DAYTON – With the first week classes for the 2024 fall semester underway at the University of Dayton, DaytonFlyers.com sat down with head football coach Trevor Andrews to check in on preparations for the upcoming Flyer football season.

DaytonFlyers.com:  How did pre-season camp go this year? 
Coach Trevor Andrews:  "It went very well.  The first three or four days it was sweltering, but then the weather broke and it was basically ideal weather to hold a camp in.  I almost feel like we got paid back for all the thunderstorms and severe weather we had during last year's camp.  Last year, we had so much chaos with our schedule.  This year was so much smoother, and you can see the growth from start of camp to now because of that.

This is essentially the fourth installation of our system after two springs and last year's full season.  Our program's expectations are unchanged, but now the upperclassmen have absorbed what it takes to meet those expectations in a slightly different system than they knew before.  And you can make so much more progress as a program when you are just teaching the freshmen our system instead of the whole team."

DF.com:  You had two live intrasquad scrimmages.  Did you get out of them what you hoped?
TA:  "We did.  The first one, the guys are just ready to hit.  You can use that because they are so anxious to go live that they are bound to make mistakes and you can show that to them on film.  We have officials there for the first one, and we ask them to educate our players on how things are going to be emphasized this year.  I tell them that if it's close, throw the flag, especially on holding on both sides of the ball and pass interference.  To our credit we did not have many of those kinds of penalties.

The second scrimmage is more a game flow – coaches working the sidelines, special teams at speed, things like that.  And at the end if there is something situational, we have not encountered, yet we make sure we cover it.  Sudden change, red zone offense and defense, two-minute drill.  We have a lot of sophomores and redshirt freshmen on our two-deep, which means many of them have not played many downs of college football.  They need to experience all of that in the scrimmages."

DF.com:  Talk about your staff.
TA:  "John Bowes (defensive coordinator) is charismatic leader who has a bit of Philly swagger to him.  He and I have overlapping values when it comes to coaching.  Our football backgrounds are similar.  We've coached together for several years but have also brought different experience from other coaching stops to our program.

Paul Amakihe has great rapport with his linebackers.  Even though he has coached at various stops for seven years, he is still a young man in this business, and just like our players, I am really enjoying seeing his growth in our system.

I knew Ted Flaherty had a bright future in coaching before I took this job.  I first met him he applied for a job at Western Michigan, and when I knew he was available, I called Coach Chamberlin about him.  I had lost track of where he ended up, and then when I took this job, he was already here.  He has expanded his role, coaching our secondary as well as special teams and continues to grow.  

Jay Terry was not really on our radar when we had an opening for our defensive line coach, but after a strong recommendation from someone I really respect, he quickly rose to the top in our search.  D-line is tough position to coach because in addition to coaching techniques and planning you just have to be such a motivator because of the physical demands of the position.  Jay's got all that.

Greg Whalen (offensive coordinator/offensive line coach) had a lot on his plate last year.  He was installing a new system, with many players in key positions in new roles.  Then we lost two linemen we were counting on even before camp started and had another two go down in the very first game.  Some of our freshman were at the first college game ever in their lives, but they weren't watching – they were playing.  Greg knows our system and last year's experience gives him an even better grasp of what we need to do .

Michael Orts is our new quarterbacks coach.  He is an excellent teacher of the position.  As a coach, he is consistent and steady, which is good for a young quarterback and a young quarterback room.

Sam Costantino has the benefit of coaching probably our most experienced group, our wide receivers. But he's had a hand in making them one of our strongest groups, being part of the coaching staff for three years and now serving as our recruiting coordinator.  He also played for us, so he is tied to our program's history.

Another former player, Scott Horcher (cornerbacks) is also on our staff.  Even though they are part-time coaches, he and Mark Ewald (running backs) bring a lot to our program with their knowleege and experience.

We also have three young coaches beginning their college coaching careers.  We are excited to add Zion Hawkins (assistant D-line), Jonah Schrock (tight ends) and Michael Goolsby (GA) to our staff this year.

DF.com:  Ca'ron Coleman and Dylan DeMaison are your captains.  What can you say about them?
TA:  "Two quality individuals, two great football players.  Ca'ron was our MVP last year, and Dylan was our top offensive player.  Both were voted on by the team.  It doesn't always happen that your best players are necessarily are your captains, but when it was time to vote for captains, it was interesting to see the voting and to see these two rose above everyone else.

That doesn't mean they were the only guys thought of as captain material.  There were probably another 10 different players who received a significant amount of votes.  They are all fourth- and fifth-year guys and I have challenged them to provide leadership in their position areas.  They have done that, and I am proud of them for it.

But back to the two men who were voted captains.  If you looked at who they are and who you would think represent your program the right way, that's Ca'ron and Dylan.  It's gratifying to be able to say that even as his football responsibilities have gotten greater, and as classes have gotten harder, Ca'ron has made himself a better student.  He has also found a career field that he would like to go into, so he is working with our strength and conditioning coaches with some of our second-year players.  So even though he is a senior and a starter, he has a great relationship with players in that age group on both sides of the ball.  Dylan's leadership on the line, and on every play, cannot be overstated.  He's a vocal leader and he sees the big picture, so the calls and adjustments he is able to make take some of the burden off of a young quarterback like Drew (VanVleet)."

DF.com:  Speaking of Drew VanVleet, he is the only quarterback on the roster to have taken a snap in a Dayton uniform.  He's emerged as the clear number one, but through no fault of his own, he put you in a tough spot late last year.
TA:  "We made the move to go to Drew at quarterback late in the year.   We had good kids playing in the games before that, and they were giving us everything they had, but we needed a spark and needed to make a change.  Drew did exactly that and after we had the big win over Marist on Senior Day, we had a tough decision to make.  He had already played four games and in college football you can play in four games and still redshirt.

It's not a decision you can wait until game time to make because if it's not him, you have to get the next guy, or guys, ready.  He came to me and said 'Coach, I'll do whatever you want me to do.' That tells you right there he is a team player, and makes you feel good about him as a person.

After talking with him, and his dad who played here, it came down to one more game as an 18-year-old versus 11 games, or maybe even more, as a 22-year-old.

During the off-season our quarterback room was looking pretty thin, so I told him that I was looking at bringing some transfers in and I was not promising the job to anyone.  On top of that, he was going to have a new position coach.  He took it all in stride and considered it an opportunity.  He liked that he had guys pushing him and he could push them as well.  What's the saying? Iron sharpens iron?  As a coach, you think you know what's going to happen, but it's great to see someone in this situation embrace the competition and come through.

At the same time, I have to keep telling myself that he is 19 years old.  He's going to make mistakes as he gets better.  But we have 10 other guys out there with jobs to do, and one of those jobs is pick up a young teammate when he is going through tough times."

DF.com:  It appears you have added a lot of speed across your defense.  If true, was that by design?
TA:  "Length and speed, that's the name of the game and we have made that a priority in our recruiting.  But what looks like having faster guys is really a product of our players' development.  You hear people say 'the game slows down,' but the game stays the same speed.  When you are confident and know what you are doing, you can relax and be the athlete you already are.  The game doesn't slow down, the player speeds up."

DF.com:  What position, or positions, have been the most competitive in the off-season? 
TA:  "The secondary, at both corner and safety, and the offensive line.  These are both positions of strong depth and we have competitions going on there every day.  We had a lot of injuries in both areas last year, and as a result we might have had to play guys in those areas a little ahead of schedule. That paying dividends for us now in development and in guys challenging for playing time."

DF.com: Were there any surprises during camp? 
TA:  "Liam Poronsky's rise on the depth chart for one.  He joined us after school started last year and we put him on the scout team.  He played all over on the scout team.  When spring ball began, he moved back to quarterback but he struggled at the start.  Sometime partway through the spring he started to turn it around and that has carried through the summer and camp,  He's now behind Brad VanVleet on the depth chart.

We moved Colin Konnecke inside from tackle to guard in camp, and he has taken to it like he's always been there.

Eli Kirk is one of our safeties.  It started in the spring and carried through to the end of camp.  His focus and attention to detail is catching up to his athleticism and he'll be a contributor, whether it is in the secondary or on special teams."

DF.com: We've not talked about special teams yet.  On paper, it looks like there are battles to be played out there. 
TA:  "We return two guys in roles that start it all.  David Maurer is our kickoff guy again, and Austin Yeager is back at snapper after being injured in the first game last year.  It's good to have Austin back.  He is one of the most consistent players in our program.

Punting is going to be interesting.  Danny Baker came to us as a safety who was also a kicker.  We looked at him at punter last year and he was having one of his best games at San Diego when he was injured and put out for the rest of the year.  Logan Forcum used the opportunity to really improve in the meantime.  And this year, a redshirt freshman, Ben Lavelle has also entered the conversation.

Kicking is a four-way competition right now.  Baker and Maurer are part of it, as are Robby Smart and a true freshman, Trevor Henkle.

We return several strong options in the return game.  Gavin Lochow had a breakout season last year.  Luke Brenner has also had good success as a kick returner in his career when he has been fully healthy.  Jeremy Jonozzo and Cam Cope both were productive as punt returners last year.  We also have a true freshman, Paul Kelly,  who could eventually be a strong contributor back there.  He's a natural at catching the ball, has a burst, some wiggle, and toughness.  Everything the guys I just mentioned have, Kelly has and that is what you need back there."

Dayton opens the season at home against Saint Francis on Saturday, Aug. 31.  Game time for all UD football homer games this season is 12 Noon ET.

The University announced its promotion schedule for the entire home schedule.

Aug. 31st vs Saint Francis: Home Opener/Welcome Back
•    The first 250 kids eighth grade and younger get a drawstring bag 

Sept. 21 vs Ave Maria: Family Weekend/White Out
•    White Out
•    Fans are asked to wear white for this game
•   Note:  The official shirt for Family weekend is white.
•    First 450 fans will get a Dayton Football rally towel
•    Click here for more information on Family Weekend

Oct. 12 vs Davidson: Bandcoming/Mental Health Awareness

Oct. 26 vs Morehead State: Alumni Game/Breast Cancer Awareness
•    First 100 fans will get a pink Dayton hat
•    Breast Cancer Awareness groups will get tickets at a group rate ($4)
•    Contact Mikayla Ellis at ellism4@udayton.edu to receive ticket link
•    Alumni Game:  Contact Mikayla Ellis at ellism4@udayton.edu to RSVP
•    Alumni cookout with Varsity D pre-game
•    Alumni recognition at halftime

Nov. 9 vs San Diego: Military Appreciation
•    Active duty personnel and veterans can get free tickets here
•    No limit on tickets per order
•    First 100 orders will also receive a drawstring bag
•    One drawstring bag per order

Nov. 16 vs Valparaiso: Senior Day
•    First 150 fans get a Dayton Football long sleeve shirt
•    Senior Day recognition before the game
•    Lt. Andy Zulli Memorial Trophy presented at halftime