SAVANNAH, Ga.- After ending the season with 5-5 record in two of the past three seasons, Savannah State is hoping to get across the hump and finish with a winning record in 2025.
The Tigers were 5-5 in head coach Aaron Kelton's first year in 2022 and was 5-5 again last year, following a disappointing 2-8 campaign in 2023.
Last season, the Tigers had some highs in beating three of the top teams in the conference with wins over Tuskegee, Albany State, and Clark Atlanta, but also had some head-scratching losses against some of the lower teams in the league in Central State, Lane and Benedict. With a few breaks, the Tigers could have been 8-2 last year, but will look to make major headway in 2025.
This year, Savannah State has 62 lettermen on their roster and Kelton will be counting on his veteran players as well as transfers and other newcomers to merge together to make an impact during the 2025 season.
The defense finished the regular season ranked in the top five of the SIAC in forced fumbles (first), sacks (fourth), run defense (fourth) and points allowed per game (fourth) while the SSU offense average 224.4 passing yards per game which ranked third in the conference.
Defensive lineman Xavier Esquillen is expected to anchor the defensive line while Gary Davis Jr will lead the linebackers and Ahlik Booker will control the secondary.
Esquillen led the SIAC in sacks with 9.5. He also had 32 tackles (26 solo), 11.5 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles. The junior from Charlotte, North Carolina earned Second Team All-Conference honors a year ago and was named to the 2025 Preseason All-SIAC First Team.
Davis also garnered Second Team All-SIAC honors and was a Preseason All-Conference selection this year. The senior from Cairo, Georgia finished the season with 59 tackles (41 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sack, two quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery.
Booker, a senior from New York, paced the defensive backfield with 31 stops a year ago and also picked off two passes.
The strength of the team may lie at linebacker where Darrian Bell, a graduate transfer from Louisville, led the team with 60 tackles last year while Uchenna Nwoha (41 tackles) and Tavare Brewton (27 tackles) all return.
William Jones, John "Wesley" Bentley, Tony Rountree and Nathaniel Chisholm will assist Esquillen along the defensive front while Christopher Murray and Kevin Stokes Jr will help out in the secondary.
Transfers who will be seeking early playing time are defensive lineman Clifford Ghee Kentucky Christian); linebackers Isaac Jimenez (Lincoln University California) and Anthony Chatmon (Thomas); and defensive backs James Shellman (Middle Tennessee State), Amaari Smith (Tennessee Chattanooga), Trevor Strowbridge (Lenoir-Rhyne), Zavion Leggett (Georgia Southern) and Desmond Callier (Bethune-Cookman).
High school signees looking to make name for themselves will be linebackers Anthony Wilson, Reico Collins and Taj Jansen and defensive back Severino Croom, II.
The Savannah State offense was hit hard by graduation with the loss of quarterback Jhaydon Sullivan and wideouts Da'Shun Mitchell, Brent Carr and Demeke Colbert.
The Tiger quarterback room will be crowded in fall camp with veterans Christian Burks and Austin Williams along with junior college transfers Chris Tucker (East Central CC), Devon Tott (Copiah Lincoln CC) and Fabian Walker (Iowa Western CC). New Haven transfer Paul Hammond is also on the roster as well as high school recruit Rashawn Truell who set state passing records at Savannah's New Hampstead High School.
Braylon Fowler (11 rec., 78 yards) returns at wide receiver and the coaching staff has added TaDarius Vaughn (Hinds CC) from the juco ranks. Other newcomers include Cinsere Clark (St. Francis), Jordan Anderson (East Tennessee State), and Josiah Benson (St. Augustine's). Jadon Adams has made the switch from quarterback to wide receiver and hopes his experience as a signal caller will help in getting him a lot of playing time.
At the tight end position, Jordan Springs, Ivan Kynes, Wadson Dieudonne and Mason Brown will battle for playing time.
Joseph Hampton (248 yards, 2 touchdowns) led the team in rushing last year and he along with Zyaire Williams, Evan Guyton and newcomer Caleb Barbas had a good showing during the spring.
Keshawn Palmore and Khalifa Sene (6-4, 285), who were both named to the preseason all conference team and along with Chesten Lytch are the returning starters and will be joined by Kahleem Murphy and Nicolas Garcia (6-4, 305) on the offensive line.
Jimmy Mai (24 of 29 extra point attempts) returns at placekicker but will be challenged by freshman Lucas Edenfield.
Savannah State is predicted to finish sixth in the conference this year and will open the 2025 season on August 30 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium against SIAC foe and I-95 rival Edward Waters at 6 p.m.
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