PSAC West Division #8: Seton Hill Griffins

Head Coach: Isaac Collins, 1-10 (2nd year)
Defensive Coordinator: Gerard Wilcher
Offensive Coordinator: Charles Eger

Top returning players: LB Tyler Zimmer, QB Andrew Jackson, RB/QB/WR Jarvis McClam, QB/TE Nick Halfhill

The upside: The roster is much deeper than a year ago
The downside: There aren't many winnable games on the slate



Analysis
Changing conferences is a difficult task. Leaving behind a schedule a of familiar foes and taking on a set of teams that the program has never faced before is really hard to do. We've seen this quite frequently in Division I in recent years and it's been hard even for traditionally strong programs like TCU, Utah and West Virginia. There is no prior history with the conference opponents, no films to breakdown matchups, no familiarity with facilities and logistics...the list goes on and it can be tough to adjust to week in and week out. The job is made even more difficult when the team is coming off a winless season and a coaching change. That was the situation for Seton Hill last year, and the results were what you might expect.

The good news for the Griffins is that they did the close out the year on a high note with a hard earned victory at Cheyney in the season finale. It was the program's first win since October 26, 2011. It may not seem like much, but it is a very important step in the building process and one only needs to look at Lock Haven to see how much it can help to finally get over the hump and a notch a W.

Heading into year two in the PSAC and under head coach Isaac Collins, the Griffins should be in much better shape as a roster. The biggest problem they faced last year was depth, and not just in terms of talent. Seton Hill was way down on numbers (at season's end, the roster had just 49 players listed) and numerous injuries only compounded the problem. Collins has addressed that with aggressive recruiting and by signing a mixture of incoming high school athletes and mid-year players. The Griffins will open camp with more than 80 players. New defensive coordinator Gerard Wilcher is also a fine addition and comes to Seton Hill after a 10 year stint as a defensive assistant at Division I Lehigh.

In the spring, Collins told me that one of the shortcomings he saw last year with his team was lack of competition at every position, so as the roster is built up, look for Collins to create a more competitive culture in the program. And why not? The Griffins will be well-served to take a "no one's job is safe mentality." Well, almost. One guy's job is certainly safe and that is LB Tyler Zimmer. Zimmer is a tackling machine and a natural leader that could be an All American. He will be the rock of the defense, which played well at times last year. The secondary could get a huge lift with three incoming transfers with Juco experience. If they can successfully integrated into the program, the defense should be quite a bit stronger, and deeper as well. The defensive line is still a big question mark though.

Offensively, incoming transfers will add a lot to the quarterback and running back positions. It won't be just transfers in the mix though. QB Andrew Jackson missed all of 2013 with an injury but had a very promising season in 2012. He will be back to compete with redshirt freshman Christian Strong and Juco transfer Dan Pietrangelo (ASA). Jackson is probably the best athlete of the three and appears to be the favorite to open the season. He could be used elsewhere in the lineup if Strong or Piertrangelo earn the starting QB role. The most important thing to note is the depth. After Jackson's injury last year, the Griffins had to get creative at the position. This year, they should have multiple players to step in.

At running back, Khalil Howards returns after an abbreviated 2013 season, and will battle for time with three incoming transfers, led by Brandon Stout who averaged 5.8 yards per carry last year at ASA Junior College. The influx of freshman and transfer talent also allows one of the Griffins' top players from a year ago - Jarvis McClam - to return to his natural position at receiver, along side returning starters Norman Darden (30 catches, 490 yards) and Erik Kerns (24 catches, 266 yards). Nick Halfhill is converting from QB to TE, which is good move by Collins to get another talented athlete on the field.

Outlook