FORT WAYNE – As the head coach for a dozen seasons, Kevin Donley has long been a proponent of ensuring that his football players get an education during their stay at Saint Francis. It’s just that he doesn’t want them to be too proficient in history.
“Last year was last year,” Donley says.
Last year was a 7-3 year – amazingly the second-worst record in Cougars history, with the first season of Saint Francis football in 1998 being the worst at 2-8.
The school that played in three successive NAIA championship games from 2004 to 2006 didn’t qualify for the NAIA playoffs last season.
So in dissecting the reasoning behind Saint Francis switching from a base 4-4 defense to a 3-3, Donley insists the three losses in the team’s last four games was not the cause of the change.
“I believe you have to match your personnel with your system and not try to adapt what you have with what you do,” Donley said.
Instead of four down defensive linemen, with two space-eating nose tackles flanked by quarterback-seeking ends, the Cougars will have one nose and two ends up front to go with three linebackers (sometimes four, sometimes five) and the secondary.
With nine defensive starters gone from last year, that leaves safety Jordan Wise and defensive tackle Bryan Hardister as the only starters returning.
Hence, the defensive switch.
“If there’s any time for an overhaul of what you do, it’s when you graduate a bunch of starters,” Donley said.
But all is not lost.
While starters may not be aplenty, talent and speed seems to be in abundance – one of whom being senior Devron Robinson, the former Heritage standout who goes from outside linebacker to inside.
“I’m a hammer back, and I’m going to be more inside,” Robinson said. “I don’t have containment and I don’t have to cover receivers as much. I’m going to have run responsibility more.”
It’s a position that will match Robinson’s style more, defensive coordinator Warren Maloney said.
“He’s a violent player, and he’ll hit you,” Maloney said.
Robinson wanted to go inside last year, but he was needed more to provide depth as an outside linebacker.
This time, the inside is his.
“I can honestly say I like it,” Robinson said.
“They’re saying I’m going to be the unblocked guy, so I’m going to be flying into these running backs, like a headhunter, almost.”
With two-a-days beginning today, Robinson, Wise and Hardister are the only seniors on the tentative first-team depth chart.
All the other listed starters are sophomores.
“We can run,” Donley says.
“We’ve got good speed. This may be the best overall team speed. That’s the positive. I think the other positive is that we’ve got some kids who are hungry and want to make the bus to make the starting lineup. We’re interviewing. Jobs are available.
“The other side is there’s not much game experience.
“That’s the downside. It’s our job to get them in the right spot and turn ‘em loose.”
