Month: August 2023

BCU prepare for new era, release depth chart

/ J Bell / 1 Comment

Hello Wildcat Nation! After a rather eventful offseason, the 2023 college football season is finally here.

Before we jump in head first, I need you to do me a huge favor. Take a deep breath in, now exhale.

That feels good right? It feels almost like a slice of normalcy. And haven’t we missed normalcy over these past nine months.

Let’s all hope that we can get use to some “good normalcy” around our football program. If judging by some of the things happening around the program as of late, there just might be some light on the horizon for “Dear ‘Ol Bethune-Cookman”.

  • Our own Wildcat alumnus, Head Coach Raymond Woodie, is now in charge of the football program.
  • The new turf practice field is nearing completion.
  • The upgrades to the stadium were recently finalized.

But let’s keep it real, or as my college aged kids say, let’s keep  it a buck, while we appreciate the changes AROUND the program, what we are truly eager for is progress WITHIN the program.

The Wildcats are unveiling a fresh look, with 19 new starters taking the field against the The Memphis Tigers this Saturday at 7:00pm.  

Meet the Starting Line-Up:

  • Offense: QB Tylik Bethea (Delaware State grad transfer), RBs Jaiden Bivens & Jimmy Robinson III, TE Kahlil Overton, WRs Daveno Ellington, Dacarri Allen-Johnson, and Tink Boyd (Va Tech transfer), OL Miguel Sahagun, Antuan Wells, Christina Loving, Jahmari Sylvester (FIU transfer), and Trevaris Hammond.
  • Defense: DL Eddie Walls III, Andrian Hall, Deonte Washington (Texas St transfer), and Amarie Jones. LBs Dearis Thomas (FAU transfer) and Shelton Quarles Jr. (Samford transfer), and Secondary Stephen Sparrow, Iverson Clement (Temple transfer), Ja’Bari Joudon, Johnny Harris III, and Omari Hill-Robinson.

For a detailed Week One depth chart, click here.

Notes and Observations:

  • Although the Week One depth chart offers a glimpse into guys who should see regular playing time, it’s essential to avoid making too many assumptions based on the current depth chart. There are a few names not currently listed but who may emerge as significant contributors this season. Here are a few.

  • Quarterback Cam Ransom: The McNeese State/Georgia Southern transfer showcased leadership and skill during Fall Camp, but rumor has it that he’s awaiting the NCAA’s verdict on his pending waiver for immediate eligibility after transferring to his second school.
  • Jaylin Terzado: This 3-star wideout transfer from Western Carolina showed immense promise in Fall Camp. However, the speedy receiver is currently nursing an injury. We’re rooting for a quick recovery.
  • Eddie Walls III: Speaking of immense promise, no one had a better Fall Camp than the 6’3”, 250lb defensive end from South Ft. Myers High School. Walls showed flashes last season but is looking even more formidable this year coming off the edge. 
  • LaQuan Johnson: A late addition to the Bethune-Cookman roster is a high motor defensive end transfer from Central Michigan. He, along with Walls, may  provide the level of disruption from the Edge position that has been missing from the Wildcat defense over the past two seasons. 
  • Cornerback Dynamics: With two time All-SWAC performer Omari Hill-Robinson and Temple University/University of Florida transfer Iverson Clement, Cookman  might just have one of the best cornerback tandems in the conference.

Anticipation is building, and the clock’s ticking down to the season’s first kickoff at 7:00pm. As always, a contingent from HailWildcats.com will be in the house. If you can’t join us in Memphis, TN, the game’s airing on the ESPN network. For those looking to join HailWildcats.com at the game, visit letsgowildcats.org for travel details.

Finally, The HailWildcats Gridiron radio show will resume this Thursday, August 31st, from 8:00pm-10:00 on Joy 106.3 FM and Joy1063FM.com. Join us live to talk Bethune-Cookman football.

Silly Season Almost Over

/ J Bell / 1 Comment

The only saving grace of this sweltering  August heat is that it signifies the end of  ‘Silly Season’. You know what Silly Season is right? It’s the time between the end of Spring football and the launch of the new season. It’s the time when the information void gets filled with guesswork, misguided enthusiasm and exaggerated claims of how good the home team will be; while the other squads are vilified and damned.

Let me phrase it this way. My high school football coach was also a hunting enthusiast. He would often say “when the tailgate drops, the bullspit stops”; except he didn’t say “spit” if you know what I mean. It became a rally call for us; kinda like that black hat that brother threw 20 feet in the air on a Montgomery Riverfront but I digress.

Here is what he meant by it. 

On a typical hunting trip, the guys would load up a pickup truck with the dogs and essential equipment. They would share laughs and jokes along the way. The dogs were still treated like pets and extensions of the family. However, once they reached the hunting grounds, the atmosphere shifted. The laughter ceased and the dogs stopped  being family pets and gave way to their primal instincts. Once the tailgate drops the guns, the boars, the untamed wilderness all become real.

King Robert Baratheon would have never been fatally injured by a boar and lost the Iron Throne had he embraced this principle more seriously.

I know college football isn’t exactly “Game of Thrones” but the point is still valid. The tailgate is just about ready to drop and it is time for the bullcrap to stop!

Once it does, all of the expert prognostications, star ratings, and preseason rankings won’t matter. The players who feel like they have been slept on, disrespected, and overlooked will soon have the opportunity to prove it outside of social media and on the gridiron. The stage is almost set for real games, with real opponents, and real consequences. 

A glance at the SWAC landscape reveals a ton of unpredictability, not the least of which is a shortage of proven quarterbacks throughout the league. That’s not to say that there aren’t talented guys vying to be their squads’ top signal callers. There are plenty of talented players, including quarterbacks, in this league; but being proven and being talented are two completely different phenomenons. The real question is who can translate talent into performance. FAMU’s Jeremy Moussa and Texas Southern’s Andrew Body have proven their worth at the position. Everyone else is hoping that they have found their guy.

To muddy things up even more in the SWAC East, half of the division welcomes first year head coaches (BCU, JSU and MVSU); and all of the schools in the East added at least 20 new players through the transfer portal. 

When you sum all of these things up, I think it is next to impossible to truly predict how this season is going to play out. About the only thing that I am willing to bet on is that the SWAC will be full of surprises. The good news is that in less than 30 days, questions will be answered the only place that really matters: ON THE FIELD. 

I can’t wait!