VIDEO | Rashaan Jordan Interview

Wingate, N.C.----The 2024 Wingate University football season kicks off this weekend, with the Bulldogs traveling to UNC Pembroke to face the Braves at 6 p.m. Wingate is coming off an 8-3 season in 2023, going 7-2 in league play. The 'Dogs capped the season on a four-game winning streak, winning seven of their last eight overall. All three setbacks were one-score contests.

The Bulldogs have put together seven straight seasons with at least eight victories, including a 10-win season in 2019 and a program-record 11-win season in 2022, culminating with the school's first ever trip to the national quarterfinals. Wingate has made five NCAA play-off appearances in program history, with four of those coming since 2017. The 'Dogs are 63-20 overall and 43-12 in the SAC during that seven-year span, the most overall wins and league victories in the last seven seasons.

The biggest difference Bulldog fans will see in 2024 is Rashaan Jordan moving into the head coaching job after spending 18 years as the Wingate defensive coordinating, leading one of the most dominant defenses in the nation over the last several years. He takes over as the head coach after Joe Reich announced he would be taking over as the school's full-time Director of Athletics in November of 2023. "The biggest difference is the planning, the administration duties, some off that off-the-field stuff," Jordan says. "The football part of it has been business as usual. My biggest changes have just been focusing more on long-term projections, planning for the offseason, the summer, then into preseason camp. As far as when it comes to going out and coaching the team, we're keeping the structure and the same feel as the last two decades."

Along with the coaching staff, the on-field leaders will play a key role in this year's squad. Quarterback Brooks Bentley and wide receiver Carlos Estronza will be the leaders on offense as the offensive captains, with veteran linebacker Jaquan Edwards and defensive lineman Daniel Morrison serving as the defensive captains. "Those are standout leaders for our guys," Jordan says. "They bring the experience. They have the vocal leadership and the ability to lead by example."

The Bulldogs were picked second in the preseason SAC poll after a seventh straight season with eight or more wins. "Our guys are understanding that the expectations are there," Jordan says. "Expectations are one thing, production is another. They have embraced the intensity and the focus throughout camp. The SAC is a difficult conference and we have a challenging start to our schedule. It will take a lot of preparation and staying on track of what we do preparation-wise. We are looking forward to seeing what they can do."

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Reigning SAC Freshman of the Year Brooks Bentley will be the starter this season. He completed 66 percent of his passes last year, throwing for 1,834 yards and 13 touchdowns. Bentley led the nation in yards per pass attempt, while ranking seventh nationally in passing efficiency. He earned National Player of the Week accolades after throwing for 335 yards and three TDs in the win over #7 Lenoir-Rhyne, adding 37 rushing yards and a score. Noah Bell will serve as the backup. He threw for 642 yards and three touchdowns last year, completing 55-of-93 passes while adding 160 rushing yards and three scores.

"We are excited to see Brooks in year two, after such a great finish last year," Jordan says. "We are looking forward to his progression. He gives us a chance to create some big plays in passing game and adds a huge component to get chunk yardage. His ability to stretch the field is elite and is a huge factor for us. Noah has been a great leader for us for a long time, he'll do an admirable job when he's called upon. He did that last year, and we know he'll be an important part of what we do."

RUNNING BACK

The running back position is deep for the Bulldogs, led by O'Brien Barnett, Ethan Wallace and Corey Siemer, along with a slew of younger players looking to see time. Barnett ran for 188 yards in six games last year, scoring four touchdowns. Siemer had 388 rushing yards and five touchdowns last year, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Wallace appeared in three games, going for 5.9 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown.

"With O'Brien and Corey, we've got some good, hard-nosed athletes that are tough runners, but are still different physically," Jordan says. "Ethan got some time as a freshman last year and has done some great stuff in camp. He's another bigger back with a unique running style and has some speed. We also have some other younger guys that should see some time as well."

OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line is led by three preseason All-SAC honorees, including Porfirio Acosta at center. In addition, Erwil Anthony and Blake Martin are preseason all-conference selections. The group helped Wingate rank third in the SAC in scoring offense and total offense last year.

"We return a really good and experienced group at offensive line," Jordan says. "They bring a nice cohesiveness to the team. They do a good job opening up run lanes and are great at protecting Brooks. It is a veteran unit that we can depend on this year."

WIDE RECEIVER

The receiving group will be led by Evan McCray and Carlos Estronza, along with Trevor Bryan and a solid mixture of young talent. McCray had 43 receptions for 520 yards and two touchdowns last year, including the game-winning 75-yard score in the final minute of the LR win. Estronza had 17 catches for 263 yards last seasons, going for 15.5 yards per reception.

"The receiving group looks a little different," Jordan says. "Evan and Carlos are the leaders of the group, and Trevor is a great utility guy. It is a solid overall unit. We have some guys that are going to be new faces for a lot of our fans that we've gotten to watch and we're excited to see how they perform once the games start."

TIGHT END / FULLBACKS 

The tight end group is led by Matt Flanders, along with Austin Cain. Silas Tate leads the way as the fullback for the Bulldogs. Flanders had 16 catches for 201 yards and four touchdowns last year, ranking second on the team in TDs.

"We have a good, deep group at tight end," Jordan says. "Silas does the dirty work for us at the fullback spot and has good physicality. Matt saw some good time at tight end last season, he's in the forefront. Austin been around a while and is fighting back from injuries. We are looking for big things from him."

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

The defensive line is perhaps the strongest unit on the team. Wingate ranked fourth in the nation in sacks and eighth in tackles for loss last year, while ranking sixth in the nation in scoring defense and 11th in total defense. The group is led by consensus first team All-American Marquise Fleming, the reigning SAC and Region Defensive Player of the Year. Fleming led the nation in sacks, while ranking fifth in tackles for loss.

Fellow defensive linemen Daniel Morrison and Bryan Bordeaux joined Fleming on the preseason All-SAC squad. Morrison was second on the team with six sacks and nine tackles for loss, while Bordeaux had seven TFLs and a pair of sacks. Jonathen Cross contributed 6.5 tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks, while Darius Randolph added five TFLs and a pair of sacks.

"We're very talented up front," Jordan says. "That is a deep unit, and we have the luxury of Marquise returning as an All-American, with almost 30 sacks the last two years. Kai Russell is very athletic, just hasn't had a huge opportunity due to injuries, so we are excited to get him a chance. Bryan and Daniel are also great, coming off big years for us. Darius is another guy who was big for us last year, and has been even better in camp. Jonathen is another good one, we just have so much depth on the line. There's even more guys behind them that are also good players we are looking to give some opportunities to."

LINEBACKER

The linebacker group will be led by 2023 All-SAC honoree Dontorian Best along with 2022 all-conference selection Jaquan Edwards. Best was second on the team with 61 tackles last year, notching four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks to go along with a pass break-up. Edwards returns after missing last season due to injury. In 2022, Edwards piled up 87 tackles including 10 tackles for loss while adding an interception.

"Getting Jaquan back is so big, he's such a veteran leader for us," Jordan says. "It's an impressive group at linebacker, Dontorian was an All-SAC player, Jaquan has been too. They're both tough, physical, athletic, and are great at getting around the football. Diego Aviles is another impressive athlete coming along and growing. Ryan Green and David Squires saw significant time last year. Depth wise, we have the ability to go three-deep at the position, with some veterans and a good, young group in the mix."

SECONDARY

The secondary will have a mixture of veterans and newcomers. Mark Burks will lead the way at safety, collecting 17 tackles with a pass break-up and two fumble recoveries last year. Dequan Mosley returns after notching 23 tackles, two interceptions and a pair of break-ups. Khalil Saunders registered 22 tackles including a sack last year. They will join a mixture of newcomers at the position.

"We have several new names in the secondary," Jordan says. "Mark is the big returner, he has plenty of experience and does a great job controlling things back there. Tory Kelly is a physical, fast guy that does a great job in the run game. Dequan is another very productive player that has a good nose for the ball, and is super instinctual. Khalil is a guy in our safety room who played significant time and will provide veteran leadership and depth. We feel good about the safeties. Our transfer Omar Ba has been another guy we have been impressed with in camp."

The cornerback position will be a new-looking group, led by Bryant University transfer CJ McGarity along with sophomore Joseph Reddish. J'Von Mack and Derrick Witherspoon will also play key roles at cornerback, with Jaden White and Tavarus Short contributing at the rover spot.

"At the corner spot, we brought in CJ to bring in veteran leadership," Jordan says. "We have some younger guys with great athleticism that are starting to come into their own, they're looking to get a chance to play for the first time. It's a bit of a transition year at nickel, with Jaden moving into the role for us. We really like his athleticism and physicality in the running game. Tavarus has been with us a while and is another great athlete. We have good athleticism, we just need to gain some experience."

SPECIAL TEAMS

The placekicker will be Caleb Bonesteel, a first team All-SAC kicker a year ago that connected on 10 field goals including two field goals over 40 yards and four more of at least 30 years, while missing just four kicks on the year. He was a perfect 37-for-37 on extra points. Lawson Thorn will once again handle the kickoffs, notching 25 touchbacks in 59 kickoffs last season. Rivers Teeter will handle the punting, averaging 35.3 yards per punt last year, with Mason Suber also seeing time at the position, going for 35.3 yards per punt last season. Everett McLaughlin will continue to handle the long-snapping duties for the 'Dogs.

"Caleb was great at kicker last year, just super consistent," Jordan says. "He has been even better throughout camp this year and we know we can rely on him in big spots. Lawson has a huge leg and has been handling the kickoffs for us. Rivers has been doing majority of our punting. He has a good leg and we are hoping to see good things out of him. We can also still use Mason as well, anther guy that was solid for us last year, so we have some options. Everett has been great at the long-snapper position throughout his career, and just continues to grow."

SCHEDULE

After opening the season on the road at UNC Pembroke Saturday, the 'Dogs will have the next week off, returning to action Saturday, Sept. 14 against Delta State at 3 p.m. in the home opener. Wingate opens league play Sept. 21 at Carson-Newman, then returns home the following week to host Mars Hill on Family Weekend. Homecoming weekend is slated for Oct. 26, with the Bulldogs welcoming Catawba to town for a 3 p.m. kickoff. That is followed by a trip to preseason SAC favorite Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 2. Wingate wraps up the regular season Nov. 9, hosting Newberry at 1:30 p.m. on Senior Day.