Kennesaw State’s football team will begin its inaugural season with an opener at East Tennessee State on Sept. 3.
Coach Brian Bohannon has 237 days to fine-tune the team’s option offense and defense for its first season in the Big South Conference.
There are numerous challenges, starting with the fact that the roster isn’t yet complete. The Owls will add potential starters, depth and experience from the junior college players that have signed, and the high school players they will sign on next month’s signing day.
“This is the first time since we’ve been here that is game year,” Bohannon said. “We are now in regular mode with spring ball, the spring game, summer workouts and fall practice which lead up to the East Tennessee State game. We will be stressing to our guys that why you play the game is out there and don’t let someone else outwork them.”
KEY PLAYERS
Quarterback: Former South Paulding High standout Chandler Burks was getting a lot of reps before he suffered a tear of his ACL. Jaquez Parks, who passed for more than 7,000 yards at Griffin High, and Jake McKenzie, a state title winner at Monroe Academy in Alabama, received the most reps in a position that has depth. It will be an interesting competition in the spring and fall to see who emerges.
Skill positions: The team is deep at receiver but a little thin at running back. At running back, former Carrollton High standout Trey Chivers and former South Paulding High back Jae Bowen had positive moments in the fall. Fullback walk-on Mike McIntire showed toughness. At receiver, Justin Sumpter (6-3, 200 pounds) and Xavier Harper (6-0, 185) have the size to handle the blocks outside showed their talents while redshirt junior Prentice Stone (transfer from Eastern Kentucky) performed well. In the secondary, Bohannon said Taylor Henkle and Akebren Ralls did some good things in the fall.
In the trenches: The team is still building depth along the offensive line, but Bohannon said he liked the group's effort and toughness. Lorenzo Adger (6-2, 290), Chiaza Nwadike (6-2, 290) and Ryan Warrior (6-3, 260), part of the inaugural signing class, led the group. Junior college transfers Malik Letatau (6-2, 275, College of San Mateo) and Leigh Comfort (6-3, 290, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) will help, as will Dustyn Moore (6-0, 225) a mid-year transfer from Kent State. He had 20 total tackles while playing in 10 games last year.
The defensive line is that area’s deepest unit. Defensive tackle D’Vontae Bedford (6-1, 265) showed some promise and with his talent has a chance to be a good player, according to Bohannon. Linebacker Anthony Gore Jr. has shown toughness. He was banged up throughout a portion of fall practice, but Bohannon said he showed some positive signs.
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