2021 Georgetown Football Preview

The operative word for Georgetown football 2021? Patience.

By the fourth of September, the Hoyas will not have played a game in 651 days, or 21 months and 12 days since a 24-0 loss at Holy Cross on November 23, 2019. Nearly half the roster (48 players) weren't even at Georgetown in 2019, much less playing on the team.

This is as much as building year as a rebuilding one. The return of 14 grad students has been invaluable to the cause, but they will join 22 seniors that won't be here in 2022, so with competing in 2021 there will be a close look at bringing up the next generation to the forefront.

 Each side of the ball has their own challenges in this regard, but the strength of the last two recruiting classes provides not only hope, but promise. With this in mind, the 2021 positional previews:

Quarterback

Georgetown enters 2021 with a record seven QB's on the depth chart, though it's likely no more than two may see significant time this season.

The return by fifth year senior Joseph Brunell makes him the favorite for the September 4 opener versus Marist. Brunell played in portions of eight games in 2019 behind Gunther Johnson, throwing for 607 yards, with a 146 yard effort at Columbia being a season high. He has the experience as it relates to Rob Spence's offense, but the tradeoff is that an established senior quarterback all season does not move up GU's  next generation of quarterbacks. Senior Lorenzo Linsey has passed for just 4 yards in two seasons and fellow senior Jack Elliott has not seen any action. Juniors Pierce Holley and Tyler Knoop have not seen significant action under center, while sophomore Connor Katz and freshman Dorian Nowell are new to college football entirely.

Nowell may well be the future at quarterback, as he is arguably the highest ranked prospect in the position for the Hoyas since Nick Cangelosi in 2004. But Georgetown has been hesitant to rush freshman QB's into battle, so Brunell seems the solid pick to start the season.  One thing to watch will be if Brunell can extend the field with more medium and long range passes, something that Georgetown's offensive line has not always been able to support. The Hoyas' passing game was fourth in the PL in 2019 but last in scoring, in part due to a -8 in turnover margin.

Ball control and ball protection should be two of the skills Brunell can bring to the Hoyas' offense this fall.

Running Back

The Rob Spence offense has long been based on passing, but in 2021 some of its better options may be in the backfield.

Georgetown has only four running backs on the 2021 roster but each is capable of getting things done. Junior Joshua Stakely and senior Herman Moultrie combined for 783 yards over nine games last season, though both fell victim to injuries towards the end of the season. Stakely is dangerous in the open field while Moultrie was more of a short-distance runner in 2019, with seven rushing touchdowns and no more than 15 yards on a  carry all season. Both can add to the offense from game one.

Fifth year senior Jackson Saffold, with seven starts over the prior two seasons, should provide depth as well. Freshman Naieem Kearney is the only newcomer on the depth chart, and his 15.8 yard per carry in high school is a tempting number, but that is tempered by how much a of a beating Georgetown's runners can take at the college level.

Georgetown may be using single back sets for much of the 2021 season but the versatility at quarterback may open options for a pistol formation, or even to have a second quarterback (Linsey) in the backfield. Traditionally, Georgetown's lack of depth on the offensive line has limited its running game, so the ability of the O-line to manage the line of scrimmage will determine how much Georgetown can rely on its backfield.

Offensive Line

So who's back across the line?

Well, some good news. Four of the starting five lineman from 2019 return in 2021 (T.J. Thomas, Neil Azar, Daniel Horne, and Theron Cooper) , with seniors Mac Hollensteiner and Josh Stevens as candidate to move up to the starting role at tackle. It also figures to be among the larger lines in recent years for the Hoyas, with four of the returning five at over 300 pounds.

Of the 17 candidates in the OL, four are juniors and eight are newcomers, so there are some interesting candidates in each. Juniors Sam Telesa and Talati Polamalu have the opportunity to step right into action, while the entire freshman and sophomore classes will be looking to establish themselves in the depth chart.

The Hoyas figure to stay with experience, given the defensive sets among other PL teams that had the spring season to see action. Had the 2021 seniors not returned, it would have been a far different outlook to get the line ready for the season. This is a good group and a deep one.

Tight End

Like the fullback before him, the changes in football formations are slowly but inexorably marginalizing the tight end. With the loss of Isaac Schley to a fifth year at Sam Houston State, GU brings five candidates to camp, led by grad student Zach Jewell, with two catches for nine yards in 2019.  Freshman Harrison Greenslade and sophomore Graham Hill may see more time on special teams in 2021 but figure to be competing with upperclassmen Chris Autino and Liam McHale for what has become a limited role as passing yards go. Autino, at 6-7, could be an option in short yardage passing situations.

Wide Receiver

The 2021 Hoyas will go as far as their receivers take them, with 12 candidates in camp vying for starting roles. One stands at the top: Joshua Tomas.

Tomas had an outstanding 2019 season, leading the team in receptions (53-709), punt returns (14-259) and kickoff returns (14-184). An option at back, Tomas has 246 yards and two touchdowns as a rusher but has been most impactful as a drop-off receiver that can gain yards after the catch. He was especially effective early in the season, but has the experience to help Georgetown in third and fourth yard conversions, where the Hoyas were just 36 percent effective on either down.

There are a lot of newcomers to consider at receiver but GU may be as comfortable staying with the veterans, at least early in the season: senior Cameron Crayton (32-331) and grad student Skyler Springs (9-87) are two good options. If these three stay healthy, they should see the majority of time unless one of the freshman absolutely takes over the minicamp.  More likely, its a preparatory year for them.

Defensive Line

Were this 2020, Georgetown's defensive depth would have been as formidable as any GU team in the last two decades. But in 2021, graduations have taken its toll and there is a lot of rebuilding ahead on the defensive line.

From a team which combined for 872 tackles last season, its four returning linemen combined for just 96 of them, with eight of the team's 28 overall sacks from 2019. Ibrahim Kamara ( 30 tackles, 4 sacks) is the only returning starter on the line, but finished just 12th in overall tackles at defensive end, seeing action in all 11 games last season. Veterans Quincy Chinwuko (37 tackles, 5 TFL), Kingsley Umemba (18 tackles, 2 sacks) and Isaiah Byrd (11 tackles) figure to move into starting roles early in the season, while juniors Tony Gyimah and Tyler Jones combined for just four tackles in limited play last season. With nine newcomers arriving without college experience, GU has to go with its veterans to anchor the line until the younger players step up.

Linebacker

A similar story is found at linebacker, with grad student Owen Kessler (41 tackles, 8 TFL) the only returning starter. Senior Justin Fonteneaux, who saw time behind Wes Bowers but finished third on the team in tackles (55), is a likely candidate to anchor the linebackers, along with seniors Palmer Nix and David Owens and junior Jonathan Saddler. This does figure to be a role where more underclassmen may be called into action later this season, with freshmen Jed Henry and Myles Jones as candidates to make the two-deep by season's end. The lack of experience may hurt GU with run-heavy teams, however.

Secondary

Twenty three different players arrived at Georgetown this August with the "DB" tag, nearly one in four players. With three returning starters, those positions appear solid, but there are still opportunities for competition.

Grad student Ahmad Wilson is the team's returning leader in the secondary, with 62 tackles, three TFL's, and one interception as a junior in 2019, second best among all players that season. Fellow safety Roemello Walton was fourth in 2019 with 49 tackles. The secondary will also be supported by grad student Jonathan Honore, whose 25 solo tackles in 2019 is second only to Walton among returnees.

The cornerback position formerly held by Cameron Deen will have some competition. Seniors Zaire Webb and Micah McNeil will be contributors this season as Georgetown may need to rely on veterans more than usual this season.

Special Teams

P/K Brad Hurst ended his Georgetown career third all-time in punts and punting yardage, leaving one senior and three newcomers to battle for the available role. Senior Davis Walker, who appeared in there games, is the best returning option. A combination of freshman Patrick Ryan, sophomore Conor Hunt, and sophomore Richard Abood may see time on kickoffs if Walker can lock down the place kicking option.

Joshua Tomas and Cameron Crayton are likely to be the team's go-to options for returns.

 The Schedule

 As the only Patriot League team not to have practiced or competed in 2020-21, Georgetown enters the 2021 season at a disadvantage. However, three of its first four games involved opponents who were similarly affected last season, so any issues of rust will be, at best, a non-factor.

That Georgetown is able to successfully compete against full scholarship PL schools is one part a credit to Georgetown and one part that the PL as a whole has been in comparative decline for the last six or seven years. The exception has been Holy Cross, which aims in 2021 to become the first PL team to win three consecutive titles outright in 30 years (1989 through 1991) when the Crusaders still had scholarship players on the rosters and the others didn't. The Hoyas' game at Worcester on Oct. 16 will be its toughest of the season, but GU should be sufficiently competitive with any of the other PL schools at this point.

Two games outside the PL/Ivy/Pioneer bubble should be of interest this season: one game early in the season (Delaware State) an one to end the season (Morgan State). Both are good opportunities  to see where the Hoyas are against intersectional competition, and where they are at the conclusion of 2021. There may be some bumps along the way but the Hoyas may be setting the foundation for a stronger program over the next two to four years as a result.