WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University football team has completed 10 practices in its preseason camp, working hard to prepare for the 2019 season. As the Hoyas get ready for the season opener at Davidson on Aug. 31, GUHoyas.com will take an in-depth look at each of the team's position groups, with this edition featuring the defensive line.
"The defensive line is looking good," said assistant coach
Arturo Gyles who works with the defensive line. "There are a lot of expectations within our group. We want to strive to get better every day and just push the rest of the team and make everyone around us better. I think we are getting there but we have a little bit of work to do."
The Hoyas return almost everyone to a unit that ranked eighth in the country last season in rushing defense (103.2 yards/game) and total sacks (3.09 sacks/game). Senior
Khristian Tate (Warner Robins, Ga. / Covenant Academy), a preseason All-American, led the Patriot League last season with 10 sacks, earning All-Patriot League First Team honors. He led Georgetown with 16.5 TFL and was fourth with 54 total tackles. Georgetown also returns a pair of fifth-year seniors in
Mike Taylor III (Shreveport, La. / CE Byrd) and
Brennen Sawicki (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Scioto). Taylor had 36 tackles,1.5 TFL and 1.0 sacks in 11 games last season while Sawicki finished with nine tackles in five games. Senior
Marquis Parris (Atlanta, Ga. / Tri Cities) returns to the defensive line after recording 39 tackles in 15 games over the 2016-17 seasons.
"We have
Khristian Tate who has started for us the past four years and done a great job.
Brennen Sawicki and Mike Taylor have started a lot of games in their careers and bring a ton of experience. They all just bring a ton of leadership and those guys have been stepping up and doing a great job of pulling up the rest of the group and holding everyone accountable.
Marquis Parris, who started a lot of games for us in the past, is back this season He has done a great job with the young guys, really putting them under his wing and showing them the ropes."
Junior
Duval Paul (Lynn, Mass. / Everett), an All-Patriot League Second Team selection last year and All-Patriot League Preseason Team member in 2019, was seventh on the team last year with 41 total tackles while also registering 4.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two others, returning one for a touchdown in the season opener at Marist. Paul also blocked a PAT attempt against Lehigh. His classmate,
Kingsley Umemba (Chelsea, Mass. / Buckingham Browne & Nichols), played in all 11 games last season registering eight tackles and recovering a fumble.
Four sophomores return to the Hilltop for the second season, led by
Ibrahim Kamara (Somerset, N.J. / Cheshire Academy [Conn.]) who appeared in all 11 games last season, finishing with 12 total tackles and a sack.
Isaiah Byrd (Vero Beach, Fla. / Vero Beach) also played in every game and registered eight total tackles to go with 1.0 TFL.
Quincy Chinwuko (Sikeston, Mo. / Sikeston) finished his freshman season with two tackles, including a sack and a forced fumble, in seven games.
Brady Weas (Whitefish Bay, Wis. / Whitefish Bay) will also provide depth on the edge in addition to his longsnapping duties.
"
Duval Paul is the man in the middle. He is the one who drives the group. We are going to go as far as he takes us as far as holding down that middle. On the edge,
Kingsley Umemba is poised to have a good year as he has put in a lot of work on the field and in the weight room.
Ibrahim Kamara and
Quincy Chinwuko have done a great job of stepping up and have improved tremendously from year one to year two.
Isaiah Byrd has done a great job, leadership-wise, of helping the younger guys adjust to the college game."
The Hoyas have also added three freshmen on the defensive line, as
Tony Gyimah Jr. (Dublin, Ohio / Dubline Jerome),
Tyler Jones (North Olmsted, Ohio / North Olmsted) and
Giovonni White (Tacoma, Wash. / Lincoln) will all look to make an immediate impact this fall.
"The freshmen group is doing well. There are a lot of adjustments from high school to the college game. It obviously speeds up a bit but they are all doing a great job adapting and should play a role for us this year."
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.
