Kent State Football Roundtable

Continuing with our coverage of the Kent State football program as we get ready for the 2024 season, today we bring to you our Kent State football roundtable. We talked to those that cover and follow the Golden Flashes on a daily basis, to get their answers on some of the most pressing questions facing Kenni Burns and his team as they prepare for their August 31 opener at Pittsburgh.

To help us do that we got some help.

Jimmie Wagner runs the Sidelines X account on Kent State, and is a former KSU Football recruiting intern for the program and is dialed in on all things Kent State football!

Gabe Collura covered the program and all things KSU athletics as the sports director for TV 2 for the last several seasons.

Steve Helwick covers Kent State and the Mid-American Conference at Hustle Belt.

^{3 Reasons why Kent State will be better:}

JW: 1. improved offensive line 2. more experienced players on both sides of the ball 3. better suited scheme on both sides of the ball

GC: 1. Familiarity. Getting a full year of a new head coach is a big deal, and players will be more acclimated to his system. Burns has also had a full year of recruiting under his belt now, and that allows for a clearer vision for the program. I think it was also important for him to have a full year of the in-game coaching experience as a head coach

2. New offensive coordinator. Mark Carney will be entering his first year as the Kent State offensive coordinator after holding that same position with the Charlotte 49ers. His scheme isn’t too much different from what the Flashes are used to – a lot of spread, zone read looks with varying tempos and pre-snap motion. He’ll look to maximize the potential of some of the guys on offense. 

3. Deep RB Room. Ky Thomas will be available after sitting last year out due to NCAA Transfer Rules, which is huge for the Flashes. Thomas is an explosive runner with great agility and cutting ability. Pairing him with Gavin Garcia will help the run game thrive, and likely keep both of those guys fresh. 

SH: One, Kent State really can’t do any worse than last year. The Golden Flashes were the worst team in the FBS as the only squad to finish 1-11. Also, they were the only team to fail to register an FBS victory. Unless they lose to St. Francis (PA) this year, it can’t get worse.

Two, Kent State started at ground zero last year. The Golden Flashes employed the fewest returning starters and featured the least amount of starting experience of any FBS program, bringing back zero offensive and three defensive starters to launch the Kenni Burns era. That lack of experience was evident on the field in 2023, but this year, there’s continuity in the personnel all around, and that alone changes the on-field results.

Three, which is a more specific version of two, the offensive line is a different beast. I’ll dive more into this later, but the o-line entered last season with next to no experience. Almost everyone returns and now understands the feel of the college game, and the group shared a rigorous offseason of training together. Kent State’s main struggles last year were on the offensive side, and building a stronger foundation in the trenches will go a long way in rebuilding the offense.

3 Reasons why they won’t be much better:

JW: 1. lack of playmakers outside the core guys 2. secondary concerns 3. uncertainty at the QB position

GC: 1. The Departure of Dave Duggan. I thought the defense played really well last year despite the team finishing 1-11. Dave Duggan was the mastermind behind the defense, and he departed in early April to take a high school head coaching job in Mississippi. On the bright side, the Flashes have had some time to get acclimated to Kody Morgan, the new DC. He served on the defensive staff of FCS powerhouse North Dakota State from 2018-22. Still, that kind change mid-offseason puts Kent State at a bit of a disadvantage. 

2. Inexperienced Secondary. Alex Branch is the only player that saw regular game action in the secondary for the Flashes. Kody Morgan will have his hands full getting guys up to speed playing full speed D1 football.

3. The Transfer Portal. The Flashes are still in a transition period, and it’ll take 3-4 years for them to finally play to Kenni Burns’s plan. They’re going to lose some players in that time span. They already have, most notably CJ West.

SH: It’s hard for Kent State to not improve given what the Golden Flashes were last year. But one reason they could remain stagnant simply involves no offensive improvement from November 2023 to now. Continued offensive line and quarterback struggles without evident areas of progress could hold this team back, after averaging just 270 total yards per game last year — third fewest in the country.

Two, the non-conference schedule could wreck the confidence of this team. Kent State is no stranger to building brutal September slates, and this year is no exception with trips to Pitt, Penn State, and Tennessee. Barring a major upset, that’s a 1-3 start (the win is over St. Francis (PA) in Week 2), with potential for several lopsided finishes given the current stature of Penn State and Tennessee. Having the mental fortitude to rebound after those challenging non-conference games prior to the start of MAC play is essential.

Three, they may not improve if secondary play worsens. The defensive back room was a strength for the Golden Flashes last season, allowing 215 yards per game on a 58.4 completion percentage (ranking top 50 in both categories). Both starting cornerbacks Capone Blue and D.J. Miller, as well as leading tackler Bryce Sheppert from the safety spot, moved on from the program and viable replacements must be found.

Biggest question mark:

JW: Who will be the starting quarterback

GC: Chrishon McCray. Chrishon McCray is the most talented player on this offense. His previous year was cut short by a season-ending ankle injury. He did play in the spring game, but he absolutely has to stay on the field for this offense to click. 

SH: The quarterback position is certainly a question mark for this team, especially after finishing with the lowest scoring output in the FBS a season ago. Kent State needs the quality of QB play to exponentially improve after ranking bottom 12 in both passing yards per game and completion percentage in 2023. This year’s battle is between program veterans Tommy Ulatowski and Devin Kargman, who both logged several starts over the past two seasons. Kent State runs an RPO-heavy offensive scheme with heavy decision-making responsibility placed on the quarterbacks. Better decision-making in the pocket, as well as increased mobility from whoever wins the starting job could open up the run game and make the offense look night-and-day different from last fall.

Breakout Player:

JW: A running back, Gavin Garcia or Ky Thomas

GC: Ky Thomas. I’m very high on the guy, and I think he’s going to come out with a vengeance after sitting on the sideline all of last year. Like I mentioned earlier, he’s a very talented natural runner of the football. His agility allows him to make guys miss in the open field. He’s also an underrated pass blocker. 

SH: Rocco Nicholl strikes as somebody bound for a breakout year. Kenni Burns and teammates continually raved about his progress in spring ball after his offseason move to WILL linebacker. That move is suitable because Kent State needs a linebacker to replace Devin Nicholson who was probably their most complete defender when healthy last season. Nicholl not only excelled as a linebacker in high school, but he thrived at corner and safety, giving assurance he could become one of the better coverage linebackers in the conference.

X-Factor:

JW: Stephen Daley

GC: Stephen Daley. Someone has to step up to fill the hole that CJ West left when he transferred to Indiana, and it’ll have to be Stephen Daley. He totaled 48 tackles last year, 5.5 of which were tackles for loss. He also hurried the quarterback 7 times. The defensive line has to be a strength to ease the pressure on the young secondary. 

SH: The x-factor is definitely the offensive line. Kent State entered the 2023 season with virtually zero experience in the trenches and it showed. Players who hadn’t taken a college snap were Week 1 starters last year. But this season, there’s a sense of cohesion in the unit. The majority of the offensive line returns, this time with a year of college football experience and a year in Burns’ system under their belt. They allowed 3.4 sacks and 7.7 tackles for loss per game last year, ranking in the bottom 15 in both categories. If that increased chemistry and experience is channeled in the right direction, the entire offense — which ranked dead last in points per game — vastly improves.

Most Important Player:

JW: Big Play McCray

GC: Tommy Ulatowski. There’s no question that your quarterback is going to be your most important player. This is going to be Tommy Ulatowski’s first chance to be the bonafide starting quarterback, as Mike Alaimo has moved on from Kent State. The offense has to show more than they did in the 2023 campaign, and a lot of that pressure falls on Ulatowski. He took care of the football pretty well last year, only throwing 2 interceptions in 10 appearances. He’s going to have to throw for a lot more than 737 yards, though. 

SH: Chrishon McCray is a budding star and gets my nod as Kent State’s most important player. How vital is McCray’s presence to the Golden Flashes? He was the deciding factor in last year’s Wagon Wheel contest. The only First Team All-MAC selection from Kent State’s offense, McCray logged 161 yards and two touchdowns that game, utilizing his final touchdown grab to establish a three-score lead over Akron. As soon as the receiver faced a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter, the Golden Flashes’ offense veered south and the Zips erased a three-score deficit. Having a player with McCray’s ability to consistently beat coverage and turn anything into a catchable ball is such a luxury for the Golden Flashes. His presence will swing games this year, as well as open up opportunities for other pass-catchers.

Kent State record prediction:

JW: 3-9

GC: 3-9. Improvement, but not much. Still a long way to go. 

SH: Kent State will certainly improve after last season’s 1-11 mark to start the Kenni Burns era. The sheer amount of experience acquired in 2023 makes the 2024 Golden Flashes a completely different iteration than last fall’s experiment. I predict Kent State still finishes 1-3 in non-conference play due to the grueling level of competition, but unlike the prior season, the team picks up several MAC wins. I’m envisioning either 3-9 or 4-8 this year, but I’ll lean toward 3-9 until I see a data point of how Kent State looks vs. Pitt in Week 1.

MAC Champion:

JW: Miami

GC: Miami Redhawks. They’re returning Brett Gabbert and an already great defense that won them the conference last year. Look for them to repeat. 

SH: For the record, I correctly predicted Miami (OH) over Toledo in preseason last year. Part of my reasoning was, although I liked Toledo, NEVER pick the MAC champion to repeat, as it’s been more than a decade in this unpredictable conference. I have to stay true to that belief even though Miami returns incredible talent ranging from Brett Gabbert to Matt Salopek. So in the first year with divisions scrapped, I’ll pick Bowling Green to defeat Miami in the MAC Championship Game. Quarterback Connor Bazelak should be poised for his best year as a sixth-year senior, Terion Stewart is a reasonable pick for MAC Offensive Player of the Year after accumulating over six yards per carry, and the Falcons feature one of the top pass defenses in the country led by star cornerback Jordan Oladokun.