2021 SLU Spring Football Preseason Positional Breakdown: Offensive Line

Position: Offensive Line
Position Coaches: A.J. Hopp (Third season at SLU); Joe Scelfo (Centers and guards; Second season at SLU)
Returning Starters: Drew Jones (6-1, 300, Sr.); Rendon Miles-Character (6-3, 290, Sr.)
Returning Letterwinners: William Granville (5-11, 290, So.); Kaleb Hogg (6-3, 280, So.); Brennan Lanclos (6-7, 300, So.); Tyree Rhodes (6-1, 300, Jr.); Wyatt Richthofen (6-4, 320, Sr.)
Newcomers: John Allen (6-1, 320, So.); Jalen Bell* (6-5, 300, Jr.); Noah Devlin (6-3, 290, Fr.); Cayden Guzzardo (6-0, 295, Fr.); Ethan McMullan (6-3, 290, Sr.); Keanu Mookini* (6-2, 270, So.); Jhy Orgeron (6-4, 295, Fr.); Dom Serapiglia (6-1, 310, Fr.); Brockhim Wicks* (6-2, 315, Fr.); Matt Wray (6-5, 250, Fr.)
* – Redshirted in 2019

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana offense has been very productive during preseason practice heading into the Feb. 27 season opener at Sam Houston.

While the Lions have talented performers under center and at the skill positions, for reigning Southland Conference Coach of the Year Frank Scelfo it all starts up front.

“Our offensive line has been excellent throughout the fall and spring,” Scelfo commented. “We’ve been very pleased overall with the execution of our offense and a lot of the credit goes to those guys up front. Our offense’s confidence and the leadership of our offense comes from the offensive line room.”

Scelfo’s praise was echoed by one of the group’s position coaches, third-year assistant A.J. Hopp.

“Our guys have been consistent and holding themselves to a higher standard,” Hopp commented. “If we’re able to maintain that mindset, we’re just going to continue to improve. Every championship team has a championship offensive line, so we understand how important our role is in the team’s success.”

The SLU offense was among the most prolific in all of the FCS the last time the Lions took the field back in 2019, thanks in large part to the continuity on the offensive line. Southeastern started the same five up front in 12 of 13 games last season. While only the senior duo of center Drew Jones and right tackle Rendon Miles-Character return from the 2019 starting five, Hopp doesn’t expect the Lions to skip a beat in the trenches.

“We’ve had a lot of guys step up for us and we’re seeing people step in and practice at different positions,” Hopp commented. “We’ve had so much time to build continuity, that we feel like no matter who we have in there, we can trust them to get the job done. We’ll have a lot of new faces, but we feel confident with what we have.”

Scelfo has stated that this year’s depth on the offensive line is the best of his tenure and one of the deepest positions on the roster on either side of the ball. Hopp concurred, but described his group’s wealth of talent in a different way.”

“It’s a great feeling to have so many different guys that have the ability to step in and play,” Hopp said. “But we’re not building depth, we’re creating competition. The depth is a result of our guys knowing they have to compete to earn their spot every day at practice.”

Hopp has also been encouraged the leadership shown throughout the offensive line room.

“Our upperclassmen set the tone, but the good thing is even our younger guys step up and are vocal,” Hopp stated. “There’s a lot of smart football players in our meeting room. We spend a lot of time challenging each other and looking for ways to be better and the results have been evident this offseason.”

The Lions return to the practice field on Friday for a 9:20 a.m. practice. SLU is scheduled to open its six-game, conference-only spring schedule on Feb. 27 with a 6 p.m. contest at Sam Houston State. The Lions host McNeese at 6 p.m. on March 6 at Strawberry Stadium to open their home slate.

TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2020-21 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet. SLU is scheduled to host McNeese (March 6), Northwestern State (March 13) and Lamar (April 3) this coming spring. Current state and local health regulations limit capacity at Strawberry Stadium to 2,518.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.

TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.