Morgan State returns 50 of 64 lettermen from a team that went 5-6 last year.
But if the Bears want to post their first winning season since 2003 and challenge for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title and automatic berth in the 16-team NCAA Tournament, the performances it receives from some of its newest players will be more important.
Morgan State is expecting to receive an immediate boost from several transfers from Football Bowl Subdivision teams, including redshirt junior quarterback Carlton Jackson (Akron), sophomore receiver Edward Morton-Green (Miami of Ohio) and senior safety Joseph Ellis (Illinois).
“It’s one thing when you don’t know what you have, you try to push [the start of practice] as far back as you can,” Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley said. “But when you know you have some players coming in, and you have a chance, you can’t wait.”
With an open quarterback competition between incumbent senior Mario Melton, senior Jeremy Glover, Jackson and redshirt freshmen Lamont Bryant and Sha’ka Miller. Melton completed just 46.4 percent of his passes for 758 yards with three touchdowns against eight interceptions.
As a redshirt sophomore at Akron, Jackson started three games and played in eight, completing 47-of-95 passes for 583 yards with four touchdowns and rushing for 207 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries.
Morton-Green should provide depth and ultimately challenge standout junior receivers Edwin Baptiste and Robert Surratt who combined to catch 56 passes for 654 yards with two touchdowns last year.
Ellis, who already has a reputation as a hard hitter, is expected to start immediately and strengthen a pass defense ranked No. 1 in the Football Championship Subdivision last year.
Morgan State’s defense ranked No. 2 overall in the FCS last year, yielding 20.5 points per game, but limiting opponents to just 264.8 total yards and forcing 29 turnovers.
“[Players say] ‘they have a kid here from [Virginia] Tech, they have a kid here from Ohio State, they have a kid here from Illinois,’” Hill-Eley said. “Not only are they playing on the football field, they are on the roster every year and getting more than football at Morgan State.”
Five miles north in Baltimore County, Towson also is expecting contributions from transfers to help erase the memory of a 3-8 season that began with aspirations of a berth in the FCS playoffs and a national ranking.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Paul Stefanick (Kent State) figures to push for playing time, and the 6-foot, 220-pounder already is known for his muscular physique.
West Point junior transfer and defensive back Kenny Rackers, who made three tackles in the spring game, should provide depth and be a solid special teams contributor.
There also is a battle for who will become the heir to senior quarterback Sean Schaefer, who owns a majority of the school’s passing records. Jeremy Jayne, a sophomore transfer from Temple, and Blair Peterson, a transfer from New Mexico who recently completed his two-year Mormon mission in Argentina, are battling for the job.
Peterson had most of the playing time with the second-team offense during a scrimmage last Saturday, completing 4-of-8 passes for 94 yards.
“I’m always happy when nobody gets hurt,” Towson coach Gordy Combs said of the scrimmage. “I am sure the assistant coaches will have some other observations but I think it’s a successful scrimmage when we come out of it healthy.”
