The strongest part of our 2023 squad lost Marlem Louis, Aidan Murray, and Zander Barnett, but don’t think the 2024 squad won’t be ready because of it. Plenty of experience remains on this defensive front with some local, younger guys ready to make their mark.

Player Profiles

Jeremiah Grant – Jeremiah Grant – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Donovan Hoilette – Donovan Hoilette – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Carsen Stocklinski – Carsen Stocklinski – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Matei Fitz – Matei Fitz – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Camden Byrd – Camden Byrd – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

TJ Baldwin – TJ Baldwin – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Elijah McMillan – Elijah McMillan – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Zion Bryson – Zion Bryson – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Thaos Figaro – Thaos Figaro – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Norwid Desir – Norwid Desir – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Jamar Hodges – Jamar Hodges – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Daniel Sellers – Daniel Sellers – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Braxton Lassiter – Braxton Lassiter – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Colin Freer – Colin Freer – Football – University of Richmond Athletics (richmondspiders.com)

Defensive Tackles

The pass rushers will get plenty of coverage this season, so let’s start with an underappreciated group. There are a few positions in football that are in the running for the most thankless, and defensive tackle is definitely in the mix. The turnaround from where this position group stood just two years ago is credit to one of the best coaching jobs I’ve seen, and they’ve been a foundational piece of why UR has found itself playing December football the past two seasons.

Go back to 2022. Aidan Murray gets hurt over the summer, and the Spiders suddenly enter the year with Ray Eldridge as the only proven DT. Carsen Stocklinski has just moved over from offensive line, and Matei Fitz is newly on campus after redshirting in Harrisonburg the season before. No veteran guys to turn to, just two brand new collegiate players to fill out the interior rotation of a playoff hopeful team. Fitz and Stocklinski ended up exceeding everyone’s expectations, and as we fast forward to 2024 the Spiders now enter with two veteran players anchoring this D-line.

Last season, both guys ranked in the top 50 of FCS DTs in terms of run defense. They’ll continue to anchor this strong UR front, and although Marlem Louis and Aidan Murray got plenty of attention in years past, you don’t have two straight seasons of a top 2 CAA/top 25 FCS run defense without reliable pieces in the middle.

Their individual rankings are solid, but nothing better exemplifies the impact #5 and #44 (both new numbers in 2024) have had on the Spiders the past two seasons than the numbers above. As we enter 2024, both will be starters and key contributors to UR maintaining their solid run defense and overall excellent play on the defensive line.

Rotations

One of the keys to our success on the D-line is maintaining consistent rotations, so while Fitz and Stocklinski are the clear top 2 guys, we’ll need at least a #3 again in 2024. In steps TJ Baldwin, a R-Fr. from local Benedictine.

If you go back and watch Coach Huesman’s post spring game interview, his first post practice interview, and a few others in between, no underclassman’s name gets mentioned more than TJ Baldwin. The staff could not be higher on Baldwin, and with good reason. At 6′ 1″, 290 lbs. he’s already got the size to play against CAA offensive lines, and in the few snaps he got last season he showed he can be a force in the middle. I’m always partial to local recruits, and when they’ve got a chance to make an impact this early in their career it’s pretty special.

Richmond has been very consistent in how they manage snaps on the defensive line, and I think we can use prior years to get a good idea of what this season will look like.

Remember, there are typically two DTs on each play so the totals add up to roughly 200%, not 100%.

Snaps counts will never go exactly to plan, but we’ve seen a clear plan established that’s led to success. A three-man rotation that helps keep our guys in the flow of the game, but also well rested. Ray Eldrige was a workhorse in playing 90% of the snaps in 2022, so I think the 2023 numbers paint a better picture of what our “ideal” snap count distribution looks like.

My best guess would be Fitz and Stocklinski playing about 70% of the snaps, with TJ Baldwin landing somewhere around 55%. If we end up in that ballpark, I think the Spiders are a top CAA/FCS defensive line in the interior once again.

Defensive Ends

The overall highest rated UR defensive end the past two years? Jeremiah Grant. The highest rated UR defensive end against the run the past two years? Jeremiah Grant. 1st team All-CAA selection Marlem Louis received most of the spotlight in the past, but 2024 is Grant’s turn to lead this group. #2 (new number) enters his senior season with eight career sacks and 22.5 TFLs, having been a staple of this strong UR D-line since 2022. He was a top 25 DE both overall and as a pass rusher in 2023, despite missing multiple games. In 2022, he was 4th against the run and 6th overall amongst all DEs with 600+ snaps, showing he’s been incredibly valuable to this unit.

The difficult part in looking at his numbers is how often he moves around. The past two seasons we’ve seen Grant shift to the interior on 3rd downs, allowing another UR pass rusher to rush the edge, and to give a DT an extra snap on the sidelines. With that, he’ll never have the same numbers you’d typically see from a top pass rusher, yet his production still remains high.

He sat out the spring but looks fully healthy so far in camp, so for me how we utilize him is the only unknown entering September. If we see Grant exclusively work on the edge, I wouldn’t be shocked with some Marlem Louis like stats. If he continues to shift inside, the stats might not pop as much, but his value only rises further.

Rotations

Like defensive tackle, we’ve seen a pattern from the defensive ends.

Again, totals are near 200%, not 100% – Also, any data I could find didn’t include Hoilette’s snaps as a 3rd down pass rusher, so his 2022/2023 numbers aren’t included.

Had it not been for both Grant and Barnett missing time with injuries in 2023, we’d likely have seen a three-man rotation once again. What that means for 2024 is increased roles for Donovan Hoilette and Camden Byrd.

Donovan Hoilette is a familiar face in this spot, getting plenty of 3rd down snaps as an edge rusher, however he hasn’t been a full time DE until now. Coach Wood said after the spring game he wants Hoilette to play at around 240 lbs. this year, up from the 210 he’s been listed at previously. He doesn’t look too far off from that right now, however how he holds up throughout the season will be the big test. He’ll face a lot more run action than he’s seen, and I’m sure teams will be more willing to run towards his side than Grant’s. There are no doubts about his pass rushing ability, however his ability to play the entire role of a defensive end will be a big thing to watch early on.

The good news is that a pure defensive end is ready to play the #3 role. If there was one bright spot from Grant and Barnett sitting out some snaps in 2023, it was that Camden Byrd got valuable game reps in his redshirt freshman season. Byrd, from local Patrick Henry High School, played just over 200 snaps for the Spiders last year and really started to come on strong. In that short time, he racked up two sacks, 3.5 TFLs, and a forced fumble. He showed his awareness and athleticism for the position with his spring game ending pick-6, and that’s exactly what the Spiders need in his role.

Ultimately the Spiders are in a fantastic spot in the trenches once again. Veterans like Grant, Fitz, and Stocklinski will play the biggest roles, but don’t be shocked when some younger guys step in and start to make a name for themselves.

Next Post

2024 Position Group Preview: Running Backs – Monday, August 12th