HERO Sports welcomes you to "Three-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 126 FCS programs, with three teams being released each day from June 17 to July 28. Then, we'll preview all 13 conferences from August 1-4. Today, we present … Hampton.
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.
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HAMPTON (7-3 IN 2018)
The Big South (Hampton was Ind. in 2018)
COACH: Robert Prunty – At School: 2nd year (7-3 record) Overall: Same
LAST FCS POSTSEASON: 2006 (First Round loss)
2018 OFFENSE: 34.5 ppg. (15th in FCS)
2018 DEFENSE: 28.3 ppg. (63rd in FCS)
KEY GAME: Oct. 19 – @ Campbell: The Pirates had a transitional 2018 season and won seven games, but now they face a full Big South Conference schedule and Campbell is another relative newbie to the league. This should be a good early Big South determinant of where Hampton stands.
SUM IT UP: Hampton has 15 of its starters back from last year's season finale starting lineup. The problem is that talented QB Delmon Williams has graduated, as have the top five tacklers on defense. There are certainly some new "big names" to be had here. They must emerge. But there's a good core of talent left to build with, and the Pirates must do it if they want to be competitive in the Big South in their first year. The conference has taken a massive step up this year with North Alabama and Hampton becoming full-time participants, and Campbell certainly didn't lay an egg last year in its first go at it. It will be much more competitive this fall.
The offensive skill talent is there for whoever emerges as the next quarterback at Hampton. In the spring, it was a four-man race with three previous transfers and a redshirt freshman. Bruce Dixon, Austin Bradley and Isaiah Robinson started their careers at Dartmouth, Coastal Carolina and Maine respectively. Dixon and Bradley played sparingly for Hampton last year and will be seniors this year, while Robinson is a sophomore and came aboard this spring. Dallas Hall is the redshirt freshman. Head coach Robert Prunty told the Daily Press (Hampton Roads area newspaper) that it's the best quarterback battle he's ever been around.
RB Will Robinson can be a dual-threat guy, as he's good catching the ball out of the backfield, too. And the experience at the WR is solid. Four linemen return who have substantial experience, so that's also a plus. The Pirates scored at a nice clip last year, and it seems the potential is there to do that again if the QB play is strong — but again, the competition is also being taken up a notch. Unlike last year, don't expect the 15th best scoring offense in the FCS, but it will still score its share of points.
On defense, there's a bit more work to do. The team's top five tacklers are gone. However, there are some big-time transfers that could help out immediately in DL Shug Frazier and DB Markel Valdez, who hail from N.C. State originally. In general, the defensive line looks like the strong point of this unit, as a lot of key players are back and the depth is there. It'll be interesting to see how much this defensive unit grows this year.
OUR TAKE: Hampton is certainly strong enough to open nicely against two Division II programs and rival Howard in the Chicago Football Classic. It then plays FBS Liberty. Another D-2 program is on the schedule, so that will be another 'W', and there are potential wins within the Big South. The determinant of whether Hampton wins seven games will be how it handles a three-game stretch in October against North Alabama at home, at Gardner Webb and at Campbell. Hampton should on paper be able to handle Presbyterian, but Kennesaw State, Charleston Southern and Monmouth may be a stretch — but time will tell. We'll put the ceiling at 7-5 this year for the Pirates, with the worst-case scenario being 6-6.
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COUNTDOWN: The Best Player in FCS Who Wears Each Number, 1-99
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TOP RETURNEE: Jr./RB Will Robinson (90.1 all purpose yards per game — 799 yds rushing, 7 TDs).
THE FOUNDATION: Sr./DT Desmond Sturdivant (40 tackles, 4 TFLs); Jr./DB Caleb Brown (39 tackles, 3 TFLs, 4 PDs); Soph./DE Kentrelle Groom (7 TFLs, 3 sacks in only 8 games); Jr./CB Donald Smith (27 tackles, 3 TFLs); Sr./WR Alec Dana (207 yards receiving, 1 TD); Sr./CB Terry Chisley (10 tackles, returning starter); Soph./RB Raeshad Herriott (325 yards rushing, 3 TDs); Jr./WR-KR Antonio Graham (341 yds receiving, 3 TDs); Jr./WR Marcel Paul (5 TDs receiving); Sr./DT Norman Oglesby (34 tackles, 5 TFLs).
TOP NEWCOMER: Fr./OL Erik Walker (HERO Sports No. 42 FCS signee nationally — NC State and North Carolina offers reported).
THE QUOTE: "Heading into our first year in the Big South, this schedule will help us be ready for the challenges ahead. We look forward to representing Hampton on and off the field in our first season of Big South action." — Head Coach Robert Prunty said during spring ball
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WERE WE RIGHT?: Last Year's Hampton Preview
FCS 2020 NFL PROSPECTS: The List
BEST FCS TRADITIONS: The List
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PREVIEWS: The Rest Of The Big South
Campbell | Charleston Southern | Gardner-Webb
Hampton | Kennesaw State | Monmouth
North Alabama | Presbyterian
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