FCS: 2023 NEC Football Preview

The Northeast Conference championship was decided on the final Saturday of the regular season in 2022 when Saint Francis defeated Merrimack in a matchup of conference unbeatens.

This season’s title race will be even more interesting with Merrimack in its first season of FCS playoff eligibility after completing its reclassification period. The Warriors are expected to contend for the NEC’s auto-bid in 2023. However, defending playoff rep SFU, an improving LIU team, and four-time playoff qualifier Sacred Heart create numerous roadblocks.

The NEC isn’t known as an FCS power conference, but it’s serious about its football. The conference staged its media day in July at MetLife Stadium, returning to an in-person format while conducting a summit with conference sponsors, which were also included in an introductory meeting with student-athletes where NIL opportunities and future-employment networking could arise.

In a plus for NEC exposure, the conference secured its first-ever national linear telecasts of league football games, bouncing two 2023 games to separate Thursday nights on CBS Sports Network.

Here are the top returning players and our predicted order of finish in the NEC. 

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From last season’s All-NEC Team

LIU – 7: DL Eric O’Neill (1st Team), P Will Lynch (1st Team), TE Owen Glascoe (1st Team), K Michael Coney (2nd Team), QB Luca Stanzani (2nd Team), RS Davon Wells (2nd Team), WR Michael Love (2nd Team)

Merrimack – 5: DB Garry Rosemond Jr. (1st Team), OL Antonio Derry (1st Team), DL Brandon Roberts (2nd Team), P Cole Peterson (2nd Team), TE Pat Conroy (2nd Team)

Sacred Heart – 5: LB DeAndre Byrd (1st Team), DB Arsheen Jiles (2nd Team), DL Carson Primrose (2nd Team), LB Ernest Howard (2nd Team), RB Malik Grant (2nd Team)

Saint Francis – 3: OL Seth Osborne (1st Team), QB Cole Doyle (1st Team), OL Bailey Iboleon (2nd Team)

Stonehill – 2: OL David Satkowski (1st Team), RB Jermaine Corbett (1st Team)

Central Connecticut – 1: OL Reis Spicer (2nd Team)

Duquesne – 0

Wagner – 0

FBS-to-FCS Transfers & FCS-to-FCS Transfers

Duquesne – 7 (4 FBS, 3 FCS)

LIU – 7 (3 FBS, 4 FCS)

Wagner – 6 (3 FBS, 3 FCS)

Central Connecticut – 5 (4 FBS, 1 FCS)

Merrimack – 4 (2 FBS, 2 FCS)

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Cole Doyle, Saint Francis QB – Doyle starred for the Red Flash as they finished an undefeated NEC record last season. The College of the Canyons transfer tallied a 21:3 TD:INT ratio, 1,931 passing yards, and an NEC-best 169.7 pass efficiency en route to NEC Offensive Player of the YearandWalter Payton Award finalist honors. Doyle got especially hot in the stretch run of 2022, as he had 14 touchdowns in his last three regular season games and threw for at least 240 yards in four of the last five. By the time of that run, he had established himself as the primary QB over former Pitt walk-on Justin Sliwoski. Greater production could be in store with Doyle beginning the 2023 campaign as SFU’s unquestioned starter.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Eric O’Neill, LIU DL – O’Neill totaled 10 sacks last year to finish second in the conference as a redshirt freshman, earning NEC Defensive Rookie of Year and HERO Sports Freshman All-American recognition. Add 51 tackles (32 solo), two forced fumbles, and nine QB hurries, and one can see the foundation for a perennial all-conference career. At 6-3, 250, O’Neill is putting his ideal frame to great use off the edge. 

TOP NFL PROSPECT: Malik Grant, Sacred Heart RB – Grant follows Julius Chestnut, who is in the NFL with the Titans, as another top-end Pioneers tailback. Now a veteran presence for SHU after receiving early mentoring by Chestnut, the graduate Grant has a chance at a third straight 1,000-yard rushing season. His consistency to date and his NEC-lead-tying 14 total touchdowns in ’22 have him on the pro prospect radar, reflected by his placement on the 2024 Shrine Bowl 1000. 

1. Saint Francis
2. LIU
3. Merrimack
4. Sacred Heart
5. Duquesne 
6. Stonehill
7. Central Connecticut
8. Wagner

The conversation starts with Saint Francis, right? We’re left with little choice, given the Red Flash’s dominance a season ago (28-point average margin of victory in their NEC schedule). SFU lost its defensive All-NEC picks, but with Doyle back at the controls of the offense, deserved benefit of the doubt goes to a team that can win a conference shootout against anyone until proven otherwise.

LIUbrings back the most all-conference selections in the NEC, including QB Luca Stanzani, who keyed the Sharks’ strong conclusion to 2022. LIU wrapped up on a four-game winning streak that began with Stanzani’s first start, a 50-48 double-overtime win at Duquesne. In the triumph, Stanzani tossed four touchdowns with 346 yards on 22-of-27 passing. On the other side of the ball, O’Neill even picked up his game in the Stanzani era, as 33 of his 51 season stops came in the Sharks’ last four contests in which they went that perfect 4-0. LIU has yet to measure up to SFU, but things are looking up.

You can say the same about Merrimack, which is coming off an eight-win 2022 that included an overtime loss at Harvard and another in-state OOC setback to eventual quarterfinalist Holy Cross. The season finale and de facto NEC championship game versus Saint Francis got away from the Warriors, but MC’s 2023 playoff eligibility changes the motivation equation. 11th-year head coach Dan Curran has built his team for this year especially. The window is now.

Sacred Heartis as motivated as ever to reclaim the NEC crown, which it wore in the spring 2021 and fall 2021 seasons. Grant’s spot as a fixture at RB gives the Pioneers some breathing room on offense as the unit moves on from the graduate transfer of QB Marquez McCray to Monmouth.

Lurking in the back half of the predicted order of finish is Duquesne. Since 2011, the Dukes have the most overall and conference victories of any NEC team. They’re a bounce-back candidate after last season’s seven losses included a pair of FBS Ls and three one-possession decisions against NEC opponents. Without returning all-conference players, though, Duquesne’s transfers, returnee QB Darius Perrantes, and returnee WR Joey Isabella own more of the onus to flip the script.