2023 Football Season Preview

The 2023 season has arrived and the Brown football team is set to kick off its 137th season this Saturday afternoon with a trip to Bryant to face off against the Bulldogs. Boasting a deep and experienced roster in 2023, Brown is poised to take steps forward in the competitive Ivy League in the fourth season (fifth year) of head coach James Perry’s tenure.

The Bears will return eight players on offense and seven on defense who made at least seven starts last season, with many more returning who saw significant action in all 10 games. The team’s opening day roster features 114 players, including 32 newcomers and 29 seniors.

“The kids are feeding off each other,” said Perry. “One of the obvious ways that shows how much deeper we are is how we practice. When two good players go up against each other, it transforms practice in a positive way. That competition is making everyone better.”

The Bears will be led by four captains this season, spread across three different classes in fifth years Wes Rockett and Ethan Royer, senior Jake Willcox and junior Isaiah Reed.

“One of our challenges as a team was converting the depth that this roster now has to both competition and leadership, and it is tremendously clear that has happened,” Perry said. “I love when leadership disperses through different years and positions. It’s a great sign that we’ve made good progress as a program by getting deeper and more mature.”

Coming off a season in which Brown ranked third in the Ivy League with 247.2 passing yards per game, the team will return Willcox as the team’s starting quarterback. After starting the first seven games last season and missing the final three games due to injury, Willcox finished the season ranked second in the league with 255.1 passing yards per contest and threw for 12 touchdowns.

Behind Willcox, Brown returns senior Nate Lussier and junior Will Jarvis, with Jarvis completing 13 of his 28 passes last season with one touchdown. Freshman James Murphy has also seen significant reps in a strong camp this preseason.

“Jake has always been a playmaker, but to watch him mature as a decision maker and orchestrator of the offense has been a really good step,” said Perry. “Another part of a good team is having depth at the position. For us to be a good team, we need that depth, and we’re better at that position because we have more depth and Jake has matured in his role. He has taken steps to have an even better year.”

Much like years past, Brown is once again deep at the receiver position. Of the 17 players who caught at least one pass last season, 12 are returning to an offense that will continue to regularly cycle in six or seven receivers per game.

A two-time All-Ivy selection, Rockett returns for a fifth year after ranking fifth in yards per game (55.4) in 2022, and leading the team with 11 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Limited to seven games due to injury last season, senior Graham Walker is healthy and looks to build upon his 41.7 yards receiving per game and has nine touchdowns through his first two years of action. Jordan McIntyre is poised for a breakout season after averaging nearly 10 yards per catch on 15 receptions last season. The group will look to fill the void left by the graduated Hayes Sutton, who averaged 43.7 yards per game.

“We have guys who played a lot last year who are hungry to play more,” Perry said. “But we’re so deep and healthy at that position that it is hard to crack the lineup. Jordan McIntyre and Ty Pezza played a ton of football for us last year and are playing by far the best football of their careers. The guys in front of them see it and feel it, and that is how you get the most out of people.”

Brown returns three tailbacks with game experience to the fold this season, with juniors Stockton Owen and Jordan DeLucia leading the charge, along with senior Ian Franzoni.

Owen will look to take the reins as Brown’s top back and look to make a significant impact after averaging 30.20 yards per game on the ground in 2022 before an injury cut short the rest of his season. DeLucia was the team’s second-leading rusher at 29.67 yards per game last season and has the most game experience of Brown’s returners. A versatile back that can factor into the passing game, Franzoni looks to play a significant role after missing all of 2022 and playing in five games in 2021. Sophomore Qwentin Brown also looks to factor into the Bears’ rushing attack after seeing regular reps in practice.

“Ian has always been a tremendous talent for us,” Perry said. “In addition to Jordan and Qwentin, I think Ian has proven that he wants to be on that field. It’s fun to see and he’s a great talent.”

OFFENSIVE LINE/TIGHT ENDS

Brown welcomes back an experienced offensive line, three of which held regular starting roles a season ago. Sophomore Hayden Bozich, senior Jack Connolly and fifth-year Griffin Sturtz will help anchor the offensive front, with junior center AJ Heidtke moving into a starting role along with left guard Justin Anagonye, who is transitioning over from the defensive line. Connolly has been a starter the last two years, and Sturtz has a year of starting under his belt after converting over from the defensive line in 2022. The coaching staff expects a similarly successful transition for Anagonye, who began the switch from defense to offense during spring practice.

Sophomore Marco Monteiro, along with seniors Gavin Miller and Auzzy Joseph are among the returners with experience that will be part of the team’s rotation to begin the season. 

“We’ll play nine linemen,” Perry said. “There’s really good competition going on there with a lot of guys pushing for more playing time. They all know to be ready. Hayden has really become a leader in that room. You forget that he’s only a sophomore because he played a lot of football last year.”

At tight end, the Bears will feature sophomore Dillon Golden, who saw action in nine games last year behind graduated senior Chris Boyle.

The Bears’ secondary made significant strides forward last season, jumping up to No. 3 in the league by allowing 230.6 passing ypg, nearly 40 fewer yards per game than 2021 when they ranked eighth. Two major reasons for the improvement were a healthy Cooper DeVeau, who returns for a fifth season in 2023, and the emergence of Isaiah Reed, who was named All-Ivy, led the team with 53.0 tackles and ranked seventh in the Ivy League in passes defended (9).

“When we have our wideouts against these DBs, they are elevating each other all the time,” Perry said. “What Isaiah was able to do was remarkable for a sophomore, and he’s taken steps forward as a player and leader this year. For his peers to elect him captain as a junior says a lot.”

At the other corner position, DeVeau tied for second in the league with 11 passes defended and earned Honorable Mention All-Ivy and All-New England honors from the NE Football Journal.

“Cooper is absolutely playing his best football and he’s having a lot of fun out there,” Perry said. “It’s a great starting point.”

On the inside, the Bears will look to replace the production of second-leading tackler Josh Ofili (45.0 tackles) and fourth-leading tackler Joe Shell (36.0). Senior Treyvon Hobbs and Aubrey Parker will slot in as the team’s starting safeties, with junior Tim Malo, sophomore Nevaeh Gattis and others all pushing for roles in the team’s rotation.

At linebacker, Brown welcomes the return of fifth-year senior and captain Ethan Royer, who was sixth on the team last season with 34.0 tackles, including 3.0 TFLs. He will be rejoined by senior Isaiah Gamble, who ranked third with 42.0 tackles, including 2.0 TFLs and one sack, and earned Fourth Team Phil Steele All-Ivy honors. Junior Caleb Moorhead (22.0 tackles, 1.0 sack) will also help anchor the Bears' linebackers.

Sophomore John Perdue saw action in nine games last season and will also look to play himself into more significant roles as the season progresses.

The group will look to replace the void left by former All-Ivy selection Junior Gafa, who led the team in tackles in 2021 and totaled 35.0 stops in seven games last season.

Senior Terrence Lane led Brown last year with 4.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss and will lead the team’s defensive front this season. He will be joined up front by fellow senior Kevin Coss, along with junior tackles Winton Jordan and Kyle Philbin. Philbin chipped in 2.5 sacks last season while tying Lane for the team lead with 6.0 tackles for loss.

One of the most contested battles in fall camp so far has been at the kicking position. Junior Christopher Maron returns after being Brown’s starter for the past two years. Last season, Austin Alley stepped in due to injury and served as the team’s kicker for the final four games, going 4-for-4 on field goals and 10-for-10 on PATs, including a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation against Columbia.

Alley has been named the team’s starting punter to begin the season.

Having two capable and reliable kickers is a good problem to have in the eyes of the coaching staff, with the starting kicking job still up for grabs as the season gets underway.

“We’ll keep competing there,” Perry said. “They’ve both had great on-field performances and have had really good training camps, which has been good to see.”