KSU releases the season's first depth chart

Kennesaw State plays football this week for the first time since dethroning Jacksonville State in the CUSA title game. I am not counting the Myrtle Beach Bowl as canon. Thank you for understanding.

Jerry Mack will step to the virtual podium this afternoon for his first weekly press conference of the season. Before that, let’s dive into the Game 1 depth chart that Kennesaw State released over the weekend.

As a small reminder, KSU lists the ORs in numerical order and it’s an unofficial document, obviously, coming a few days before a matchup projected to be a three-score game. That said, a look back at last season’s Week 1 depth chart only reveals a couple unlisted players who saw time against Wake Forest, most notably Elijah Hill on the edge.

Starter: Rickie Collins
Backup: Landon Varnes OR Skyler Williams

No surprises here after the mid-camp report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel confirmed Collins as QB1 for the opener. As we know from last year, it ain’t over ‘til the CUSA title game cigars are lit. This always seemed like the most likely outcome, though, and I’m intrigued to see the Collins-led offense take the field on Thursday night against a UWG secondary that was in disarray at times in their Week 0 opener. A little confidence boost would go along way for a quarterback who took a public beating last season at Syracuse.

While speaking to 680 the Fan, Mack weighed in on Collins and the QB1 race in his first public comments since Thamel’s report: “There’s another level to this, and that's when the lights come on, and there's thousands and thousands of people in the stands,” Mack said. “Is that demeanor going to be continued to be calm and cool and collected? And that's what we're hoping to see from Rickie in that first game."

If you read anything from the OR at backup, was the QB2 race actually closer? Probably not overanalyzing, just a note that caught my eye. It’s a crucial year for Skyler Williams’ development and he could really use some live reps over the course of the season.

Running back
Starter: Latrelle Murrell OR Triston Morgan OR Boogie Woods
Backup: ???

RB was another line on the depth chart went exactly as expected, with Mack’s “three-headed monster” written down on paper after months of saying the exact same thing. Can the Owls settle on a true food chain or narrow down to two backs by the time they get to Arkansas State in Week 4? Given the experience at the D1 level - and in a similar offense at West Georgia - I would guess Murrell gets top billing against his former team for the opener, but all three guys will get the chance to prove it on the field. Curious as to how they decide the rotation and also who’s next up behind the lead trio. Devin Ingram? Celley Davis? No clue, really.

Putting six names in bold does a perfect job of summing up the WR room that has a lot of options but not a ton of certainty the primary target. New WR coach Dan Ellington appeared on KSU’s Coaches Conversation show and named all the first-team ORs on what sounded like roughly the same tier, and also threw in Davis, the D2 transfer who originally signed with Georgia Southern out of high school.

I think I will stick with the prediction of Rogers and Munroe outside, with Booker in the slot. Ellington called Rogers the fastest guy in the room, and he’s a sorely-needed deep threat if he can clean up the drops. If you’re only picking one of the bigger dudes, the Munroe/Gary debate probably comes down to consistency, which gives the edge to Munroe based on how Ellington talked about both guys. Just my read: He made it sound like Gary’s ceiling is extremely high but the floor on his negative plays is a little lower. He did play in an extremely similar offense at West Georgia prior to transferring to Georgia Southern.

The Booker/Bryson battle in the slot is crucial after the reliability of Benyard/Coppock there last season. Elsewhere in the room, it’s a little surprising to not see Tennessee State transfer Devaughn Slaughter make an appearance. If he’s healthy and they see him as a slot (where he lined up at TSU), credit to Ronning for holding his ground entering year two. As an early share-holder in Jet Tabb, it’s promising to see the freshman on the depth chart despite a late arrival to campus. There’s not a size/speed combo like that anywhere else on the roster if the track stuff can translate to the field.

Tight end
Starter: Gerard Bullock OR Reed Jesiolowski
Backup: Chase Tatum

Kennesaw needs more from the tight end position this season, whether that’s Bullock, Jesiolowski, or contributions from a deeper rotation. Jesiolowski, a JUCO product who started his career at Southern Miss, was in line to start prior to a late eligibility waiver bringing back last year’s starter. At the risk of repeating myself too much, if the floor is Guy Who Already Won a CUSA Title, KSU is in a much better spot than last year. Jamari Harrold could still play a role, but if you’re going Bullock/Jesiolowski as the top two, the 260+ pound Tatum was the obvious next man up to give the offense a different dimension.

Both incumbent tackles hang on to starting roles, bookending newcomers Precious Ekeh (Central Connecticut State), Mateo Guevara (MTSU), and Mike Wallace (East Mississippi CC). Kennesaw’s staff opts for the continuity from Milovac and Lee, which makes sense considering the guard-heavy portal approach. This is the exact starting group from the spring game, just with the guards swapped. Duska off the bench is a luxury, as the Elon transfer can fill in across the whole front five if someone falters or goes down with an injury.

Can the Owls develop a homegrown tackle this fall? That’s an under-the-radar storyline to watch behind the scenes with Woodgett and Enrico Maghelli next up at a position that’s been transfer-dominant since the Owls got to FBS.

Defensive end
Starter: Marcus Patterson OR Ugonna Nwoha
Backup: Montra Sanford, Charlie Robinson

Patterson’s could be poised for a big year as the only full-time starter to return up front. Elijah Hill’s emergence pushed him inside on a lot of passing downs last season, and more opportunity on the edge might result in a much more impressive season statistically if the Owls are searching for pressure answers. Hat tip to Nwoha for getting the OR treatment against such an established presence and beating out Sanford for the #2 role. Impressive development for the former walk-on out of South Cobb.

Nose tackle
Starter: Jackson Cooper
Backup: AJ Miller OR Nasir Smith

KSU hung on to Cooper despite some alleged attempts at tampering from the P4 ranks. The IMG product played more snaps at nose than almost any other true freshman in the country last season. Grimes is probably the true #2 option at nose and will see some time here in certain packages/situations. Smith and Miller both saw a little time up front last year, but it was a legit surprise to see them listed at nose. Scrolling through absences on the two-deep, UAPB transfer Jaiden Crawford (6’1”, 315) was one of the first names that came to mind. We won’t know anything until we see an injury report, as I’m not sure backup nose tackle will be top of mind for the KSU beat today. Definitely one to monitor on Thursday, though.

Defensive tackle
Starter: Jaiden Grimes
Backup: Devin Morgan

Grimes takes over for Tylon Dunlap and will be well-suited for a role that asks for plenty of versatility. Like Grimes, Buffalo transfer Devin Morgan also brings some pass rush ability from the interior and will play a ton this season regardless of where he shows up on the depth chart.

11 different Owls defensive linemen saw 100+ snaps last season, leaving a lot of opportunity for guys outside the Grimes/Cooper/Morgan trio to prove themselves. They need a couple more DTs to emerge, at least.

Rush (hybrid DE/OLB)
Starter: Kai Russell OR Jeremy Greaves, Jr.
Backups: Corey Kelly, Zay Wilson

Well, that settles the question on whether Donovan Westmoreland will be ready for the opener. Russell, a Wingate transfer recovering from a 2025 injury of his own, and former Bethune-Cookman edge Jeremy Greaves are even at the top of the depth chart in a position that will see a healthy rep split regardless. Based on the timing of his commitment, Greaves always seemed like a direct response to the Westmoreland situation and he’s the most proven D1 pass-rusher in the room. Baylor transfer Corey Kelly rounds out the top 3.

Hurry up and buy stock in Zay Wilson before the price goes up, though. There’s your Elijah Hill regen - a 6’2”, 230 freshman edge from Arkansas that the Owls swiped from an FCS as a late member of the recruiting class. They even put him in #56 for good measure.

Mike linebacker
Starter: Baron Hopson
Backup: Josh Anglin

Will linebacker
Starter: Tywon Christopher
Backup: Karson Moss

All chalk here at the second level as Hopson carries his CUSA’s DPOTY title belt into the new season. He’ll partner with Tywon Christopher, who took over midseason after injuries to Gsarland Benyard and Jaden Kelly (now at Georgia State). KSU lost 30 games to injury from the linebacker room last season, a large part of the motivation to bring in Anglin from Tulsa and Alfred Thomas from Towson. Thomas misses out on the opening two-deep but we will see more than four linebackers this season. It’s a high-volume, high-impact position for the Owls that racked up 31.2% of tackles despite only about 16% of snaps coming to this room.

Nickel
Starter: Kody Jones
Backups: Tony Wiliams OR Ethan Tookes

Jones was written down in permanent market on the depth chart, returning for his final year of college football. He’s a vet without a ton of miles thanks to limited duty at Michigan. He battled some injuries in 2025 but still played 472 snaps in 12 games. The situational use will be interesting to watch: Who plays in third-and-long situations and against heavier packages? Converted corner Five Hamilton, now at Arkansas State, played in a lot of those obvious passing downs last season. There’s case for both of Jones’ understudies, with a slight lean to Tookes based on familiarity in the system. Williams has a bright future though and could play a few different roles in the back end of this defense.

West Georgia also lined up a decent amount of 12 personnel on Thursday night. What personnel adjustment will KSU make (if any)? Last season, the Owls typically bulked up by moving Antonio Stevens to nickel role and playing him like an outside ‘backer. I would think that’s exactly why the Owls brought in Jecari Bryson and listed the FCS linebacker as a DB.

Strong safety
Starter: Isaac Paul
Backup: Cam Miller

Paul’s back in the lineup after testing the portal market, the projected starter ahead of Miller, a Memphis transfer in from Memphis for the final year of his college career. Mack signed Miller to Tennessee as a receiver, before he changed positions and went back to his hometown. We know exactly what we’re getting from Paul entering year three as a full-time starter. We know almost nothing about Miller, who has 19 career snaps on defense.

Free safety
Starter: Alex Ford
Backup: Perry Fisher

Ford, who started his career at WKU, graded out as the Owls’ best safety last season (according to PFF) in rotational duty. He earns a chance to start, with fifth-year UAB transfer Perry Fisher slotting in behind him. I like the move to put Fisher at safety after he spent time at corner while at Maryland and played more of a nickel role last season in Birmingham. Reminds me of how the Purdue numbers weren’t great on Antonio Stevens, until you dig a little deeper and realized he was playing almost nonstop man coverage against Big Ten slot receivers as a 215-pound safety. Corner experience + safety size = profit in this case. Intriguing piece behind Ford that speaks to KSU’s broader strategy at the backend: The staff knew they had a starting five in place and could fill in with prospects, role players, or hybrids on the fringes.

Corner
Starter: Tyler Hallum
Backups: Ja’Lyen Judson, Phillip Cato

Corner
Starter: Tay’vion Lawson OR Luke Evans
Backup: Ethan Tookes

Take this for what it’s worth: I had someone tell me during camp that the Hallum/Lawson combo could be better than Offord and Washington. Last week, we detailed the CB position, Kennesaw’s most consistent unit over the last few seasons. I’ll spare the long diatribe, but Hallum has recovered from a preseason knee injury in the ‘25 camp and really fits what the Owls want to do on defense. The OR between Lawson and Evans did catch my attention. Let’s see who comes out first on Thursday.

Kicker: Daniel Kinney
Punter: Matt McKenzie
Long snapper: Ben Blanton
Punt returner: Zion Booker/Brayden Munroe
Kick returner: Davis Bryson/Triston Morgan

I’m happy for you if you have any in-depth takes about the specialists. I do not. If we can avoid disasters and be relatively average here, that’s all I really need. Last season, Kinney was about 7 points better than Britton Williams in Points Added Above s Replacement, a metric from College Football Data that measures kicker performance relative to what an average FBS leg would accomplish.