Season Preview: Offense
SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University football team opens its 2022 season on Thursday, September 1 when it faces Florida International in Miami.
Leading up to kickoff BryantBulldogs.com will preview the 2022 Bulldogs.
Offense
Returners: Carlos Abascal, Ahmad Assad, Andrew Berkery, Nick Bilsbury, Carson Ivey, Nathan Marshall, Nick Matthews, Michael McNish, Anthony Perez, Ryan Piersza, Trevor Smith, Nick Thoresen, Jamichael Watts, Zevi Eckhaus, Gage Moloney, Keith Ridley Jr., Kyle Cichanowsky, Ryan Clark, Conor Driscoll, Ishod Byarm, Dylan Gurule, Robert Knight, Fabrice Mukendi, Shai Young, Thomas Berger, Jihad Edmond, Nicholas Hasselman, Bailey Lash, Konor Lathrop, Marc Taglieri Jr., Gary Cooper, Anthony Frederick, Matthew Prochaska, Tristen Riley, Khalid Shabazz-Williams, Landon Ruggieri, Alex Williams, Taylor Wright-Rawls, David Zorrilla
Newcomers: Kieran Bill, Edward Ellis Jr., Joseph Flaccavento, Nickolas Molina, Jared Arone, Zach Siskowic, Tre'Von Taylor, Michael Craig, AC White, Levi Wilkins, Javin Dames, Derick Eugene, Jake Harrington, Patrick Johnson, Luke Marley, Cole Lakatos, Jalen Powell, Aiden Smith
Bryant will return a great deal of experience on the offensive side of the football this fall. Leading the way will be quarterbacks Zevi Eckhaus and Gage Moloney, running backs Fabrice Mukendi and Ishod Byarm and senior wide receivers David Zorrilla and Anthony Frederick.
Eckhaus is coming off the best freshman season for a QB in program history, throwing for 2,392 yards, 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He was a finalist for the FCS Jerry Rice Award and finished the year by producing multiple TD passes in each of the last eight games.
Moloney returns after sustaining an injury that cost him the final 10 games of last season. The opening night starter in 2021, Moloney completed 9-of-15 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown before the injury.
The Bulldogs' running back room will also welcome a great deal of talent this fall. Finger and Mukendi headline a group that also includes Kyle Cichanowsky and Ryan Clark. Injured in the spring of 2021, Byarm returned quicker than expected and posted three touchdowns in the final four games of the season. He'll be joined by Mukendi who produced the best season for a true freshman in program history. Mukendi rushed for 652 yards and nine touchdowns, posting multiple TD runs in each of the final two games of the year. Cichanowsky carried the ball 11 times a season ago, while Clark is a converted QB that rushed for 54 yards on nine carries last fall.
Bryant's tight end unit also returns largely intact with Jihad Edmond, Nicholas Hasselman, Marc Taglieri Jr. and Konor Lathrop. Edmond caught 27 passes and the quartet combined for three touchdown receptions.
The Black and Gold welcome back a dynamic wide receiver duo of David Zorrilla and Anthony Frederick. Zorrilla caught 47 passes for 623 yards and two touchdowns, while Frederick had 32 catches for 516 yards and eight scores. Zorrilla averaged 4.7 receptions per game, while Frederick had three games with multiple TDs, a first for a Bulldog receiver since 2012. Bryant will also welcome back Gary Cooper, Landon Ruggieri, Matthew Prochaska and Shai Young. Ruggieri hauled in four touchdown receptions, while Prochaska, Young and Cooper combined for 30 receptions.
On the offensive line, the return of 10 players that saw action last year brings a dearth of experience. Trevor Smith was an All-NEC selection at right tackle and he'll be surrounded by the experience of Jamichael Watts, Michael McNish, Carlos Abascal, Ahmad Assad and Nathan Marshall. This group helped the Black and Gold rush for nearly 180 yards in the spring of 2021 and nearly 150 yards per game in the fall of 2021.
Bryant will also welcome back several other skill players that look to play a key role in the offense. That group includes Tristen Riley, Khalid Shabazz-Williams and Taylor Wright-Rawls. A great deal of incoming includes Jalen Powell, AC White, Derick Eugene and Cole Lakatos.