Kent State Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024

Kent State Football Preview 2024

The transfer portal is fun for so many teams, but 2023 Kent State showed the down side to the current system of college football.

Even in the best of times it’s been tough for Kent State to have any success. There was the wild 11-2 season under Darrell Hazell in 2012, and the program won 12 games over the next four seasons.

There was also a miracle turnaround in the middle of the 2019 season that propelled the team to a winning season under Sean Lewis, but that’s been about it. Two winning seasons in 22 years, four since 1976.

Lewis left to be the offensive coordinator at Colorado under Deion Sanders - he's now the head coach at San Diego State - and as he went, so went the FlashFast offense, a slew of talented players who went elsewhere, and new head coach Kenni Burns had to start from scratch after getting hammered by the portal.

So what do you do if you’re Kent State? There are no expectations, and there’s no real hope for any success, so you go young, you start building from within, and develop, develop, develop.

There might not be a big turnaround in Year Two, but after going 1-11 without a win over an FBS team, the team will be more competitive, it has a little bit of returning experience, and the guys who are still around can truly do the Kent State vs The World thing.

Kent State Preview 2024: Offense

- The offense that had an impossible time moving the ball first has to come up with a quarterback. The passing game struggled to simply complete midrange throws.

Leading passer Michael Alamo is gone, Tommy Ulatowski is back after throwing seven touchdown passes and two picks, and Troy transfer JD Sherrod will get every chance. The passing game completed 52% - anyone who can do a little better will have the gig.

- Kent State has receivers. Chrishon McCray is better than his stats, leading the team with 41 grabs for 610 yards and four scores even though he missed a few games. He’s the star of the show, Luke Floriea was second on the team with 39 grabs, and Michigan State transfer Sebastian Brown will get his chance to get his career going.

- Finding a running game would be nice. All five starters are expected to be back, and there’s hope with Andrew Page a good-looking center and Chris Farrell a potential All-MAC guard. Best of all, this is a YOUNG group - it all revolves around three sophomores.

The backs are good. Now they need room. Gavin Garcia led the team with 544 yards and two scores, and former transfer Ky Thomas - who missed all of last year, but got in some work at Kansas and ran for 824 yards and six scores in 2021 for Minnesota - might grow into a strength.

Kent State Preview 2024: Defense

- There wasn’t a pass rush, the run defense struggled, and forget about third down stops, but there are parts back to build around.

It’s not like the line stopped much, but losing CJ West from the interior was a problem. There isn’t a ton of bulk, but the combination of Stephen Daley and Oliver Billotte are experienced on the ends. The D needs Mattheus Carroll to rise up into a pass rusher.

- There’s size at linebacker, and they have to hold up against the run. Nicholas Giacolone was second on the team with 54 tackles and should be even more of a factor on the inside, and this is where the transfer portal helps with the depth.

- The transfer portal got a few pieces for the secondary, too. There aren’t a lot of returning playmakers - especially at the corners - but the safeties should be okay. Alex Branch and Josh Baka can tackle, but they have to make more plays when the ball is in the air.

Key To The Kent State Football Season

Find a running game.
There are a whole lot of things Kent State needs to improve on, but most of the problems can be lessened if the offensive line can start generating a push and the good backs can get moving. Controlling the clock and moving the chain would be a big deal.

Kent State failed to average four yards per carry against anyone from the FBS and only ran for over 130 yards against Central Connecticut State and Eastern Michigan. Start running better, take the pressure off.

Kent State Key Player

Tommy Ulatowski, QB Soph.
Or JD Sherrod. The team needs one quarterback and leader to count on to keep the chains moving, and Ulatowski will likely get the first look. He wasn’t horrible - he at least kept the mistakes to a minimum when he got his chance - and he has the receivers to work with. Again, though, Sherrod might be the answer.

Kent State Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: CB Dallas Branch, Sr.
A decent part of the San Diego State secondary rotation, he was out for most of last year, but he came up with five picks and eight broken up passes over the last three seasons. If healthy, there’s a good shot he finds a starting spot.

Top Transfer Out: CJ West, DT Sr.
There weren’t too many bright spots last season, but West was one of them from his spot in the interior. The 6-2, 315-pounder made 109 tackles over the last three seasons with seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Now he’s doing it all for Indiana.

Kent State Key Game

Eastern Michigan, Sept. 28
How much better are the Golden Flashes a year later? There were moments when they were okay in the lost season, and the 28-14 loss at EMU was one of the more competitive games.

This time around it’s the MAC opener, and with plenty of other winnable games ahead - Ball State, Akron, at Buffalo - getting a win here would mean the world to the program.

Kent State 10 Best Football Players

1. Chrishon McCray, WR Soph.
2. Chris Farrell, OG Soph.
3. Stephen Daley, DE Soph.
4. Nicholas Giacolone, LB Sr.
5. Gavin Garcia, RB Jr.
6. Ky Thomas, RB Sr.
7. Andrew Glass, PK Sr.
8. Oliver Billotte, DT Soph.
9. Tommy Ulatowski, QB Soph.
10. Luke Floriea, WR Sr.

Kent State 2023 Fun Stats

- TDs Scored: Opponents 55, Kent State 19

- Fumbles: Kent State 8 (lost 6), Opponents 8 (lost 3)

- 4th Quarter Scoring: Opponents 117, Kent State 27

Kent State Win Total Prediction 2024, What Will Happen

Kent State will win a few games.

Outside of the win over Central Connecticut State, it only lost one game by fewer than ten points. It’ll do enough to get past Akron, or on the road at Buffalo, or against Ball State.

There will be times with things get ugly and the team doesn’t have it, but it’ll be closer and more competitive as the season goes on.

Missing Toledo helps, and the big blowouts will be out of the way early on against Pitt, Tennessee, and Penn State on the road, but …

Baby steps. Burns will show a little hope for 2025 with his young team.

Set The Kent State Win Total At … 2.5

Likely Wins: Saint Francis

50/50 Games: Akron, Ball State, at Buffalo, at Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, at Western Michigan

Likely Losses: at Miami University, at Penn State, at Pitt, at Tennessee