Kent State football: 5 things to know before the start of 2023 season
Kenni Burns made this clear Wednesday: He loves his Kent State football team.
"They have worked so hard," the first-year head coach said during a news conference before the start of fall camp. "In player conditioning, I saw growth and development. In spring ball, I saw grown and development from an X's and O's standpoint. In summer conditioning, these guys worked their tails off.
"I love them because they're giving everything they possibly can."
With the season opener at UCF still four weeks away, Burns and the Golden Flashes still have a lot of work ahead of them. Here are five things to know about the program before the start of camp:
Be patient with the offense
There won't be any familiar names in the lineup when the season kicks off at UCF. The offense is very young. In fact, all 11 starters are new.
Despite its inexperience, Burns said the offense has some good young talent.
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"There are probably some new names that are going to emerge after the first couple of games where you're going to say, 'Wow, that kid has a future and will be a great player someday,'" he said.
Who will play quarterback?
The position suddenly became vacant when Collin Schlee transferred to UCLA at the end of last season. As a redshirt junior, Schlee threw for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Burns does not anticipate naming a starter until the middle of camp. It's currently a battle between Tommy Ulatowski, Griffin Brewster, Devin Kargman and Mike Alaimo, a transfer from Purdue.
"They're all going to have an equal opportunity to present themselves," Burns said. "I think all four of those guys had a great offseason and summer."
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Running back depth
Burns said running back is Kent State's deepest position. In Ky Thomas, Gavin Garcia and Xavier Williams, he said the team has a "1A, 1B and 1C" at running back.
Williams returns to the Flashes after missing all of last season because of a broken hip suffered in the 2021 Mid-American Conference championship game. He rushed for 812 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.
"X has big-play potential every time he touches the ball," Burns said. "He's an explosive back."
What about the defense?
Kent State's defense returns a little more experience.
Burns said linebacker Khalib Johns is the Flashes' best player and lineman CJ West is an All-MAC player. Missouri transfer Devin Nicholson is an athletic linebacker whose SEC playing experience can be a big asset.
"When you look at our defense, it's a lot of guys who have played college football at different places," Burns said. "It's a matter of getting them all together to be one."
Polls ... they don't really matter
There are not big expectations for the Flashes this season. With heavy losses to the transfer portal and many newcomers filling starting roles, Kent State was picked to finish last in the MAC East.
Burns is not a coach who puts a lot of stock in preseason polls.
"I can tell you we have the pieces in place to have a winner," he said. "... My No. 1 goal is to be the most connected team in America. If we can be the most connected team in America and play for each other, the ability is there.
"There's talent there, but it's inexperienced talent. We have to develop that and get it here sooner rather than later."
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On Twitter: @mpopovichREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 2023 Kent State University football preview: Who will be quarterback?
