Air Force Football: Genesis 2024
Can Air Force Keep Thriving with a Roster Overhaul?
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We’ve got an updated 📺 schedule 👀 pic.twitter.com/nbW0xG7F1j
— Air Force Football (@AF_Football) July 1, 2024
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The last time we saw the Air Force Fightin’ Falcons in game action, they wore out the James Madison Dukes by a score of 31-21 in the Armed Forces Bowl, back in December. A lot has happened since then.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED
A quarter of last year’s starters on defense are presently on NFL rosters, Falcon Stadium has undertaken a spectacular renovation, and more than 3,600 yards from last years offense graduated in the spring, along with the entire offensive line that was one of the best in the nation. And that is only covering the changes this team is experiencing at a very high level. So you get the picture, it’s a new season, and a very new team.
Noone is going to cry for Air Force though, nor should they. A very experienced coaching staff has excelled at developing players through their program that has navigated such changes with little to no turbulence. In fact, they tend to thrive in the given circumstances. If you want a detailed breakdown of the talent turnover and just how good of a coaching staff resides in Colorado Springs, Nittany Falcon wrote an excellent piece which you can find here.
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT
Anytime you lose generational talents like Trey Taylor, Bo Richter and a deep experienced offensive line unit, a drop off is going to be expected. The schedule does not allow for a slow immersion for a team of majority new starters. After their week one FCS Opener against Merrimack, the rest of the schedule is relentless starting with their week two Conference opener against San Jose State. This is a Spartan team now led by someone very familiar with Air Force in long time Navy coach, Ken Niumatalolo.
After that, the Falcons head to Waco, Texas, where Baylor will be seeking retribution for the thumping Air Force handed them a two years ago at Bowl Season. This is their schedule in a microcosm, week to week matchups with familiar opponents, bitter rivals and of course the Beavers who for some reason are still in the Pac2. Or is it Tupac, because ‘Life Goes On’? Either, way, the 2024 schedule is quite interesting week to week.
For the second year in a row, Troy Calhoun and crew will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, who in all likelihood will be John Busha. Last year saw this team come blazing out of the gates behind Zach Larrier. But this years team doesn’t have the experience surrounding Busha that Larrier did. Namely an entire offensive line of All-Conference performers. While Busha won’t be flanked by an entirely new backfield, they will have to replace 2,000 yards of rushing production from John Lee Eldridge III, Owen Burke and Emmanuel Michel.
This is what makes college football beautiful though. The year to year transition of players and roster composition are always there, and the best programs have learned to navigate it. Troy Calhoun and the Air Force Falcons certainly have managed it quite well. So don’t fret, there is plenty to be excited about. Where there may be critical player losses, new stars will emerge.
For starters, Steed Lobotzke is the King Midas of offensive line coaches. It seems like he is turning out gold at every turn with his players. And that is not by luck, there isn’t a better coach at the position in the country. The ball carriers behind the new offensive line are going to be fine as well. Dylan Carson was just a hair under 500 yards for the season last year, averaging over seven yards per carry, while splitting carries with two other fullbacks.
More pre-season honors rolling in! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/LF1ZJ72rGB
— Air Force Football (@AF_Football) August 11, 2024
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Defensively, it’s easy to focus on massive losses by volume and talent as mentioned earlier. But returning are two of the best players in the conference at their positions in Payton Zdroik and Camby Goff. Many are quick to forget, Camby Goff was an All-Conference player before a week one injury ended his season last year. This is a guy who played as a freshman and is a three-year starter bouncing between the secondary and that hybrid spur position. Sticking with the secondary, it is the one area that the Falcons return plenty of game experience. Zdroik down in the trenches is an absolute game wrecker and will help settle a lot of new pieces in the front seven.
The most experienced unit at Air Force has to be special teams. They return all of their starters from last season and are two deep with experience at kicker and punter. With a Lou Groza Watch List kicker in Matthew Dapore. They may have to break in a new kick and punt returner to confidently put their hand in the air to signal a fair catch though.
nice to see
One of the things that I am most excited about has to be the surfacing of prominent recruits from recruiting classes of the past rearing on the roster. Full disclosure, we all know the roster which Air Force shares isn’t necessarily an indication of who you are going to see on the field. But a lot of the underclassmen, and those who went to the prep school sort of vanish from sight for a year or two to either never be seen again or in some cases surface as playmakers.
Here are some the guys for those who have been following the Falcon recruiting classes the past few years should be excited about as newcomers to the roster, or prime to take a leap in contributions.
OFFENSE
Alec Falk (OL), Tre Roberson (WR), Kade Frew (RB), Kaden Cloud (RB), Henry Rickels (OL), Bruin Fleischmann (TE) and converted quarterback Kemper Hodges (FB).
DEFENSE
Houston Hendrix (DB/LB), Kyle Chen (DB), Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner (DB), Dallas Daley (LB), Blake Fletcher (LB), Luke Meyer (LB), Jack Curtis (DE), Zach Juckel (LB) and Hiroshi Carr (DB).
UP NEXT
Next week we will have our first season preview for Air Force as they prepare to take on Merrimack for their opener. While your waiting for the Falcons to kick off the season, take in some of the week zero offerings as New Mexico, Nevada and Hawai’i all play this week!
‼️What a show this morning‼️@MountainWest preview.
We also took a look at the @BroncoSportsFB QB situation.
Boise State, @unlvfootball and @FresnoStateFB are our top picks.
Full show here: https://t.co/M7p3wLyfFn pic.twitter.com/IhyE7L6cJn
— Group Of Five Guys (@GroupOfFiveGuys) August 22, 2024
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