Franklin College coach Alan Hensell looks for big things from his team this season.
Daily Journal file photo
Kody Wilkerson is a rarity in college football circles, the player named a team captain three times over the course of his career.
Franklin College’s senior linebacker warrants such respect.
At the same time, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Wilkerson, the Grizzlies’ third-leading tackler last season, is spreading the praise with Saturday’s opener at Olivet fast approaching.
“The good thing about this team is that it all looks good,” said Wilkerson, making it a point to shine the spotlight on the Grizzlies’ offensive, defensive and special teams units. “Last year, we were young and we experienced a lot of adversity. That’s going to help us this season.
“We always have to carry that chip on our shoulders, but it’s easy to maintain. When you’re around football players, it’s not hard to talk about football. You have to strive for greatness every day if you want to achieve greatness.”
Tabbed to finish fourth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference by the league’s coaches, the Grizzlies look as though they could fare better.
Perhaps much better.
Coach Alan Hensell brings back six players — three on offense, three on defense — who garnered HCAC postseason accolades following the squad’s 6-4 finish.
That means senior receiver Jarrett Gibson when Franklin College is in possession of the football. Gibson, a first-team all-conference choice, had 61 receptions for 833 yards and six scores last year.
Sophomore quarterback Kai Ross, a starter in FC’s final three games in 2021, is a threat to both pass and carry the pigskin. Ross, along with sophomore running back Garrett Cora, the reigning HCAC newcomer of the year, will work behind an offensive line anchored by senior tackle Armani Christopher.
Ross and Cora were previously high school classmates and teammates at Tri-West.
“Kai is a thrower, but he has shown the ability to do things with his legs, too,” Hensell said of Ross, who saw action in six games as a freshman, throwing for totals of 826 yards and five touchdowns. “Not a loud or overly vocal guy, but is very consistent. Not a lot rattles him.”
The Grizzlies; other first team all-conference player returning is junior lineman Jireh Ojata, who made life miserable for opposing offenses with 14 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
Also considered a strength is the corps of linebackers, as Wilkerson (60 tackles) and senior Aaron Black (63) are proven commodities for a defense that surrendered only 103.5 rushing yards (best in HCAC) and 18.5 points (second) per contest.
Senior punter Dylan Boswell returns as well, having averaged a league-best 39 yards per boot. Eighteen of his punts in 2021 landed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Fielding an extremely young team last summer and fall likely cost the Grizzlies in certain situations and games. Hensell sees those experiences paying dividends in the Saturdays ahead.
“I feel we’ve been able to increase our athleticism on both sides of the ball, and in doing so have increased our depth,” Hensell said. “Every year our goal is to put ourselves in a position of winning the conference. We take every opponent very serious.”
2022 SCHEDULE
Date;Opponent;Time
Sept. 3;at Olivet;2 p.m.
Sept. 10;at Aurora;2 p.m.
Sept. 17;Trine;1:30 p.m.
Oct. 1;at Bluffton;1:30 p.m.
Oct. 8;Anderson;1:30 p.m.
Oct. 15;Defiance;1:30 p.m.
Oct. 22;at Rose-Hulman;1:30 p.m.
Oct. 29;at Manchester;1:30 p.m.
Nov. 5;Mount St. Joseph;1:30 p.m.
Nov. 12;Hanover;1:30 p.m.
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Coach: Alan Hensell
Last season: 6-4
Key returnees: P Dylan Boswell, LB Aaron Black, OL Armani Christopher, WR Jarrett Gibson, RB Derek Thompson and LB Kody Wilkerson, seniors; WR Dylan McKinney and DL Jireh Ojata, juniors; RB Garrett Cora and QB Kai Ross, sophomores
Top newcomers: LB Carter Edney, DE Devon Keith, DB Andrew Poppa and DB T’Lijah Robinson, freshmen
Outlook: By no means is enthusiasm in short supply, as the Grizzlies bring back key personnel in every aspect of the game. Hensell’s squad wastes no time finding out how good it is by opening the season with consecutive road games at Olivet and Aurora, teams that combined to go 15-6 in 2021, before returning to Faught Stadium for the home opener against Trine on Sept. 17.
“Not only are we playing on the road, but we’re playing two teams that traditionally are very good in their conference,” Hensell said. “You want to play good teams and beat good teams, and that’s the expectation level in our program.”
Ross played significant snaps in the final four games as a freshman QB, experience that essentially qualifies him as a returning starter. Cora rushed for 600 yards, while Gibson is back after being named a first team All-HCAC wideout. The defense is interesting not only because of the three key returnees (Ojata, Wilkerson and Black), but the fact the only freshmen currently part of the two-deeps are on that side of the line of scrimmage.
