Kent State Rides a Turnaround and a Trusted Quarterback Into Year Two Under Mark Carney
Kent State's 5-7 finish in 2025 (4-4 in the MAC) would look ordinary anywhere else, but for a program that had won just one game across the previous two seasons it counted as a genuine revival. The upheaval was real: head coach Kenni Burns was placed on leave and then fired in the spring of 2025, and Mark Carney took over a roster starting almost from scratch. He steadied it, found a quarterback and pushed the Golden Flashes to a .500 record in league play.
The most important offseason development was keeping that quarterback. With him back and a full year of continuity, expectations have climbed, though both preseason reads slot Kent State near the bottom of the MAC at around 10th, with a bowl bid looking like a stretch. A nonconference slate that opens at South Carolina and visits Ohio State inside the first three weeks only sharpens the challenge.
Offense
Junior Dru DeShields is the centerpiece and the reason optimism has grown. In his first season as the starter he threw for 2,030 yards with 18 touchdowns against just three interceptions while completing 57 percent of his throws across 11 starts, and he protected the ball as well as any quarterback in the league. The 6-2, 195-pounder added roughly 15 pounds of muscle over the winter and drew praise for his growth as a leader. He is a potential all-conference performer, and the offense will lean on him to lift a group that managed only 21.3 points per game a year ago.
Tight end is the deepest spot on the offense and a real asset. Terik Mulder is an All-MAC candidate coming off a 19-catch, 198-yard, four-touchdown season and figures to be a primary target, with Hunter Hopperton and Dakota Taylor among several bodies capable of meaningful snaps. At receiver, dynamic returner Da'Realyst Clark is expected to shoulder a larger role in the passing game, while slot man Wayne Harris took a step forward this spring after catching 35 passes for 383 yards and a score. Ardell Banks flashed enough in the offseason to push for playing time.
Running back is the offense's biggest question mark. Spring practice did not settle on a clear No. 1 after the graduation of Jordan Nubin, leaving a fierce competition into fall camp. Sophomore Jakorian Caffey, a Cincinnati transfer, and Illinois State transfer Mason King are the frontrunners, with Brandon White and Donovan Delaney Jr. also in the mix. King is the intriguing name: he ran for 983 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023 and earned first-team all-conference honors at the FCS level, but he missed 2024 with injury and appeared in only three games last season. If he rediscovers his form, it changes the room.
The portal thinned the offensive line, but a wave of incoming transfers has made the group deeper than it was a year ago even as it works to fill holes. Left tackle Tyler Meadows and left guard Dustyn Morell, a former starter at center, give the unit a sturdy left side to build around. Ben Midea projects at center, with Cecil Wilson at right guard and Mofe Adewole at right tackle. Building cohesion quickly is essential given the early road tests.
Defense
Kent State runs a 4-3 base and can shift to a 4-2-5 for a different look, and rebuilding both lines is central to any further progress. Defensive tackle Thomas Aden is the most significant returnee up front, back after starting for the first time since arriving from Pitt and coming off a 24-tackle, 3.5-tackle-for-loss year. Josue Cordoba mans the nose, with Aiden Burgess, Cambon Wilborn and Darian Blachewicz expected to rotate inside. On the edges, third-year players Jaihien Roy and Antonio Bottiggi have worked their way atop the depth chart, joined by Semaj Bridgeman, a versatile former four-star recruit who could make an impact after transferring in from Michigan State.
Linebacker also took a portal hit, but the projected starters offer experience. Rocco Nicholl returns to Kent State after starting in 2024 and spending a year at USF, and he profiles as one of the defense's leaders. Hayden Dawahare and Trey Rubinstein round out the anticipated trio for a unit that finished among the worst in FBS in total defense last season.
The secondary blends returning experience with new faces. Both starting safeties, Derrick Jackson III and Joel Cordoba, are back, and nickel DJ Barnes played roughly 70 percent of the snaps a year ago. The Golden Flashes are counting on redshirt senior corner A'tiq Muhammad, who appeared in nine games after transferring from UTEP, to anchor a cornerback spot that will otherwise feature newcomers. Expect a learning curve on the outside.
Special teams is a clear strength thanks to the return game. Clark was a first-team All-MAC return specialist who took two kickoffs back for touchdowns, and Harris added a punt-return score while averaging a league-best 13.2 yards per punt return. Jake Stoeckel is set to handle the punting, and the placekicking job is unsettled, with freshman Sean Leonard the early candidate to win it.
Overview and Prediction
The trajectory is encouraging, but the math is hard. Carney rebuilt belief and locked down his quarterback, and DeShields plus a deep tight end group and elite return specialists give Kent State a real identity. The problems are on both lines, where portal losses and inexperience collide with a front-loaded schedule that includes trips to South Carolina and Ohio State before conference play even settles in.
The preseason consensus places the Golden Flashes near the bottom of the MAC, roughly 10th, and a bowl appears just out of reach for now. The make-or-break is up front: if the rebuilt offensive and defensive lines come together and King or Caffey gives DeShields a reliable ground game, another step forward is possible. If they do not, this looks like a bridge year on the way up rather than a breakthrough.