Monmouth football was picked to finish second in the Preseason CAA Coaches Poll, while gaining mention in several national preseason rankings.
Never in 32 years of college football in West Long Branch have the expectations been higher.
Because as Monmouth football prepares for the opening of preseason practice, there’s a growing sense the program could be heading for new heights, including a CAA championship and deep run in the FCS Playoffs.
There’s plenty of evidence. The Hawks were picked to finish second behind Rhode Island in the 13-team CAA, receiving four first-place votes, and have appeared in several FCS preseason national rankings. And they return everyone from an offense that ranked No. 1 in the country in 2024, closing the season with wins over No. 8 Villanova and No. 18 Stony Brook.
“We have lofty goals for the season,” said quarterback Derek Robertson, the league’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, tabbed as the preseason POY at Wednesday’s CAA Football Media Day. “We all sat together at the end of last season and said we want to run this thing back, and all of us came back together. We have one goal and that is to win a championship.”
Monmouth returns 11 key offensive players, including five Preseason All-CAA selections, including receivers Josh Derry and T.J. Speight, tight end Jack Neri and right tackle J.T. Cornelius, the former Southern Regional star.
“We’re really excited about the 2025 season,” said Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan, who founded the program in 1993. “We return 14 starters from a year ago, and I think when you track what we’ve done in ’22. ’23 and ’24, we’ve made steady progress. We return a lot of veteran players. We’re certainly honored that the coaches felt so strongly about us to rank us No. 2, but we’re excited heading into this season and we can’t wait to get started.”
Expectations can be a double-edged sword, as potential and pressure intermingle. And for the Hawks’ dreams to come true, their defense has to improve after ranking 14th out of 16 teams a year ago, with the program unable to capitalize on having the top offensive player in the CAA three straight seasons.
“We’re just trying to elevate our game,” said junior safety Deuce Lee, a Preseason All-CAA pick. “Last year, the offense was the main topic of conversation. I feel that on our defense we’re going to be a championship team this year. So just elevate our play and play more aggressive, play more physical, execute more.”
With that as the backdrop, the Hawks begin working toward the Aug. 29 season opener at Colgate. The home opener on Sept. 20 is also the CAA opener against Villanova, in its final season playing football in the CAA before shifting to the Patriot League.
“We really only have one goal and that is to win football games, and we didn’t do that enough last year,” said Robertson, as the Hawks went 6-6 overall, and 4-4 in CAA play. “That’s really the only thing we’re trying to do is improve on that.
“I love this team. I love every single one of the guys on this team. We’re really a tight-knit group, so to go out there and compete with them every single day is going to be special.”
2025 CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches)
- Rhode Island (8 first-place votes) 163
- Monmouth (4) 142
- Villanova (2) 139
- Stony Brook 125
- UNH 119
- Towson 108
- William & Mary 104
- Elon 98
- Maine 71
- Campbell 53
- Hampton 50
- UAlbany 47
- Bryant 32
- North Carolina A&T 23
PRESEASON ALL-CAA TEAM
OFFENSE
Derek Robertson, Monmouth, Gr., QB
David Avit, Villanova, So., RB
Roland Dempster, Stony Brook, Gr., RB
Trey McDonald, William & Mary, Sr., FB/HB
Jack Neri, Monmouth, Gr., TE
Marquis Buchanan, Rhode Island, Jr., WR
Josh Derry, Monmouth, Jr., WR
TJ Speight, Monmouth, Sr., WR
Tre Alexander, Rhode Island, Gr., OL
Brock Bethea, Rhode Island, Gr., OL
JT Cornelius, Monmouth, 6th year, OL
Niko Papic, Stony Brook, Sr., OL
Jake Picard, Villanova, Gr., OL
Korion Sharpe, NC A&T, Sr., OL
DEFENSE
Davin Dzidzienyo, William & Mary, Sr., DL
Rodney Faulk, Stony Brook, Sr., DL
Obinna Nwobodo, Villanova, Gr., DL
Michael Otty, Bryant, Gr., DL
Luke Banbury, William & Mary, Gr., LB
Shane Hartzell, Villanova, Sr., LB
A.J. Pena, Rhode Island, Sr., LB
AJ Roberts, Stony Brook, Gr., LB
Myles Brodie, Towson, Gr., CB
Jalen Jones, William & Mary, Sr., CB
Deuce Lee, Monmouth, Jr., S
Xavier Terry, Towson, Sr., S
SPECIAL TEAMS
Trevin Ewing, Maine, Sr., KR
TJ Speight, Monmouth, Sr., KR
Carson Jenkins, William & Mary, Jr., PR
Enda Kirby, Stony Brook, Sr., PK
Jeff Yurk, Elon, Sr., P
Jonathan Ward, Hampton, Sr., SPEC
CAA PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Derek Robertson, QB, Monmouth
CAA PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: A.J. Pena, LB, Rhode Island
Honorable mention: Devin Farrell, QB, Rhode Island; Carter Peevy, QB, Maine; Rodney Nelson, RB, Monmouth; Dylan Magazu, FB/HB, Elon; Sean McElwain, TE, William & Mary; Caleb Burke, WR, UNH; John Dunmore, WR, Towson; Ryan McKenna, OL, William & Mary; Stephane Voltaire, OL, Villanova; Kahmari Brown, DL, Elon; Ty Gordon, DL, William & Mary; Anthony Ferrelli, LB, Stony Brook; Rodney Roane, LB, Towson; Christian Thomas, LB, Maine; Jamaree Gibson, CB, Maine; Brandon Guzman, CB, Campbell; Ayinde Johnson, CB, Rhode Island; Zahmir Dawud, S, Villanova; Will Hicks, S, Hampton; Thomas Joe-Kamara, S, UAlbany; Devin Vaught, S, Maine; Aaron Harris, KR, North Carolina A&T
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth NJ football: CAA championship, FCS Playoff run on Hawks' radar
Category: General Sports