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| Furman receiver Joshua Harris Photo courtesy of Furman |
While there will be plenty of new faces on both sides of the ball when FCS No. 12 Furman opens the 2024 football season at FBS No. 6 Ole Miss Saturday night, Paladins coach Clay Hendrix believes the offense has a chance to be more potent this season and he expects the defense to be solid as usual.
"I like this group. I think we've got a chance to be pretty good on defense and our offense has been able to stretch the field on them a little more with different things we're doing," Hendrix said. "I think we're more explosive offensively than we've been in awhile."
For the first time that I can recall, there was no depth chart within the Furman notes for this week's game. I don't think this was an accident seeing as how Ole Miss never released one either. It's a new tradition for some big time programs thanks to folks like national championship and oft-suspended for cheating coach Jim Harbaugh.
While you can't find a depth chart on the Rebels' football website, you can be reminded to donate to the players' fund via a pop-up ad that takes up the entire screen after virtually every click. Because how do you expect Ole Miss to compete in NIL contract negotiations with free agents with SEC schools only receiving $21 million apiece in TV revenue this year?
Anyway, the Rebels added 20 players from the transfer portal this season so there will be a lot of new faces on their sideline as well.
Based on conversations and what I've seen in practices this month, here's some of my best guesses at how things have shaken out on Furman's depth chart along with some overall thoughts about both sides of the ball.
Offense
Undoubtedly the most talked about competition this offseason has come at quarterback, where there's been a trio competing to replace Tyler Huff. Hendrix said sophomore Carson Jones, freshman Trey Hedden and redshirt freshman Nehuel Garcia had good preseason camps. As camp ended and more game-week practices ensued a week-and-a-half ago, Jones and Hedden got the majority of snaps.
"All three of those guys got better in August. I don't think there's been a great separation," Hendrix said. "Carson's probably been the most consistent, but he should be based on experience. ... Trey's not a typical true freshman because he's been here all spring."
If you've watched Furman football at all over the years you probably expect Jones to start against the Rebels. On a Saturday night in an SEC stadium, I think the guy who's had a little bit of big-game experience gets the call. I do expect Hedden to play and maybe Garcia as well.
All-Southern Conference second team preseason pick Joshua Harris has confidence in all three.
"I'm not worried about who's throwing me the ball because that competition has made all of them better," Harris said. "We've been working together on our precision and timing and I'm fully confident in all of our quarterbacks."
Speaking of Harris, I think this group of wide receivers has the chance to be Furman's best in quite awhile. Harris is poised for a true breakout year, while Colton Hinton has the speed and Ben Ferguson the hands to make big plays.
Two that could be in that mix as well are redshirt freshman Devin Hester Jr. (no, he's not related to the new NFL Hall of Famer) and 6-foot-4, 200-pound John Holbrook.
"Devin's more of a Colton Hinton type of a true dynamic slot receiver," Hendrix said. "Holbrook's had a really good August. He's a big target who runs well and catches well."
While Hendrix didn't name a starter at quarterback, he did name who would be snapping the ball to whatever quarterback. Redshirt freshman Chris Luna will start at center. While the Paladins will be replacing linemen that combined for 112 starts, they still have some experienced guys lining up with Luna.
Those include guards Ryan Lamb and Luke Petit, who's returning from a season-ending knee injury suffered against Samford in week six of 2023. I think Blake Hundley and Eli Brasher, a sophomore who was in the rotation last year before getting injured, will be the starting tackles. Hundley and guard E.J. Wilson are the veteran leaders of the group.
It's quite rare that a true freshman lineman sees the field for the Paladins, but Steven O'Dell has that chance. Hendrix said O'Dell might play whether he's ready to or not. From watching him at Broome High, I've seen O'Dell move well for a big guy but now he's mobility is even better. After reporting to Furman at 6-foot-7 and 302 pounds, he's down to 294 according to Hendrix.
Look for sophomore Brock Chappell to be Furman's "blocking" tight end, while Florida State transfer Joshua Burrell could be the big pass catcher. That position has proven to be a fruitful one recently with guys like Ryan Miller and Mason Pline getting shots in the NFL.
"I think that success is what attracted (Burrell). He knows he's not a traditional wideout and not a traditional tight end," Hendrix said. "He's got two years (of eligibility) here too."
Myion Hicks and Grant Robinson are fully healthy and ready to carry the load at running back. Former wide receiver Bailor Hughes and true freshman Gavin Hall could also be in the mix there. Unfortunately, Jayquan Smith will miss all of this season after suffering a devastating knee injury that ended his 2023 season one week into October.
"I've been really, really pleased with our running back group," Hendrix said. "I think they're going to make for some lighter boxes. Later in the year last year, defenses were going to make Huff beat them throwing it."
Health of the running backs and offensive line will be the biggest key to Furman's offensive success in my opinion. By the end of last season, every running back was banged up.
Defense
Much like the offensive front, Furman's defensive line looks to overcome losses in personnel with other experienced players thanks to defensive coordinator Duane Vaughn's many rotations. That group will be led by senior Xavier Stephens at noseguard and Jeremiah Jackson at end. I expect sophomore Malachi Harrison to join them at tackle.
After testing the waters of the transfer portal, Luke Clark decided to stay at Furman where he led one of the best defenses in the country in sacks last season. Clark at bandit and Evan DiMaggio at middle linebacker look to be the leaders on defense. The bandit spot did take a hit in the spring when Alex Maier, who's made some big plays off the bench, was lost for the year due to injury.
"Playing a lot of guys definitely helps just being able to stay fresh and rotate a lot," DiMaggio said. "Now that we have a younger team, I don't know if we'll be able to rotate as much, but I think that's helped us have good depth at a lot of positions."
The biggest question mark on defense comes in the secondary, where guys that accounted 140 starts and 29 interceptions have departed. I think redshirt freshman Jaylan Moson and sophomore Charles Ingram will start at cornerback and they will certainly have their work cut out for them at Ole Miss.
"I think the guys we have might even have a little more talent than guys we've had, but just don't have tons of game experience," Hendrix said. "We almost played Jaylan Moson last year, but we just didn't have to."
Hendrix said Maurice "Mo" Perkins, a graduate transfer from Division II Midwestern State, can play or spur and figures to play quite a bit wherever he lines up. I expect Caleb Williams and Tre' McLeod to start at the safety spots. Jalen Tate, a Greenville native and a graduate transfer from Georgia State, should also be in the mix at safety.
DiMaggio said he's not a very vocal guy, but he's tried to be a little bit more of one as new leader this season. He said the key for Furman sustaining its defensive success is to keep playing as a unit.
"Everybody depends on each other to do their job. We trust each other to fly around to the ball," DiMaggio said. "Nobody's going to be left out to dry. We just all crowd the ball, chase after it and do our job."
Special teams
It look likes Ian Williams will have the trifecta of handling foot duties at place kicker, kickoffs and punter. He's boomed punts like he does kickoffs in preseason practice. I think Harris will be the punt returner and Colton Hinton will be the primary kick returner.
Gameday
As of Saturday morning, Furman was a 42.5-point underdog, but the Paladins are a confident group. After playing in places like Clemson, South Carolina and even Montana to an extent, Furman certainly should not be intimidated.
"For us, it's just about assignments, whether you're playing Ole Miss or Samford," Hendrix said. "I say Samford because they (Ole Miss) do a lot of similar things. It's the same kind of stuff just with a little more talented players. If you turn a guy loose, anybody can complete it.
"It's just a matter of can you be sound in how you play. You just have to make them beat you. You can't just give them stuff."
Harris said a key is to treat it as just another game. At the same time, he hopes to take advantage of the opportunity a big stage presents.
"They might be bigger. They might be faster. But at the end of the day, they have to guard me and I have to run routes against them," Harris said. "For me personally, I have aspirations and dreams to go to the next level. In my eyes, this game is an opportunity for everybody on the team to put their name out there."
The 119th season of Furman football begins at 7 p.m. Saturday night. The game will be televised by the SEC Network+ and carried on ESPN+.
