Road back to the top for SEMO FB continues on Tuesday

The fact remains that in three of the past six football seasons, Southeast Missouri State has won nine games in three of those seasons (2018, 2019, 2022), won the Ohio Valley Conference championship twice (2019, 2022), and advanced to the FCS Playoffs in each of those nine-win campaigns.

It’s also true that in the other three seasons, the Redhawks won just four games in each of those years, including a disappointing 4-7 season last fall.

“Number one,” 10th-year SEMO coach Tom Matukewicz said during this off-season, “the thing that I know, that I didn’t do (in 2023) is it takes what it takes. It doesn't matter how many players you have coming back, to get good at football, it takes what it takes.”

The 2024 version of the Redhawks began that process in mid-January when the student-athletes returned to Cape Girardeau, and the process of returning back to the top of the Big South-OVC Football Association takes another step beginning on Tuesday when the Redhawks open spring football.

SEMO will conduct 14 spring practices followed by the annual spring game on April 20 at Houck Field (5:30 p.m.).

SEMO lost 45 players from its 2023 roster, some of whom left massive holes to fill in 2024. Here is a look at the key areas of concern as the Redhawks continue their journey over the next month.

* The health of Paxton DeLaurent

It doesn’t matter who the new signees are, or how they perform, what the past two seasons have shown is that if DeLaurent gets injured, things can go south very quickly.

DeLaurent may be the best quarterback in SEMO history, but he has been injured in each of the past two seasons.

“Paxton didn’t end up having surgery,” Matukewicz said of DeLaurent’s season-ending shoulder injury that he suffered in mid-October.

DeLaurent will participate in spring drills, which is incredibly important, because of the No. 2 and No. 3 areas of concern.

* Who will carry the football in 2024?

The most productive running back, not just in Redhawk history, but OVC history, Geno Hess, has departed after six seasons and over 5,000 yards gained.

To add to the SEMO dilemma, its second-leading rusher last fall, Keveon Robbins is no longer with the program, and its third-leading running back, Darrell Smith, may only participate in the latter half of spring drills after having shoulder surgery last fall.

The top returning back is former Seckman High School graduate Cole Ruble.

As a true freshman, Ruble played in three games and carried the ball nine times for 17 yards.

Matukewicz did land former Southern Methodist running back Brandon Epton Jr. and he has a couple of seasons of eligibility remaining.

Epton Jr. played in 12 games over two seasons (2021 and 2022) for the Mustangs, carrying the ball 37 times for 103 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

The Dallas native spent last season playing at junior college powerhouse Hutchinson Community College, where he rushed for 535 yards and scored five times.

* Who will catch the football?

The Redhawks graduated four of their top five pass catchers, most notably, Ryan Flournoy, who very well may be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.

In addition to Flournoy being gone, so are Damoriea Vick (51 receptions), Hess (28 receptions), and Dalyn McDonald (18 receptions).

The top returning wideout is former walk-on Jack Clinkenbeard.

The redshirt junior earned a scholarship late last season after playing in all 11 games and hauling in 27 receptions for 315 yards.

SEMO also returns 6-foot-7 receiver Dorian Anderson (10 games, 14 receptions), as well as its top four tight ends (Mitchell Sellers, Danny Joiner, Nolan Reed, and Braden Thompson).

* Who will form the last line of defense?

SEMO ranked ninth out of 10 teams in the Big South/OVC Football Association in pass defense in 2023, so one might be relieved that the Redhawks lost four players with starting experience, however, one of those included Lawrence Johnson, who was stellar throughout his career in Cape Girardeau.

The Redhawks also lost Henry Pickens III (11 games, five starts), Eric Ivory, Jr. (11 games, seven starts), and Antonio Taylor (10 games, one start) in the secondary.

The positive is that SEMO has a lot of experience returning, including former Cape Central High School standout Dony’e Taylor.

The senior played in all 11 games last fall and made one start and totaled 12 tackles.

Taylor will be joined by senior Joedrick Lewis, who totaled 36 tackles and tied for the team lead with three interceptions, as well as graduate student Ty Leonard (41 tackles, a team-best 11 pass breakups), senior Khalani Riddick (37 tackles, 2 ½ for a loss, one sack, one interception), and senior Zi’Kief Johnson (10 tackles, two pass breakups).

* Who is out for the spring?

Not only will the SEMO coaching staff miss evaluating and coaching several of their players, but from a fan perspective, the Redhawk followers will also miss seeing a couple of players participate.

SEMO All-Everything linebacker Bryce Norman will not participate in drills this spring after having labrum surgery.

The former Jackson High School standout led SEMO in tackles for the third straight season last fall.

In addition, former Kennett High School star, defensive end Latrevion Thompson will also sit out this spring after having surgery on his hip labrum.

Both players, as well as Smith, are expected to be at full strength for the 2024 season.