Panthers Look to Build on Their 2021 Success

 After Going 6-4 last season, Ferrum will look to move past that mark, and prove themselves as a contender in the ODAC. The ODAC poll came out this week, and it has Ferrum finishing fifth in the final standings of eight teams. Randolph Macon is picked to finish first with Washington and Lee, Hampden-Sydney, and Shenandoah finishing ahead of the Panthers. I have a hard time with these polls, as there is very little current information to go on, and its mainly based on how many returning starters a team has and the bench experience that will fill holes left by graduation.

As for losses to graduation, Ferrum is going to definitely have some holes to fill. Some of those names that are gone are Raymond Alexander, Christian Caldwell, JA'Kari Williams, Titus Jones and Daniel Lamb, just to name a few. One of the biggest losses from last year did not come from graduation, as star Wide Receiver Tmahdae Penn transferred to DII school Emory and Henry. While this is a tough pill to swallow, Ferrum has quite a full stable of athletes. Among them are 18 Wide Receivers listed on the roster.

Other positions have the following depth:

Corner Backs 14

Defensive Backs 1

Defensive Ends 13

Defensive Linemen 7

Fullbacks 5

K-K/P  3

Linebackers 26

Long Snappers 2

Offensive Linemen 22

Quarterbacks 8

Running Backs 9

Safeties 11

Tight Ends 5

If my math is correct, that gives Ferrum a 144-man roster. To my knowledge that may be the most ever suited up at one time for the Black and Gold. I have not had a lot of time to research the Freshmen, but of the 144, 65 are new recruits. Other roster numbers show that of the eight quarterbacks, 6 are Freshmen, and 2 are Sophomores. 9 of the 22 Offensive Linemen are 300 lbs. or better with the heaviest being Quintell Henderson at 6' 380 lbs.

My biggest concern is the lack of Defensive Linemen. While there is pretty solid experience on the DL, the fact that there seem to be so few worries me that injuries could leave the DL vulnerable. I think it will be a wait and see proposition. There is good returning experience, but I feel this team is overall pretty young. I am hoping for the team to bond, and to fully buy into the coaches' game plan. I have reason for optimism, but we will have to wait and see.