Great News Dept.: SEMO QB is healthy, preparing for spring football

What became very clear in November for the Southeast Missouri State football program was that without the services of starting quarterback Paxton DeLaurent, who injured his foot in a rout of Tennessee State on Nov. 5, the Redhawks were still a good team capable of winning games, but they weren’t an elite-level squad.

That shouldn’t be an issue heading into the 2023 season, as DeLaurent is in the process of rehabilitating his foot after seeing specialists in St. Louis and should be capable of competing next month in spring football drills.

“He is out of the boot,” 10th-year SEMO coach Tom Matukewicz said recently of DeLaurent, “and he didn’t need surgery.”

The physicians that have cared for the most critical piece of the Redhawk program entering next season have basically said “rest and more rest,” according to Matukewicz, who added that DeLaurent “won’t be able to throw until spring ball.”

“The foot is just so hairy,” Matukewicz said figuratively. “There are so many bones and little things. I know that they felt great after visiting (with the specialist). That doctor had a lot of confidence that he was going to be just fine.”

That doesn’t mean the junior-to-be isn’t training and preparing for next season.

Matukewicz said every Redhawk player, and coach, himself included, has a “Get Better Plan,” and he had DeLaurent’s on his desk recently when asked about it.

SEMO Offensive Coordinator Jeromy McDowell is allowed to spend one hour each week instructing his quarterbacks, which include sophomore-to-be Patrick Heitert and walk-on sophomore-to-be Carson Smith, while they are free to train on their own, as well, though DeLaurent can’t at this time.

“He’ll be fully cleared (for spring football),” Matukewicz said, “and good to go.”

Like all Redhawk players, DeLaurent is spending this off-season building strength under the view of SEMO Director of Sports Performance, Ryan Napoli, but his focus is on the upper body at this time.

“Paxton can do a lot of stationary stuff,” Matukewicz explained. “They just don’t want him planting (his foot) or something like that. He is still working, but, we have to remind him not to be doing too much.

“But he is still getting better.”

After transferring from NAIA program Central Methodist, DeLaurent had a spectacular sophomore season in 2022.

He started 10 games and threw for 2,684 yards and 19 touchdowns.

He was named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team after running for 288 yards and another three scores.

Following the season, DeLaurent, who Matukewicz has said is a “top five quarterback” in FCS football, was named to the 2022 HERO Sports Sophomore All-America Team.

Having said all of that, Matukewicz and McDowell still see areas of growth that they expect DeLaurent to address between now and the 2023 season.

“Early on in the (2022) season,” Matukewicz said, “we weren’t great in the red zone. Paxton had the option to pull it and throw it quite a bit, and he did that early on and had to settle for a bunch of field goals.”