FROSTBURG, Md. - Frostburg head coach DeLane Fitzgerald has seen consistency throughout his coaching staff and roster in his six years at the helm of the Bobcat program but change is on the horizon and is quickly approaching the 2019 season.
 
Frostburg State University is on the move to NCAA Division II after a 41-year stay at the DIII level and with the change comes more challenging competition, new opponents, the loss of rivals and the uneasiness of being the new kid in town.
 
"We had a great last four years with 37 wins, which is something special considering we could only schedule 10 games a year," said Fitzgerald on leaving DIII. "I believe the success we have had gave the university and our administration the courage to try the Division II transfer."
 
Over the last four seasons, Frostburg has not only won 37 games, but three NCAA Playoff games and an ECAC Bowl Game. The Bobcats have been one of the most consistent and competitive teams on the east coast during that stretch and Fitzgerald and his program will rely on that momentum and success as it prepares for DII.
 
"This fall is going to be very different for us as we make the transition and learn our way through the league," added Fitzgerald. "Everything that comes at us will all be things we haven't encountered in the last four years. However, the things our players have come to value, and the things that our fans, alums and administrators have come to appreciate on game days won't change. Our football program is going to prepare well each week and we are going to play extremely hard each Saturday."
 
Aside from the change outside the program, Fitzgerald will also have to replace a four-year starter under center, an All-American on the offensive line and his two leading rushers from last fall.
 
Connor Cox graduated last spring as Frostburg's all-time leader in passing TDs (86), passing yards (8,447), completions (601), attempts (1,011) and total offense (9,720 yds.). Riley Hartman garnered both D3football.com and AFCA All-American honors last fall and is now part of the coaching staff, while Jamaal Morant and Grayson Boyce combined for 1,287 rushing yards with 12 TDs as seniors.
 
"On offense, we lost seven extremely good players as most of them were three and four-year starters," added Fitzgerald. "On defense, we return nine starters, including 16 of the top 22 players on our defensive depth chart from a year ago. We also return two valuable specialists and one being an all-conference kicker and the best long snapper I have ever coached."
 
It may seem like a tall task for the Bobcats to overcome the challenges on the horizon, but Fitzgerald and his staff are very optimistic for their first season as a scholarship program with the players who are returning along with the school's first-ever signed recruiting class.
 
Defense
While there are holes on the offensive side of the ball, the Bobcat defense returns nine starters to a unit that has ranked inside the top-40 nationally in total defense in each of the last four years.
 
Last fall, the Bobcats held seven of their opponents under 300 yards of offense and managed a total of 26 takeaways. A closer look at the numbers reveal that FSU finished 15^th in the country in tackles for loss (8.7), 19^th in team sacks (8.7) and 10^th with 14 recovered fumbles.
 
Aside from the nine starters returning for the first season at the Division II level, the Bobcats return six senior starters who will close their careers in unfamiliar territory.
 
On the line, seniors Paul Kumpar and Walter Riley, along with junior Zach Strand helped disrupt opposing quarterbacks all season in 2018. Kumpar and Strand started all 11 games at defensive end, while Riley started eight games on the interior.
 
Strand finished fourth on the team with 50 tackles, while leading FSU with 7.0 sacks (42 yds.) and 14.5 tackles for loss (65 yds.). He was a First Team All-NJAC selection and closed the season with 15 tackles, three TFLS and a sack in the NCAA Playoffs.
 
Riley ended the season ranked eighth on the team with 27 total tackles to go along with 6.0 tackles for loss (24 yds.) and 2.5 sacks (18 yds.). He was an Honorable Mention All-NJAC and capped his junior campaign with 11 TFLs and five sacks over the final three contests.

Junior Zach Strand

 
Kumpar started all 11 games and finished with 19 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. Junior Jon Milstreed returns from an injury in 2018 after starting all 13 games at nose guard as a sophomore.
 
Juniors Carl Igweh and Navar Solis will provide depth to the defensive line. Igweh posted 13 tackles, 6.0 TFLs (41 yds.) and 4.5 sacks (35 yds.), while Solis registered four tackles including 2.0 TFLs in four games. Sophomore Luke Freeman and junior Trevor Booker will also figure into the mix at DE this fall.
 
In the secondary, senior defensive backs Vincent Persichetti and Michael Bell and junior Avery Thurman combined to start 29 games last season. The trio helped the defense rank 14^th in the nation in fewest passing yards allowed (150.5).
 
Since arriving at Frostburg, Persichetti has started 33 games and has moved from cornerback to safety during his time as a Bobcat. Last fall, he was a Second Team All-NJAC award winner after posting 45 tackles with two interceptions and a team-best eight pass break ups.
 
Thurman broke into the starting lineup last fall with 11 starts and he led FSU with 68 total tackles, while Bell started seven games and posted 10 total tackles.
 
Providing depth to the secondary will be junior Stacey Watts, sophomore Xavier Campbell and transfer Kyle Borgman. Watts played in all 11 games last fall with 22 total tackles. Junior Tyler Winbush and sophomore Zachary Willett should see increased minutes at safety this fall following a combined 12 tackles last season.
 
The defense as a whole returns talent at every position, but none are as a deep or talented as the linebackers, as two seniors and a total of seven players return with significant playing experience.
 
Seniors Matt Meier and Wayne Palmer return for their final seasons and will have to fend off a bevy of younger players if they want secure starting spots.
 
Palmer started all 11 games last fall and finished second on the team in tackles (65), while leading the charge with 39 assisted stops. Meier, meanwhile, played in nine games with 17 tackles, 3.0 TFLs (9 yds.) and one sack (4 yds.).
 
Junior Jake Broschart started nine games at linebacker and was seventh on the team in tackles (37). He closed his sophomore campaign with a season-high 11 tackles, with 4.5 TFLs, one sack and one pass break up in FSU's win over Western New England in the NCAA Playoffs.
 
A pair of sophomores will push the upperclassmen for plenty of playing time and will be face of the defense in the years to come.
 
Diron Accoo was named the NJAC Defensive Rookie of the Week after posting two tackles with the game-clinching interception in a win over Wesley, while Michael Morgan also garnered NJAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting eight tackles with 0.5 TFLs and recovered a fumble in a week two win over TCNJ. Junior Ashton Walker will also push the group for playing time.
 
Offense
The Bobcats led the NJAC and finished 39^th in the NCAA last year in total offense (435.9), but will have to reload quickly in order to match the numbers from the last few seasons.
 
Fitzgerald stressed that it will be a four-way competition for the starting spot throughout camp. Replacing Cox under center will be a battle between Division I graduate transfer Will Brunson, junior Chad Palmer, junior T.J. Peer and sophomore Shawn Bliss.
 
A former two-time South Carolina All-State performer and one-star recruit according to 247sports, Brunson started 11 games at the University of Albany in 2017, throwing for 1,889 yards and nine touchdowns.
 
Palmer played in four games at QB a year ago and he completed 9-of-11 passes for 57 yards. Peer ran for a touchdown against TCNJ, while Bliss completed two passes for 27 yards in five games.
 
A quartet of pass catchers will provide stability and consistency for the young QBs on the roster.
 
Senior Malik Morris started 10 games and garnered First Team All-NJAC honors after ranking third in the nation in yards per reception (24.02). A legitimate NFL prospect, Morris also caught 42 passes for 1,009 yards and nine TDs, while also finishing seventh in the country with four blocked kicks. Nearly half of his receptions went for 20 yards and nearly one third of his catches were longer than 30 yards.
 

Senior Malik Morris

In week two, he blocked a punt in the endzone for a TD against TCNJ, while in the NCAA Playoffs against Western New England, he caught 11 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Juniors Lincoln Ikwubuo and Christian Thornton will also be valuable weapons at wideout. Ikwubuo was second on the team with five touchdown receptions after hauling in 34 passes for 514 yards. In seven games, Thornton caught 11 passes for 170 yards and three scores.
 
Junior Terrell Brown will add depth to the WRs after catching eight passes for 151 yards with three TDs as a sophomore. Junior Aaron Curtis and senior Jay Smith will help fill out the depth at wideout this fall after seeing limited time in 2018.
 
Junior Chandler Breeden along with sophomores Bryant Evans and Ben Sexton will all compete for the vacant tight end starting spot due to the graduation of Noah Teeter. On the stat sheet, Breeden led the way with one reception and a TD against Southern Virginia in late October.
 
Despite the loss of Cox at QB, the biggest losses from a year ago are arguably at running back and on the offensive line.
 
Morant and Boyce led the ground attack for each of the last two seasons and the responsibility will now rest on the shoulders of juniors Malcolm Facey and Aizsha Horne. Facey carried the ball 42 times for 232 yards and two scores last fall, while Horne ran 33 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Facey capped his season with 18 carries for 112 yards and one score in Frostburg's win over Western New England in the playoffs.
 
Junior Gavin Lavat had a great spring and returns to the roster after sitting out the 2018 season with an injury. Two seasons ago, Lavat carried the ball 103 times for 716 yards and three scores.
 
At fullback, junior Nate Forte started all 11 games a year ago and will fight for the starting job with fellow junior Daniel Bittinger. The duo helped the Bobcat offense lead the NJAC and finish 39th in the nation in total offense (435.9).
 
The offensive line has collected the most postseason awards over the last few seasons with an All-American in both 2017 and 2018 in Christian Walsh and Riley Hartman, respectively.
 
Both are gone and the torch is now being carried by seniors Jason Money and Wade Olson along with juniors Gene Robinson and Andrew Griffith. Olson started all 11 games at right guard last fall, while Money started two at left tackle. Robinson started eight games over Money at left tackle, while Griffith played in eight games.

Senior Ryan Landis

 
Sophomores Chris Escobar and Samuel Davis will also see time on the line and Fitzgerald noted that FSU will have a battle between four or five guys for playing time at both tackle positions.
 
Special Teams
Junior kicker Jeremy Harrison and senior long snapper Ryan Landis return to headline the special teams units.
 
Harrison led the Bobcats and NJAC a season ago with 80 points along with a 7.3 point per game average. He finished 19^th in the nation in FG percentage (75.0) and 38^th in FGs per game (0.82).
 
Since arriving on campus, Landis has started every game at long snapper and enters his final season with 35 starts over his previous three seasons.
 
The return duties will be handled by Persichetti, Morris, Ikwubuo, Horne and Brown. Ikwubuo returned six punts 105 yards with a touchdown, while Horne took six kickoffs back 100 yards. Morris will see more an expanded role this season as he will be returning kicks and punts after posting six blocks in his previous three seasons.
 
Brown led the Bobcats in both kick and punt returns. He returned 28 punts 424 yards and a touchdown and returned 15 kicks for 375 yards. He garnered Second Team All-NJAC honors as one of the league's top returner.