WEST LONG BRANCH - You’ve heard it all before. How this is the most important season for Monmouth football since they put bleachers up along Larchwood Avenue in 1993.
That’s because every year seems to find the Hawks in a position of having to prove themselves again. Whether it’s transitioning into a new league, like the Big South, and now the Coastal Athletic Association, or trying to gain a foothold among the top teams in FCS, there’s always another mountain to climb in the program’s evolution.
This season is no different.
Going 4-7 a year ago was a big missed opportunity for a team with two of the FCS’s most dynamic offensive weapons in running back Jaden Shirden and receiver Dymere Miller. And now, with college football’s shifting landscape in the transfer portal/NIL era as the backdrop, the Hawks try to move up in the CAA standings in their third season in the ultra-competitive league.
“I think (summer practice) was a good period of growth for our younger players, and our veteran players really demonstrated that they not only have the ability to lead but to be guys we can count on,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said.
A quick look at the depth chart for Thursday night’s season opener against Eastern Washington (9 p.m., ESPN+) at Roos Field in Cheney, Washington, shows just how different things are.
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Ryan Moran, the graduate linebacker from Ocean Township, is the only expected starter who started in a 41-0 loss at Albany to close last season. On offense, the only two are right tackle J.T. Cornelius, the ex-Southern Regional star, and tight end Jack Neri. That’s it.
With 19 new starters, it might take a while before we know the true potential of this team. Except the first month of the season is a gauntlet. In addition to flying cross country to face a Big Sky program, Monmouth plays defending Patriot League champion Lafayette, which beat Monmouth a year ago and is a heavy favorite to repeat as league champion, and has a trip to Miami to face FIU, an FBS foe out of Conference USA.
Buckle up. It could be a wild ride, but we’re going to learn a lot about this group before the calendar turns to October.
Here are five questions Monmouth football must answer as the 2024 season gets underway:
1. Can the offense roll on?
Monmouth offensive coordinator Jeff Gallo and his staff have done a great job keeping that side of the ball humming. The Hawks have finished top-12 nationally in total offense in four of the past five seasons, ranking 12th last season and ninth in 2022.
But keeping it going this season will be no easy task. The Hawks lost 58 percent of their offense in Shirden (1,478 rushing yards) and Miller (1,293 receiving yards). That’s a gapping hole in the stat sheet.
While Monmouth will use a few running backs, graduate student Sone Ntoh has the experience, while flashing his short yard prowess and big-play ability last season, scoring 14 TDs. He’s been waiting a long time to be a feature back in college and needs to be a workhorse this season.
They’ll line up behind a completely revamped offensive line, and a new quarterback in Derek Robertson, who threw for 2,933 yards at Maine last season, with 25 TDs and 11 interceptions. Robertson will be throwing to a group of largely unproven receivers, and their ability to make plays downfield could hold the key to the team’s ability to move the ball.
2. Will the defense be better?
Another consistent theme in recent years has been the need for Monmouth’s defense to take a big step forward. Excluding the four-game COVID-impacted spring season in 2021, only once over the past decade have the Hawks been ranked in the top-50 in total defense nationally.
Now they’re going to run a more aggressive scheme under new coordinator Lewis Walker, who needs his young talent to step up. There could be up to five sophomores on the field at any one time, including cornerbacks Israel Clark-White and Emmanuel Lane, and safety Deuce Lee. The addition of Temple transfer Alex Odom at safety brings some much-needed experience to the secondary.
It's much the same at linebacker, with juniors Sam Korpoi, and Damir McCrary, and sophomore Ryan Alexander joining Moran and senior Remi Johnson in the rotation.
“I think you are going to see a defense that’s a lot more aggressive,” Callahan said. “Lewis is a young guy, he’s got a high level of energy. And that energy really transcends to our players. Every single day on the field he is bringing it out there, and the players rally around that. Schematically, it is going to be different than what we have done in the past, maybe somewhat more aggressive, maybe a lot more multiple as well.”
3. Are the Hawks deeper?
Everyone knew it was going to be a grind in the CAA. But until you experience it, you really have no idea.
Case in point. Monmouth has closed each of its first two seasons in the league by going 1-4 over its last five games. They’re 7-5 before Oct. 15, and 2-8 after that date.
The Hawks need more depth throughout the lineup, having struggled as players wear down and injuries mount. The depth CAA teams possess has proven to be one of the biggest differences from the Big South.
4. Are special teams ready to shine?
There’s the potential for Monmouth to have to work through some early season issues in different areas. Special teams can’t be one of them.
Kicker’s Michael Calton and Vincenzo Rea, along with long-snapper Justin Nyers, all from Manalapan, have all played key roles over the past few seasons, so field goals, extra points and kickoffs should be a strength of this team. And punter Luke Schabel ranked 10 th in the CAA last year at 40.8 yards.
If junior back Makhi Green can emerge as a consistent threat returning punts and kickoffs, special teams can have a big impact in the coming months.
5. Is there a solid foundation for the future?
Monmouth’s has had a losing record in back-to-back seasons, the first time that has happened since 2015-16. If the Hawks can start fast in games and play well in some early on, perhaps even pull off an unexpected win, it would be a huge confidence boost for a young roster.
The Hawks had plenty of experience the past two seasons and it didn’t work out. So now it’s time to see if the youngsters can do a better job. Not just this season, but hopefully in the years to come as they build the program.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth football 2024 preview: Hawks face most important season ever - again
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