WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University football team has officially ended its preseason camp on Thursday and has begun preparing for its season opener at Davidson on August 31. As the 2019 season quickly approaches, GUHoyas.com will take an in-depth look at each of the team's position groups, with this edition featuring the offensive line.
The Hoyas have a pair of returning seniors who have seen a lot of playing time on the offensive line.
Ryan Jelinek (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) started in eight games last fall and has appeared in 21 games with 13 starts in his career.
Justin Wood (Yorktown Heights, N.Y. / Loyalsock Twp.) played and started in six games as a junior in 2018 and has appeared in 13 games in his time on the Hilltop.
"Ryan and Justin have done a nice job stepping into leadership roles," said Georgetown Assistant Coach
Alex Kolt, who works with the team's offensive line. "Ryan has been on our leadership council since last year, and has really come into his own as a leader in the position group. Justin has done a great job leading through the offseason program with his performance and dedication in the weight room."
Georgetown has two other returning starters from last year's squad as sophomores
Neal Azar (Norfolk, Va. / Granby) and
TJ Thomas (Newark, Del. / Delaware Military Academy) both made an immediate impact in 2018 as freshmen. Azar played and started in each of the final seven contests of the season, helping the Hoyas to a 4-3 record in those games, while Thomas appeared in 10 games with seven starts in his first season.
"Neal and TJ both started seven games as freshmen and have had great offseasons. We are looking for them to be cornerstones of the offensive line as they go into their sophomore seasons."
The Hoyas will have plenty of depth on the offensive line this season as seven other sophomores and juniors return with various levels of experience. Junior
Chris Caylor (Leesburg, Va. / Tuscarora) appeared in five games last season while
Daniel Horne (Woodbridge, Va. / CD Hylton) missed last season after playing in two games as a freshman. Fellow classmates
Theron Cooper (Eastman, Ga. / Dodge County) and
Glen Waters (Dallas, Texas / Cedar Hill) have not appeared in a game yet on the Hilltop, but will both look to play prominent roles on the offensive line in 2019. Sophomores
Josh Stevens (Ruskin, Fla. / Saint Stephen's Episcopal) and
Benjamin Ogbonna III (Baltimore, Md. / St. Frances Academy), who legally changed his name from Ben Amadi during the offseason, got into six and five games, respectively, as freshmen while
Mac Hollensteiner (Bethesda, Md. / Landon) could make a big impact this season after not seeing game action in 2018.
"Our junior and sophomore classes have done a nice job through the spring, summer and preseason. There has been tremendous competition, and guys have been pushing each other to get better. Theron was named most improved in the spring and has continued his development this summer. Glen, Daniel and Chris have all had good offseasons and Josh, Benjamin and Mac have all made tremendous strides going into their sophomore seasons."
Four freshmen are entering their first seasons on the Hilltop.
Spencer Harris (Dekalb, Ill. / Dekalb),
Stanford Maison (Hightstown, N.J. / Milton Hershey School [Pa.]),
Talati Polamalu (Sandy, Ore. / Sandy) and
Sam Telesa (Beaverton, Ore. / Aloha) will all look to make immediate impacts on the offensive line this season.
"We are excited about our freshman class and the talent and attitude they are bringing to the position."
Georgetown will travel to Davidson on Aug. 31 for the season opener before hosting Marist in the home opener on Sept. 7. Tickets for GU's five home games in 2019 are now on sale. To purchase tickets, and for more information, please visit WeAreGeorgetown.com/football.
