Otterbein expects ‘three or four’ freshmen to play this season

Home Sports Homepage - Sports Otterbein expects ‘three or four’ freshmen to play this season
Otterbein expects ‘three or four’ freshmen to play this season
Football frehsmen
Members of the 2016 freshmen class gather at the 2016 Hillsdale spring game. (Photo: Nathanael Meadowcroft / Hillsdale Collegian)

Hillsdale College football head coach Keith Otterbein prefers to redshirt incoming freshmen so they have a year to adjust to the rigors of college football. But due to injuries and team depth, typically Otterbein can’t redshirt each freshman. With 32 freshmen joining the Chargers in 2016, Otterbein thinks a few freshmen could play this season — how many is yet to be determined.

Freshman David Graham, a 5-10, 205 pound tailback from St. John, Indiana, will not be redshirted this season. Whether other freshmen join him on the field will be determined as the season progresses.

“There’s some spots where we’re not particularly deep, and we never really know at this point what two, three, or four freshmen might end up being a factor. But there always is,” Otterbein said. “Since we’ve been here, there’s been three or four kids every year that turn into freshmen that have to play.”

Otterbein did not say what other positions might be filled by a freshman.

“I have some ideas, but until it unfolds, I don’t really know,” Otterbein said. “We have to do that as an ongoing basis based on injuries and other things.”

Barring injuries, Otterbein said a freshman won’t play unless he’ll make a major impact. Junior captain Jay Rose started 10 games at linebacker in his true freshman season two years ago. Sophomore wide receiver Austin Sandusky played defensive back in Hillsdale’s final seven games last season.

“We don’t want to waste a year. Because if we’re able to redshirt a guy, he’s got a whole fifth year,” Otterbein said. “We know that’s a lot of football.”

Weighing talent against experience is also something Otterbein considers.

“Are we better playing a freshman a little bit versus playing a veteran that maybe in the long run isn’t quite as talented, but right now knows his assignments better?” Otterbein said. “We’re having that debate within the staff over a couple different spots — guys who can help us on the offensive line or defensive line or special teams. We’ll be able to make those decisions as the season progresses.”

Overall, Otterbein has been pleased with the 2016 freshman class.

“It is a very talented group. We’re very happy and excited to have them with us,” Otterbein said. “The whole group fits Hillsdale.”

Hillsdale’s veterans have made sure to mentor the rookies.

“Our current players do a tremendous job of bring in the younger guys and orienting them, and it shouldn’t be a surprise because I know the kind of quality people we have,” Otterbein said. “Our veterans have acclimated our freshmen very well and tried to spend some extra time and coach them on those finer points.”