Over the last several months we’ve been following a start-up college football program, the Kennesaw State Owls, and watching their story as it develops in front of our eyes.
In February, they landed their first recruiting class. In March, they held try-outs in hopes of finding some diamonds in the rough. In April, we took a look at what their leaders had to say in reflection of their first year.
Now that spring football is over, what does a school that has yet to have a practice and won’t play until the fall of 2015 do in the off-season?
For one, they have named Philip Young their head athletic trainer. Those that follow college football closely know how important these training positions are, especially in this day and age. If your players aren’t making improvements off-the-field and in the weight room every off-season then it will show when they hit the field in the August. I bet Young and head coach Brian Bohannon will have some interesting stories to tell as Young is a graduate of the University of Georgia and was an assistant athletic trainer for them. Bohannon, of course, coached under Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern. Young will join Jim Kiritsy, who KSU named their Director of Strength and Conditioning in April, in helping the KSU Owls be as productive as possible off the field as they gear up for their entry into the college football world.
In addition to naming a head athletic trainer, they now also have a football equipment manager as Daniel Glynn has joined the Owls after a stint with Georgia State. While this might be a thankless position, it’s an important one and it’s part of what goes in to building a program from the ground up.
Bohannon will also be holding football camps this summer as the Owls try to get their name out there more and more for the youth and community. They will focus on current high schoolers by hosting an Elite Prospect Camp for 11th and 12th graders and a Varsity Team Camp for 9th through 12th graders. They will also focus on future high schoolers by holding a Future Owls Camps for 3rd through 8th graders and a 7 on 7 Team Passing Camp for 6th through 8th graders. Part of building a program is making a connection with the younger generation and the high school programs and this will be a big part of it.
Another thing the school has to figure out is ticket distribution for it’s students. The University is considering three options and in trying to be as “fan friendly” as possible, they gave their students the opportunity to have their voice heard in the process by letting them vote on their favorite option of the three.
You know what else they are doing? They are recruiting, or as it’s known in the south “Crootin”…
Enjoyed spending time in S. GA recruiting with @Coach_Worley & @CoachLiamKlein. Outstanding group of coaches in S. GA.
— Brian Bohannon (@BohannonBrian) May 1, 2014
The college football off-season is not glamorous, especially when you won’t be taking the field until 2015 but it’s interesting to watch a program grow as the one at Kennesaw State is doing in front of our eyes.
