342.4 yards per game and 58 rushing touchdowns.
“There was a lot going on last year. There were a lot of young kids trying to grow up and a lot of transition in a lot of areas,” Bohannon said. “At times, it was a little bit of a struggle. I think we started to play like we’re capable of late in the year going into the playoffs. Our expectations are always to win every game and win the whole thing here, but truthfully, we probably exceeded what I thought we could do last year.”
Open competition at quarterback
Alongside a creative run-game, the Owls used multiple quarterbacks in 2019, led by senior Daniel David. Tommy Bryant, a rising senior this year, split snaps with David, racking up 1,140 total yards and 23 total touchdowns. Still, Bohannon isn’t ready to hand the job to Bryant. Junior Jonathan Murphy exploded in the playoffs last year, rushing for 322 yards and four scores in two games, while sophomore Xavier Shepard played productively in four appearances last season, giving him a small claim to the spot. According to Bohannon, the Owls’ quarterback position is up for grabs heading into spring practice.
“All three guys we’re excited about and we’re going to need all of them, Who starts, how much one plays over another will be determined by what they go do in the offseason,” Bohannon said. “That was earned by Tommy (Bryant) last year, he earned that right. We’ll see who wins the job and where that falls to see how to navigate the position.”
Verpaele to head young defensive staff
The Owls’ defense has ranked among the best in the FCS over the past five years, but will be forced to make a slight adjustment heading into the new season. Last year’s safeties coach Danny Verpaele was announced Feb. 17 as the team’s newest defensive coordinator, replacing 2019’s coordinator Blake Harrell. Kennesaw State ranked third in the FCS in total defense last season, led by unanimous All-American linebacker Bryson Armstrong, who will return for his senior season. Bohannon believes that hiring from within the program will provide much-needed continuity for the Owls’ defensive staff, which has experienced a plethora of changes over the past two seasons.
“(Verpaele) knows the kids, and he knows what we’ve done here,” Bohannon said. “We don’t have to change a bunch of stuff, and his personality will be on (the defense), which I’m good with. I’m excited about that and keeping that group of guys here will really help us.”
Need for improvement in the secondary
Although many of the team’s main contributors will return this spring, the Owls have holes to fill in the secondary. Cornerbacks Le’Vonte Larry and Dorian Walker graduated, leaving Bohannon and his defensive staff with inexperience on the back end of the defense. Sophomore Markeith Montgomery and senior Bryson Perry seem poised to take the corner positions after playing a fair amount last season, and they will get help from the likes of junior Cole Loden and sophomore Je’Cory Burks. The Owls return two safeties in Cincere Mason and Demetrius Pettway, but Bohannon is looking for more from the returning players in the secondary.
“I think it’s an area as a whole we have to get better at,” Bohannon said. “We lost two kids at corner who played a lot of football for us … and I think at safety, on the back end, it’s another area we can be a lot better at. There’s some guys where this spring is going to be really big for them, to see how they can respond.”
Time for the Owls to take a leap
With the returning experience and the constant improvement that the Owls have shown, Bohannon feels particularly confident in his team heading into the spring. After last year’s overtime loss to Weber State, he said that there was a feeling in the locker room that the team should have won the game and had the capability to hang with any team in the country. The Owls will get their chance to prove that when their season begins in September.
“We feel like we have an opportunity to gain on some things that we haven’t done in the past,” Bohannon said.” We haven’t really pushed the envelope past the quarterfinals and gotten to do some of the things we want to do here. So, we are excited about the group and the guys coming back. We feel like it’s a talented group coming back and, ultimately, it’s going to be the makeup of the team to see where we go.”
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