Head Coach: Jerry Mack is entering his first season as the head coach of the Owls. Previously he spent some time as an assistant coach at multiple places but also had a great stint as the head coach at NC Central where he compiled a 31-15 record in 4 years, that included a share of 3 MEAC titles, including an outright one in 2016.
Program Outlook: Kennesaw State is only in their second season of FBS football but it certainly was a bumpy start. The Owls lost their first 6 games but then came the highlight, a home upset over an undefeated Liberty, it was truly an electric moment for Owls fans to look back on. They ultimately ended up 2-10, making a shocking coaching change which wasn’t something anyone expected during a transition year. This program is located in a strong area for recruiting, and I can’t imagine it will take them too long to get up to speed.
How does the 2025 Roster look?: Kennesaw State ranks 13th in the country returning 67.5% of their production per Punt and Rally’s returning production rankings. That’s impressive work by Jerry Mack and his staff, there were playing hitting the portal during the season when the coaching change happened but Mack really kept this roster intact when he got hired. Key players starts with QB Dexter Williams who comes over from Georgia Southern, he’s shown some solid potential in the time that he’s played but his accuracy could use some work, Amari Odom (Wofford) will push him for the job. The receivers weren’t super productive last year but it’s a relatively homegrown group compared to the rest of the offense, Christian Moss might be the best of that unit. Defensively the Owls will be led by their corners JeRico Washington and Tyler Hallum who are one of the better duos in CUSA. The safeties Isaac Paul and Milon Jones lead a solid veteran group. The linebackers will be experienced as well with last year’s leading tackler Donelius Johnson back along with Garland Benyard and Juandariun Silas. The biggest question mark on defense will be the defensive line, the portal will help some but they still lack some heft on the inside. On offense they’ll need the portal to help find their top RB and the starters on the offensive line, both will hold keys to the season.
Screenshot from FBSchedules.com
2025 Schedule Thoughts: Kennesaw State’s schedule is pretty tough and offers few breaks. The Owls have a non-conference slate that includes games against Wake Forest, Indiana and Arkansas State. They have Merrimack as their FCS opponent, Merrimack went 5-6 last year so that one is winnable. The Owls probably needed more breaks in their CUSA schedule, they don’t get Delaware one of the two teams that are newer to FBS but at least they avoid Sam Houston and WKU. Overall the schedule doesn’t help provide many wins.
Final Thoughts: Kennesaw State is likely going to slowly work their way to being more competitive at the FBS level and that’s ok. It’s a fascinating staff that Jerry Mack put together, OC Mitch Militello comes from Tennessee and will likely bring more of a veer and shoot offense, a dramatic shift from what the Owls did before. Fun fact the DC Marc Mattioli comes from the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football. I think the Owls can improve on last year’s win total with some highlights here and there and CUSA is pretty wide open but I do think this could take a little time to come together.
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