Column: "The Best Is Yet To Come"

As Delaware football head coach Danny Rocco addressed the crowd at halftime of the annual Blue-White Spring Game, he directed their attention to the construction site on the opposite side of Delaware Stadium.

"The best is yet to come," Rocco declared.

Just as the renovation of Delaware Stadium will bring the University of Delaware into a new era, Rocco is looking to continue the upward progression of the football team. He delivered consecutive seven-win seasons in his first two seasons at the helm, and last year brought Delaware back to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2010.

The Blue Hens face a new challenge this season, having to replace a significant amount of experience, especially on the defensive side of the ball, with the graduation and departure of players like Troy Reeder and Nasir Adderley.

Despite those losses, Rocco and his staff feel good about the unit, which won Saturday's spring game 52-41 in a modified scoring system that pitted it against the offense. That confidence stems from a strong defensive line, the most experienced position group on the defense.

"It's the one area where we have a lot of guys back," Rocco said. "There's a lot of guys in our defensive front that have played over 250 plays last year…that is a strength and there is depth there."

Cam Kitchen, who was voted as a captain by his teammates, spearheads the battle in the trenches, coming off a 2018 season where he totaled 47 tackles, a sack and four quarterback hurries. The depth at the line has allowed the coaching staff to move players around to linebacker and secondary positions to maximize everybody's athleticism. Sophomore linebacker Drew Nickles, just one year of college football under his belt, stood out after playing in multiple positions this spring.

The secondary is the greenest group on the defense, making the leadership role of redshirt junior Nijuel Hill, also voted a team captain, even more important.

"We have a talented player there. We have a good person there. We have a guy that really believes in the value of this team," Rocco said of his standout defensive back. "I'm encouraged with that and I'm encouraged with the talent of the other guys, [there's] just a lacking of experience."

"Obviously we're going to make mistakes as a young defensive group, but if we cover that up with enthusiasm and relentless pursuit, that's all we can really ask for," Hill said. "As you can see, we're not afraid for the challenge."

That enthusiasm was on display as the young secondary flew around the field making plays. Sophomore Kedrick Whitehead and redshirt freshman Amonte' Strothers each had interceptions and redshirt freshman Noah Plack had several big pass breakups. The score of the spring game may not factor into Delaware's 2019 record, but don't tell the defense it doesn't matter.

"Since we lost the last two years, we wanted to come out here and prove a point," Hill said.

While the offense didn't have its most prolific day Saturday, the players and coaches are still excited about the progress the team has made this spring, and its potential in the fall. First-year offensive coordinator Jared Ambrose is implementing an up-tempo system with a lot more run-pass options and multiple ways to attack defenses.

"I think Coach Ambrose's offense is really good, it suits our personnel very well," running back Andre Robinson said. "He knows his stuff. It uses our athletes; it gets us the ball in space. Can't really ask for much more than that as an athlete."

"There's a lot of flexibility and there's answers built within each play to counter what the defense does," quarterback Pat Kehoe, another captain, said.

Rocco took a moment at halftime to introduce the four team-voted captains to the crowd: Kehoe, Kitchen, Hill and offensive lineman Mario Farinella. With so many seniors graduating from last year's playoff team, it will be on this group to use their experience to guide the young Blue Hens.

"I think the thing you always look for is for them to continue to build on what they have already been able to establish and get people to follow," Rocco said. "They all have stories that they're able to take a step back and say, 'you know what, two years ago this is where I was, and then look where I am now.' So it creates that hope and that optimism for everybody in the program that if they just stay committed to what we're trying to get done, good things will happen."

"I just want to be a leader for this group," Kehoe said. "I've seen a lot of things in my time here and I want to pass that on to our younger guys and their development."

Players Mentioned

Nasir Adderley

Mario Farinella

Nijuel Hill

Pat Kehoe

Cam Kitchen

Drew Nickles

Noah Plack

Troy Reeder

Andre Robinson

Kedrick Whitehead Jr.

University of Delaware Athletics