Archbishop Hoban Knights 2023 high school football preview

ARCHBISHOP HOBAN KNIGHTS

HEAD COACH: Tim Tyrrell; 11th year; 116-20 at Hoban; 181-71 in 22nd year overall

LAST YEAR: 14-2, including 5-1 in the playoffs

POSTSEASON: Division II, Region 5

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS

• Devin Bell, LB-TE, 6-1, 235, Sr.

• Ayden Boykin, DB, 5-9, 165, Sr.

• Tylan Boykin, QB-DB, 6-0, 165, Jr.

• Ace Brown, TE-DE, 6-2, 195, Soph.

• Ryan Burns, P-K, 6-1, 155, Sr.

• Dominic Bush, FB-LB, 5-11, 210, Sr.

• Ty Campbell, DB-WR, 5-11, 175, Sr.

• Payton Cook, WR-DB, 6-1, 180, Soph.

• Tate Crable, TE-DE, 6-4, 195, Jr.

• Nate Cross, OL-DL, 6-0, 272, Jr.

• Parker Falkenstein, WR-DB, 5-10, 170, Sr.

• Brayton Feister, RB-LB, 6-1, 215, Fr.

• Braeden Grant, DB, 6-0, 155, Sr.

• Sam Greer, OL, 6-7, 300, Soph.

• Joey Hardman, WR, 6-2, 160, Sr.

• Jalen Hightower, WR, 5-10, 150, Sr.

• Elbert Hill, DB-WR, 5-11, 165, Soph.

• Caleb Jones, RB-DB, 5-9, 184, Sr.

• J'Von Lindsey, OL, 6-1, 283, Sr.

• Eli Lee, LB, 6-2, 220, Jr.

• Tanner Mintz, OLB, 6-0, 190, Jr.

• Khylan Osbey, RB, 5-10, 194, Jr.

• Jordan Pritchard-Sewell, DT-FB, 6-1, 280, Sr.

• Deon Rodgers, RB-LB, 5-10, 205, Sr.

• William Satterwhite, OL, 6-3, 302, Sr.

• Caleb Schlater, LS, 6-1, 175, Sr.

• Rickey Williams, LB, 6-2, 235, Sr.

• Xavier Williams, DB-RB, 5-9, 155, Sr.

IMPACT PLAYERS: Satterwhite (Tennessee), Rickey Williams (West Virginia), Campbell (Central Michigan), Pritchard-Sewell (Holy Cross) and Bell (Miami of Ohio) have committed to Division I college football programs. … Of those five, Satterwhite is the only player on offense. He'll be the starting right tackle. … Rickey Williams headlines a star-studded linebacking corps, and Tyrrell called him “one of the more vocal leaders we have.” … Tyrrell said Campbell is “as good as they come at free safety.” … Pritchard-Sewell's “Tank” nickname is fitting. “He is a tank [at] defensive tackle. He is that good,” Tyrrell said. … Bell is coming off a dominant 20-sack season.

WHAT'S NEW: It'll be running back by committee with Ohio's Mr. Football Lamar Sperling graduating and leaving behind shoes too big for one person to fill. Jones will be the No. 1 tailback with Osbey set to handle the primary backup role, Tyrrell said. Feister and Rodgers are among the players vying for the No. 3 spot. Expect Xavier Williams, who's being recruited by Western Michigan, Ohio and Youngstown State, to occasionally receive carries, mostly on end arounds or reverses. “We think we could have a three-headed monster that can have just as many yards [as Sperling] at the end, but it's not going to be out of one kid,” Tyrrell said. … Tylan Boykin will be the starting quarterback after spending last season as the backup to JacQai Long, who returned to his home state of West Virginia following one season at Hoban. Boykin grew up playing quarterback and started at QB on Hoban's freshman team two years ago, leading it to a 9-1 record. Last season, he excelled as a varsity cornerback. Now he'll give the offense a dual threat behind center. “He's got to be able to play his skill set, and we've got to be able to coach to his skill set,” Tyrrell said. “We think it's really good right now, but you've still got to play.” … Protecting Boykin on the offensive line will be Greer at left tackle, Lindsey at left guard, Cross at center and, of course, Satterwhite at the other tackle. Cross and Satterwhite will be the only returning full-time starters on the O-line. Five or six players are competing to start at right guard, Tyrrell said.

Lamar Sperling joined MAC program: Why Ohio's Mr. Football stayed with Buffalo despite Ohio State recruitment

OUTLOOK: Despite losing standouts such as Sperling, guard Drew Holt, defensive tackle Jason Martin III and wide receiver-outside linebacker Jayvian Crable to graduation, Hoban's talent is an embarrassment of riches coming off a Division II state runner-up finish. Just a few more examples: Cook, Greer and Hill have a long list of Power Five scholarship offers, even though Greer will be a newcomer to varsity and Hill barely played on defense last season. “They have more offers than half the state of Ohio,” Tyrrell quipped, “and they're only going to be sophomores.” Feister is a wrestling phenom who's expected to be an elite football player, too. Hoban even has one of the nation's top-ranked high school long snappers: Schlater. What does all of this mean? In 10 seasons under Tyrrell, the Knights have gone 5-2 in state title games, and they don't anticipate a drop-off during a season in which they are positioned to impose their will on defense. “The expectation is still to be in a state championship,” Tyrrell said. The journey won't be a cakewalk, though. A huge change to the schedule occurred when rival St. Vincent-St. Mary decided to halt “the Akron Holy War,” but there are no shortage of battles ahead for the Knights. They'll face four defending state champions: Lakewood St. Edward (Division I), Cleveland Glenville (Division IV), Frederick Douglass (Class 5A in Kentucky) and Trinity Episcopal (Division I in Virginia). “This is by far the hardest schedule [of my tenure],” Tyrrell said. “It's not even close.”

Tim Tyrrell has a legendary mentor: How Hoban's football coach was influenced by Ohio State great Jim Tressel

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hoban football has title expectations despite graduating Mr. Football