HERO Sports welcomes you to "Three-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 126 FCS programs from June 17 to August 6. Then, we'll preview all 13 conferences from August 12-15. Today, we present … Princeton.
We'll leave no stone left unturned when it comes to giving the FCS diehards all they could ask for this offseason. Learn about every program in the country, with HERO Sports.
[divider]MORE FCS FOOTBALL:
- FCS Home
- FCS Preview Schedule – Team Links
- The HERO Sports Preseason Top 25 Poll
- Preseason All-American Teams
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Princeton (10-0 IN 2018)
Ivy League (Princeton finished 1st in 2018)
COACH: Bob Surace – At School: 10th Year (48-42) Overall: 12th Year (66-45)
2018 OFFENSE: 47.0 ppg (1st in FCS)
2018 DEFENSE: 13.0 ppg (4th in FCS)
KEY GAME: Nov. 16 vs. Yale: We like what Yale has coming back and the number of guys returning off of injury that played a key part in the 2017 Ivy League championship team. That's why we have the Bulldogs No. 17 in our preseason poll. With this being the second-to-last game of the season, this matchup is going to play a huge part in the conference championship race.
SUM IT UP: Last year was a historic season for Princeton. The Tigers had their first undefeated season since 1964 and were ranked No. 11 in the final STATS Top 25 poll. Gone from that squad are a number of extremely talented seniors, including a First Team All-Conference quarterback, running back and wide receiver along with two First Team linebackers.
While there are several key spots to fill, Princeton has knocked it out of the park in recruiting lately. The 2017 class ranked No. 30 in the FCS, the 2018 class ranked No. 1 and this year's class ranked No. 7. The young talent is impressive, and Princeton also has experienced players that have played important roles for this program, including nine players who earned 2018 All-Ivy League players and HERO Sports Preseason All-American safety TJ Floyd.
The stingy defense from last year loses three of its top four tacklers and brings back six of the top 11 tacklers. Cornerback Delan Stallworth is the top returning tackler after his 56 last year ranked third on the team.
The offense was the top unit in the FCS last year with its 47 points per game. Some new playmakers need to emerge for this group to remain explosive. Replacing quarterback John Lovett, who led the team in rushing and passing and was the 2018 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, and Jesper Horsted, who now has an NFL contract, is a tall order. Tiger Bech is an explosive player at wide receiver and Collin Eaddy expects to step up at running back. The offensive line brings back two guys who were named on the 2018 All-Conference teams: Reily Radosevich and Alex Deters along with Graham Adomitis, who earned First Team honors at tight end because of his blocking.
OUR TAKE: Princeton has won the Ivy League title two out of the last three years and has a ton of momentum in recruiting right now. This tells us that, even with the amount of turnover, this program isn't going anywhere. Dartmouth looks solid again after going 9-1 last year (lone loss was 14-9 to Princeton) and Yale appears to be set for another run at the conference title. But the Tigers will be right there in the championship race again. Expect them to go 3-0 in the nonconference as well, setting up for another potential double-digit win season.
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COUNTDOWN: The Best Player in FCS Who Wears Each Number, 1-99
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TOP RETURNEE: Sr./DB TJ Floyd (HERO Sports Preseason All-American, 6 INT and 8 PD)
THE FOUNDATION: Sr./OL Reily Radosevich (First Team All-Conference); Sr./TE Graham Adomitis (First Team AC, 10 rec. for 61 yards and 1 TD); Jr./LB Jeremiah Tyler (Second Team AC, 5 PD and 2 INT; Jr./DB Delan Stallworth (Second Team AC, 56 tackles); Sr./WR-PR Tiger Bech (Second Team AC RS, 18 PR for 195 yards); Sr./OL Alex Deters (AC HM); Jr./RB Collin Eaddy (AC HM, 663 yards rushing and 4 TDs); Sr./DL Joey DeMarco (AC HM, 30 tackles and 2.5 sacks)
TOP NEWCOMER: Fr./DE Cole Aubrey (HERO Sports' 36th ranked FCS recruit in 2019)
THE QUOTE: "These are exciting times for Princeton football. We're thrilled to have these 28 young men joining our program. Our staff works really hard to identify players who we feel will fit in well with the values, traditions and expectations of Princeton football. We can't wait to get to work with this group." — Head Coach Bob Surace said
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WERE WE RIGHT?: Last Year's Princeton Preview
FCS 2020 NFL PROSPECTS: The List
BEST FCS TRADITIONS: The List
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PREVIEWS: The Rest Of The Ivy League
Brown | Columbia | Cornell | Dartmouth
Harvard | Penn | Princeton | Yale
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SUBSCRIBE: HERO Sports FCS Podcast
