Monmouth football names new starting QB: Who is Marquez McCray?

WEST LONG BRANCH – There’s no denying the strong lineage.

From players like Brian Boland, who oversaw a three-year period that took the program to another level, to Kenji Bahar, now in the USFL after rewriting the school’s passing record book, to Tony Muskett, who opens the season as Virginia’s starer, Monmouth has a rich history at the quarterback position.

Now Marquez McCray is next in line.

The graduate transfer from Sacred Heart will be under center when the Hawks open the season Sept. 2 at Florida Atlantic, having emerged from a preseason battle with sophomore Enzo Arjona, who started the final three games last season.

And while McCray, who led the Pioneers to three Northeast Conference titles and a pair of FCS Playoff appearances, will only be here for a season, it’s an incredibly important one after the Hawks went 5-6 in their first season in the CAA.

“He’s been a three-year starter, he’s achieved at a very high level at his previous school. He’s played for championships in multiple seasons there, he was the leader of their offense, he was a very dynamic player and we believe that he is a guy who can step in with the other weapons we have and do some really good things.”

McCray (6-2, 200), a Philadelphia native who joined the Hawks during spring practice, threw for 1.973 yards last season, with eight TDs and four interceptions, while running for four scores. For his career, McCray has thrown for 5,002 yards, with 26 TDs and 15 interceptions.

Helping the transition is the fact that McCray has a veteran offensive line in front of him and some of the most dynamic threats at the FCS level in junior running back Jaden Shirden, who led the nation in rushing with 1,722 yards in 11 games last season, and receiver Dymere Miller, a first-team Preseason All-CAA selection.

“I’m definitely excited,” McCray said. “We’re ready to score a lot of points.

”I was lucky enough to come here in the spring, and have the summer, too, so at this point I’m very comfortable with the offense and excited and ready to go.”

When Monmouth takes on Florida Atlantic, it will be the Hawks' first FBS opponent since facing Middle Tennessee in 2021.

From last week:

5 takeaways from CAA Media Day, with QB battle, NILs and a top honor

There were clearly growing pains as Monmouth University struggled late in its inaugural season in the Coastal Athletic Association, formerly the Colonial Athletic Association.

After jumping out to a 2-1 start in league play, the Hawks ended up finishing ninth in the 13-team league with a 3-5 record.

At Tuesday’s CAA Football Media Day, Monmouth was picked to finish eight out of what is now a 15-team league, with the addition of former Big South rivals North Carolina A&T and Campbell.

Can the Hawks do better than middle-of-the-pack?

Here are five takeaways from media day:

1. Superstar back honored

Jaden Shirden wasn’t even at the top of the Monmouth depth chart when the 2022 season got underway.

Now, the reigning CAA Offensive Player of the Year, a finalist for the 2022 Walter Peyton Award, enters summer camp in a much different role. After leading the FCS is rushing yards (1,722), yards-per-carry (8.4) and yards-per-game (156.5), in a season highlighted by a series of long, electrifying TD runs, Shirden was named the league’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Tuesday.

“He is the guy who makes us go on offense,” Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said. “He has big play potential, he’s got outstanding speed and any time he touches the ball there’s a really good chance something good is going to happen. So it’s really important that we find creative ways to get him the ball, whether it’s handing it to him, throwing it to him.

“I think off the field he’s a leader, but in a quiet way. He is not the most vocal guy when you see him in the locker room or see him on campus, but he is a guy who commands the respect of everyone on our team. They know and understand the work he puts in every single day and there is no wonder in anyone’s mind why he has had the success that he has had.”

2. QB decision coming soon

With quarterback Tony Muskett having transferred to Virginia, where he looks like the Cavaliers' starter, Callahan is overseeing the battle between sophomore Enzo Arjona, the Northern Highlands product who started the final three games last season when Muskett went down with a knee injury, and graduate transfer Marquez McCrary, who led Sacred Heart to a pair of FCS Playoff appearances.

“We need to make a decision sooner rather than later,” Callahan said, “so that the rest of the guys become comfortable playing with that guy, become comfortable with that guy in the huddle. During spring practice they split the reps almost 50-50.

“We’ll go the first seven or eight days and see what happens and then hopefully make the decision no later than the end of week two.“

3. NIL now an FCS issue

On July 13, Monmouth announced the formation of a Name, Image and Likeness Collective called the Fly Hawks Alliance, partnering with Student Athlete NIL to manage a program that seeks to “facilitate NIL transactions between Monmouth Student-Athletes and fans, donors, and businesses.”

More: Monmouth basketball: After shunning NIL said to be $250,000, Xander Rice ready to play for dad

At least five CAA school have collectives now, and you can be certain others will follow in short order, as the issue that’s already caused a major shift in the college sports landscape begins to have an effect at the FCS level, as programs battle for players.

“The reality is that it is beginning to impact the FCS level. A year ago I probably wouldn’t have said that, but you are seeing it,” Callahan said. “More and more schools are creating collectives - we also have another deal with apparel that is really helping us out now. More than anything else it gives our players an opportunity to reap some of the benefits for their success on the field.

“I would say this offseason most of it came from the FBS level. I think we’re just seeing the transition where it’s starting to trickle down from FBS to FCS, but I think Monmouth is now in the forefront of that.”

4. Bigger is better

The grind of Monmouth’s first CAA season as evident in the play of Monmouth’s defensive front seven, which wore down as the season went on. The Hawks finished last in the league in scoring defense and total defense.

“As got into the Big South it became apparent early had to get faster,” Callahan said. “By the time we left I would say we were arguably the fastest team in the league. As we entered the CAA it became apparent we were fast enough, but we didn’t have the size, particularly in the front seven on defense. In the Big South you could play with a 260-pound defensive lineman. In the CAA they better be 290 or you’re going to have some trouble.”

Beefing up in the trenches was an offseason priority. Among a handful of newcomers up front is defensive tackle Isaiah Rogers (6-2, 300), a transfer from Central Michigan, who will team with Chris King, a transfer from Buffalo last year who went down with a mid-season shoulder injury. The addition of defensive end Nick White (6-3, 260), a graduate transfer from Gannon, and Antonio Colclough, who a graduate transfer from James Madison, will enhance the unit’s ability to get to the quarterback and stop the run.

5. Experience matters

Another reason there’s an air of optimism surrounding the team, as well as the defense, is the return of graduate cornerback Eddie Morales for one more season, with the former Howell High School star having emerged as a leader, both on the field and in the locker room.

He’s one of the only holdovers from Monmouth’s back-to-back Big South championship teams in 2019 and spring 2021. And his absence was one of the reasons the defense struggled, with the former All-Big South performer suffering a season-ending broken arm against Albany on Oct. 8.

“I was grateful to be a part of two Big South championships early on in my career,” Morales said, “and I think being one of the last guys to play on those teams and having that experience, I just know what it takes to get those. I understood the team we had and the chemistry we had, the product that we put out each and every week to win that championship.

“I know we are in a new conference and bigger, better competition, But I do think we have the formula to win those game and I still think on both sides of the ball, with the new additions on both sides, we have the players to get us back to that level.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth NJ football: Who will be Hawks' new starting quarterback?