It has been a busy off-season for University of Maine football coach Jordan Stevens.
He has had to replace UMaine’s offensive and defensive coordinators for the third straight year; he has had to address the quarterback situation after starter Derek Robertson left to join his brother Jimmy, who is the quarterbacks coach at Coastal Athletic Association rival Monmouth (N.J.), and he has also had to revamp the defense after cornerback Kahzir “Buggs” Brown and linebacker Vince Thomas transferred.
Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Steve Cooper left to become an offensive analyst at Football Bowl Subdivision team Boise State and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jeff Comissiong departed to return to Boston College as the defensive line coach, a position he previously held at BC from 2007-12.
Both spent only one season in Orono.
UMaine is a Football Championship Subdivision school which has 22 fewer scholarships and far fewer resources than FBS schools.
The team is in the midst of its spring schedule which will conclude with the annual Jeff Cole Memorial game on Saturday, April 20 at Morse Field in Alfond Stadium. It will go from 10 a.m. until noon. It is named after the late UMaine assistant coach.
UMaine special teams coordinator/wide receivers coach Mikahael Waters has been promoted to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach and Umberto Di Meo has been elevated from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator.
Waters will start his sixth season at UMaine in the fall and Di Meo will be in his second season.
umaine football outlook
Stevens, who will begin his third season at the helm in the fall, acknowledged that having three coordinators in three seasons is less than ideal from a stability standpoint.
“We need to have more of that (stability),” said Stevens. “But it is something we have worked through and I feel really good about where we are as a staff.
“This is the best staff we’ve had,” he said.
Unlike last season, when Cooper and Comissiong were newcomers to the program, Waters and Di Meo were on the staff a year ago.
“They are familiar people to the players and they are very deserving of their new positions. They are really smart, young coaches,” said Stevens.
The Black Bears have had back-to-back 2-9 seasons under Stevens and they are looking to improve this season.
It will begin with finding a replacement for Robertson, an All-CAA honorable mention last fall when he threw for 2,933 yards, third most in school history, and 10th most in the country among quarterbacks at 122 FCS schools.
Stevens has brought in 6-foot-3, 220-pound transfer Carter Peevy, a dual-threat quarterback who led Mercer University from Georgia to an FCS playoff berth and one playoff win last fall before losing to eventual national champion South Dakota State.
He threw for 2,284 yards and his 66.4 percent completion rate was 14th best in the FCS. He also rushed for 324 yards on 125 carries and for 12 touchdowns.
Senior Anthony Harris, who completed 13 of 18 passes for 111 yards and a TD; sophomore Caden Drezek and incoming freshman Eddie Buehler from Rhode Island are the other QB candidates. Drezek didn’t see any playing time.
Peevy joined the program in January.
“We have three good quarterbacks and then we have Eddie Buehler coming in. They have all been doing well. They’re really working hard,” said Stevens. “Having competition is only going to help our team.”
Four of the top five receivers are back, including Jamie Lamson (49 catches, 553 yards) and Montigo Moss (37-for-408).
One of the primary focuses of the spring season is the running game.
“We want to be a team that runs the football and is able to stop the run. That has to be better,” Stevens said.
Last fall, UMaine was 119th out of the 122 FCS schools in running the ball at just 79.7 yards per game. The Black Bears weren’t much better stopping the run, allowing 177 yards per game which was 93rd-best.
One of the strengths of the team will be the offensive line where four of the five interior linemen who started the season-ending game at New Hampshire will return in guards Jack Boutaugh and Nicolas Cruji, center Joe Horn and left tackle Xavier Lozowicki.
“They are having a great spring. They have shown a ton of growth the last two years. They have much more of a presence about them,” said Stevens.
On the other side of the ball, defensive end Xavier Holmes can be a “dominant player” according to Stevens, who also said defensive tackle John Costanza, linebacker Jabari Odoemenem, veteran safeties Shakur Smalls and Robby Riobe and cornerback Jamaree Gibson have had strong springs.
“The defense has gained a lot of confidence and that’s important to me,” said Stevens.
He said the defense has to do a better job limiting big plays.
Punter Aidan Cadogan is back as is long snapper Zach Zoglio. Kickoff man Joey Bryson is also returning and he will compete with freshman Samuel Tremblay for the job of field goal and extra-point specialist.
UMaine will open its 12-game season with a rare Friday night game against visiting Colgate University on Aug. 30 at 7.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Stevens. “The students have to report on campus on Thursday and Friday so I anticipate having a real strong turnout for the game.”
The Black Bears will travel to take on FCS power Montana State on Sept. 7 before opening their eight-game CAA schedule at home against Monmouth on Sept. 14.
They will travel to take on FBS power Oklahoma on Nov. 2.
UMaine will receive a $635,000 guarantee for the trip to Oklahoma and $250,000 for the excursion to Montana State.
“We have a real tough start to the schedule but we know we have to get off to a real strong start,” said Stevens.