When times were lean in Georgetown football over the last two decades, which is just about every season, you could always count on the defense to keep things close. Will this be the case in 2022?
Defense has been a priority for three decades--each of its last thee head coaches came with a defensive coordinator's mind set. The defense neared a peak in 2018 and 2019 behind the likes of Khristian Tate, Wes Bowers, Ahmad Wilson, and Justin Fonteneaux, with Fonteneaux the last of the four still at Georgetown. The Georgetown defense of 2022 figures to take a step back in experience from its 2021 output, which sagged as the season went on.
Defensive Line
The Hoyas return six starters from 2021 and all three along the front line of what was a 3-3-5 set in 2021. Three veteran players figure to carry much of the load.
Graduate student Ibrahim Kamara anchors the line, seeing action in every games over the past three seasons. His productivity has improved each season, with 33 tackles, 5.5 TFL and two sacks in 2021, sixth on the team and leading all linemen. Tony Gyimah Jr and Isaiah Byrd combined for 44 tackles between them in nine games, but with only one sack between them on a Georgetown team that was last in the PL with 11 sacks, or just over one per game. By contrast, Holy Cross had 45 sacks last season.
Rushing defense is a priority for the line this season. The Hoyas gave up 197 yards on the ground per game in 2021 compared to just 140.5 in 2019, and allowed an average of 5.0 yards per carry, an unacceptable number if GU hopes to be competitive in 2022. With that in mind, a healthy year for DL Quincy Chinwuko is a must. A promising underclassman in 2019, Chinwuko was held to one game in 2021 before injury, with a fourth quarter fumble recovery that allowed GU to advance into overtime for the win over Delaware State.
Beyond these four, there's a lot of inexperience for the defensive line reserves. Sophomore Veron Garrison (six tackles in 2021) and junior Noah Gick (seven tackles) will challenge in third down sets, but with five freshmen on the roster competing for line positions, 2023 may be more realistic for them, increasing the need for the Hoyas' experience to step up in areas where it trailed in 2021.
Linebackers
The returning defensive line is experienced. The linebackers are not.
Fifth year LB Justin Fonteneaux is the only returning starter for Georgetown, and he will need help as the season progresses. Fonteneaux was second on the team in 2021 in tackles despite injuries which limited him to seven games, and he figures to be among the leaders at the conclusion of the season. Senior Jonathan Saddler (27 tackles) figures to compete for a starting role along with sophomore Stephen Sergio (14 tackles), but college level experience trails off after that.
One to watch may be sophomore Myles Jones. He played in only five games but contributed eight tackles and a TFL over those five games, and has the speed to play on the outside. Any injuries to the starters will escalate Jones and sophomore Jed Henry into the discussion.
Secondary
The defensive backfield was hard hit by graduation in 2021, with just two of the five starters returning in 2022. With Georgetown near the bottom of FCS in defensive pass efficiency in 2021, this figures to be a problem spot for GU entering the 2022 season.
Junior David Ealey III and senior Jovone Campbell and are returning starters from 2021. Ealey was third on the team in tackles in 2021 with 48, while Campbell contributed 27.
They will need immediate help from a trio expected to move into contention for starting roles: senior Khalil Saunders (nine games in 2021, 22 tackles), junior Rashon Adams Jr (seven games, 23 tackles) and 5th year grad student Resell Walton (four games, 13 tackles).
After that, a lot of questions. Georgetown is carrying 19 DB's, more than any in recent years. Three newcomers arrive via the transfer portal (Jamal Marshall from Abilene Christian, Kolubah Pewee Jr from Maine, and Cameron Nash from Army), but none have any experience at the college level. Three freshmen come from northeastern prep schools, not normally a source for freshman impact players at the Division I level. Georgetown was last in the PL in interceptions (four) in 2021 allowed opposing QB's an average of 62.4 percent passing in 2021. This secondary will be tested all season, especially from stronger PL teams such as Holy Cross, Fordham, and Colgate, and not for the better,.
Special Teams
Sophomore Conor Hunt's 2021 season was a notable one, finishing first in the PL in punting with a 41.7 yard average, fourth best in Georgetown history. It was ultimately transitory, as he transferred to Rice.
What's left is a collection of four players with limited punting skills largely seen except by the coaching staff. The Hoyas did pick up Nebraska junior Ryan Novosel from the portal, so he may be worth watching to see if he can contribute early. Though he saw no time with Cornhuskers as a preferred walk-on, his high school records was good enough to get a second look, and according to his bio was a top 100 kicker nationally in the 2020 recruiting class.
It's possible Georgetown will see different players at punter, place kicker, and on kickoffs. The Hoyas were last in the PL in kickoff yards and field goal accuracy in 2021 (7-12, 58.3%), and lost the Lafayette game outright on a blocked kick. Georgetown allowed a PL-worst 17.7 yards returns on kicks last fall for a net kickoff of just 32.5 yards. While kickoffs won't cost the Hoyas games, they can set up shorter fields for opponents, and that is a concern.
As returners go, Joshua Tomas is as good as any in recent years, and returns for his final season in 2022. Tomas averages 21.3 yards per kick and 8.6 per game per punt, but only has one return for a touchdown over three years. This seems the year to add to those numbers, despite hang times that have limited the ability to make much headway on punt returns.
Others expected to see time on returns are running backs Dorrian Moultrie and Naieem Kearney, who combined for six returns last season.
Coming Thursday: a Patriot League preview.
