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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Monmouth football opens fall camp with 'purpose' and lots of potential
WEST LONG BRANCH -- Monmouth football had a new coach and almost an entirely new starting offense when they hit the practice field to embark on the 2026 season on Thursday, but the expectations haven't changed for the Hawks .
Despite losing the weapons that accounted for 73% of the production for the top offense in the country at the FCS level, Monmouth was chosen as the second team in the Coastal Athletic Association preseason rankings behind only the defending conference champion Rhode Island.
Most teams undergoing this level of change are not burdened with expectations, but it's a testament to the growth of the Monmouth program and the respect for the transition from formerly the longest-tenured coach in Division I to a longtime assistant that was a mastermind behind the Hawks' gaudy offensive production. Good or bad, the Hawks remain indifferent to outside assessments.
"You always want to focus on execution over expectations," first-year head coach Jeff Gallo said. "It'll come down to how well we execute what we do. That is what's important. Expectations are—it's all about how you execute. And we always say, we're performance over perception."
3 big takeaways from Monmouth football coaching change to Jeff Gallo
Gallo is adamant about instilling a spirit of competition across the roster as he takes the reigns from the only other coach in school history, Kevin Callahan. It was a transition years in the making, but undercut by tragedy just a month before fall camp was scheduled to begin. First-year defensive coordinator Lou DiRienzo Jr. died suddenly on June 27, a massive loss on a human level and from a football standpoint.
"We're going to find a purpose in this by how we work," Gallo said. "We're gonna honor him and we're gonna rally and that's what were gonna do. I think our team's in that headspace of, how we play will be how we honor him ."
Despite the toll of that loss, the defense appeared to have carried forward the momentum from spring practices into the first day of fall by generally dictating the tempo in team periods. But there's still a long way to go before the team opens the season on the road against Tennessee Tech on Aug. 29. The matter of expectations will be settled on the field, and that field will have a new name at Kessler Stadium. More on that announcement and other key takeaways from the first practice of Monmouth football's fall camp.
Competition everywhere, including at quarterback
After stretches and warmups were finished, Monmouth set the tone for practice appropriately with a tug of war. First up was offensive lineman Michael Petito winning a hard-fought duel against defensive lineman Avery Barnes. The message of competition didn't need repeating.
Although there is a hierarchy of experience in terms of allocating reps because scheme familiarity is at a premium in early practices, there was a concerted effort to work in a variety of different players in the team period. More defined positional battles will emerge as camp progresses, but it does extend to the most prominent position on the field.
Returning redshirt-sophomore quarterback Frankie Weaver is not guaranteed the starting role even after performing well in six games last year (five starts) with 1,355 passing yards and 14 touchdowns to three interceptions. He is also one of the team's three captains, which reflects his pole position in the battle against redshirt freshman Brad Seiss. But both players were splitting first team reps in the spring and it was a similar case on Thursday.
Although physically similar passers, they are stylistically pretty different. Weaver's command of the offense is clear and he's always excelled at throwing intermediate routes, something that really shined in game action last fall. Seiss has more pocket mobility and is a bit more of a gunslinger, which can be especially evident when he dials up the deep ball or rips a tight-window throw.
It's always a fun storyline to have a competition at the quarterback position, but Weaver has shown meaningful improvement in key areas in addition to being a proven player in game action. His deep ball has looked a lot sharper as he seems to be in better sync with the receiving group now that he's had a full offseason. And with virtually an entirely new offensive line this fall, Weaver's understanding of protection and pocket presence seems like the key differentiator.
Locked in and reloaded
Even though last year's roster was loaded with talent and sent seven players to the FBS level, the athletic depth in this year's group felt palpable in the first fall practice. Monmouth technically only returns two starters, but the flashes of brilliance from last year's second-team players was enough that they enter the new campaign expected to make a big leap.
Marcus Middleton is the clearest example, as the 6-foot-3 and 230-pound tight end is a preseason first team All-CAA selection after relatively modest production (12 catches for 142 yards). But he became a reliable blocker even as he's an explosive athlete with huge upside in the receiving game.
"You see in the NFL now, they're throwing the ball to the tight ends more," Middleton said. "I know with my athletic ability, I can do a lot. So we're just trying to use that to invest in my ability."
The Hawks have a stable of tight ends to potentially utilize in different packages. In addition to Middleton is Ocean Township product Shane Garrett, a terrific H-Back in a similar mold to last year's starting tight end Jack Neri. They also added Greg Genross, a 6-foot-7 pass catcher who spent last year at West Virginia. And there's plenty more young depth that could produce a breakout player.
"We've got a lot of new guys, a lot of young guys, but we're all hungry. We're all ready to work,"...
MonmouthWEST LONG BRANCHHawksDespiteFCSCoastal Athletic AssociationRhode IslandMostDivision IGoodJeff GalloExpectations
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