Look Ahead Opponent Preview: Kennesaw State

Matthew Dossett spoke to KSU insider AJ Howard, getting the scoop and preview on Kennesaw State football!

During the meat of Middle Tennessee State’s football schedule are three mid-week ballgames, all of which are on CBS Sports Network. There is a home contest against Delaware, on Tuesday, October 20. Then exactly one week later, there is an away game at Pitbull Stadium against FIU. Then the Blue Raiders return to Floyd Stadium, on Wednesday October 28, to play Kennesaw State.

Now is the time for another opponent preview. This time it is the Owls of Kennesaw State. We caught up with Kennesaw State insider, AJ Howard, getting the inside details on the Owls.

Here is the conversation:

1. Projected starters on offense and defense?

Mack left the QB1 door open a little wider than I expected at media day, saying that he would wait until the “2nd or 3rd week” of camp to name a starter between Syracuse transfer Rickie Collins and JUCO newcomer Landon Varnes. Collins appears to be the favorite, but you’ll start to wonder if we get a scrimmage or two into the preseason without confirmation.

MTSU’s old friend Mateo Guevara will likely play center and anchor an OL that brings back both starting tackles. Nikola Milovac seems set to reprise his role at right tackle, but JD Lee may shift to guard if Elon transfer Luke Duska ends up taking the LT job. Central Connecticut State transfer Precious Ekeh is the favorite at right guard, which leaves LG as the main question up front.

Tight end Gerard Bullock found an extra year of eligibility late in the process, bringing the Owls to three returning starters on offense. I’m not so sure he keeps his job. In the backfield, expect multiple guys to get carries, led by West Georgia transfer Latrelle Murrell. At receiver, I think they’ll go all-transfer in the first unit with Dylan Gary and Brayden Munroe out wide, and Zion Booker in the slot. I’ll probably change my mind on WR a hundred times before Week 1.

On the other side of the ball, KSU brings back enough pieces to keep the Owls afloat. Marcus Patterson’s back at DE, with Jaiden Grimes paired with Jackson Cooper or Devin Morgan inside. Rush end, KSU’s hybrid edge player, is somewhat open right now with a few different options. CUSA’s preseason defensive POTY Baron Hopson’s back at Mike linebacker, as is Tywon Christopher at Will.

In the secondary, Kody Jones returns at nickel, with Isaac Paul and Alex Ford hoping to fend off transfers at safety. I love Tay’vion Lawson’s frame and potential at corner, and I’m curious about who will start opposite him. If Tyler Hallum has fully recovered from an injury took his entire ‘25 season, that’s probably his job. If not, Ethan Tookes saw time last year and the Owls also added a few transfers who will be in the mix.

2. A few players to watch on both sides of the ball? Standouts on offense and defense?

We have to start with Rickie as the headliner. Maybe it works; maybe not. His reputation as a one-read guy won’t hurt him as much in Kennesaw’s offense and he’s mobile enough if the pass protection can’t hold up. There’s some meat on the bone left in terms of RPO usage that Syracuse wasn’t able - or willing - to use last season after Steve Angeli went down. The picks (10 in 7 games in ‘25) will be a non-negotiable if he can’t clean that up coming down a level. Mack’s shown a willingness to play multiple QBs, even if the logic of last year’s battle didn’t always make sense.

Murrell is a dude who’s not getting enough preseason love. He and Triston Morgan will be 1A/1B and I’m curious to see which other running back joins them in the lead trio. Boogie Woods appears to be the third man, based on Mack’s conversation with Phil Steele: He called it a “three-headed monster.” Last year was a 50/30/20 split on carries, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar ratio this time around. Diving into some of the FCS numbers compared to Coleman Bennett and Chase Belcher at that level, Murrell compares well enough that I don’t see a major dip from a position that the Owls will lean on.

I think the wide receiver room improved this year, as crazy as that sounds. I’d look to Booker in the slot as the receptions leader and expect Gary/Munroe to battle for most yardage based on each player’s usage so far. If you look at career target depth, Gary (13.7 yards) and Munroe (11.7) are basically playing a different sport than Booker, whose ADOT was 4.9 at Tulsa last year, though there was a little more downfield threat during his time at Western Carolina. Keep an eye on Tennessee State transfer Devaughn Slaughter: 55 catches on a 26% target share as a true freshman. The overhaul in this room, which was anonymous for most of the first decade of the program’s existence, is one of the triumphs of Mack’s early days in Kennesaw.

Nobody needs me to say MLB Baron Hopson is a tackling machine who will rack up another 125+ this season if he stays healthy, or that Kody Jones and Marcus Patterson are integral parts of their respective position rooms. Look to junior DT Jaiden Grimes as one Owl who should elevate into that tier. They need a big year from the local product replacing Tylon Dunlap at DT, a crucial role given how often they switch back and forth between three- and four-man fronts.

Can UCF transfer Tony Williams work his way into the lineup? The 2025 4-star DB is a new guy to monitor, coming in as a redshirt freshman. You don’t come to Kennesaw one year removed from an offer list like that without some strong thoughts about getting on the field. His immediate fit might be as a passing down nickel or dime sub (Five Hamilton 2.0, for the Owl-knowers out there) since UCF viewed him as a potential corner once upon a time. I wonder if he or one of the other safety transfers can beat out Paul, who dabbled in the portal and didn’t love his options.

Lawson is all upside at corner and a full year of starter snaps as a sophomore would likely see him move on to greener pastures. KSU found him late in Mack’s first recruiting cycle down in Jacksonville, where he was all set to go to one of the service academies. He’s got a legit NFL frame at 6’2”, 200 and CB coach James Williams has a reputable track record on development back to his time at Alabama State. Next man up after Caleb Offord, one of Williams’ ASU transfers, got a shot in the league.

3. Strong suits of the team? Weaknesses and vulnerabilities?

Coaching continuity will be a huge advantage this season. KSU held on to Mack, both coordinators, and every full-time assistant except one position coach. Both sides of the ball have shown an ability to utilize players who might be lacking in one aspect or another - especially on offense with the adapted Josh Heupel system. I think Mike Kershaw and Peter Chung run the best pound-for-pound player personnel department in the league. There’s an understanding throughout the building of what works and what wouldn’t, and that system buy-in means they can get more with less on both sides.

Cop-out answer, but quarterback could obviously swing either way. I have some faith in Rickie - and in the staff to get the most out of him - but it would be blatant homerism to not admit there’s some concern about what happens if this doesn’t work. Elsewhere on offense, pass protection is a serious problem that they’ll have to scheme around. Only two tight ends in America stayed in to pass block more often than Bullock last season. They need more out of that position in the passing game, too - he ranked 127 nationally in yards/route run and last in CUSA on EPA/catch. There’s also not a ton of top-end speed at receiver, even if that room actually got better this offseason.

Defense’s core main strength is continuity, at least relatively speaking, from a unit that managed to do pretty well to avoid explosives last year. CBS Sports has them at 46% returning snaps, ranking 52nd nationally overall and top 40 in both DL and LB. In the G6 that might be the sweet spot where you bring back enough to build from a solid base, but not too much to wonder why nobody picked you apart in the portal.

Edge is still an open-ended question on defense in a similar way as QB, with plenty of variance on whether or not they hit on transfers. Weakness is probably a stretch but vulnerability is fair given the uncertainty. Donovan Westmoreland (4 sacks last year) was on a knee scooter at the spring game, and nobody else in line at the Rush position has legit FBS experience. Baylor transfer Corey Kelley (54 career snaps) and Wingate transfer Kai Russell are promising, though, plus there’s Montra Sanford, a 260-pound JUCO recruit who picked up a handful of G6 offers, who may cross-train in this spot.

Beyond the edge questions, tackling in the secondary scares me a little bit. A few 200+ pound transfer DBs are on campus to hopefully address that, since DC Marc Mattioli relies pretty heavily on both safeties to get involved in the box.

4. Breakout freshmen? Which freshmen are poised to make some noise this season?

Perfect year for this question since five-in-five eligibility should lead to even more early playing time for true freshmen.

I really like Jeremiah Tabb at receiver - he’s got a bigger frame at 6’2”, 200 and was a legit track star with multiple state titles at Hoover. We haven’t really seen a mix of size and speed like this from a Kennesaw wideout. Tabb arrived on campus in the summer, but that same timeline didn’t stop Clayton Coppock from making an impact in Mack’s first season. You can on-board pretty quickly at this position in this offense. Look at last year’s main WR trio: Gabe Benyard converted from flexbone running back, Coppock was a jack-of-all-trades who mostly played QB in HS, and Christian Moss was a backup on one of the worst offenses in college football history. All of them managed to be productive in this system on the title-winning team. If Munroe and Gary leave the door open out wide, Tabb has the tools to compete for targets.

For an under-the-radar suggestion: Chase Tatum could be a dude who plays early at tight end. He was on campus for the spring and outweighs the rest of the room by 30+ pounds, coming in at 264. With that in mind, he might be a better option in the box than the power slot-type bodies elsewhere in the unit. I wouldn’t expect huge numbers by any means, but he’s my safest bet to lead the freshman class in snaps.

We can also look at the freshmen edges for an early arrival on the other side of the ball after Elijah Hill’s one-and-done season as a pass rush specialist. DE Zakir Abdul-Salaam has the highest recruiting pedigree, though Amarion Jones seems to have a little deeper pass rush bag and a cleaner pathway above him on the depth chart. The lack of top-end experience at Rush end could lead to Jones or redshirt freshman Byron Jackson getting a shot. I think Zay Wilson, an under-recruited prospect from Hill’s home state, could have some juice after the Owls poached him from Central Arkansas late.

5. Veteran players poised for a breakout season?

If we define breakout as someone who’s not been a regular starter in FBS, Grimes at DT fits the bill for me. He’s low-key the team’s best pass rusher, even from the interior, and his skillset will lend itself well to KSU’s hybrid scheme. He’ll see snaps everywhere from nose out to a 4i in his first season as a full-time starter. I’m calling it a contract year because he’s one guy that could earn some real money if he shows up this year.

Gardner Webb transfer Jecari Bryson comes to Kennesaw for his final year of college ball after playing as a more traditional outside linebacker role in FCS. He will trend more toward nickel at Kennesaw, likely as one of the Owls’ answers against 12 personnel. That’s one guy who might not be a starter in the traditional sense but will play a lot of high-leverage snaps with his versatility and plus coverage ability for a 6’2”, 220-pounder.

On offense, I really hope the Owls can get something out of Javon Rogers and Davis Bryson at receiver. Rogers has been an under-the-radar breakout candidate all three years on campus and had nagging injuries derail his preseason a couple years in a row. The drops (4 in only 19 targets) were a problem for the downfield threat last year in limited duty. Can he fend off the newcomers out wide? In the slot, Bryson turning into a reliable WR would be an awesome curtain call for a roller coaster of a KSU career. At times, the Owls will turn that position into more of a gadget-type guy, and he fits that aspect of the role better than Booker and Slaughter, in my opinion.

6. If you were setting the O/U for wins for Kennesaw State, what would you set it as? How many victories do you see for KSU?

6.5 juiced to the under seems to be the consensus from our friends in the desert. That’s a pretty fair total, but I’d lean over at this point based on the defensive foundation. Right now, I think they’d be favored in 7 games depending on which power rating you prefer. The schedule draw isn’t quite as friendly as last season, but definitely workable. WKU is the only top 125 SP+ team that KSU visits in CUSA - the other road games are against CUSA’s bottom three. There’s still a pretty wide gap between the floor and ceiling. If they hit on Rickie or Varnes, the Owls could hit that 9/10 win range. We also have a few 4-8 timelines in the multiverse, unfortunately.

7. What kind of recruiting class did KSU assemble last class? Did they go heavy on HS kids, or heavy in the portal?

Like you’d expect, Mack used every possible avenue: High school, a little JUCO, and the inevitable transfers. Each position group blended HS recruits and portal guys. I don’t think our roster budget math works without unearthing some early career value, so this staff will never get away from recruiting high schoolers. It genuinely depends on the position group as to how much they’ll lean on the transfers. There were clear doubts on the in-house talent at RB and WR, so the Owls loaded up on transfers in both spots that need to contribute. Offensive line brought in an interesting high school class but still needed four D1 transfers to reload. Next portal window will be a referendum on how the Owls feel about the homegrown prospects on the OL.

Returners on defense allowed the Owls to hit the portal in a different way. They didn’t need as many definite starters, so the hunt was a little more geared toward potential and the high-end outcomes. Guys like Tony Williams (UCF) and Maliki Wright (Duke) at DB are a couple examples there. They also brought in some hybrids like Jecari Bryson (Gardner Webb) that may not project as Day 1 starters but will add an extra dimension. DT is the exception on defense where they went all in on portal and JUCO to restock the room after losing Adam Watkins and Tylon Dunlap.

A simpler way to look at it: KSU seemed to look for higher floors on the offensive transfers and mostly toward higher ceilings on defense.

8. What is the mood of the KSU fanbase? Thoughts on the coach? What are the expectations for wins in 2026?

Last season was an absolute dream. Nobody could’ve predicted a title - except Mack, whose intro presser quote of “We can be as good as we wanna be, as fast as we wanna be” defined the season. He’s workshopping “The secret is there’s no secret” this year and I’m not sure it hits the same. Keeping him and most of the staff was massive, especially with the most threatening G6 jobs in the southeast (Memphis, Tulane, USF) off the table for now. The extension showed KSU fans the school was willing to play ball and keep him away from middle-of-the pack Sun Belt spenders after he was busy on the interview circuit.

Mack’s the perfect guy for this job in that he understands our level and found the the balance between realism and optimism. His predecessor already built the program once and didn’t appear to have much interest in doing it over again. It got so insular at the end that finding a guy like Mack, with connections all over the place, felt like a breath of fresh air. He had a vision and stuck to it.

We’d be a little greedy to slap a double-digit win expectation on the program in 2026. Given the potential variance, I’d say let’s shoot for bowl eligibility. It’s secretly a massive year for Kennesaw to see if the athletic department can build from the on-field success to find some sustainability and grow the fan base. I’m afraid all the good stuff walks out the door as soon as Mack climbs the ladder, sadly. We shall see.

9. Where in the conference does KSU stack up, IYO? Where do you expect them to finish?

Everybody has a shot in CUSA, right? I looked it up the other day and there’s only one team who hasn’t been to a bowl since the 2023 reset.

In preseason power ratings, everyone except Sam Houston and MTSU will be within 13 points of the top of the conference, with FPI giving 5 different teams double digit title odds.

KSU will have a top 3 defense to keep the train on the tracks even if the offense takes time to figure it out. Where does that put the Owls? Not sure, in all honesty. I think about CUSA more in two tiers: Can you compete for a title or not? I’m firmly in the yes category this season. My guess is that KSU will actually grade out a little better compared to last year, just maybe not get the same amount of wins.

10. Players KSU can not afford to get injured? Who are key guys that can’t get hurt?

Put every one of the top six offensive linemen on a die, roll it, and let’s go with whoever it lands on. KSU brought in four Division I transfers on the OL and probably needs three of them as reliable starters. Guevara would be the best pick here, though. They’re counting on him to pick up where Josiah Chenault left off and anchor that unit. There’s much more playable depth at the skill positions.

Returning starter Marcus Patterson’s that guy on defense. The numbers don’t jump off the page because that hasn’t really been his role in KSU’s system. His ability to play on the edge and inside as a 264-pounder frees up Marc Mattioli to move the rest of the chess pieces around as needed. Behind Patterson, I would say Grimes, Morgan, or Cooper - I’m not sure the Owls can really afford any serious injuries to one of the DTs.