The McAlary Effect

[djp73]

this was a good choice. Unis should be fire. fun conf. I like it

Uniforms definitely a factor. Fun conference for sure. Great starting point for J Mac

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
An offseason as “Team 133”: Peering into Kenni Burns’ rebuild at Kent State
Burns uses last year’s shortcomings as motivation to turn Kent State into a winning program.
By Steve Helwick | @s_helwick | May 10, 2024, 2:51pm EDT



Starting with a sweatshirt

A 56-6 loss to UCF. A 53-10 defeat to Fresno State. A 49-19 thrashing from Bowling Green. And worst of all, an agonizing 31-27 November heartbreaker to arch-rival Akron which featured a squandered 17-point lead.

Those four losses stood out in the 2023 campaign to first-year head coach Kenni Burns in a season full of them.

The Kent State Golden Flashes finished 1-11, holding the dual indignity of failing to win multiple games and failing to win against fellow FBS competition — thus cementing its place as the No. 133 team in the country.

Rather than forget about the trials and tribulations of a futile 1-11 season, Burns chose to embrace it.

Each of those results became a piece of navy blue thread, stitched into a yellow-gold sweatshirt. That navy blue thread embroidered six digits and one hyphen onto the sweatshirt, and when the final product was present, it contained an unmistakable message. The first two lines of the sweatshirt read “Kent State” and “Football.” But the blue stitches added two more lines — one that said “1-11” and another that said “133.”

Burns debuted the sloganeered sweater in January during winter workouts and it received plenty of intrigue upon its reveal.

“I didn’t know it was gonna get out, but it did with social media and other stuff,” Burns said. “What that was, was just about ownership. We couldn’t run away from what we had done previously this year. We had to own it and it starts with me as a head coach owning it — owning the deficiencies we had last year, where we fell short, and understanding we were ranked 133, last team in the country. It is what it is, but you can’t run away from it as a competitor. You have to learn from it and grow from it and constantly be reminded daily that we don’t want to go there again. We have enough talent I believe to not go there again.”

Burns understands what the pinnacle of success in the Mid-American Conference looks like, serving as the running backs coach for Western Michigan in 2016 during their 13-1 Cotton Bowl run. To this day, that Western Michigan team is still the last from the MAC to complete an undefeated regular season and qualify for a New Year’s Six bowl.

Burns is a longtime disciple of P.J. Fleck, serving as an assistant under him on both that 2016 Western Michigan squad and at Minnesota from 2017-22. Fleck always reiterated the importance of using your past experiences to create a more successful future, a mantra which Burns utilizes at Kent State. Just like Fleck navigated adversity through a 1-11 season at Western Michigan in 2013 as a first-time head coach, Burns looks to find motivational tactics in order to do the same.

“It was more of a motivation — not just for the team, but for myself as well — to be consistent in my coaching and to teach and demand the way they have to play and perform, and also, letting them know that even though we’re getting better as a football team, don’t let them forget our past,” Burns said of the sweatshirt. “We’ve got to embrace our past to create our future. We embraced it, the guys took it, and weren’t embarrassed by it. They learned from it. We were constantly reminded of last year and how we don’t want to go down that road again. So when guys were struggling to get motivated, we found ways to get inspired by my sweatshirt, and I thought the guys really embraced it.”



This isn’t Burns’ first offseason as head coach of Kent State. Last year, he took the reins after his predecessor Sean Lewis unexpectedly departed for the Colorado offensive coordinator gig. As with most head coaching changes in the modern era of the transfer portal, the transition spurred a mass exodus of Golden Flashes in the transfer portal. When Burns arrived, he was left with just three returning starters on defense and zero on offense. But this offseason with more significant retention and a more veteran roster, the second-year head coach can take a different approach in his teaching methods.

“Last spring, we were teaching guys how to do things — how to do things the way we wanted them done,” Burns said. “This year, they know how to do them. Now we’re trying to teach them how to compete at the highest level, and we talk about playing harder for longer. There were parts in games where we played really, really hard, but we didn’t maintain it throughout the whole game. So this spring was about that, competing at a high level for longer.”

Where is Kent State progressing?

Each FBS team is allotted 15 spring practices over the course of a 34-day window, and that window typically concludes with the annual spring game. Transforming the No. 133 team in the country into a MAC championship caliber program over the course of 34 days is no easy task, of course. Yet, Burns is already observing stages of progress.

“Spring ball was honestly a lot of success,” Burns said. “We saw guys develop and grow and get better at their craft. Are we there? No, but I think we got closer as a football team of being all in and understanding the demand that it takes to have a winning culture.”

In order to thrive in the sport of football, it’s important to establish a foundation in the trenches. Operating with a youthful, inexperienced offensive line was one of Kent State’s greatest detriments during its 1-11 campaign last fall. Not a single Golden Flashes lineman came equipped with more than two career starts last year, and two of the five Week 1 starters made their collegiate debuts in the opener.

However, the 2024 opener will look substantially different for the offensive line as every starter returns to the unit, allowing Kent State to possess a significant degree of cohesiveness at the all-important position group.

“It’s created competitiveness,” Burns said. “We started seven or eight guys last year and they’re all back. We’ve got to use some different rotations — with some guys at tackle and some guys at guard — and really try to find our best five. Last year, there wasn’t a sense of competitive nature within that room. We had what we had and it was what it was, but now we’ve got seven or eight guys that can go in a game and play. I know people looked at me crazy when I didn’t take all these guys out of the portal at the o-line position, but we have everyone coming back, we’re gonna be a year better, and you can see it now. And I think we’re doing things offensively that fit their skillset and that’s a big part of it.”

New offensive coordinator Jordan McAlary mentioned the experience along the offensive line as well.

"When you're coming into a new place and installing a new system it helps to have the experience and some consistency up front for sure." He explained.

The internal development extends beyond the offensive line. Kent State has its most on-field experience accumulated within the linebacking corps, which will now be guided by new defensive coordinator Kody Morgan.

Nick Giacolone finished second on the team in tackles last season, while CJ Harris, Khalib Johns, and Matt Harmon are seasoned starters who earned significant playing time even before Burns’ arrival. The linebackers are also witnessing even further advancement in the depth chart, with younger faces like Rocco Nicholl ready to emerge as stars this fall.

“The guy who really jumped off the screen this spring was Rocco Nicholl,” Burns said. “We moved him to WILL linebacker. He played outside linebacker a little bit last year, and we lost our starting inside the box linebacker, so we moved him to WILL, and he’s had a heck of a spring. If I had to give MVP to someone, it’s probably him.”



Internal development is essential to establishing a winning culture for team No. 133, but in order to thrive in modern day college football, working the transfer portal is a must.

Thousands of players stepped foot into the portal this offseason, ranging from the FBS level to the FCS to even the Division II and III ranks. So how does Burns decide which ones to pursue as Golden Flashes? He credits Kent State men’s basketball coach Rob Senderoff with helping him come to grips regarding the modern challenges of the game.

“We brought guys in with cracks on their shoulder and wanted to be here,” Burns said. “The one thing I’ll credit (Senderoff), who I met with at the end of the season, he said to me, ‘You’ve got to get guys who want to be here, especially in this world of the portal. I really took that to heart and really invested in that when we went out and looked for guys.’”

The portal was widely a net negative to the Golden Flashes a year ago, losing several All-MAC starters to the likes of UCLA, North Carolina, Penn State, and UCF, among others. This year, Burns and his staff utilized the portal to seek potential day one starters or rotation fixtures at positions which weren’t quite as established with returning talent — namely in the secondary.

“I thought this was a phenomenal job by our coaches of identifying what we need and then bringing in guys that fit that mold,” Burns said. “You look at Mason Woods, a linebacker from Towson. He’s a heck of a football player and leader. He was a Freshman All-American at the FCS level, just a winner and you can see it instantly with how he plays football, how he goes about preparation. Dallas Branch, cornerback at San Diego State, he played there and he’s conquered the immediate impact as well. Then you look at Conner Muldowney, he’s a tight end, another guy that’s come in and had an immediate impact on our offense. And (cornerback) Jaylen Dotson’s done a great job.”

Burns understands his program may not have the resource or financial advantages of other in-state programs like Ohio State, but those with chips on their shoulder wanting to shed that 133 label are always welcome.

“You have to be who you are,” Burns said. “Kent State will never be all about NIL, and I tell our players that all the time. What we do believe is from our president to our athletic director to the head football coach is an experience. We believe we are creating an experience for our student-athletes and that’s what you see on social media, that’s what you see from our players, and I believe that’s what matters. For us, I’m never gonna allude to the sense that they have to enjoy where they’re at, and I think that’s how you keep retention on your roster. We had a lot of guys stay this spring. We didn’t have too many guys jump into the portal, and I think it’s because they enjoy being here at Kent State, and I think we have to keep that a part of what we do.”

With the conglomeration of returning talent and transfers under one roof in Kent, Burns is ready to stitch some new numbers into his sweatshirt. While Burns hopes the days of wielding 133 and 1-11 across his chest will soon be in the rearview mirror, it’s also important to him that his team doesn’t forget the lessons learned as they aim to adopt a different identity in 2024.

“I really like our football team,” Burns said. “I like the leadership of our team. I think we have a lot of experienced players coming back that understand the value of the ball and the value of our culture and what we’re doing, and I’m excited for the future for sure.”

[djp73]

Kent State Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024
2024 Kent State football season preview with quick breakdowns, the best players, keys to the season, and prediction with projected win total.
PETE FIUTAK - UPDATED:JUN 30, 2024 - ORIGINAL:JUN 12, 2024

Kent State Football Preview 2024



The transfer portal is fun for so many teams, but 2023 Kent State showed the down side to the current system of college football.

Even in the best of times it’s been tough for Kent State to have any success. There was the wild 11-2 season under Darrell Hazell in 2012, and the program won 12 games over the next four seasons.

There was also a miracle turnaround in the middle of the 2019 season that propelled the team to a winning season under Sean Lewis, but that’s been about it. Two winning seasons in 22 years, four since 1976.

Lewis left to be the offensive coordinator at Colorado under Deion Sanders - he's now the head coach at San Diego State - and as he went, so went the FlashFast offense, a slew of talented players who went elsewhere, and new head coach Kenni Burns had to start from scratch after getting hammered by the portal.

So what do you do if you’re Kent State? There are no expectations, and there’s no real hope for any success, so you go young, you start building from within, and develop, develop, develop.

There might not be a big turnaround in Year Two, but after going 1-11 without a win over an FBS team, the team will be more competitive, it has a little bit of returning experience, and the guys who are still around can truly do the Kent State vs The World thing.

Kent State Preview 2024: Offense

- The offense that had an impossible time moving the ball first has to come up with a quarterback. The passing game struggled to simply complete midrange throws. New OC Jordan McAlary is expected to bring an up-tempo spread/air raid system with him that will surely help move the ball and hopefully improve on their FCS worst 14.7 points per game from last season.

Leading passer Michael Alamo is gone, Tommy Ulatowski is back after throwing seven touchdown passes and two picks, and Troy transfer JD Sherrod will get every chance. The passing game completed 52% - anyone who can do a little better will have the gig.

- Kent State has receivers. Chrishon McCray is better than his stats, leading the team with 41 grabs for 610 yards and four scores even though he missed a few games. He’s the star of the show, Luke Floriea was second on the team with 39 grabs, and Michigan State transfer Sebastian Brown will get his chance to get his career going.

- Finding a running game would be nice. All five starters are expected to be back, and there’s hope with Andrew Page a good-looking center and Chris Farrell a potential All-MAC guard. Best of all, this is a YOUNG group - it all revolves around three sophomores.

The backs are good. Now they need room. Gavin Garcia led the team with 544 yards and two scores, and former transfer Ky Thomas - who missed all of last year, but got in some work at Kansas and ran for 824 yards and six scores in 2021 for Minnesota - might grow into a strength.

Kent State Preview 2024: Defense

- There wasn’t a pass rush, the run defense struggled, and forget about third down stops, but there are parts back to build around.

It’s not like the line stopped much, but losing CJ West from the interior was a problem. There isn’t a ton of bulk, but the combination of Stephen Daley and Oliver Billotte are experienced on the ends. The D needs Mattheus Carroll to rise up into a pass rusher.

- There’s size at linebacker, and they have to hold up against the run. Nicholas Giacolone was second on the team with 54 tackles and should be even more of a factor on the inside, and this is where the transfer portal helps with the depth.

- The transfer portal got a few pieces for the secondary, too. There aren’t a lot of returning playmakers - especially at the corners - but the safeties should be okay. Alex Branch and Josh Baka can tackle, but they have to make more plays when the ball is in the air.

Key To The Kent State Football Season

Find a running game.
There are a whole lot of things Kent State needs to improve on, but most of the problems can be lessened if the offensive line can start generating a push and the good backs can get moving. Controlling the clock and moving the chain would be a big deal. McAlary's background leads one to believe he would lean toward the passing game but he is well aware that they will need the running game to be effective and that they need to utilize the talent they have at the position. Garcia and Thomas are two of the more talented players on the team so they can't afford to let them stand idly by.

Kent State failed to average four yards per carry against anyone from the FBS and only ran for over 130 yards against Central Connecticut State and Eastern Michigan. Start running better, take the pressure off.

Kent State Key Player

Tommy Ulatowski, QB Soph.
Or JD Sherrod. The team needs one quarterback and leader to count on to keep the chains moving, and Ulatowski will likely get the first look. He wasn’t horrible - he at least kept the mistakes to a minimum when he got his chance - and he has the receivers to work with. Again, though, Sherrod might be the answer. McAlary's system doesn't need a superstar QB so whoever can make the reads and get the ball where it needs to go will get the nod.

Kent State Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: CB Dallas Branch, Sr.
A decent part of the San Diego State secondary rotation, he was out for most of last year, but he came up with five picks and eight broken up passes over the last three seasons. If healthy, there’s a good shot he finds a starting spot.

Top Transfer Out: CJ West, DT Sr.
There weren’t too many bright spots last season, but West was one of them from his spot in the interior. The 6-2, 315-pounder made 109 tackles over the last three seasons with seven sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Now he’s doing it all for Indiana.

Kent State Key Game
Eastern Michigan, Sept. 28
How much better are the Golden Flashes a year later? There were moments when they were okay in the lost season, and the 28-14 loss at EMU was one of the more competitive games.

This time around it’s the MAC opener, and with plenty of other winnable games ahead - Ball State, Akron, at Buffalo - getting a win here would mean the world to the program.

Kent State 10 Best Football Players

1. Chrishon McCray, WR Soph.
2. Chris Farrell, OG Soph.
3. Stephen Daley, DE Soph.
4. Nicholas Giacolone, LB Sr.
5. Gavin Garcia, RB Jr.
6. Ky Thomas, RB Sr.
7. Andrew Glass, PK Sr.
8. Oliver Billotte, DT Soph.
9. Tommy Ulatowski, QB Soph.
10. Luke Floriea, WR Sr.

Kent State 2023 Fun Stats

- TDs Scored: Opponents 55, Kent State 19

- Fumbles: Kent State 8 (lost 6), Opponents 8 (lost 3)

- 4th Quarter Scoring: Opponents 117, Kent State 27

Kent State Win Total Prediction 2024, What Will Happen

Kent State will win a few games.

Outside of the win over Central Connecticut State, it only lost one game by fewer than ten points. It’ll do enough to get past Akron, or on the road at Buffalo, or against Ball State.

There will be times with things get ugly and the team doesn’t have it, but it’ll be closer and more competitive as the season goes on.

Missing Toledo helps, and the big blowouts will be out of the way early on against Pitt, Tennessee, and Penn State on the road, but …

Baby steps. Burns will show a little hope for 2025 with his young team.

Set The Kent State Win Total At … 2.5

Likely Wins: Saint Francis

50/50 Games: Akron, Ball State, at Buffalo, at Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, at Western Michigan

Likely Losses: at Miami University, at Penn State, at Pitt, at Tennessee

2024 Kent State Football Schedule

Aug 31 at Pitt
Sept 7 Saint Francis
Sept 14 at Tennessee
Sept 21 at Penn State
Sept 28 Eastern Michigan
Oct 5 OPEN DATE
Oct 12 Ball State
Oct 19 at Bowling Green
Oct 26 at Western Michigan
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 6 Ohio
Nov 13 at Miami University
Nov 19 Akron
Nov 26 at Buffalo

Missing: Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo

[djp73]

[Agent]

Pitt & Tennessee are some big wins if you can finesse it

[djp73]

Pitt & Tennessee are some big wins if you can finesse it

I am assuming that Kent State will be the worst or very close to worst rated team in the game. If I'm beating those teams I need sliders!

[Soapy]

that hoodie is sicko behavior

[djp73]

that hoodie is sicko behavior

Wonder if I can order one?

[djp73]

MAC FOOTBALL KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
2024 Kent State Football
Schedule Preview
By Don Knotts | @theotherdonknotts | July 12, 2024, 7:30pm EDT

---
@
Saturday August 31st, 2024 Noon
Location: Pittsburgh, PA | Heinz Field
2023 Record: 3-9
2023 Result: N/A
Series: 0-7
Head Coach (Record/@School): Pat Narduzzi (65-50/65-50)

@
Saturday September 7th 2:30 PM ET
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
2023 Record: 4-6 (FCS)
2023 Result: N/A
Series: N/A
Head Coach (Record/@School): Chris Villareal (56-79/56-79)

@
Saturday September 14th 7:45 PM ET
Location: Knoxville, TN | Neyland Stadium
2023 Record: 9-4
2023 Result: N/A
Series: 0-0
Head Coach (Record/@School): Josh Heupel (27-12/55-20)

@
Saturday September 21st Noon
Location: University Park, PA | Beaver Stadium
2023 Record: 10-3
2023 Result: N/A
Series: 0-6
Head Coach (Record/@School): James Franklin (88-39/112-54)

@
Saturday September 28th 3:30
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
2023 Record: 6-7
2023 Result: L 14-28
Series: 17-16
Head Coach (Record/@School): Chris Creighton (52-68/52-68)

@
Saturday October 12th 1:00
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
2023 Record: 4-8
2023 Result: L 3-34
Series: 8-23
Head Coach (Record/@School): Mike Neu (37-56/37-56)

@
Saturday October 19th 6:00
Location: Bowling Green, OH | Doyt Perry Stadium
2023 Record: 7-6
2023 Result: L 19-49
Series: 15-46
Head Coach (Record/@School): Scot Loeffler (20-35/20-35)

@
Saturday October 26th Noon
Location: Kalamazoo, MI | Waldo Stadium
2023 Record: 4-8
2023 Result: N/A
Series: 12-33-1
Head Coach (Record/@School): Lance Taylor (4-8/4-8)

@
Wednesday November 6th 7:00 PM ET
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
2023 Record: 10-3
2023 Result: L 17-42
Series: 22-37-2
Head Coach (Record/@School): Tim Albin (23-16/23-16)

@
Wednesday November 13th 7:30 PM ET
Location: Oxford, OH | Yager Stadium
2023 Record: 11-3
2023 Result: L 3-23
Series: 16-45
Head Coach (Record/@School): Chuck Martin (56-62/56-62)

@
Tuesday November 19th 7:00
Location: Kent, Ohio | Dix Stadium
2023 Record: 2-10
2023 Result: L 27-31
Series: 15-21
Head Coach (Record/@School): Joe Moorhead (4-20/18-32)

@
Tuesday November 26th 7:00
Location: Buffalo, NY | University at Buffalo Stadium
2023 Record: 3-9
2023 Result: L 6-24
Series: 13-14
Head Coach (Record/@School): Pete Lembo (0-0/33-29)

[Google[Bot]]

let the season commence