Roster | Schedule | Coaches | 2018 Photo Day

Under the direction of third-year head coach Fred Thomas, the Malone University football team kicks off its season this Saturday, September 1st against Concordia University (MI). Coming off a 1-9 campaign which included four one-possession losses, the Pioneers are hoping the 2018 season will mark a step toward a winning tradition.
 
"We've got to expect success," stated Thomas. "Our kids have to expect it and our kids have to be able to handle the adversity. How do you do that? You just keep working; I don't know any other way. One day at a time, one play at a time we are putting in the work to be successful."
 
Hampered by injuries last fall, the Pioneers struggled with consistency, but gained valuable experience going forward. Malone returns starters all across the field and Thomas and his staff brought in several key transfers expected to contribute immediately.
 
Among the most notable returners is senior wide receiver Ashton Dulin, an All-American track athlete, who has drawn the attention of multiple NFL scouts this preseason. Dulin had a breakout junior season in 2017, catching 59 passes for 1,050 yards and 10 touchdowns on his way to being named First Team All-Conference and Third Team All-Super Region 1. Also well on his way to becoming Malone's all-time leading receiver, Dulin is primed for a memorable senior season.
 
"Ashton is as good of a player as I've ever coached," Thomas raved. "Every time he talks to a pro scout, he is very mature and It's amazing how humble he stays.  He works extremely hard, he has all the tools, and he's just a fun kid to coach."
 
Expected to start opposite Dulin is fellow senior James Jackson, a multi-year starter who caught six passes for 106 yards and a touchdown last season. Jackson, like Dulin, is a standout track athlete and finished 4th in the decathlon at the G-MAC Track Championship in May. He is joined in a skilled receiving corps by fifth-year senior Riley Escalle and promising underclassmen Jalen Tucker, Donovan Johnson and Tyrese Maddox.
 
Returning to the Malone backfield is redshirt senior running back Matt Blasiole, who suffered a season-ending injury in week two last year. Like Dulin, Blasiole's name is scattered throughout the Malone history books and his dangerous running ability should spark a Pioneer offense that averaged just 3.3 yards per carry in 2017. Blasiole has rushed for nearly 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns in his career.
 
The senior workhorse leads a stable of capable backs, which includes Division I transfer Keon Singleton, who played in seven games for Kent State in 2017. Redshirt sophomore Xavier Garland should also see a fair share of carries after leading the team in rushing last fall. Garland totaled 415 yards and six touchdowns a season ago and, according to Thomas, has had a great camp. Adding versatility to the position are Calerb D'Haiti, Xavier Moore, and Malik Calloway.
 
"There are some backs there that have really impressed our staff," commented Thomas.  "By midseason, you never know how many running back combinations we'll be able to come up with, but the depth is going to make us a better football team."
 
Quick and elusive sophomore Dakota Hobbs will start in the slotback position where he generated 356 yards (220 receiving, 136 rushing) and a touchdown in 2017. Providing versatility at the slot are transfer Jaiquan Findley and James Curry. Giving the Pioneers even more speed and flexibility to run multiple offensive sets are shifty H-backs Billy Maynard, Markell Stephens-Peppers, and Prayer Wise.
 
Junior Jeremy Gorby returns as the Pioneers' starting tight end, a position primarily responsible for blocking in the Pioneers' run-heavy system. Marc Herrera and Dan George are his understudies.
 
The Pioneers' veteran offensive line is led by 6'4" 320-pound junior left tackle Zak Hill, a Second Team All-Conference selection in 2017, who has started all 19 games over the past two seasons. Next to him is sophomore left guard Israel Moore and senior center JD Stamper, an All-Conference pick in 2016. Both Moore and Stamper started all 10 games at their respective positions last fall.
 
Blake Cary slots in at right guard where he started every game as a sophomore in 2016. The two-time G-MAC All-Academic honoree suffered a season-ending injury in week one last season, but returns fully healthy and, according to Coach Thomas, hungry. At the other tackle position is JUCO transfer Matt Guevremont. A native of Pickering, Ontario, and a Canadian pro prospect, Guevremont has delighted Coach Thomas from the get-go.
 
Adding depth up front are senior Cody Stadtman, sophomore Mike Mathie, redshirt freshman Jovan Diouf, and true freshmen Nick Bush and Rhen McConaughey. The O-Line will be under the direction of first-year Pioneer coach Matt Kelleher.
 
"Matt's brought a calming influence and a maturity to our offensive line," Thomas expressed. "He's a good teacher of technique and he's done an outstanding job with not only our returners, but some of the young guys, getting them ready to be backups."
 
Orchestrating it all will be quarterback Deandre Clayton, a redshirt sophomore transfer from NCAA Division II Clarion University. In a competitive battle for the starting nod, Clayton, who was with the Pioneers during spring practices but has yet to throw a pass in a collegiate game, displayed the required tools to win the job. Junior Zane Bunnell will serve as a more than capable backup. Bunnell started four games in 2017, throwing for 585 yards and five touchdowns while running for 180 yards and another score.
 
Malone goes six-deep at the position with redshirt sophomores Cam Ingram and Jaret Skaggs both returning alongside true freshmen Keagan Armitage and Jermaine Camp.
 
"We have some quarterback depth this year, something we haven't had in the past," explained Thomas. "We have four upperclassmen that are competing and making each other better and both freshmen have done a really nice job in camp"
 
The Pioneers ran the football on nearly 59% of their offensive snaps last season, but were not afraid to throw it deep as demonstrated by the six touchdowns receptions of over 50 yards by Dulin. The offense is expected to be run-first once again, but will use multiple formations, shifts, and personnel as it looks to create mismatches and one-on-one opportunities off of the play-action pass.
 
"We want to run the football, there's no doubt about it," Thomas asserted. "We want to be a physical football team and we want to wear people down."
 
The focus of the Pioneers' base 4-3 defense, meanwhile, will be on stopping the run, a necessary tactic against a 2018 schedule that features seven teams who averaged at least 160 yards rushing per game, including week one opponent Concordia, which ran for nearly 220 yards per game. With the emphasis on stopping the run, Coach Thomas and his staff put the pressure on the defensive secondary to stop the pass.
 
The Pioneer secondary is thin, but talented. Among the four starters is boundary corner Kei Beckham, a transfer from Division I Kentucky, who is expected to make a significant and immediate impact. Lamon Mathison missed all of last season with injury, but will return to play safety where he started all nine games and made 42 tackles in 2016. Sophomore Darrell Gaddis, who started all 10 games as a freshman and recorded an interception in Malone's win at Lake Erie, should start opposite Beckham at the other corner while classmate Jaylon Doss, who started seven games last season, will play opposite Mathison at safety.
 
Freshmen Charles Hall V, Malik Johnson, D'Lacy Bass, and junior Desmond Sallee provide the Pioneers options at corner. Redshirt sophomore Gregary Brunner and freshmen Lonnie Richardson-Parr and Chris Frazier are the backups at safety.
 
"We put our defensive backs in tough spots," Thomas explained. "The defense is designed to stop the run and it puts the corners on an island. Our safeties and linebackers play the run hard and we want to make opponents one-dimensional."
 
While the biggest question on offense was who would start at quarterback, the most pressing question on defense was who would replace four-year starter and Honorable Mention All-American Ryan Weber at middle linebacker. Sophomores Mason Alexander and Austin Jewell are the leading candidates. Both saw time on special teams as freshmen, but have big shoes to fill in the absence of Malone's third all-time leading tackler.
 
Redshirt junior Christian Mathews, who led the team with two interceptions last season, slides down from safety and is expected to start at strong side linebacker. Dawalyn Washington, who started seven games and made 47 tackles as a freshman, will start on the weak side. Giving the Pioneers depth at linebacker are seniors Fred Johnson and Kyle Nowak, redshirt freshman Erich Sonntag, and true freshmen Mahlon Slaughter and John Mack.
 
Malone returns three starters on the defensive line, including ends Matt Ramsey and Arrington Dulin Ramsey is the Pioneers' top-returning tackler after totaling 48 a season ago, while Dulin returns a team-high five tackles for loss. The two of them bookend a front four around senior tackle Albert Phillips and redshirt freshman nose Nate Sudberry.
 
The rest of the defensive line rotation features redshirt juniors Keith Harris and Keith Williams, sophomore Tyrek Smith, and freshmen Gabreil Larsosa, Guillermo Chavarria, Charles Ellington III, and Chance Gardner, who will also handle long-snapping duties for the Pioneers.
 
Fifth-year senior Marcus Moeller will handle all the punting, kicking, and kickoff responsibilities for a third straight season. A two-time All-Conference pick and a Third Team Super Region 1 selection in 2017, Moeller, who already holds four school records, has garnered looks from professional scouts.
 
Coach Thomas retains on his staff offensive coordinator Dustin Miller, defensive coordinator Zach Logan, kicking game coordinator and running backs coach Jason Scibona, strength & conditioning coordinator and linebackers coach Ryan Hardie, defensive line coach and recruiting & academic coordinator Eric Baumgartner, tight ends and slots coach Dwayne Aaron, and linebackers coach Denny Blake.
 
Joining Kelleher among the new Pioneer coaches are Devin Jordan (passing game coordinator), Brandon Petty (wide receivers), Tony Carroscia (cornerbacks), and student assistant Roy Johnson (defensive line).
 
Looking ahead past this week's non-conference opener, the Pioneers, who were picked sixth among the nine teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll earlier this month, will host Lake Erie in their G-MAC opener in week two under the lights on September 8th. The Pioneers begin their third season in the league this fall and, with the addition of Tiffin, will play an eight-game conference schedule.
 
Following a week three bye, Malone travels to Kentucky Wesleyan on September 22nd before welcoming Hillsdale for a September 29th Homecoming. The remainder of the schedule consists of road games at Tiffin, Ohio Dominican, Millersville (non-conference), and Findlay as well as home games against Alderson Broaddus and Walsh. All five home games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
 
"It's the best stadium in Division II bar none," Thomas declared. "It's exciting for our kids to play there. One of the reason we've had two great recruiting classes is because of where we play."
 
The Pioneer roster features over 80 players from those last two recruiting classes.
 
Links to the full roster, schedule, coaching staff, and a 2018 Photo Day gallery are on top of the page.