Noah Lebowitz, Special to The Denisonian–
Collegiate football teams typically consist of a long roster with multiple athletes in all positions.
It’s the nature of the game— athletes are more prone to injury in high contact sports like football, giving coaches the ability to carry a surplus of players in each position. Denison’s football team is no exception to this standard, with the 2023 roster being made up of 111 athletes, and the 2024 roster with 95.
However, because each class contributes a large quantity of athletes to the team, this can leave positions wide open every year after seniors graduate. The football team experienced this in the quarterback department last year, forcing head coach Jack Hatem to start recruiting potential talent, and to start it quickly. Little did he know, he would be more than secure
“It’s been common knowledge that we needed a QB, after Jimmy Stines graduated,” said Hatem.
“We tried to recruit a couple of quarterbacks, then all of a sudden they all committed.”
With 10 quarterbacks, five being freshmen, this left for a lot of decision making within the coaching staff during training camp for who would take the starting position.
“We haven’t had this many guys before and we came to camp without a QB1. That made it more challenging” said Hatem. “It was challenging to figure out reps and rep count, as we tried to pay attention to every drill, individual and group.”
Throughout training camp and the beginning of the season, the coaches had their hands full in deciding who was going to lead their offense this season. To help find their clear starter, he had the quarterbacks take quizzes to see who learned the offense the quickest, as well as grade their practice film. As the year goes on, Hatem does expect a few of the quarterbacks to ask about moving to a different position while they narrow in on their starter.
On top of the five recruited quarterbacks, Cade Nowik, a junior who plays wide receiver and is also a consistent starter for Denison’s baseball team, asked Hatem if he could make the transition to quarterback. Nowik has never played quarterback before, making it a big transition for him.
“The hardest part was [memorizing] the playbook, as you have to know where everyone has to be,” said Nowik.
Nowik got the majority of the playing time in the opener, a 31-7 loss to host Linfield. For the season, he’s completed 13 of 25 passes for 98 yards. Tyler Green, a first year, has played most of the last three games, completing 63 of 88 attempts for 659 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.
As the season progresses, the competition at the quarterback position continues to become more intense, leaving for the possibility of negative attitudes within the athletes competing for the spot. However, this isn’t an issue for the Big Red, with the coaches and athletes prioritizing the cultivation of relationships within the quarterback room.
“We do a good job being there for each other,” said Nowik. “We maintain good friendships, eating together every morning, or giving each other rides.”
Although put in a challenging situation, the bond in the Denison quarterback room is strong, which can only lead to positive things for the Big Red.
The Big Red defeated Hiram 35-0 on Sept. 28 to improve to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in the NCAC. The team will take to the road for its next two games, at Wittenberg at 1 p.m. Oct. 5 and at Wooster at 2 p.m. Oct. 12.