We're four weeks out from the 2023 season opener at Bentley and the Golden Rams' official roster is posted.
On the bright side, almost all members of the 2023 recruiting class are listed, including late additions Cam McQueen and Rodney Benjamin. The only omissions are
linebacker Rovny Dasilva and wide receiver Connor Becker. Becker reportedly received a full scholarship from Robert Morris, although he does not appear on their football roster.
Departures:
Over 20 players from last year's roster that had eligbility left are no longer here. In addition to previously reported departures that have landed somewhere - defensive tackle David Blay to Louisanna Tech,
linebacker Jackson Taylor to Delaware, and
running back Ja'Den McKenzie to Rhode Island - two other players that entered the portal are linebacker Oscar Uduma and running back Maurice Mazzccua. Among the others, linebacker Stanley Bryant (five tackles, one interception in nine games last season) made the biggest contribution last year.
Returning:
Roughly speaking, players have five years to play four seasons. There are times when a student completes his academic studies in four years, graduates, and moves on to the work force with a year of playing eligibility remaining. This has been amplified by COVID - when students had an additional year of academics that did not count towards their playing elegibility since the 2020 season was cancelled. The Golden Rams are fortunate to have several players returning this season including tight end Stone Huffman and fullback Mason Griffiths on offense. Defensively, tackle Ayyub Dail and reserve back Michael Alexander return. Maybe most importantly from a defensive unit perspective, both corners - Sterlen Barr, Jr. and Obi Anyatonwu - are back.
Transfers:
With Barr and Anyatonu returning, and safety Kaleb Brown only a sophomore, the Golden Rams had one safety spot to fill. While former New Hampshire quarterback Brody McAndrew saw a lot of time there in the spring, it is still a point of transition for him. Offering immediate help could be either Temple transfer DeJuan Dandridge or Maryland transfer Shane Mosley (12 tackles in two seasons for the Terrapins). It will be interesting to see how this shakes out in camp.
Additional incoming transfers are defensive end Connor Noble from Temple and
linebacker Tyson Tate from Lackawanna College. Coincidentally, both Noble and Tate were listed as tight ends at their previous schools. Other newcomers are receiver Mike Gray (33 catches, 425 yards, 3 TD's in two seasons at Albany), receiver Julian Jordan (16 catches, 177 yards, 1 TD in two seasons at Wagner), running back Trey Blair from Temple, quarterback T.J. Pergine also from Temple and defensive tackle Debrick Johnson who redshirted last season at Slippery Rock.
Camp:
Players report tomorrow, and daily practices are set to start Monday morning with intrasquad scrimmages tentatively scheduled for Saturday August 19 and Friday August 25. West Chester will then open the season on Saturday, September 2 at Bentley in Waltham, MA.
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