Playing 17 first-year players last year gave Central State head football coach Kevin Porter an idea of the talent level he was working with.
It also showed him that experience was indeed a good teacher.
“Starting that many freshmen and first-year guys is always tough,” Porter said of the Marauders’ 3-7 finish in 2022. “Our kids played hard, and now we’re adding some older guys that will do great things for us.”
CSU’s season started with a bang, defeating Winston-Salem State 41-21 at the HBCU Hall of Fame Classic in Canton, Ohio, but then lost three straight, including two one-possession losses to Lincoln (Pa.) and Bluefield State of the CIAA.
“We felt like we were in a place where we had opportunities. Some of the youth hurt us in spots in the 4th quarter,” Porter said. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing, push ourselves over the top, and get into the top of the conference.”
Helping the Marauders’ case will be a solid returning core, including redshirt sophomore linebacker Jalil Lenore, who led the SIAC and placed fifth in all Division II in total tackles (113).
Offensively, Central State has a pair of receivers who can make big plays. Brandon Brock and Micah Lowe each caught 40 or more passes in 2022, most of those coming from quarterback Brandon Kyles, the SIAC’s top-ranked passer in yards per game (215) last season. Kicker Jose Chaires was among the SIAC’s top placekickers and punters a season ago, and Porter expects him to help the Marauders win the field possession battle.
Central State was picked ninth among 13 teams in the SIAC’s new single-division format, one Porter accepts as the new way of life in the conference.
“I’ve been in the SIAC since 2016, so I’m kind of an East-West guy,” he says. “We understand that nothing changes for us. You have to be prepared. You still play everyone. Everybody else in the conference understands if you lose a couple that, you won’t get an opportunity at the end to play for the championship. We understand what we’re faced with and act accordingly.”
Even with a change in schedule and format, Porter believes this Central State team has the potential to be a contender. How they’ll get there comes down to one word.
“It comes down to consistency,” he said. “We have to be a disciplined football team that understands the stakes every week. Last year, we learned some lessons. We won our first game, and it was the first time CSU had won their first game in 5-6 years. It took us three weeks to get back together mentally and focused. We’re in a good spot. We just have to keep pushing, adding good kids and families, and make sure our kids understand that the expectations at Central State are very high.”
