Kennesaw State head football coach Brian Bohannon held a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 6, where he confirmed the completion of the 2019 signing class.
For the first time in team history, the football program will be needing to replace a departing class of seniors, the inaugural group of players that debuted in 2015.
A total of 23 players will be a part of the class of 2019, including 7 junior year transfers from junior or community colleges. These experienced players were brought onto the team to strike a balance with the incoming freshmen.
The status of the team heading into next year is full of intrigue, as new coaches and the departure of last year’s deep senior class require all players to prove themselves in the spring and summer to fill open positions.
“If you’re a player on our football team … how can you not be excited?” Bohannon said. “For different reasons on both sides of the ball, it couldn’t be a better time to go show what you can do.”
There is no greater proof of the need to fill a spot than the quarterback position, where there is an open place once held by the team’ s all-time touchdown leader Chandler Burks.
In addition to last season’s backups Daniel David and Tommy Bryant, two recruits from this year’s class and another from last year’s class will be tasked to fill the duties at quarterback.
Eleven of the new signings consisted of offensive and defensive linemen who will be potential replacements for many of last year’s seniors, including CJ Collins, McKenzie Billingslea and Chiaza Nwadike.
It remains to be seen which freshmen players will rise to the challenge to become starters on the team, but the junior transfers have a unique opportunity to step in and bridge the gap.
Bohannon was pleased with what he saw from the new group during their first morning run of the spring.
“I was encouraged by the way they went and attacked the drill,” Bohannon said. “I’m excited for the off-season, probably as excited as I’ve been for a couple years.”
Bohannon finished up his assessment of the new class with a clear message that expressed his belief that the absence of the old guard will not stop the team from continuing their success. Instead, it brings an opportunity for new players to step up, become leaders of the team and push everyone toward constant improvement.
According to an article evaluating recruits in the Big South conference, KSU is ranked the best overall class with the second-best individual recruit, quarterback Xavier Shepherd.
