University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Football Picked No. 5 in CAA Preseason Poll; Bell, Nichols, Kern Earn All-CAA Honors
7/25/2017 4:34:00 PM | Football
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Looks like his fellow head coaches agree.
The league held its annual CAA Football Media Day Tuesday morning at M&T Bank Stadium and released is preseason head coaches/media relations director poll and its preseason all-conference team. The event also had a strong Delaware flair as former Blue Hen All-American and current
third-year Baltimore Ravens tight end Nick Boyle (at left) gave the welcoming address to the student-athletes, head coaches, administrators, and media members in attendance. The Blue Hens were well represented as Delaware earned a No. 5 pick out of 12 teams and three seniors - linebacker Charles Bell, defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, and center Brody Kern - earned All-CAA honors.
James Madison, the defending NCAA FCS national champion and league title holder, was the prohibitive preseason favorite, earning 21 first place votes and 241 total points. Richmond earned the other three first place votes and had 210 points followed by Villanova, New Hampshire, Delaware, Albany, William & Mary, Stony Brook, Maine, Towson, Elon, and Rhode Island. Richmond, New Hampshire, and Villanova also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
James Madison quarterback Bryan Schor was named the preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Villanova safety Rob Rolle earned CAA preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Despite consecutive four-win seasons and a 10th place finish in the league standings, Delaware earned the solid preseason ranking, leaping in front of four teams that had better overall records a year ago. The coaching pedigree of Rocco, who led Richmond to NCAA Tournament appearances
each of the last three seasons before arriving at Delaware last December, combined with the Blue Hens returning 19 of 22 starters, certainly had a lot to do with it. “We are going to go to work and try to do everything we can to better our program, better our product, and prepare ourselves to win and have success on a daily basis,” said Rocco, who is 90-42 in 11 seasons as a head coach and led Richmond to a 10-4 mark and an NCAA quarterfinal appearance a year ago. “When all is said and done, the thing you want to be is relevant in November. I believe we have a great opportunity to be relevant come November. We have to do that first before we take that next step. Hopefully this team is ready to accept that challenge.”
Bell, Kern, and Nichols, each of whom earned All-CAA honors a year ago, are among 20 seniors who will lead a unit looking to return to postseason play for the first time since the 2010 squad advanced to the national championship game.
Bell, a two-time All-CAA selection, an All-East pick a year ago, and a two-time team captain, has led the team in tackles each of the last two seasons. A year ago he made 94 stops, had 11.5 tackles for loss, intercepted a pass, and broke up three others.
Kern, a second team All-CAA pick in 2016 and a third team selection in 2015, will also serve as a team captain this fall, his fifth in a Blue Hen uniform. He will start at center for the third straight year and enters the season having started 28 straight games. He is one of three returning starters on an offensive line that allowed a CAA-low 11 sacks and helped the unit rank No. 2 in the CAA in rushing at 227.2 yards per game.
Nichols, a second-year starter, earned All-CAA honors for the second time a year ago when he recorded 25 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He also had a team-high five pass breakups and recorded a safety against Albany.
“We just need to put our heads down and go to work and not worry about where we are in the rankings and not worry about what has happened the last two years,” said Kern. “We have the experience and the new guys who have come in are fitting in well. The sky is the limit for us and we are looking to move up.”
Delaware will report to camp this Thursday, July 26 and will hit the UD Practice Fields for the first time on Friday, July 27 at 2:15 p.m.
The season opener is set for Thursday, Aug. 31 against in-state rival Delaware State at 7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium. Great season ticket packages and single game tickets are available online at www.bluehens.com or by calling 302-831-2257 or visiting the Delaware Ticket Office at the Bob Carpenter Center Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
MEDIA INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129
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