2016 Lehigh Football Spring Prospectus
4/15/2016 10:54:00 AM | Football
2016 Lehigh Football Spring Prospectus
The Lehigh football program enters the 2016 season with a lot of positive vibes. Those good feelings can be attributed to winning the final game of the 2015 season, a 49-35 triumph over rival Lafayette that snapped a two-game slide against the Mountain Hawks' arch rival while also clinching a winning 2015 season.
A balanced but potent offense paced Lehigh in its 6-5 campaign that saw the Mountain Hawks double their 2014 win total. Lehigh ran the ball well with Patriot League Rookie of the Year Dominick Bragalone leading the way with the first 1,000 yard rushing season for a freshman in school history. Quarterback Nick Shafnisky made strides on the ground and through the air in his second full season as a starter.
Lehigh won three of its first four league games to stay in the hunt for a Patriot League championship, but those championship hopes fell five yards short as Lehigh was outscored by Colgate 49-42 on the penultimate weekend of the regular season, as the Raiders clinched the league title.
Bragalone is one of five returning All-Patriot League selections for a Lehigh team that has reason to be optimistic entering the new season. A high-powered offense returns a wealth of talent and depth at the skill positions. The Mountain Hawks have been, and will continue to work hard to sure up the defense.
Last year's senior class was the first in more than 20 years to leave campus without Patriot League championship ring. If the offense continues to shine and the defense can improve, the pieces could be in place for the Mountain Hawks to make a run at a Patriot League title in the fall.
OFFENSE
A balanced attack helped the Mountain Hawks feature the Patriot League's top offense in terms of total yards per game in 2015. The Mountain Hawks averaged 462.5 yards of offense per game, including 188.2 on the ground and 274.3 through the air. Quarterback Nick Shafnisky had a strong year as a dual threat and when he was limited to injuries, freshman Brad Mayes stepped up and played well. Lehigh returns a wealth of depth and talent at the skill positions, led by running back Dominick Bragalone, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and a deep receiving corps led by Troy Pelletier. The Mountain Hawks lose two starters from a good offensive line but return two of their three all-league linemen.
Quarterbacks
Nick Shafnisky continued to improve in year two under offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Drew Folmar, completing 67 percent of his passes for 2279 yards and 15 touchdowns, compared to just 10 interceptions. Shafnisky was also Lehigh's second leading rusher, gaining 674 yards while scoring a team-best 12 touchdowns. He capped his junior season by being named MVP of the Lehigh-Lafayette game after throwing four touchdown passes and rushing for more than 100 yards plus a fifth score.
With Shafnisky limited to situational duty due to injury, Brad Mayes stepped in as a freshman and led Lehigh to wins over Georgetown and Holy Cross. Mayes threw for 738 yards and seven touchdowns, appearing in six games with two starts.
Rising juniors Brendan Craven and Matt Timochenko give Lehigh four quarterbacks participating in the spring after the Mountain Hawks were limited to just two last spring. Craven served as Lehigh's No. 3 quarterback last year, while Timochenko saw limited action as a freshman.
Receivers
Lehigh returns its six most productive wide receivers from a season ago, losing just captain Stefan Sansone, who was injured in late September.
After an impressive freshman campaign, Troy Pelletier showed no signs of a sophomore slump, leading the Mountain Hawks with 78 receptions for 831 yards and eight touchdowns, including a school-record 15 catches at Princeton. Pelletier was named first team All-Patriot League, his second all-league honor in as many years.
Opposite Pelletier, rising junior Gatlin Casey emerged with a strong season, catching 34 passes and ranking second to Pelletier with 488 yards and four touchdown catches. Casey will miss the spring due to injury but should be ready to go in the fall. Rising senior Jarrod Howard will battle for a bigger role in 2016 after making a name for himself on special teams with his kick coverage skills. Howard did record seven receptions for 74 yards last season.
Lehigh returns three proven performers in the slot. The senior member of the group is Derek Knott who overcame three injury-plagued seasons to catch 32 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns. Knott is expected to receive a fifth year of eligibility due to medical hardship. Rising senior Trevor Socarras was one of the breakout performers on Lehigh's offense. In his first significant playing time, Socarras caught 50 passes, good for second on the team, for 459 yards and two scores. Junior Sasha Kelsey led Lehigh wideouts averaging nearly 16 yards per reception and can contribute both in the slot and on the outside.
Four sophomores will also be in the mix for bigger roles in one of Lehigh's deepest positional groups. Conner Bianchini has good size could figure on the outside along with Matthew Gargano, while Luke Christiano and Cam Richardson will compete for time in the slot.
Running Backs
A question mark headed into last season, a number of young players emerged last season to turn the running back position into an area of strength.
Leading the way is Dominick Bragalone, who became the first Lehigh freshman to rush for 1,000 yards as he gained 1,008 in his freshman campaign on the way to being named Patriot League and ECAC Rookie of the Year. Bragalone scored seven touchdowns and finished eighth in the voting for the FCS Freshman Player of the Year award.
Bragalone was one of three freshmen tailbacks on Lehigh's 2015 roster. Micco Brisker rushed for 223 yards while being limited by injury to six games. Brisker became the first Lehigh freshman to rush for 100 yards in a game when he gained 114 against Penn last season. Nick Thevanayagam is the third rising sophomore in Lehigh's running back stable.
Former walk-on Nana Amankwah-Ayeh emerged as a hard-nosed, reliable and sure-handed runner. Amankwah-Ayeh, a rising junior, came on late in the season to average 4.5 yards per carry while scoring a pair of touchdowns.
The largest member of Lehigh's running back corps is rising senior Mackenzie Crawford. At 235 pounds, Crawford can be a weapon in short yardage but has also proven valuable in pass protection and as a receiver on third downs.
Tight Ends
Lehigh loses a captain and one of the program's top scholar-athletes in Chris Ruhl but the Mountain Hawks return five players at the tight end position.
Senior Zach Bucklin and junior Drew Paulsen will be expected to lead the way early on. Bucklin has bulked up to 260 pounds and should be a factor in the running game, while Paulsen led Lehigh tight ends with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in 2015.
Junior Michael Baur impressed in scout team duty last season and will vie for a larger role in the offense while three sophomores: Dan Scassera and Jimmy Schulz will also be in the mix.
Offensive Line
A major reason for Lehigh's offensive success in 2015 was the strength and continuity along the offensive line. The Mountain Hawks' five starters made 54 of a possible 55 starts together last season paving the way for Lehigh's balanced offensive attack. Three of Lehigh's five starters earned All-Patriot League recognition in 2015 with two of the three all-league performers returning. Three starters return on the line and while injuries may limit Lehigh's numbers in the spring there will be good competition. In addition, five offensive linemen will join the program in the fall as part of the freshmen class.
Both of Lehigh's starting tackles return after garnering second team all-league recognition in 2015. The largest of Lehigh's projected linemen, senior Zach Duffy, started 10 games at right tackle, while rising junior Tim O'Hara stepped in and started all 11 games at left tackle after seeing limited action as a freshman.
Rising senior Brandon Short returns at center, but Short will miss Lehigh's spring segment due to injury.
The two guard positions are up for grabs with the loss of the reliable all-league performer Matt Ford at left guard and the versatile Matt Cohen at right guard. Senior Micah Tennant has seen playing time before and may get the first crack at left guard, while sophomore Liborio Ricottilli will begin the spring as first up at right guard.
Sophomores Eric Hawkinson, Tim Wagner and Thomas Zuewsky will vie for time at guard as well, with Hawkinson also filling in at center in Short's absence.
Versatile senior Evan Sweeney will see time at both tackle spots while sophomore Aidan O'Carroll will work primarily at right tackle.
DEFENSE
The Mountain Hawks know that if they hope to compete for a Patriot League championship in 2016 they have to improve defensively. Lehigh's revamped 3-3 stack defense gave up more than 450 yards and 35 points per game last season, but the hope is that with another year of experience and some tweaks to their approach that the Mountain Hawks can back to where they want to be defensively. The Mountain Hawks did make improvements over 2014 in terms of pressuring opposing quarterbacks, but Lehigh knows that it must create more turnovers and must get off the field on third downs to have success this season.
Defensive Line
After tallying its lowest sack output since 2006 two years ago, Lehigh upped its total to 24 in 2015, but the Mountain Hawks still struggled against the run, giving up more than five yards per carry. Lehigh loses two starters to graduation in all-league performer Matt Laub and nose guard Greg Palma, who combined for eight sacks a season ago.
Lehigh enters the spring with eight linemen on its roster. Senior Jimmy Mitchell held the nose well in a reserve role and also picked up his first career sack and could get the first crack at the nose guard position. The other rising senior on the defensive line is tackle T.J. Stubbs, who had three early sacks last season but was limited late in the year and will be limited in the spring due to injury.
Juniors Tyler Cavenas and Harrison Johnson saw significant action last season and continue to improve. The duo combined for 37 tackles and three tackles for loss last season.
The coaches are high on rising sophomores Julian Lynn and Harrison Kauffman. Lynn entered Lehigh's defensive line rotation late last season and should be primed for a bigger role, while Kauffman has earned praise for his motor and his performance both on the practice field and in offseason workouts.
Lehigh also hopes to get junior Justin Gille and sophomore Juwan Morrow in the mix once those student-athletes can get healthy.
Linebacker
Despite Lehigh's defensive struggles a season ago, the Mountain Hawks' linebackers enjoyed a productive 2015 campaign and the unit should once again be the strength of the defense again in 2016. Leading the way are veterans Colton Caslow and Pierce Ripanti, who if they remain healthy will be four-year contributors for the Mountain Hawks' defense. Caslow led Lehigh with 95 total tackles a season ago while Ripanti, Lehigh's leading tackler in 2014, was in-and-out of the starting lineup, but mustered 52 tackles and a team-best 8.5 tackles-for-loss last season.
Caslow will man the middle for Lehigh with juniors Hobson McCain and Cal Coffman vying for time behind him. Ripanti will lead one of the outside spots. Rising senior Evan Kauffman, who missed all of last season due to injury, returns to the defense after shifting to fullback in 2014.
Rising sophomore Jake Buskirk filled in well in spot duty when Caslow was injured and could get the first shot at the third linebacker spot. Also vying for time will be senior Michael Anderson, who shifted to linebacker last season after spending the first two and a half years of his Lehigh career at wide receiver. Anderson has bulked up to 225 pounds and has showed tackling promise on special teams. Sophomore Brian Olshanski will also be part of the competition at linebacker.
Rover
The rover position was introduced last year as part of Lehigh's revamped defense. The Mountain Hawks then proceeded to lose their top two projected rovers to season-ending injuries in their first two games in 2015, throwing the newly-created position into flux. The good news is Lehigh will likely get both of last year's top two rovers back in the fall as LaQuan Lambert is expected to receive a fifth-year and senior Joe Barrett should be ready for fall camp. Senior Evan Harvey is expected to get a look at rover in the spring along with sophomore Matt Butler.
Secondary
With three starters returning and some tweaks to Lehigh's coverage schemes, the Mountain Hawks hope to improve a pass defense that yielded nearly 250 yards per game while only registering five interceptions on the season.
Lehigh loses all-league cover corner Olivier Rigaud but rising senior Brandon Leaks returns as a potential three year starter on the opposite side. Leaks had three interceptions as a sophomore and had three breakups plus an 84-yard fumble return touchdown against Lafayette in his junior season.
Rising junior Quentin Jones will be looked upon to be an impact player in Lehigh's back four. Jones was Lehigh's nickel corner as a freshman before moving to safety last year, where he made 40 tackles and a team-best three interceptions. The Georgia native may move back to corner for his junior season and has the versatility to play well at either position.
Sam McCloskey was thrust into action at safety as a freshman and despite some growing pains made 36 tackles in 11 games. If Jones shifts to cornerback, McCloskey will be the most experienced safetyman.
Rising junior Marc Raye-Redmond and sophomores Donavon Harris and Kareem Montgomery will vie for time at cornerback, with Raye-Redmond potentially getting reps at safety as well. Raye-Redmond saw more time later in the season while Harris was one of Lehigh's top kickoff returners in 2015 and Montgomery was a contributor on special teams. Sophomore Devan Polanis will work at safety. Lehigh's incoming freshman class features a trio of defensive backs who will add depth at safety when they arrive in the fall.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Lehigh's special teams units were solid in 2015, but low numbers may limit what the Mountain Hawks may do this spring in the kicking game. Ed Mish proved to be a reliable placekicker as a true freshman, converting 40-of-43 extra point attempts and 9-of-12 field goals, while averaging nearly 59 yards per kickoff.
Mish will work this spring as the incumbent and will also take some reps at punter as the Mountain Hawks lose former all-league performer Austin Devine to graduation. Incoming freshmen Oliver Clowes and Austin Henning are expected to compete for the punting job when they arrive on campus this summer.
The Mountain Hawks will also use the spring to develop options at long snapper.
In the return game, Lehigh returns a number of student-athletes with experience. The Mountain Hawks have generally relied on younger players in the return game. Cornerback Brandon Leaks returned kickoffs as a freshman and also returned a few as a sophomore before focusing exclusively on defense. Wide receiver Sasha Kelsey has also returned kickoffs in each of his first two years on campus.
Last year, rising sophomore cornerback Donavon Harris led the Mountain Hawks with 612 yards on 29 returns. Marc Raye-Redmond also returned seven kickoffs for 134 yards.
Rising sophomore Luke Christiano led Lehigh with eight punt returns for 59 yards last season and also handled several kickoffs. All-Patriot League wide receiver Troy Pelletier also saw time as a punt returner while fifth-year senior Derek Knott has returned both kickoffs and punts in his Lehigh career.
A link to the complete 2016 Lehigh Football Spring Prospectus can be found at the top of this page
The Lehigh football program enters the 2016 season with a lot of positive vibes. Those good feelings can be attributed to winning the final game of the 2015 season, a 49-35 triumph over rival Lafayette that snapped a two-game slide against the Mountain Hawks' arch rival while also clinching a winning 2015 season.
A balanced but potent offense paced Lehigh in its 6-5 campaign that saw the Mountain Hawks double their 2014 win total. Lehigh ran the ball well with Patriot League Rookie of the Year Dominick Bragalone leading the way with the first 1,000 yard rushing season for a freshman in school history. Quarterback Nick Shafnisky made strides on the ground and through the air in his second full season as a starter.
Lehigh won three of its first four league games to stay in the hunt for a Patriot League championship, but those championship hopes fell five yards short as Lehigh was outscored by Colgate 49-42 on the penultimate weekend of the regular season, as the Raiders clinched the league title.
Bragalone is one of five returning All-Patriot League selections for a Lehigh team that has reason to be optimistic entering the new season. A high-powered offense returns a wealth of talent and depth at the skill positions. The Mountain Hawks have been, and will continue to work hard to sure up the defense.
Last year's senior class was the first in more than 20 years to leave campus without Patriot League championship ring. If the offense continues to shine and the defense can improve, the pieces could be in place for the Mountain Hawks to make a run at a Patriot League title in the fall.
OFFENSE
A balanced attack helped the Mountain Hawks feature the Patriot League's top offense in terms of total yards per game in 2015. The Mountain Hawks averaged 462.5 yards of offense per game, including 188.2 on the ground and 274.3 through the air. Quarterback Nick Shafnisky had a strong year as a dual threat and when he was limited to injuries, freshman Brad Mayes stepped up and played well. Lehigh returns a wealth of depth and talent at the skill positions, led by running back Dominick Bragalone, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, and a deep receiving corps led by Troy Pelletier. The Mountain Hawks lose two starters from a good offensive line but return two of their three all-league linemen.
Quarterbacks
Nick Shafnisky continued to improve in year two under offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Drew Folmar, completing 67 percent of his passes for 2279 yards and 15 touchdowns, compared to just 10 interceptions. Shafnisky was also Lehigh's second leading rusher, gaining 674 yards while scoring a team-best 12 touchdowns. He capped his junior season by being named MVP of the Lehigh-Lafayette game after throwing four touchdown passes and rushing for more than 100 yards plus a fifth score.
With Shafnisky limited to situational duty due to injury, Brad Mayes stepped in as a freshman and led Lehigh to wins over Georgetown and Holy Cross. Mayes threw for 738 yards and seven touchdowns, appearing in six games with two starts.
Rising juniors Brendan Craven and Matt Timochenko give Lehigh four quarterbacks participating in the spring after the Mountain Hawks were limited to just two last spring. Craven served as Lehigh's No. 3 quarterback last year, while Timochenko saw limited action as a freshman.
Receivers
Lehigh returns its six most productive wide receivers from a season ago, losing just captain Stefan Sansone, who was injured in late September.
After an impressive freshman campaign, Troy Pelletier showed no signs of a sophomore slump, leading the Mountain Hawks with 78 receptions for 831 yards and eight touchdowns, including a school-record 15 catches at Princeton. Pelletier was named first team All-Patriot League, his second all-league honor in as many years.
Opposite Pelletier, rising junior Gatlin Casey emerged with a strong season, catching 34 passes and ranking second to Pelletier with 488 yards and four touchdown catches. Casey will miss the spring due to injury but should be ready to go in the fall. Rising senior Jarrod Howard will battle for a bigger role in 2016 after making a name for himself on special teams with his kick coverage skills. Howard did record seven receptions for 74 yards last season.
Lehigh returns three proven performers in the slot. The senior member of the group is Derek Knott who overcame three injury-plagued seasons to catch 32 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns. Knott is expected to receive a fifth year of eligibility due to medical hardship. Rising senior Trevor Socarras was one of the breakout performers on Lehigh's offense. In his first significant playing time, Socarras caught 50 passes, good for second on the team, for 459 yards and two scores. Junior Sasha Kelsey led Lehigh wideouts averaging nearly 16 yards per reception and can contribute both in the slot and on the outside.
Four sophomores will also be in the mix for bigger roles in one of Lehigh's deepest positional groups. Conner Bianchini has good size could figure on the outside along with Matthew Gargano, while Luke Christiano and Cam Richardson will compete for time in the slot.
Running Backs
A question mark headed into last season, a number of young players emerged last season to turn the running back position into an area of strength.
Leading the way is Dominick Bragalone, who became the first Lehigh freshman to rush for 1,000 yards as he gained 1,008 in his freshman campaign on the way to being named Patriot League and ECAC Rookie of the Year. Bragalone scored seven touchdowns and finished eighth in the voting for the FCS Freshman Player of the Year award.
Bragalone was one of three freshmen tailbacks on Lehigh's 2015 roster. Micco Brisker rushed for 223 yards while being limited by injury to six games. Brisker became the first Lehigh freshman to rush for 100 yards in a game when he gained 114 against Penn last season. Nick Thevanayagam is the third rising sophomore in Lehigh's running back stable.
Former walk-on Nana Amankwah-Ayeh emerged as a hard-nosed, reliable and sure-handed runner. Amankwah-Ayeh, a rising junior, came on late in the season to average 4.5 yards per carry while scoring a pair of touchdowns.
The largest member of Lehigh's running back corps is rising senior Mackenzie Crawford. At 235 pounds, Crawford can be a weapon in short yardage but has also proven valuable in pass protection and as a receiver on third downs.
Tight Ends
Lehigh loses a captain and one of the program's top scholar-athletes in Chris Ruhl but the Mountain Hawks return five players at the tight end position.
Senior Zach Bucklin and junior Drew Paulsen will be expected to lead the way early on. Bucklin has bulked up to 260 pounds and should be a factor in the running game, while Paulsen led Lehigh tight ends with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in 2015.
Junior Michael Baur impressed in scout team duty last season and will vie for a larger role in the offense while three sophomores: Dan Scassera and Jimmy Schulz will also be in the mix.
Offensive Line
A major reason for Lehigh's offensive success in 2015 was the strength and continuity along the offensive line. The Mountain Hawks' five starters made 54 of a possible 55 starts together last season paving the way for Lehigh's balanced offensive attack. Three of Lehigh's five starters earned All-Patriot League recognition in 2015 with two of the three all-league performers returning. Three starters return on the line and while injuries may limit Lehigh's numbers in the spring there will be good competition. In addition, five offensive linemen will join the program in the fall as part of the freshmen class.
Both of Lehigh's starting tackles return after garnering second team all-league recognition in 2015. The largest of Lehigh's projected linemen, senior Zach Duffy, started 10 games at right tackle, while rising junior Tim O'Hara stepped in and started all 11 games at left tackle after seeing limited action as a freshman.
Rising senior Brandon Short returns at center, but Short will miss Lehigh's spring segment due to injury.
The two guard positions are up for grabs with the loss of the reliable all-league performer Matt Ford at left guard and the versatile Matt Cohen at right guard. Senior Micah Tennant has seen playing time before and may get the first crack at left guard, while sophomore Liborio Ricottilli will begin the spring as first up at right guard.
Sophomores Eric Hawkinson, Tim Wagner and Thomas Zuewsky will vie for time at guard as well, with Hawkinson also filling in at center in Short's absence.
Versatile senior Evan Sweeney will see time at both tackle spots while sophomore Aidan O'Carroll will work primarily at right tackle.
DEFENSE
The Mountain Hawks know that if they hope to compete for a Patriot League championship in 2016 they have to improve defensively. Lehigh's revamped 3-3 stack defense gave up more than 450 yards and 35 points per game last season, but the hope is that with another year of experience and some tweaks to their approach that the Mountain Hawks can back to where they want to be defensively. The Mountain Hawks did make improvements over 2014 in terms of pressuring opposing quarterbacks, but Lehigh knows that it must create more turnovers and must get off the field on third downs to have success this season.
Defensive Line
After tallying its lowest sack output since 2006 two years ago, Lehigh upped its total to 24 in 2015, but the Mountain Hawks still struggled against the run, giving up more than five yards per carry. Lehigh loses two starters to graduation in all-league performer Matt Laub and nose guard Greg Palma, who combined for eight sacks a season ago.
Lehigh enters the spring with eight linemen on its roster. Senior Jimmy Mitchell held the nose well in a reserve role and also picked up his first career sack and could get the first crack at the nose guard position. The other rising senior on the defensive line is tackle T.J. Stubbs, who had three early sacks last season but was limited late in the year and will be limited in the spring due to injury.
Juniors Tyler Cavenas and Harrison Johnson saw significant action last season and continue to improve. The duo combined for 37 tackles and three tackles for loss last season.
The coaches are high on rising sophomores Julian Lynn and Harrison Kauffman. Lynn entered Lehigh's defensive line rotation late last season and should be primed for a bigger role, while Kauffman has earned praise for his motor and his performance both on the practice field and in offseason workouts.
Lehigh also hopes to get junior Justin Gille and sophomore Juwan Morrow in the mix once those student-athletes can get healthy.
Linebacker
Despite Lehigh's defensive struggles a season ago, the Mountain Hawks' linebackers enjoyed a productive 2015 campaign and the unit should once again be the strength of the defense again in 2016. Leading the way are veterans Colton Caslow and Pierce Ripanti, who if they remain healthy will be four-year contributors for the Mountain Hawks' defense. Caslow led Lehigh with 95 total tackles a season ago while Ripanti, Lehigh's leading tackler in 2014, was in-and-out of the starting lineup, but mustered 52 tackles and a team-best 8.5 tackles-for-loss last season.
Caslow will man the middle for Lehigh with juniors Hobson McCain and Cal Coffman vying for time behind him. Ripanti will lead one of the outside spots. Rising senior Evan Kauffman, who missed all of last season due to injury, returns to the defense after shifting to fullback in 2014.
Rising sophomore Jake Buskirk filled in well in spot duty when Caslow was injured and could get the first shot at the third linebacker spot. Also vying for time will be senior Michael Anderson, who shifted to linebacker last season after spending the first two and a half years of his Lehigh career at wide receiver. Anderson has bulked up to 225 pounds and has showed tackling promise on special teams. Sophomore Brian Olshanski will also be part of the competition at linebacker.
Rover
The rover position was introduced last year as part of Lehigh's revamped defense. The Mountain Hawks then proceeded to lose their top two projected rovers to season-ending injuries in their first two games in 2015, throwing the newly-created position into flux. The good news is Lehigh will likely get both of last year's top two rovers back in the fall as LaQuan Lambert is expected to receive a fifth-year and senior Joe Barrett should be ready for fall camp. Senior Evan Harvey is expected to get a look at rover in the spring along with sophomore Matt Butler.
Secondary
With three starters returning and some tweaks to Lehigh's coverage schemes, the Mountain Hawks hope to improve a pass defense that yielded nearly 250 yards per game while only registering five interceptions on the season.
Lehigh loses all-league cover corner Olivier Rigaud but rising senior Brandon Leaks returns as a potential three year starter on the opposite side. Leaks had three interceptions as a sophomore and had three breakups plus an 84-yard fumble return touchdown against Lafayette in his junior season.
Rising junior Quentin Jones will be looked upon to be an impact player in Lehigh's back four. Jones was Lehigh's nickel corner as a freshman before moving to safety last year, where he made 40 tackles and a team-best three interceptions. The Georgia native may move back to corner for his junior season and has the versatility to play well at either position.
Sam McCloskey was thrust into action at safety as a freshman and despite some growing pains made 36 tackles in 11 games. If Jones shifts to cornerback, McCloskey will be the most experienced safetyman.
Rising junior Marc Raye-Redmond and sophomores Donavon Harris and Kareem Montgomery will vie for time at cornerback, with Raye-Redmond potentially getting reps at safety as well. Raye-Redmond saw more time later in the season while Harris was one of Lehigh's top kickoff returners in 2015 and Montgomery was a contributor on special teams. Sophomore Devan Polanis will work at safety. Lehigh's incoming freshman class features a trio of defensive backs who will add depth at safety when they arrive in the fall.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Lehigh's special teams units were solid in 2015, but low numbers may limit what the Mountain Hawks may do this spring in the kicking game. Ed Mish proved to be a reliable placekicker as a true freshman, converting 40-of-43 extra point attempts and 9-of-12 field goals, while averaging nearly 59 yards per kickoff.
Mish will work this spring as the incumbent and will also take some reps at punter as the Mountain Hawks lose former all-league performer Austin Devine to graduation. Incoming freshmen Oliver Clowes and Austin Henning are expected to compete for the punting job when they arrive on campus this summer.
The Mountain Hawks will also use the spring to develop options at long snapper.
In the return game, Lehigh returns a number of student-athletes with experience. The Mountain Hawks have generally relied on younger players in the return game. Cornerback Brandon Leaks returned kickoffs as a freshman and also returned a few as a sophomore before focusing exclusively on defense. Wide receiver Sasha Kelsey has also returned kickoffs in each of his first two years on campus.
Last year, rising sophomore cornerback Donavon Harris led the Mountain Hawks with 612 yards on 29 returns. Marc Raye-Redmond also returned seven kickoffs for 134 yards.
Rising sophomore Luke Christiano led Lehigh with eight punt returns for 59 yards last season and also handled several kickoffs. All-Patriot League wide receiver Troy Pelletier also saw time as a punt returner while fifth-year senior Derek Knott has returned both kickoffs and punts in his Lehigh career.
A link to the complete 2016 Lehigh Football Spring Prospectus can be found at the top of this page
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