Norfolk, Virginia – Old Dominion defensive coordinator blake saylor Only three starters return full-time, and his best returning player, All-American linebacker. Jason HendersonHe is not expected to fully recover from his knee injury until fall practice.
All four starters in the defensive backfield were among those ejected.
And when the season opens on Aug. 31 against South Carolina, the Monarchs will have little margin for error against an SEC opponent who has won six straight home games against non-Power Five opponents.
In fact, ODU will open with three very difficult games before opening day on September 21st.
A week after the trip to Columbia, South Carolina, ODU opens at home against East Carolina, a team the Monarchs have never beaten, on September 7th, and will play Virginia Tech on September 14th. The Hokies have never beaten ODU in Norfolk and will definitely play ODU. This time I'm going to make amends.
Seiler is an example of that, accepting the challenge the first three games have presented.
“I think this is a good thing,” Seiler said after ODU's fourth spring practice. “This allowed the players to prepare quickly.
“I mean, we’re not going to start with cupcakes, is there any other way?
“It gives the players the motivation to prepare throughout the spring and summer, and then when fall camp comes, they have to be ready to hit the ground running. They have to be ready to do their best in the first game. ”
“So you came to college to play against an SEC opponent. It's something you'll never forget.”
Seiler had a number of talented new and returning players, many of whom did not start but played well.
ODU's defense starts with Henderson, who led the nation in tackles per game last season.head coach Ricky Rahn He said he expects Henderson to be able to practice in August when the Monarchs begin fall camp.
“Jason will be back,” Seiler said. “And he will be stronger than before. But now we have to continue working without him. For us, it's a next-man-up mentality.”
And in these days of the transfer portal, that means working with a lot of new faces. The starting defensive rearguard candidates include four newcomers, all of whom are transfers from four-year schools.
safety Will Jones II The Mansfield, Texas, native is from South Florida, where he played two seasons. He also started two games as a redshirt freshman at Kansas State.
safety Patrick Smith-YoungThe Missouri City, Texas native was second in North Texas last season with 77 tackles.
cornerback angelo rankin jr.The Wichita, Kan., native transferred from Richmond and had 59 tackles, 12 pass breakups and two interceptions in three seasons.cornerback charles yates jr., a native of Mobile, Alabama, played junior college football at Los Angeles Pierce University. He transferred from Arizona and appeared in five games.
Of all the newcomers, Seiler said, “I think we're drinking from a firehose right now.”
“Every year, in this modern era of college football, our defense is always going to be a work in progress during the spring,” he added. “As coaches we have tried to simplify our plans as much as possible because we have so many news players.
“We can’t rely on second-, third- and fourth-year players like we used to.”
Asked how he likes his defense, Seiler said he will know more in the fall, when spring and summer practices are over and freshmen are expected to arrive.
“It's a little early right now, but you can see the talent,” he said of the rookie. “The good news is they're here now. Last year we were changing a lot of guys in the backfield and they showed up over the summer.
“Our team's speed is as good as it's ever been on the back end. We've got the numbers as well. This might be as deep as we've played in the secondary since I've been here. .”
This will be ODU's fourth season under Coach Rahne, but the Monarchs missed the 2020 season due to the pandemic.
returning cornerback Rasheed's reason He will likely compete for a starting spot. The senior from Vallejo, Calif., transferred to the junior college last fall. In 2023, he recorded 34 tackles and seven pass breakups.
“He has elite-level quickness,” Seiler said. “Last year was his first time playing Division I soccer. I can see him getting more and more comfortable.”
Amore Morrison, a graduate of Salem High School in Virginia Beach, returns to defensive end after an injury-plagued 2023 season in which he had 21 tackles, one sack and 4.5 tackles for loss.
Chris Trinidad Last season, as a starter on the opposing team, the Richmond native had 36 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss.
denzel lowryThe junior at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach started at defensive tackle last season and was named All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention after recording 46 tackles, three sacks and five tackles for loss.
“Denzel has been a dominant force for us up front, and he's getting better and better,” Seiler said.
defensive tackle jalen satchelThe transfer from Temple last season was plagued by injuries, but he started six games and recorded 16 tackles and one sack.
“It's good to see him healthy and moving around,” Seiler said.
“At the end of the day, defense is about keeping the score down, eliminating touchdowns, forcing field goals to be kicked. If you can move the ball, but you can't score touchdowns, your team is going to beat you.” It’s difficult.”
Seiler said ODU continues to recruit, scholarships are available, and players are still in the transfer portal, so it's possible the Monarchs will recruit more defensive players before fall camp. He said there is.
“Recruiting is now year-round,” Seiler said. “It never stops.”
And when can coaches take time off?
Sailer smiled broadly and replied, “After the bowl game.”
Minium is senior executive writer for athletics at ODU. To contact him, hminium@odu.edu or follow him twitter, Facebook or Instagram
