At First Glance: Week One Old Dominion Monarchs

Sep 16, 2023; Norfolk, Virginia, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Mitch Griffis (12) and Old Dominion Monarchs linebacker Jason Henderson (42) try to recover a fumble during the second quarter at Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports Subscriber Content Written by: Sammy Jacobs Week One: Old Dominion Monarchs The Hoosiers open the season with a new opponent in the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Monarchs are out of the Sun Belt Conference. Date & Time: Saturday, August 30 at 2:30pm Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN TV: FS1 Monarchs at a Glance Head Coach: Ricky Rahne Entering his Sixth Season as ODU Head Coach Record at ODU: 20-30 (16-16 in Sun Belt) Overall Record: 20-30 Last Season: 5-7 (4-4 in Sun Belt) Last Postseason Appearance: 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl Monarchs Returning Leaders Passing: Colton Joseph – 133-of-222 (59.9%), 1,627 Yards 11 Touchdowns 5 Interception Rushing: Colton Joseph –647 Yards on 114 Carries 11 Touchdowns Receiving: Devon Roche – 7 Catches for 52 Yards 1 Touchdown Tackles:– Koa Naotala (LB) 88 Tackles (22 solo), 4.5 Tackles for Loss, 3.5 Sacks Names to Know Colton Joseph, Quarterback- Joseph led the Sun Belt in total offense in 2024 as a redshirt freshman. Jason Henderson, Linebacker- Henderson was an All-American in 2023, but missed all of 2024 with a knee injury. Koa Naotala, Linebacker- Naotala led ODU in tackles in 2024 and will battle for a starting spot next to Henderson. Ja’Cory Thomas, Wide Receiver- Thomas was a big addition from Junior College for ODU. He made 28 catches for 477 yards and four touchdowns at Hutchinson C.C. in 2024. Monarchs Preseason Predictions Athlon: 3rd in Sun Belt East Lindy’s: 4th in Sun Belt East Phil Steele: Not Published SP+: 103rd Nationally Impact Newcomers for the Monarchs Ja’Cory Thomas, Wide Receiver (JUCO Transfer) Bostros Alisandro, Cornerback (Purdue)- Penciled in as a starter in the secondary, Alisandro comes in from Purdue where he made 32 tackles and three pass breakups. He made five tackles against IU last season. TJ Johnson, Wide Receiver (JUCO Transfer)- Another big JUCO receiver, Johnson is 6’3” and 180 pounds. He will be an impact starter for the Monarchs. Biggest Questions Facing the Monarchs 1. Can the Monarch Start Winning Close Games? 2. Can ODU Draw from Experience of Playing P4 teams last season? 3. Can Their Experience in the Trenches Give ODU a Chance at an Upset? Program Preview ODU is entering year five under head coach Ricky Rahne and have had mixed results with 20 wins and 30 losses. Last season the Monarchs finished 5-7 with six one possession losses including a 23-19 defeat at South Carolina in the season opener. The Monarchs are built to go to the postseason for the first time since 2023. All five starting offensive linemen are seniors. They have a young, dynamic quarterback who cut his teeth last season while leading the Sun Belt in total offense. ODU rebuilt their receiving corps through the JUCO ranks as well. Defensively, the Monarchs may have the best front six in the Sun Belt. The goal for ODU is to take the next step. The Sun Belt has some heavy Group of Five hitters, but this could be a very good mid-major team that makes it to a bowl game. Their schedule features trips to Indiana, Virginia Tech and James Madison, but they will play host to Liberty, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State and Georgia State. Offensive Preview The Monarch offense will be built around dual threat quarterback Colton Joseph and a veteran and tough offensive line. Old Dominion is replacing most of their wide receiver corps and is slated to start freshman Maurki James at running back. The headliner on offensive is redshirt sophomore Colton Joseph, who was good enough that they were OK with Grant Wilson leaving for IU. Joseph started the final eight games of the season in 2024 and played in a total of nine. He put up huge offensive numbers accounting for 22 touchdowns and 2,274 total yards. He thrived in the short to intermediate passing game and especially loved going to the middle of the field 10 of his 11 touchdown passes came on plays to the middle of the field. What makes Joseph really dangerous is that he can also run the ball. He scored 11 times on the ground as well. ODU led the Sun Belt in rushing last season, but they lost their leading rusher in Aaron Young (887 yards) and Colton Joseph was their second leading rusher. Bryce Duke also does not return (285 yards) The Monarchs will turn to a pair of youngsters to lead their running back group in sophomore Devin Roche (274 yards) and freshman Maurki James. Roche is a former three-star recruit and has 15 games of experience to go along with two starts. He is a small running back at 5’9” and 172 pounds, but is tough to bring down as he averaged about four yards after contact per attempt. James is a redshirt freshman who played four games in 2024 mainly on special teams, but had an outstanding high school career in Delaware. He ran for 42 touchdowns in high school. He is a bigger back at 6’1” and 206 pounds and should give opponents a different look. The Monarchs will start five seniors up front, but only one returning starter. They average 304 pounds across the front and Zach Barlev is one of the best tackles in the G5. The biggest question mark for the Monarch offensive is the wide receiver group. They lost most of their production from 2024 and will be relying on JUCO transfers and a couple youngsters to step up and produce. Ja’Cory Thomas is the headliner of the group as he is a playmaker and helped lead Hutchinson C.C. to a national title in 2024. Another 6’3” receiver in TJ Johnson gives the Monarchs a size threat that is comparable to a P4 team. Sophomore Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding could play his way into the starting line up in the slot after playing eight games last. He made only two catches though. Sophomores Titus Myers, Tre Brown and TJ Lott round out what should be the main rotation of receivers for ODU. Tight end Jalen Butler returns after missing 2024 with an injury. The 6’4”, 243-pound junior played in all 13 games (10 starts) in 2023. He only made nine catches, but is a really solid blocker and helps in the running game. Freshman Dawson Johnson is the backup after transferring in from Florida where he did not see any game action. Defensive Preview The Monarchs defense will be spearheaded by their linebackers, which is the best linebacking unit in the Sun Belt. Jason Henderson returns after sitting out the 2024 season due to injury. He was an All-American in 2023 after making 170 tackles with 19.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He is well regarded enough to be a Walter Camp Preseason All-American heading into this season. It will be his first game action in a season, so the question will be about how much time he needs to get back into the flow of the game. Last season’s leading tackler, Koa Naotala, is not supposed to be in the starting lineup as he plays the same position as Henderson. Jaleel Culbreath (62 tackles) will man the other outside linebacker position and Mario Thompson (65 tackles) will be the middle linebacker. This unit has four really good players and two other veterans in the rotation. The defense isn’t just a few good linebackers. The Monarchs have a really good edge rusher in Kris Trinidad, who led the team with 5.5 sacks in 2024. Noseguard DeAndre Lynch is a load in the middle at 6’3” and 312 pounds and just a sophomore. Ricardo Williams will round out the front three. He made 2.5 tackles for loss last year. There is veteran depth upfront as well with senior Cole Daniels and juniors Javen Gibson and Christopher Spencer in the two-deep. The main area of weakness for the Monarch defense is in the secondary. ODU deploys five defensive backs and returns just one starter off of last year’s squad, which could be a good thing. Junior safety Mario Easterly is the lone returning starter. He made 43 tackles, broke up two passes and blocked a kick. Lucas Struck is the other safety. Bostros Alisandro comes in from Purdue and will start at one of the corner positions while sophomore Brandon Crutchfield is projected as the other corner. He played in eight games last year in a reserve role. Nickendre Stiger will play the nickel corner position. Stiger played at Kansas State last season where he made nine tackles in 12 games. Special Teams Preview The Monarchs have to find a new kicker and punter in 2024. The will rely on Southeastern Louisiana transfer Riley Callagahan for field goals. He was a second-team all-conference performer in 2024 making 17-of-22 field goals and 26-of-27 extra points. Ian Brandt will take over the punting duties after serving as the holder on place kicks in 2024. He did punt seven times last season, but averaged a meek 35 yards per punt. In 2023 he did punt 22 times for a slightly better 38.9-yard average. Devin Roche is slated to serve as both kick and punt returner. 2025 FIRST GLANCE PREVIEWS Subscribe to get access Read more of this content when you subscribe today. Log in

At First Glance: Week One Old Dominion Monarchs

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