A replay of last night's events roll through my mind
Except a scene or two, erased by sweet red wine
And I see a truck stop sign ahead so I change lanes
I need a cup of coffee and a couple dollars change, callin' Baton Rouge
Rickie Collins will start for the Owls at quarterback, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. You already saw this if you’re reading a Kennesaw State football website, but here’s the report from the kingmaker of G6 QB battles, confirming what always seemed like the most likely outcome:
On a human level, it’s hard not to be happy for Collins battling his way back to get a shot to start. He lived a dream of suiting up for his hometown team, then gave it up and moved away from Baton Rouge for the first time in his life, searching for an opportunity at Syracuse. One of the best stories I’ve found about Collins’ journey comes from the Daily Orange’s feature as he stepped into the starting role after Steve Angeli went down with an injury.
The transfer didn’t go as planned for the former four-star recruit and Elite 11 finalist. Collins was QB1 during the spring, then Fran Brown brought in Angeli from Notre Dame for further competition in camp. Syracuse still sent Collins to ACC Kickoff before announcing Angeli as the starter during the preseason. Angeli tore his Achilles early in the season, and Collins took over for an 0-5 run as starter during which he thew 10 picks. He’s taken some unbelievable heat online from Syracuse fans, plus Brown continues to use Collins as the scapegoat for how last season turned out. We often lose sight that college football players are actual people, and it’s a credit to Collins that he’s bounced back from the disappointment of Syracuse to earn a starting job. I’m a little jealous of whoever gets to write the definitive profile on his path to Kennesaw, which goes as far back as Mack scouting the Baton Rouge area while recruiting former Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson.
Over the weekend, KSU posted a quick post-practice interview with Collins, which I believe are his first public comments since coming to Kennesaw. Kind of a meta situation where the Thamel Bomb gave Owl Network the greenlight to really start promoting Collins, but the athletic department also won’t acknowledge the actual news.
There’s not much to work with in the brief clip, but I did find it interesting that Collins made sure to talk about how “understanding” OC Mitch Militello is about the offense’s strengths and weaknesses. That feels a little notable if we’re looking for ways that Collins’ time in Kennesaw will be different. The structure of this offense could provide a much better scenario where the spacing and tempo clean up the pre-snap picture, and an option route and RPO-heavy passing attack take advantage of the system’s high floor in the running game. For a little more on the actual football part of the discussion, here’s a spring deep-dive on the offense and a few pieces of evidence in the case for Collins.
This also isn’t the end of the road for Landon Varnes as a potential starter in Kennesaw. From the beginning, I thought bringing in Collins signaled some confidence in Varnes, a December signee out of JUCO. That’s not really the kind of “we can fix him” bet you’d make without some faith that Varnes could handle the starting job. Mack handled the QB situation a little differently this year and framed it as a legit race from the starter’s gun. Flipping the calendar to normal in-season operations necessitated a decision. If the battle was actually as close as Mack wants us to believe (not sold on that), the logic for starting Collins makes a lot of sense. If it works out, awesome - Collins probably leaves for greener pastures next year anyway. If it doesn’t, we’ll find out in a hurry and then pass the baton to Varnes.
In any case, I’m interested in Mack’s next media session to hear how Collins sealed the deal and what’s different about this competition compared to the Odom/DWII situation.
I need this take on the record, though: I believe in Rickie Collins.
Now that we know who’s behind center for the opener, what’s left to figure out on Kennesaw State’s preseason syllabus? There are a few questions left open, at least for the public, in the absence of camp coverage. To put the media blackout in perspective: If you went into a coma after the first day of practice and woke up this morning, literally the only coverage you missed was Thamel’s tweet. We’re still looking for some resolutions on the following positions:
Who’s the starter at Rush end? QB battles will always win out in terms of interest compared to the defensive side of the ball. This hybrid DE/OLB position is now the most important starting job available and looks to be wide open with a handful of guys vying to step in for Rod Daniels and maybe Donovan Westmoreland, if he’s not full speed. Edge-by-committee seems most likely, but who’s going to get the most opportunity? Will it be Baylor transfer Corey Kelly? Jeremy Greaves? Where does Kai Russell fit in? Byron Jackson? I can continue to Name Some Guys but eventually we will find out. I’m also going to continue buying stock in freshman Zay Wilson, who looks to have gotten some time with the ones in practice based on Zapruder social media footage.
Do the Owls have an answer at corner? Kennesaw has secretly been a cornerback factory since the portal era began: Chance Gamble (Georgia Southern), Jayven Williams (Mississippi State/BYU), JeRico Washington Jr. (Boise State), and Caleb Offord (UDFA with the Raiders) all boosted their stock after playing in the Owls’ secondary over the last three seasons. The position was never really in question last year, even after losing Tyler Hallum to a preseason knee injury. No CUSA corners played more often than Washington and Offord, leaving 1,600+ snaps to replace this season.
Who’s up next at the position? These are the main candidates:
Tay’vion Lawson: I think he’s the leader in the clubhouse. Perhaps it’s the General Grievous mouthpiece collection clouding my vision, but he arrived on campus with an NFL frame (6’2”, 199) and has been a mainstay with the ones in the only best-on-best reps we have on tape. He’s a guy that P4 personnel staffs will keep their eyes on.
Tyler Hallum: He’s recovered from the ACL tear but returns to a much different cornerback room. Hallum has an interesting statistical profile in the context of KSU’s emphasis on limiting explosives through the air. During the ‘24 season, Hallum ranked 23rd among CUSA CBs in snaps per target, 24th in snaps per reception, and gave up more yards than all but one corner according to PFF. Raw yardage doesn’t tell the full story, though, as he punched way above his weight class as a sure tackler (5th best among CUSA CBs) that limited damage for a 2024 Owls' defense. Hallum also topped the charts in forced incompletions, ranked second in stops, and fourth in coverage grade. KSU has also finished top 20 in quarters usage the last two seasons, despite two different coordinators. If Mattioli’s looking for a high floor, bend-but-don’t break corner, there might not be a better option if Hallum’s truly at full speed.
Ethan Tookes: Like Offord, Tookes came in from Alabama State with CB coach James Williams. Started in the spring game opposite Kaleb Gray and added 10+ pounds in the offseason. He played in 8 games on defense for KSU in 2025, but the sample size is limited enough that the results, like 158.3 passer rating allowed, aren’t worth overthinking. He could also factor into the conversation at nickel if KSU looks to duplicate the Five Hamilton role from last year.
Luke Evans: 247’s #161 corner in the portal, Evans was in and out of the Miami (OH) lineup last season after starting for much of 2024. A three-star recruit in the 2023 class, he redshirted at Mississippi State prior to dropping down to the G6 level. His passer rating allowed shot up from 79.6 in ‘24 to 133.9 last season in a more limited role, and his coverage grade dipped from 61.5 to 50.1. They obviously see something in Evans, whose career trajectory is looking a little bit like Caleb Offord, minus the Bama State pitstop.
Caleb Offord’s PFF page, by season.
Kaleb Gray: There’s some positional versatility out of the West Virginia transfer, who was listed as a safety by both on3 and 247 when he jumped in the portal. Prior to his one season in Morgantown, Gray spent a couple years at Dodge City CC in Kansas. He played 9 snaps for the Mountaineers last year.
Other names: Perry Fisher (UAB transfer) brings some P4 corner experience from his time at Maryland. I think he makes more sense at nickel/safety for the Owls. Same with UCF transfer Tony Wiliams, who could’ve probably gone either direction when he got to college last fall. Other transfers include Ja’Lyen Judson (also from UAB) and Phillip Cato from Wayne State. I also can’t wait to see true freshman Jordon Holmes in action when his time comes. Guessing the argument between Mattioli and Militello on where Holmes plays probably looked something like this:
Who’s the fifth man on the offensive line? KSU brought back both starting tackles - JD Lee and Nikola Milovac - and also signed Mateo Guevara from MTSU in what seems like a quick fix to the Josiah Chenault-sized hole at center. Add in Central Connecticut State transfer Precious Ekeh as an expected starter at guard, and that leaves one likely job opening based on what little we know publicly - we just don’t necessarily know which position just yet. Mack will likely repeat the “we’re just looking for our top 8 guys” routine and dodge the question if it comes up at the next media availability. Reading the social media tea leaves, I’d guess the season starts with JUCO transfer Mike Wallace at guard and Lee sticking at tackle. Fluid situation, though. "Our OL has gotten better” is what I’m hearing, if you’re buying any stock based on camp buzz.
Will a primary target emerge from a crowded WR corps? One of the other select few pieces of intel I’ve been able to dig up from camp: KSU managed to make some physical upgrades at receiver, but to this point nobody has elevated as the clear-cut #1 option, like Gabe Benyard last year. I think the current lead trio is Brayden Munroe, Javon Rogers, and Zion Booker. Two other names worth monitoring that were floated to me as potential breakouts: Devaughn Slaughter and Davis Bryson. Just like when Clayton Coppock emerged midseason last year, this group won’t be finalized by the opener. Feels like the Owls need to get at least one productive starter from Munroe or Dylan Gary as more of a physical presence, then work out the rest from there.
Is there a rotation at tight end? Last season’s starter Gerard Bullock finalized his return after spring ball, picking up a waiver for another year of eligibility. Bullock quickly reintegrated into the squad, as you’d expect from a returner, so the real question is more about whether the Owls are willing to let others get into the mix after Bullock took 94% of KSU’s tight end snaps last season. JUCO recruit Reed Jesiolowski - a HS running back who started his college career at Southern Miss - looked likely to be the #1 guy before Bullock’s return and his YAC-ability fits with how the Owls used the TE position last season. Jamari Harrold is the best downfield receiver in the room, and the 6’3”, 264-pound Chase Tatum is an interesting option as the biggest dude in the room. There’s much more variety this season, for sure.
What’s the succession plan for life after Hopson? If you warned me last summer the LB unit would lose 30 total games to injury, I would’ve been surprised that the Owls could even field a defense by the end of the season - much less win a CUSA title. DPOY Baron Hopson is back and likely spend his final college season partnered with Tywon Christopher, the last man standing from the rotating cast of characters last season. Hopson and Co. racked up 31.2% of the Owls’ tackles last season, good for fourth in the league among LB units despite finishing essentially dead last in how often the position was actually on the field - 1.85 LBs per snap based on my amateur calculations.
Those returners at the top of the depth chart meant that Kennesaw’s transfers flew under the radar. Josh Anglin comes in from Tulsa, where he spent last season coming off an FCS Freshman All-American campaign at North Alabama. Alfred Thomas, a HS teammate of Maliki Wright, also joins from Towson after starting 12 games last fall. Considering the tempo KSU uses on the other side of the ball, this defense sees a ton of plays and the second unit will be called on as much more than an insurance policy. If we assume Hopson and Christopher are the lead pair at Mike/Will, there’s still a relevant position battle to settle between Anglin, Thomas, and the returning depth pieces like Karson Moss. Keep an eye out for true freshman Omari Stephenson - a Thomas County Central product like Christopher - getting in the mix with the twos as well.
Has a running back emerged from the lead pack? Mack has described Latrelle Murrell, Boogie Woods, and Triston Morgan as a “three-headed monster” dating back to his original conversation with Phil Steele in April. Running back’s a job opening, sure, but I don’t think camp itself will have much bearing on carry share once the season works around. All three dudes will see time early on in what will amount to an on-field job interview with plenty of carries to go around. There’s obviously going to be a little intrigue on who’s next to Collins for the first drive, though. Murrell’s been my guess for RB1 since the portal closed, and I’ll stick with that. The true test is if Mack’s monster still has three heads by the time CUSA play rolls around. That might be a little worrying.
