Kennesaw State’s 2023 media day had a decidedly different feel than in 2022.
The 2022 event was held at The Battery. Players and coaches wore suits and ties. The Owls took part in it with the other five teams from the ASUN Conference, and players and coaches talked about rivalries, competing for conference championships, and everything that comes with a traditional football season.
2023 had little of that, because for Kennesaw State, this will be no traditional football season.
The Owls are making the step up to FBS football in 2024, joining Conference USA. They’re looking forward to the change, but for 2023, in some ways, they’re stuck in no-man’s land. They’re without a conference, so their media day was their own, held at the team’s facilities at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Head coach Brian Bohannon, three offensive players and two defensive players spoke to the media, all wearing polo shirts.
Bohannon acknowledged this season will be different, but he doesn’t think the players will lack motivation.
“We look at our nine-game schedule. We can’t go to the playoffs. We can’t win a championship,” Bohannon said, as Kennesaw State is ineligible for the FCS playoffs. “Everything this program is built on, you say, we’re not going to be able to do this year, right? That’s how we built the program. But I don’t think our kids care right now. because they’ve got something to prove.”
Despite this, Bohannon said that the buy-in for this season rivals only 2017, when the Owls went 12-2 and won their first conference championship.
“The kids were motivated for the right reasons, and I think it’s been that way (this year),” Bohannon said. “I don’t know what that’s going to mean in wins or losses. I’m just saying our kids have been in a good place in the offseason.”
That buy-in comes largely because the Owls struggled in 2022. After five straight .750 or better seasons, the Owls went 5-6 last season.
Moving from FCS to FBS is unfamiliar territory, albeit not uncharted. Bohannon said his players had plenty of questions about the transition, so he made sure to host team Q&As where players could anonymously write questions on sheets of paper and he would answer them as well as he could.
One of the biggest questions was redshirting. Many veteran Owls have intact redshirt years, meaning they could sit out this year’s nine-game championship-less season and have an additional year of eligibility once Kennesaw State is an FBS program. Bohannon and the rest of the coaching staff must balance wanting to be competitive this season with having the best chance to win at the FBS level in 2024.
“If we can (redshirt them) and they’re willing, we’re going to do it this year,” Bohannon said. “Especially guys that we know moving forward can (help us) as we move into Conference USA. We’ve got several guys on our roster that are in that boat.”
Bohannon said this helped with buy-in, as it will lead to increased playing time for underclassmen. Many who would have sat behind established starters will play if the team decides to redshirt the starters.
The transition year also allows for a unique opportunity for change. Several members of Bohannon’s staff changed in the offseason and he’s also encouraged his staff to make changes this year because of the season’s unique nature.
The most notable change is to the offense. The Owls will pivot from their triple-option offense this season, using a read-option pistol offense under new offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis. Klenakis was Colin Kaepernick’s offensive coordinator at Nevada and co-offensive coordinator for Louisville in Lamar Jackson’s 2016 Heisman Trophy season.
KSU quarterback Jonathan Murphy is excited for the change, especially being in the shotgun formation instead of under center.
“It’s been fun just to see everybody and see my guys in space like (receiver) Isaac (Foster) or see (tight end) PD (Preston Daniels) out there,” Murphy said. “Just learning a new offense (and) taking the time, (it’s) like I’ve been learning football all over again.”
Daniels and Foster are both looking forward to the new offense. While Bohannon said the Owls will still focus on running the ball, spreading the field will allow for a more varied attack and new opportunities in the passing game.
Daniels previously played as a running back, tallying one reception in four years, but he’s being converted to tight end for the season. That restructuring has been seen all across the Owls’ offense.
On defense, less has changed. Defensive backs Chance Gamble and Markeith Montgomery noted the buy-in, but Montgomery’s main “complaint” was that the Owls didn’t transition sooner. Montgomery is in his final season of eligibility.
Even though this season’s wins and losses are less important, Gamble said the team isn’t focused on next year.
“I was excited too, but football is football,” Gamble said. “At the end of the day, we’ll go out there, we’re all strapped up against whoever we play.”
