| #107 UL Monroe Warhawks |
| #7 in Sun Belt |
Matt Viator is probably at the point of bowl or bust. It’s not as though UL Monroe has the richest history. They went to the Independence Bowl in 2012, in their lone bowl appearance. But even given that, in today’s era, who keeps their job after five bowl less season? The best news Viator got was that tight end Josh Pederson, his best offensive player, reconsidered and took his name back out of the transfer portal, after being heavily pursued by Florida State. The Warhawks had one of the most potent offenses in the FBS last year, tallying 460.9 yards per game on 6.4 ypp, both second best in the Sun Belt. They did so with a balanced attack, one of only five schools in the nation, along with Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson and Central Florida, to average at least 250 passing yards and 200 rushing yards a game. The problem was that offense only generated 31.6 ppg, due to a lousy kicking game and a 40% third down conversion rate. Repeating anything close to last year’s performance depends on the Joshes. Josh Pederson, as mentioned earlier, and tailback Josh Johnson, who finished second in the conference in both rushing yards per game (108.2) and per carry (6.5). Aside from that, it’s a lot of questions, starting with replacing Caleb Evans, the best quarterback in school history. The only returning quarterback on the roster is sophomore Colby Suits, who was 6 for 19 with 2 interceptions in 4 games last year. For that reason, Viator filled his 2020 class with additional options, bringing in three quarterbacks. The two true freshmen, both of whom are from Monroe, Louisiana, and neither of which had any other FBS offers, seem unlikely to contribute. JUCO transfer Jeremy Hunt, ranked as one of the top 15 JUCO quarterback transfers, should be a factor though. Hunt was someone to keep an eye on as a sophomore recruit out of Oak Park, Illinois, drawing interest from schools like Michigan and Ohio State. But an ankle injury in October of his junior season, which cost him the rest of the season, and the all-important junior summer camp tour, sort of derailed his recruitment. After a couple years at Trinity Valley Community College, he’s finally reached the FBS. He doesn’t have the running ability he possessed as a 15 year old, but the upside is too much to ignore. The graduation of Markis McCray means Jonathan Hodoh has a chance to explode on his 2019 finish. The rising senior had his four biggest games in the final 5 weeks of the season, with three 6 catch performances, and a 5 reception game. The defense has to get a lot better for this to mean anything. A year ago the Warhawks lost games where they scored 44 points, 33 points, 41 points, 29 points and 30 points. Teams got up early, and then just ran the ball over and over, 44.1 times per game. And why wouldn’t you, when Monroe surrendered 5.7 ypc, and the secondary, all things considered, was pretty solid. They should be even better this year, with Kansas State transfer Logan Wilson joining all-Sun Belt senior Corey Straughter, who led the conference in interceptions and passes defended, to form what should be a very good cornerback pairing.
| KEY PLAYERS |
| RB | Josh Johnson, Senior |
| WR | Jonathan Hodoh, Senior |
| TE | Josh Pederson, Senior |
| . |
| DE | Kerry Starks, Senior |
| CB | Corey Straughter, Senior |
| S | Tyler Glass, Senior |
