WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University football team has wrapped up its preseason camp and is working hard to prepare for the 2018 season. As the Hoyas get ready for the opener at Marist College on Sept. 1, GUHoyas.com will take an in-depth look at each of the team's position groups, with this edition featuring the defensive line.
While the Hoyas graduated two leaders from last year's defensive line in Bryan Jefferson (MSB'18) and Kendall Catching (C'18), the Blue & Gray brings back three upperclassmen and a strong contingent of freshmen and sophomores in 2018.
"Overall, I'm really impressed about how far we've come in the last month," said Georgetown Assistant Coach
Arturo Gyles, who is in his first season on the Hilltop working with the defensive line. "I think we are ready to take on a new challenge and I'm really excited about seeing some of the young guys get out there and play, as well as some of the veterans we have."
Junior
Khristian Tate (Warner Robins, Ga. / Covenant Academy), a 2017 All-Patriot League First Team member and preseason team selection this fall, leads the returners after ranking third on the defense last year with 69 tackles. He led the squad with 12.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL) and 5.0 sacks. Tate scored two defensive touchdowns on the season, returning a fumble for a score against Princeton and taking back an interception against Colgate. Senior
Mike Taylor III (Shreveport, La. / CE Byrd) recorded five tackles in just three games last fall, while his classmate
Brennen Sawicki (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Scioto), who appeared in 21 games his first two seasons, is returning to action after missing all of 2017.
"
Khristian Tate and Mike Taylor have done a great job as far as stepping up and being leaders for the group," Gyles said. "We have a lot of youth at our position and they are showing the young guys the way to do things, stepping up first in drills and being there for the younger guys to lean on."
Sophomore
Duval Paul (Lynn, Mass. / Everett) appeared in all 11 games last year as a freshman, recording 31 tackles and ranking among the team leaders with 2.5 TFL and 2.0 sacks. Fellow sophomore
Kingsley Umemba (Chelsea, Mass. / Buckingham Browne & Nichols) got into seven games and finished with 16 tackles and 1.0 sacks.
Georgetown will have four new faces on the defensive line. Freshmen
Quincy Chinwuko (Sikeston, Mo. / Sikeston),
Ibrahim Kamara (Somerset, N.J. / Cheshire Academy [Conn.]),
Reginald Lee (Sunrise, Fla. / Miami Norland) and
Isaiah Byrd (Vero Beach, Fla. / Vero Beach) will all look to make an immediate impact in their first seasons on the Hilltop.
"The freshmen have made a huge jump in the last two weeks of camp, since summer classes ended and they were able to focus on just football," Gyles said. "They all bring something to the table, which is awesome. They are starting to figure it out and continue to mature every day."
The Hoyas open the 2018 season on Saturday, Sept. 1 at Marist. Kickoff in Poughkeepsie, New York is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Blue & Gray will play its home opener at Cooper Field the following weekend, hosting Campbell on Sept. 8 for a 12:30 p.m. matchup.
Tickets are now available for the 2018 football season. Only a very limited number of tickets are being made available for this year's games due to construction on the west side of Cooper Field. Purchase in advance to guarantee your admission on game day. For the full schedule and to purchase tickets, as well as information on directions and parking, please visit WeAreGeorgetown.com/football.
