Dover, Del. (Aug, 4, 2022) --- The 2022 Delaware State football team ignored the mid-morning heat during an enthusiastic first on-field practice of its preseason camp.
More than 90 players took to the field for the first of 20 scheduled camp practices in preparation for the upcoming season, which begins Sep. 3 at home against Lincoln (Pa.) University.
HORNETS 2022 OUTLOOK
Delaware State is hoping to build on strides it made during a long and challenging 2021 calendar year. The Hornets were one of three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools to compete during the spring of 2021, playing five games while navigating Covid pandemic protocols. Delaware State was 2-3 in those games, two close losses at the hand of South Carolina State and the other to the University of Delaware, which advanced to the spring 2021 FCS national semifinals.
A little more than three months after wrapping up the spring '21 schedule, the Hornets returned to camp for the fall campaign.
Delaware State followed up the spring session with more improvement in the fall, posting a 5-6 overall record, it's most wins since 2013. The season was highlighted by the Hornets' first non-conference road win in seven years, 33-27 at Wagner of the Northeast Conference), and a 26-point second half comeback to defeat Norfolk State.
The fall losses included another one-possession setback to MEAC and HBCU national champ South Carolina State, and a road defeat at nationally-ranked and FCS playoff participant East Tennessee State.
"I believe the 2021 spring games were very beneficial for the program because we were able to get a higher level of competition for our guys, especially the younger players," said Delaware State fifth-year head coach Rod Milstead. "The spring also brought us closer together as a team and gave us a measuring stick of where we need to go as a program. I think the extra real-game experience in the spring prepared us for the fall and put us slightly ahead of schedule for this year."
The fall 2022 Hornets expect to feature a solid mix of veterans and newcomers, although the majority of the experience is on the defensive side of the ball.
Despite the strides, the Hornets know more improvement is needed to challenge the upper echelon of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and possibly compete for their first conference title since 2007.
Delaware State has been picked to finish fourth in the 202 MEAC, behind preseason favorite South Carolina State, North Carolina Center and Norfolk State.
DEFENSE
The unit returns all 11 starters from the 2021 squad, which led the MEAC in total defense at 314.6 yards allowed per game. In addition, the Hornets were best in the league in fewest passing yards allowed at 188.8 per contest, while tying for the conference high with 14 interceptions.
Topping the list of returning Hornet defenders are 2022 preseason All-MEAC First Team selections Isaiah Williams (sr.; DL), Esaias Guthrie (r-soph.; DB) and linebacker Ronald Holmes (Soph.; LB).
Williams was the team leader and tied for third in the MEAC with 11.5 tackles for loss last season. He was also tops on the Hornets and fifth in the MEAC with 3.5 sacks, while tying for third on the team with 37 total tackles, including 20 solo stops.
Guthrie, also selected to the HERO Sports 2021 FCS Freshman All-America Team, was No. 1 in the MEAC and tied for 22nd among all FCS players with four interceptions; and tied for fourth in the conference with eight passes defended (0.73 pg). Holmes recorded 31 tackles and was second on the club with 9.5 tackles for loss last season.
Three other starting defensive backs also return.
Safety Romell Harris-Freeman (r-jr.), a 2021 All-MEAC Third Team honoree, was fifth on the Hornets with 36 total tackles, including 20 solo stops, and tied for second in the MEAC with three interceptions.
The Hornet defense is also expected to be solid again at the corners with the return of veterans Charles Peeler (sr.) and Jawain Granger (sr.), each a 2022 preseason All-MEAC Third Team pick.
Peeler was a 2021 All-MEAC Second Team selection. He was sixth on the Hornets with 35 total tack-les, including 25 solo stops , and also credited with six pass break-ups, one sack, one interception (20 yds) and one blocked kick. He was also the 2021 MEAC leader with an 11.0 punt return average, highlighted by a 55-yard touchdown vs. South Carolina State.
Granger, a 2021 All-MEAC Third Team selection, recorded 24 total tackles, including 19 solo stops, and tied for second on the team and the MEAC with three interceptions last season.
Delaware State's top two tacklers from last season, linebackers Maurio Goings (r-soph) and Kamari Jackson (sr.), also return.
Goings, an inside backer, was Delaware State's leader and tied for 16th in the MEAC at 4.9 tackles per game (55 total) last season. An outside backer, Jackson was a 2021 All-MEAC Third Team honoree. He ranked second on the Hornets and 21st in the MEAC in tackles at 4.6 per game (51 total), including a team-high 40 unassisted stops a year ago.
The linebacker corps also includes preseason All-MEAC Third Team selection Brooks Parker (sr.), who was fourth on the team with 37 tackles, junior Antquan Kinsey (32 tackles) and sophomore Daniel Douglas (r-Soph.) had 16 tackles (15 solo), an interception and forced fumble in 2021. Joining Williams on the defensive front is rush end Marcus Winfield (r-so.), a 2022 preseason All-MEAC Third Team selection. Winfield was second among Hornet linemen with 22 tackles last season.
Inside lineman Kevin DeShields (r-sr.) recorded 18 tackles last season and is one of the nation's top kick blockers, tying for the FCS lead with four blocks in 2021.
Seniors Corey St. John (18 tackles in 2021) and Carrington Jones (19 tackles in '21) also return to provide veteran leadership along the front line.
OFFENSE
Likely starting quarterback Jared Lewis (r-jr.) takes on an even bigger leadership role this season, as the Hornets must replace some key pieces from last year's offense.
Lewis established himself as one of the MEAC's top signal callers a year ago, ranking sec-ond in the league in passing efficiency and fifth in passing average in 2021. He completed 104-of-203 pass-es (51.2%) for 1358 yards (135.8 ypg) and compiled a passer rating of 136.0, while throwing for 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions last sea-son. The 20 TDs ranked second in the MEAC in 2021 season and was the second-best single-season mark in team history. Lewis threw for a career-high four touchdowns in three games last year.
He will need to find new favorite targets this year following the graduation of numbers one and two receivers Trey Gross and Kwan-nah Kollie. Gross, a 2021 All-MEAC First Team selection and HBCU All-America Honorable Mention, led the MEAC with 14 touch-down catches, while ranking fourth in receptions (48) and fifth in receiving yards (619) last season.Kollie was second on the Hornets with 23 catches in 2021.
Delaware State's top two returning pass catchers are senior wideout Jerrish Halsey (13 catches) and sophomore running back Wade Inge (11).
Inge is also in the mix to become the Hornets' primary ball carrier this year. Perhaps the team's best all-around back, he was third on the Hornets with 207 yards rushing, averaging a team-best 4.7 yards per carry last season. Inge was fourth on the team with the 11 receptions for 123 yards and two TDs, and fourth in all-purpose yards (43.6 pg) in 2021.
Michael Chris-Ike (jr.) was second on the Hornets with 262 yards rushing (3 TDs) last season, while former team rushing leader Thomas Bertrand-Hudon (jr.) looks to return to form after an injury-plagued 2021 season.
Newcomer Marquis Gillis (r-fr.), a former Delaware high school all-star (Milford HS), is also expected to compete for carries this year.
The offensive line will draw a great deal of preseason attention this summer. The big guys up front helped pave the way to 139.9 rushing yards per game last season to rank second in the MEAC.
The Hornets must replace graduating seniors Matt Derks, a two-time All-MEAC First Team guard and Canadian Football League draft pick, along with tackle James King, a 2021 All-MEAC Third Team honoree.
The top returning lineman is center Dillon Marshall (sr.), a 2022 preseason All-MEAC Second Team honoree. Sam Pearson (sr.) is expected to take on more of a leadership role, while Rodrigo Escobar (so.) and Diu Dau (r-fr.) have shown the potential to become solid contributors this season.
Quarterback Tylik Bethea (jr.) give the Hornets a quality back-up behind Lewis. As a true freshman in 2019, Bethea completed 134-of-288 passes for 1478 yards with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He ranked eighth in the MEAC in passing at 123.2 yards per game that season. His 2019 yardage total and completions were the most for a true freshman in team history and season completion total ranks 11th all-time at the school.
Delaware State's kicking game this season will be led by punter Matt Noll, a 2022 BoxToRow HBCU Preseason All-America and All-MEAC First Team pick. Last season, Noll was tops in the MEAC in punting with a 40.4 average. He had 11 punts of 50-or-more yards, including a long of 64 yards, and placed 16 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
