For as much as this college football offseason has focused on the university’s reclassification to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2025, Delaware still has a season to string out this fall.
The impending season became easier to overlook at times as next year’s nonconference opponents were lined up to include Colorado and Wake Forest on the road and UConn at home, embodying Delaware’s journey into the next level.
The Blue Hens have added scholarships surpassing their Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) limit while approaching FBS numbers, rendering them ineligible to qualify for the FCS playoffs as they have in each of head coach Ryan Carty’s two years.
2024 remains essential for the Hens as this fall’s players, some of whom will not be back for the FBS limelight, strive to leave the program in good shape with Conference USA (CUSA) waiting.
“I’ve been in the CAA for four years now,” graduate fifth-year defensive lineman Jack Hall said. “You don’t make very many friends in this conference. It’s a very competitive conference with very good teams and we’ve had a lot of hard-fought games. There are still a lot of different players I always recognize from different teams. We really just want to take it to this entire conference and kinda bid it a nice farewell.”
Here are preseason themes worth monitoring as Delaware takes its last turn through Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Football.
QB security
Carty and quarterbacks coach Sean Goldrich have gotten the position right in Newark, from retaining Nolan Henderson in 2022 to completing 2023 with what became a trio of well-performing passers: Ryan O’Connor, Zach Marker and Nick Minicucci.
All three are back and O’Connor is the senior coming off the most starts made last season, as his 10 games played doubled Marker’s total.
Injuries to both in 2023 enabled true freshman Minicucci to emerge, doing so in heroic fashion in Delaware’s comeback win over Lafayette in the FCS playoffs first round. That day, Minicucci went 17-of-26 passing for 180 yards while rushing 10 times to net 46 yards.
Marker is active after having ACL surgery. O’Connor accounted for 21 touchdowns a year ago.
“It’s gonna be, honestly, tough to split the reps and continue to compete, but it’s a good problem to have,” Carty said of his QB options at July’s CAA Football media day.
On Delaware’s program-issued depth chart entering Week 1 vs. Bryant, O’Connor is the starter with Minicucci the listed backup.
Hello, pass-catchers
As O’Connor headlines QB continuity, the Blue Hens receiving his passes are quite different after the roster loss of Jourdan Townsend, Joshua Youngblood, Chandler Harvin and Braden Brose.
Townsend is back on the home sideline at Delaware Stadium as an offensive analyst overseeing the larger roles in store for his former teammates, especially junior wide receiver JoJo Bermudez and graduate counterpart Phil Lutz.
Considering Youngblood and Harvin were key transfers for Delaware, this year’s retooling of the receivers to include Cornell grad transfer Nicholas Laboy, Rutgers senior transfer Max Patterson and Michigan grad transfer Jake Thaw is unsurprising. Thaw figures to help matters in the special teams return game on punts now that Townsend is coaching.
The transfer influx does not stop there. At tight end, junior returnee Elijah Sessoms is joined by grad transfers Caleb Fauria (Colorado) and Connor Witthoft (New Mexico). Fauria in particular appears primed for a prominent role out of the gates.
The NFL darling
Graduate running back Marcus Yarns (whose 18 total touchdowns were one shy of tying the FCS best last year) can also line up at slot receiver.
NFL scouts are watching to see if Yarns has an encore to 2023’s 939 rushing yards on 6.9 yards per carry.
Yarns has a path to a 1,000-yard season, which will be helped if Delaware sees favorable game scripts where it gets a lead, running the ball and clock more than usual in Carty’s offense.
Even in those cases, the Blue Hens want to keep Yarns healthy for the duration, and sophomore RB Saeed St. Fleur looks to have the chance to break out before the CUSA move. For underclassmen like St. Fleur, this season could have the feel of an audition for the FBS. That applies to fellow tailback Jo’Nathan Silver, a junior who has burned just one year of eligibility entering 2024.
All halfbacks, and truthfully, the entire offense, will enjoy the veteran status of Delaware’s offensive line, which has grown into an expected strength with regulars Brock Gingrich, Patrick Shupp, Bradly Anyanwu, Blaise Sparks and Fintan Brose fronting the attack. Anwar O’neal is the youngster who projects to perhaps rotate in with Brose.
New roles, faces on defense
Delaware has to replace productive front-end defenders in linebacker Jackson Taylor and defensive end Chase McGowan while its secondary plugs a hole or two.
In defensive backfield, grad cornerback Tyron Herring is back and will play opposite NC State senior transfer Nate Evans and junior returnee A’Khoury Lyde. Sophomore Nyair Domnie is a younger option who could enjoy more playing time after the roster loss of Khalil Dawsey.
At linebacker, senior Ty Davis moves up from safety to outside ’backer, joined by Troy junior transfer Blake Matthews. Graduate Dillon Trainer is the mainstay at the interior and will help bring along sophomore starting candidate Gavin Moul.
The Hens are strong in youth at safety with sophomores KT Seay and Hasson Manning Jr. in line for big roles with Boston College grad transfer Jason Scott.
Finale (in more ways than one)
With the postseason off the table, Delaware’s final game as an FCS member at rival Villanova, potentially the series’ last meeting, will be the Blue Hens’ most important Battle of the Blue ever. The BOTB trophy may well take up permanent residence at the home of the winner this Thanksgiving.
The Wildcats were picked first in the CAA Football preseason poll and are ranked No. 6 in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 entering Weeks 0 and 1. Delaware will not be ranked this season in the FCS due to its FBS transition.