Head coach Pat Ruley meets with his team during training camp. - Photo via @rowanfootball on Instagram
After months of anticipation, Rowan football is back.
The Profs will kick off their season at Coach Richard Wackar Stadium on Saturday, September 6, against Case Western Reserve.
They’re also considered the “Dark Horse” of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, ranked third in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
Last fall, the Profs finished their season going 6-4 overall with a 4-2 record in NJAC play. 2024 also marked a new era for the program, with Pat Ruley taking over for longtime head coach Jay Accorsi following his retirement.
In his first year, Ruley was still adjusting to the university and his new team. Now, he’s feeling comfortable.
“My understanding of the roster and how Rowan in general works is a little bit better this time,” Ruley said.
With so much to workshop in year one, some issues fell by the wayside.
“There was so much to change and so much that we[coaching staff] had to address,” Ruley said. “You kind of let some things slide because you don’t have enough time in the day to address it all.”
Fast forward to today, Ruley has found his rhythm with Rowan football and has no tolerance for mediocrity. He keeps a watchful eye.
“This year, now being a little more established, we’re really able to hold the guys feet to the fire,” Ruley said.
And with such high standards, comes even larger expectations for the year ahead.
“There are really high expectations,” Ruley said. “We feel like we’ve added some legitimate varsity depth in the recruiting class, and we expect them to come out and do what we expect them to do – which is to be a very good group.”
Offensively, the Profs found stability at quarterback with junior Nate Maiers, who threw for nearly 1,400 yards and five touchdowns while splitting time under center. Maiers won the job after his breakout sophomore season, and has tons of weapons across the field at his disposal.
Running backs Nunes Bukula IV and Tyshawn Bookman return behind an experienced offensive line. Maiers also has the team’s top three receivers from last season: Michael Zarfati, Luke Hoke, and captain Shane Martin.
Rowan in 2024 was plagued with an inconsistent run game, largely in part due to their young o-line struggling to get blocks and open avenues. After training camp, Ruley feels the problem has.been solved.
“I think we’ve addressed the positions in which we lost guys, which was tight end and left tackle,” Ruley said. “And we have guys we like that are on the roster in those positions right now, and I think we got deeper in the skill room. So, the expectations offensively are very high.”
On defense, all eyes are on junior defensive back A.J. Ryker. The reigning NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Year, and now captain, finished second on the Profs last season in tackles, while adding 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles. He makes his presence known on a Profs defense that has been dominating in Division III football. Last season, they ranked third overall in turnovers gained.
Ryker says he put in work both on and off the field this past offseason.
“Over the summer, I prepared myself to be a better leader for those guys coming in, so they have somebody to really look up to,” Ryker said. “My man coverage was not great last year, so I worked on that a lot over the summer.”
Rowan also adds depth to their roster with a number of transfers.
One of those players is wide receiver Kevin Degnan. The graduate student played two seasons at the Division II program Southern Connecticut State, where he saw action in 12 games as a reciever and kicker and punt returner.
Another key addition is for the Profs is kicker Greg Casimir, who transferred to Rowan from Montclair State. The junior was named D3football.com Third Team All-Region and NJAC Special Teams Player of the Year his sophomore season with the Red Hawks. He’s slated to become the team’s main kicker following Tommy Laperriere’s departure.
Casimir adds power and accuracy to the Profs special teams unit. He hit four field goals of 45+ yards last season and went 18-for-20 in extra points. In the Breakfast Bowl facing Rowan a year ago, he nailed a 49-yard field goal to send the game to overtime.
Ruley says all these new faces adds talent to his rosters. They also add friendly competition to his locker room, pushing his players to be greater.
“We’re going to continue to try to bring in as many good players as possible, even if we have guys in those roles that we think can be pretty good players,” Ruley said. “Because ultimately, the competition within positions is going to make us the best team we possibly can be.”
If there was one word to describe Rowan football in 2024, it would be: potential.
Two of their four losses were close games against nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins and Salisbury. They had a perfect 4-0 record at home and ended the year winning three straight. They also boasted one of the top defenses in the nation.
While 6-4 on paper, the Profs had moments that showed they were much better than what their record reflected. Rowan showed that they could hang with the big guys, and entering this season, they’ll look to overtake them.
Ruley has worked over the past two seasons to rebuild his programs identity. The core of that lies in their physicality.
“We’re going to be a very fast and physical team. We’re going to be on attack mode on both sides of the ball all the time and be very aggressive,” Ruley said. “And we’re going to be a team that, when you come here [Coach Richard Wackard Stadium] to play against us, you’re going to be a little more banged up the next day.”
Being named the dark horse of their conference isn’t a moniker taken lightly. Ruley says his team has an answer this season for what his program has been building.
“We’ll just continue to embody the culture of being the team that’s always going to have its foot on the gas,” Ruley said. “We’re not going to be the team that doesn’t get beat – we’re going to be the team that tries to win the game.”
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