Kent State’s defense comes with much more experience in year two of the Kenni Burns era, especially at linebacker.
If there’s any college football team that has nowhere to go but upward in 2024, it’s the Kent State Golden Flashes.
Kent State was the lone FBS team to finish 1-11 last year, completely devoid of a win against fellow FBS competition. It was a team of rawness and inexperience led by a first-time head coach in Kenni Burns. This isn’t too uncommon of a story in college football, and sometimes, these teams manufacture historic turnarounds. Burns himself saw one of these turnarounds itemize as an assistant for the 2016 Western Michigan Broncos which finished 13-1 just three seasons after faring 1-11.
Kent State aims to take on a similar trajectory, and the Golden Flashes have a solid starting foundation on defense. The unit had its moments last year, demonstrating good habits against the pass by finishing 57th in fewest yards allowed per game on a 58.4 percent completion rate. It held MAC champion Miami (OH) to 23 points and Arkansas to 28 — games the Golden Flashes may have competed in with stronger offensive showings and more favorable turnover outputs.
If there were two things that plagued the defense last year, they were one, pass rush, and two, forcing turnovers, which go hand in hand as applying more backfield pressure produces more favorable results in the turnover battle.
The Golden Flashes enter 2024 with a new defensive coordinator in charge of amending these qualities. Dave Duggan stepped down from the role to take a high school head coaching position, leaving safeties coach Kody Morgan to fill the vacancy. Equipped with far more experience than last year, Morgan aims to improve Kent State into a more polished product after the group finished 122nd last season with 34.6 points yielded per game.
Defensive line
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
One of Kent State’s most pressing issues in 2023 was the need for a more fortified pass rush. The Golden Flashes ranked third-to-last in the FBS in getting to the quarterback, averaging just 1.0 sack per game across 12 contests.
The good news is Kent State returns two starters on the defensive line, providing a solid foundation to build around. One is defensive end Stephen Daley who finished fifth on the unit with 48 tackles a season ago in addition to totaling 5.5 tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries. The other is defensive tackle Oliver Billotte who logged 30 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and six quarterback hurries in his first season as a full-fledged starter. Daley and Billotte will be two of the team’s most essential pieces, and they’ll look to increase the d-line’s backfield invasion tendencies after the departure of defensive tackle CJ West. West transferred to Indiana after holding status as the only Kent State player to record 2+ sacks in 2023.
Outside of the two surefire starters, what else does Kent State offer on the defensive line?
At defensive end, Mattheus Carroll is a strong candidate to line up opposite side of Daley. Carroll arrived from Virginia Tech last season and produced 18 tackles and a sack as one of the more experienced defensive linemen on the roster. Other defensive ends with varying amounts of experience include Kameron Olds, who Kent State snagged in the transfer portal after totaling nine tackles in two seasons at Buffalo. There’s also AJ Campbell who collected four tackles and one tackle for loss last year, witnessing a spike in playing time as the year progressed. Lavell Gibson is another intriguing prospect, coming from Division II Notre Dame College where he led his team in sacks with 4.5 and checked in at second in tackles for loss at 6.5, hoping he can provide similar pass rushing numbers at the FBS level.
Returning defensive ends without substantial in-game experience include Bryce Sisak and Bryce Faulk, while the true freshmen are Garrett Dial and Antonio Bottiggi.
At defensive tackle, college football’s ultimate nomad Zaid Hamdan could find himself in a starting role next to Billotte. Hamdan is a seventh-year senior with a journey beginning at Ohio State. After three seasons in Columbus, he ventured off to the FCS level to play for James Madison (prior to the program’s 2022 FBS transition) and Southern Illinois. He returned to the FBS stomping grounds last year at Tulsa, logging 16 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss for the Golden Hurricane.
Another potential starter at the position is Mason Maddox who could see a significant uptick in playing time after recording just one tackle in 2023. The former Colorado walk-on only saw action in two contests toward the beginning of the year last season, and without West in the mix, he’ll be a more recurring force at defensive tackle.
Florida transfer Keenan Landry is also a compelling name as Kent State’s largest defensive lineman at 6’1”, 305 pounds. Landry didn’t accrue playing time with the Gators but this transfer could signify his readiness for an expanded opportunity.
Kaden Beatty is the only returning defensive tackle without any in-game experience, but the true freshmen contingent of the unit is noteworthy. Aiden Burgess, Josue Cordoba, and Jaihien Roy all join the roster after finishing up their high school senior campaigns.
Linebacker
Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If you had to point to one position group on Kent State as the best, look no further than linebacker.
Kent State lost two of its top defenders from a year ago in Devin Nicholson and Khali Saunders, yet the unit still remains loaded with talent, experience, and versatility. The projected starting three in Kent State’s 4-3 scheme is Khalib Johns in the middle with Nick Giacolone and Rocco Nicholl on the outsides.
Johns is one of the longest tenured Golden Flashes, first arriving on the scene during the MAC’s shortened pandemic year in 2020. However, the injury bug has been extremely unkind to Johns who is coming off back-to-back years with September season-ending injuries. Only in 2021 did Johns clock in more than five games, and that was when he operated primarily as a reserve, finishing that season with 26 tackles and an interception.
It was the following campaign in 2022 where Johns proceeded to break out, terrorizing backfields with seven tackles for loss and four sacks in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. Last year Johns was limited to five contests where he managed 18 tackles and one tackle for loss. His value is clear to Kent State’s defense but health plays a vital factor as Johns looks to capture a full season for the first time in three years.
Giacolone was one of the bright spots on the Kent State defense in 2023. He arrived as a seasoned transfer from New Mexico State and his familiarity with the game was easy to notice. Giacolone totaled 54 tackles to rank second on the team and first among returning Golden Flashes, and he demonstrated an ability to pierce through the line of scrimmage with 4.5 tackles for loss. His coverage skills aren’t too shabby either with two career interceptions including an athletic grab vs. UCF in the opener last August.
Nicholl may not be as familiar of a name as he was not a routine starter last year. But Coach Burns dubbed him MVP of spring ball and he’s likely bound for a starting spot after making exponential progress this offseason. Nicholl totaled 18 tackles last year, notably stepping up in November after Kent State lost Nicholson to a season-ending injury.
Outside linebacker Matt Harmon is another experienced face in the room, entering his seventh year with the Golden Flashes. Harmon earned his first start as early as 2018 and he shined in a full-time starting role throughout the 2021 season, where he picked up 29 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. He only participated in the first two games of 2023 but proved to be impactful with six tackles and a sack for a team in dire need of a pass rush.
Like Nicholl, Sayed Abuhamdeh was another beneficiary of opportunity last November. As a true freshman, Abudhamdeh displayed potential at linebacker with 14 tackles and a share of a sack across Kent State’s final three games.
Yet, with all of these returning faces, there was room for yet another established backer. Mason Woods arrives via the transfer portal from Towson of the FCS, where he tallied 78 tackles in 2022 and 44 in 2023, complemented by career totals of three pass breakups, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Redshirt sophomore Canaan Williams is the only other newcomer from the portal at linebacker, and he comes from the other side of the Anniversary Award rivalry after a stint at Bowling Green — although he didn’t record any stats. The true freshmen at linebacker may not receive ample playing time right away, but Jayden Studio, Nylan Brown, and Lem Reynolds will await their turn while learning from a horde of veteran mentors.
Secondary
Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
A few things can be true. Teams weren’t as inclined to pass on Kent State in second halves due to the blowout nature of many games. Also, Kent State’s secondary held things down reasonably well last year.
The Golden Flashes weren’t overly reliant on interceptions; in fact, they produced a total of nine turnovers in 12 games to rank within the bottom 10 of the FBS. But they forced a slew of incompletions and batted down a good amount of passes when pitted against aerial attacks.
However, the secondary is the most revamped position group of the defense. Key departures include leading tackler Bryce Sheppert from the safety spot, cornerback Capone Blue who had a team-high 11 pass breakups, and the other starting corner D.J. Miller. There’s a lot to replace so it’s no surprise Kent State consulted the portal on multiple occasions to fill out the defensive backfield.
One of the portal additions is former San Diego State cornerback Dallas Branch. At the peak of his powers, Branch was a Jim Thorpe Award national defensive player of the week for a standout performance vs. UNLV in 2022 which included an interception, a fumble recovery, a sack, and four tackles. Branch was All-Mountain West honorable mention that season after achieving 34 tackles and three interceptions. His playing time dipped last year, but the former Aztec and sixth-year senior could become an instant starter at his new program.
Other transfers in the secondary include Butler Community College standout Armahn Hale who collected 50 tackles, an interception, two tackles for loss, and three pass breakups a year ago. There’s also cornerback Jaylen Dotson who started at FCS Monmouth, posting 42 tackles and six pass breakups in 2022. Then, Kent State bolsters the safety room with the addition of Malcolm Folk who accumulated five tackles the last two seasons at Syracuse.
Some former transfers that were apart of the roster last year are slated to see some elevated playing time. Given the departures of both starting cornerbacks, X Cokley (formerly at James Madison) and Naim Muhammad (formerly at West Virginia) are poised for significantly more snaps after combining for just eight tackles in 2023. Terrell Miller is another returning cornerback looking for an increased role after witnessing on-field action in each of the last three seasons.
Joel Boamah and Tyler Bivens are the upperclassmen cornerbacks who haven’t made their collegiate debuts yet, while Jaire Rawlison is the true freshman in the room.
At safety, Alex Branch is back as the most experienced member of the group. Branch started nine games in 2023 and five in 2022, finishing with 34 tackles and three pass deflections in each of the last two years. With Branch at free safety, Josh Baka is his most likely strong safety pairing after he produced 25 tackles and two pass breakups a year ago.
As mentioned earlier, Folk should be a significant factor in the room, but outside of him, Branch, and Baka, there’s not much more experience to go around at safety. Tevin Tucker logged a tackle last year, and Daeveon Buie, CJ Young, and Nick Cuva are incumbent roster members looking for their first appearance on the stat sheet. Perhaps a true freshman steps up and sees playing time here, and there’s four to choose from in Brodyn Bishop, Troy Martin, Martell Buchanan, and Clinton Robinson.