SAVANNAH, Ga. - A tenacious defense, efficient offense and overall display of solid fundamentals. Those are the things Savannah State University first-year head coach Earnest Wilson III said he hopes to see during the Tigers' first scrimmage at 8 a.m. Saturday at T.A. Wright Stadium.
 
“You want to be able to see the defense stop people but at the same time you want to see the offense score,” said Wilson, who was hired June 7 from Hampton University, where he was the Pirates' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “You want to see consistency. You want to see the fundamentals and good technique being executed. You want to see a sense of urgency on both sides of the ball, and we want to make sure that they are assignment-correct. If I can see fundamentals and good technique, and a sense of urgency, then I think Savannah State football is going in the right direction.”
 
Wilson and his assistants have been busy working with the players who returned after finishing 1-10 overall and 0-8 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last season. The coaching staff sees tremendous potential in an offense that returns 10 starters and a defense that brings back eight starters. SSU lost three starters from last season's team: offensive lineman Cedric Brown, defensive tackle James Briscoe, and nose tackle Terrance Williams.
 
“We have 86 guys now on our roster,” Wilson said. “We pretty much hit every day. We're doing a lot of hitting. We're trying to get the team into a game-mode mentality at all times.”
 
SSU averaged 13.4 points per game while allowing 44.9 points last season. The Tigers averaged 82.1 yards rushing and 169.3 yards passing. Defensively, SSU allowed 286.5 yards rushing and 179.5 yards passing.
 
“All positions are open,” Wilson said. “This team went 1-10 last year so nobody's a real starter here. Everybody's got to fight it out for a position.”
 
QUARTERBACK
Senior Antonio Bostick is considered the favorite to remain the starting quarterback. He was 118-of-283 passing (41.7 percent) for 1,629 yards and eight touchdowns with 13 interceptions last season. Bostick was SSU's leading rusher with 345 yards and five touchdowns on 149 carries.
 
But Bostick is competing with junior Victorian Hardison, who was 21-of-52 passing (40.4 percent) for 233 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions last season, and redshirt freshman Leon Prunty. Zach Hutcheson, a sophomore transfer from Yuva College, also is vying for playing time.
 
“I think they all bring something good to the table,” Wilson said. “We're looking for consistency from the whole offense, including the quarterback.”
 
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Tigers' offensive line, which allowed 47 sacks for minus-327 yards last season, has more depth and experience this season. Sophomores Devin Stainrod and Epafara Moananu return along with seniors Elijah Watson and Caleb Freeman. Also in the mix are senior Jonathan Clowers and freshman Akinyemi Olujobi.
 
“We haven't really done too much (recruiting offensive linemen) because it's slim pickings out there,” Wilson said. “But we've got a couple of pretty good ones.”
 
RUNNING BACK
Senior Sheldon Barnes was second on the team in rushing with 316 yards and a touchdown on 101 carries last season. Sophomores Alex Simmons and Lereginald Veals are competing with Barnes for playing time. Simmons ran 30 times for 117 yards and Veals carried 35 times for 114 yards.
 
“We also have De'Quan Daniels, a freshman (from Statesboro High School), who is doing pretty good as well,” Wilson said. “Probably three or four are running well. We'll probably redshirt (some of them). It's a dogfight.”
 
RECEIVER
SSU's receiving corps is perhaps its greatest strength. Senior Simon Heyward, who led the Tigers with 44 catches for 751 yards and six touchdowns last season, should flourish in Wilson's “Air Raid” offense. Before joining Hampton, Wilson was the offensive coordinator at Jackson State, which led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in scoring offense and total offense.
 
Senior Dylan Cook made 37 catches for 491 yards and a touchdown last season. Junior tight end Kris Drummond had 21 catches for 318 yards and a touchdown. And redshirt junior Edward Lackey has recovered from a back injury that limited him to seven games.
Heyward was the only SSU player selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team. Cook and Drummond were named third team. Heyward also was named to the College Sports Madness Preseason All-MEAC First Team. A graduate of Savannah's Beach High School, Heyward is among 34 players on the watch list for the College Football Performance Awards Football Championship Subdivision Wide Receiver Award.
 
DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior Micah Blount and sophomore Olajuwon Swearinger are returning starters at defensive end. Blount was chosen to the Preseason All-MEAC Third Team. Swearinger made 25 tackles, including a team-high three-and-a-half sacks last season.
 
SSU signed four junior-college transfers, three of whom enrolled in January. The largest signee is 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman Sebastian Pittman, a Chicago native who played at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Pittman made 45 tackles, including four-and-a-half sacks, and earned all-conference honors.
 
Another junior-college transfer on the defensive line is 6-foot-1, 295-pound Christian Martinez, who played at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa.
 
“Pittman came in. Micah Blount is there. I think they're six or seven deep at that position,” Wilson said. “They can go to any guy at any time.”
 
LINEBACKERS
Juniors Wayne Burden and Terrance Slaughter, and sophomore Trevion Ashford, return as starters at linebacker. Burden led SSU in tackles with 75, including two sacks, last season. Slaughter made 39 tackles, while Ashford registered 33 tackles.
 
“They're young but they're probably some of the better athletes,” Wilson said. “Great athletes, but they're young and they can learn. Tre Ashford's back and he can make plays for us.”
 
SECONDARY
Senior John Wilson returns as a starting defensive back. He was named to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team after finishing third on the team in tackles with 68 and intercepting a team-high four passes last season.
 
Also returning as a starting defensive back is senior Javon Moore. He made 32 tackles and picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown.
“John and a couple of other guys are making it happen,” Wilson said. “I think Coach (Corey) Barlow has done a good job.”
 
SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior Preston McCarthy returns as the Tigers' starting kicker. He was 4-of-6 on field-goal attempts last season and was 15-of-19 on extra-point attempts but Wilson said freshman John Barron has been one of the most impressive players in practices.
 
“McCarthy's back and Barron is challenging him,” Wilson said. “We have a good kicker, John Barron, who is kicking the ball into the end zone on kickoffs. I think that's going to be something different for people to see, someone who can kick it out the back of the end zone.”
 
Sophomore Jacob Thomas returns as SSU's starting punter. His longest punt was 56 yards last season, and he pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line 13 times.
 
“Our job is to see who can execute and who can work together as a team, and at the same time just make it happen all the way around,” Wilson said.
 
SSU's annual Blue & Orange Fall Scrimmage (Fan Appreciation Day) is at 6 p.m. Aug. 17. Players and coaches will be available to sign posters and schedule cards before kickoff.
The Tigers' season-opener is at 6 p.m. Aug. 31 against Georgia Southern at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro.