The 2024 Kent State football season as well as the KentGRIT era suffered a tough blow Monday when Head Coach Kenni Burns confirmed what was feared in that quarterbacks Devin Kargman and JD Sherrod were lost for the season due to injuries they suffered Saturday at Penn State.
Kargman underwent hip surgery after the game and Sherrod tore his achilles on a non-contact injury.
In a classy move, Burns spent Monday with Kargman and his family in Hershey at the site of his surgery, pushing the weekly press conference to Tuesday.
For the Flashes, it’s a crushing blow as they join running back Gavin Garcia and quarterback Dru DeShields on the injured reserve. Cleveland Glenville product Ruel Tomlinson will serve as the backup Saturday as the Flashes welcome in Eastern Michigan for Homecoming.
Tommy Ulatowski gets the start for Kent State after seeing action in the non-conference and serving as the primary starter in the second half of last season. Playing with a bandaged finger on his non-throwing left hand, Ulatowski will try to give the offense a spark.
The backfield will see a variety of backs including Ky Thomas, Ayden Harris, Jordan Lowe and Cade Wolford.
Even though Ulatowski is known as a runner, KSU will still unlock a vertical passing game with Ulatowski to try and involve Chrishon McCray more. With an offensive line that is struggling with injuries and moving parts, that passing game is difficult to navigate right now, in an effort to keep Ulatowski upright.
The bad breaks and bad luck continue for this Kent State team that is poised to hit the reset button and start conference play on a positive note Saturday.