Old Dominion Monarchs 2026 Season Preview

The competition to replace Joseph runs between sophomore Quinn Henicle and Washington State transfer Jaxon Potter, a battle the staff left unsettled coming out of spring and expects to resume in fall camp. Henicle has the inside track: he quarterbacked the Cure Bowl victory in his second career start and, in a Rahne offense that leans run-heavy, rushed for more than 100 yards in that game. Potter brings starting experience of his own, but the job looks like Henicle's to lose. If he approximates even a slice of what Joseph provided, this offense has a floor.

The receiver room was overhauled again, a task Rahne handled well a year ago by mining smaller programs. This cycle's finds are junior-college transfer JJ Harrell and Division II product Zion Agnew from Lenoir-Rhyne. Returners Sidney Mbanasor, a rangy 6-5 target, plus TJ Johnson and Josh Rodriguez are counted on to take a step forward, and that group combined with the newcomers could give the passing game a workable set of options. Senior tight end Leon Haughton Jr. anchors the position, with intriguing depth behind him.

The backfield should be the strength of the offense. Devin Roche emerged as an every-down back down the stretch, posting 100-yard outings in three of his final four games, and he doubles as a dangerous return man who led the conference in punt-return average. Maurki James remains in the mix, and the staff added speed through the portal in Trey Hall, a home-run threat who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards at the junior-college level before an injury cost him last season, and Hunter Patterson. Hall flashed his burst with a 60-yard touchdown in the spring game.

This is the roster's biggest question. All five players who started every game up front in 2025 are gone, leaving Cook to assemble an entirely new line. The Monarchs are pinning their hopes on transfers, with center Brayden Walker and guard Khi'Len Gates among the pieces expected to anchor the rebuild alongside Logan Cox and tackles Raykwon Goldthwaite and Demorrsion Brown. How quickly this group gels will define the ceiling of the whole offense.

The front is the calling card of a unit the coaches consider perhaps the deepest of Rahne's tenure. ODU finished among the national top 10 in both sacks and takeaways in 2025 and created havoc at an elite rate. Sophomore Chris Forbes, an All-Sun Belt run-stuffer, headlines a talented rotation that also features Javen Gibson, DeAndre Lynch and Appalachian State transfer Bucci Farmer. The group anchors a 3-3-5 scheme and should again live in opposing backfields, even if a few of the most productive havoc-makers have moved on.

Linebacker is the one spot where the defense looks thin. Departures opened holes, and health is a storyline: Koa Naotala played only one game last year and Mario Thompson appeared in five, both slowed by injuries. To shore up the middle the staff imported Mississippi State transfer Montrell Chapman, a former juco standout the coaches rate highly. Ja'Mez Drummer, who began his career at ODU, left for Towson and has since returned, plus Jackson Forrest and Dirrick Goodman round out a group that needs bodies to stay upright.

The secondary is deep and experienced. Safety Mario Easterly, an All-Sun Belt pick, led the team with 80 tackles and returns as the back-end quarterback. At corner, Zion Frink and Brandon Crutchfield are back after tying for the team lead with six pass break-ups apiece, and Jorian Hayes plus NC State transfer Jivan Baly add to the rotation. Daevon Iles and Ryan Ramey are likely to move into starting roles with prior game experience for the Monarchs, giving the coaches a seasoned, well-stocked room.

Kicker Nathanial Eichner took over in November and hit 7 of 10 field goals and all 19 extra points down the stretch, though FAU transfer Andrew Nelms was added to push him. Punter Ian Brandt returns despite a sub-41-yard average that sat on the low end of the league, and long snapper Brendan Durkin is back. Roche gives the return game a genuine weapon and is expanding to kickoff duties.