Mike Foster (Sports Editor)
Kennesaw State’s varsity football team doesn’t play its first official game until next September, but that doesn’t mean the next twelve months won’t be eventful.
Head coach Brian Bohannon, who was hired last March after 17 years of tutelage from current Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, has been busy with his staff, hosting prospect camps for local high school talent and middle school camps to help continue to engage the community with the program. It’s now time for Bohannon to work with college athletes.
29 graduating seniors signed letters of intent to play for Bohannon on February 5, but August 18 will mark the first day of work for Kennesaw State’s crop of freshman football players. Coming to campus: The Georgia Sports Writers Association player of the year and Atlanta Journal Constitution Class AAAA player of the year, Jaquez Parks, who quarterbacked Griffin High to a 56-35 state championship victory in his senior year. Former McEachern High defensive lineman McKenzie Billingslea was also a surprise signee. Overall, three quarterbacks signed, along with three tailbacks, two receivers, five offensive lineman, six defensive lineman, two linebackers and six defensive backs.
Walk-ons, who were invited back to practice with the team after a spring tryout, w
ill also be a part of the 2014 roster. Bohannon said there’s currently 14 who are for sure on the team for now.
Bohannon, who’s in his first head coaching job, said the chills are still there. “There’s no doubt we’re super excited to get kids on campus,” Bohannon said. “I think we are all excited to get back on the field and coach. It’s been since Dec. 31 of 2012 since I’ve actually been on the field for a practice or a game. It’s what I love to do.”
The hurdles to make? The weight room floor will be installed this month, equipment will ship in at the beginning of August, and practice gear will begin September 8. The team will also hold a homecoming scrimmage on October 11, and the official Adidas uniforms the team will wear in its inaugural year will be unveiled at some point in the fall.
Director of athletics Vaughn Williams, who worked tirelessly with the Georgia board of regents and football exploratory committee to bring football to Georgia’s third-largest university, needs all the time he can get as well.
“We’re at 417 days, and when we get down to 365 you know it’s going to fly right by,” Williams said Wednesday. “We’ve got a lot to do before this thing kicks off.”
Williams led the way, overseeing an Adidas contract and a new athletic brand in 2012, as well as the introduction of the live owl mascot Sturgis. Kennesaw State has also started its marching band and received numerous sponsorship in the past few years. The two major preparations left for Williams is to finalize the approval for a new press box at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, as well as renovations necessary for the accommodation of the four varsity sports teams that now share the former soccer-specific facility.
“We hope we will hear back from the board of regents at the end of this summer,” Williams said about the thumbs-up for the necessary stadium renovation. “We’ve been designing and working with contractors and working on pricing so we can get it going. That’s the major thing that needs to be done in the stadium.”
Williams said that the stadium will not see significant additions in seating in the near future. Fifth Third Bank Stadium currently has a listed capacity of 8,300. Kennesaw State reached 3,000 sold season tickets on June 10, not coincidentally thanks to a burst of interest following the baseball team’s run to the NCAA Super Regionals. At that point, only 600 slots remained on the 3,600-seat allotment, with the other seats designated for students. A lottery system and a first-come, first-served system were presented in March as options for student ticketing.
“When you find out that 85 percent of your tickets have been sold out and we don’t even play for a year, that tells you right there the investment the community is making in Kennesaw State,” Bohannon said.
“It’s neat to be here at this time,” Williams said. “So many people have wanted football here for a long time. It’s humbling, but it’s also neat to hear them talk about how long, but that it’s finally happening.”
Bohannon completed the team’s 11-game inaugural schedule in the spring. Kennesaw State will open play Sept. 3, 2015 against East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn., before playing its first home game against Edward Waters on Sept. 12. The Owls, who will compete as associate members of the Big South Conference, will host three conference games in Gardner-Webb, Monmouth and Charleston Southern, while also hosting Paine College and Point University.
The non-conference schedule is not daunting, but it’s just right for Bohannon, who wanted to schedule teams also in their infant years.
“Winning is contagious. Losing is contagious,” Bohannon said. “We can play Alabama or Georgia and get a paycheck, but we want to build a winning culture here.”
All Kennesaw State football players will redshirt this season, giving the true freshman four years to set the bar for the teams of the future. Bohannon said competing against juniors and seniors in conference will be challenging enough, but that he has high expectations for growth.
“Our goal is to win the Big South. There’s no sense in being in a conference without that goal,” Bohannon said. “We told our first class that there’s no reason you can’t be competing for a championship before you leave here, and I think that’s realistic.”
