If DePauw football struggles this year, it won’t be an issue of depth.
On top of getting back junior quarterback Matt Hunt, senior rusher Amen Galley and sophomore wide-receiver Jake Hagen, the program is bringing in a freshmen class of 63 players, a number that makes up over 25% of this year’s freshmen recruited athletes.
“Our whole staff has been working together for three years… I think we have the structure, the system (and) the organization,” said Head Coach Bill Lynch. “We’ve gotten better at both (finding) the students that fit DePauw academically and also athletically, football in particular.”
The size of the freshmen group certainly stands out in comparison to the recruiting classes from Lynch’s first two years as head coach, which brought in 45 and 43 players respectively.
So what did the program do differently this time around? According to Recruiting Coordinator Brett Gietz, almost nothing.
“As far as overhauling the whole recruiting plan, we haven’t done that. It’s mainly about refining little pieces of making the visit better for each and every kid that comes,” said Gietz, who stressed their increased work with the admissions office as a key to getting this year’s class. “Hopefully next year, we tweak it again for the better, and get a good class again.”
But while it’s hard to notice the minor changes the program made in its recruiting, it’s easy to see what now comes with being a DePauw football player.
Apart from receiving necessary renovations to Blackstock Stadium and a brand new training facility in Lilly, the Tigers had their first winning season in four years. That, along with a shot at winning the first Monon Bell since 2008, should make a compelling case to play for DePauw.
While the full impact of the freshmen class won’t fully be seen until the end of the season, there’s already excitement in the preseason about how they can help this program. One of the obvious advantages is finally being able to fill out a junior varsity roster, a task that has given the program trouble in recent years.
“Last year when we were trying to play a JV schedule, we didn’t have enough lineman,” said Athletic Director Stevie Baker-Watson. “We were not going to put (varsity) lineman in a situation for JV, potentially where they get hurt (or) they give up a game opportunity, and then you’re not left with them for a varsity game.”
Which is not to say freshmen players can’t have an immediate impact at the varsity level. A few names that come to mind from last year’s team are Hagen, who was the Tiger’s leading receiver (32 and 364 yards) and running back Jack Gruber (363 rushing yards).
And let’s not forget Hunt, who, two years ago, became the team’s starting quarterback as a freshman, throwing for 17 touchdowns and 1871 yards.
Nevertheless, it’s likely a fair amount of Lynch’s freshmen class will spend significant time at the JV level, which could lead to a handful of them dropping out before the end of the season after receiving limited playing time.
“Football is one of those sports where you need a lot of kids to be able to practice efficiently between scout teams and making sure you first team and your second team get enough reps,” said Baker-Watson. “It can be boring for the kids who are only on scout team all the time… We also want them to continue to grow and stay with the program, (which is) why playing a JV program is good.”
While all focus will be on whether the Tigers finally have what it takes to beat Wabash this season, DePauw football is quietly developing a program that will make them a constant competitor in the NCAC Conference for years to come.