East Stroudsburg University football starts 2025 with something to prove (2025)

EAST STROUDSBURG — As the spring season wraps up for East Stroudsburg University football, the desire to be better remains as strong as it was when the season ended in December during the NCAA playoffs.

The Warriors are coming off of a 2024 campaign that saw them win 10 games, which hadn't been done since 2005, and break several records while having the 19th-best offense in Division II. Since then, head coach Jimmy Terwilliger has watched his team go through the offseason with infectious rigor.

"This team has really set the standard of excellence through the offseason. They attacked the workouts," Terwilliger said. "We're faster than we've ever been as a whole. Our strength coach Marc Gaudet and his staff that work with our players are doing amazing things. Since the end of the season, it's been me pulling the players back instead of pushing them forward, which is what you want, and it's been a lot of fun seeing this team develop."

Motivation isn't an issue when it comes to ESU football. After the loss to California University of Pennsylvania in the playoffs, many players were already wanting to get back in the weight room and improve. The question going into the spring was whether or not that inner drive would still be there days, weeks, or months later after the loss.

For some players, the fire rages in the immediate time because the loss fueled them. But it eventually burns with less and less intensity as time goes on, and the offseason workouts can sometimes reflect that.

That isn't the case for Terwilliger's squad. The thing that's pushing the players goes beyond what's on the scoreboard or stat sheet, but it is more deeply rooted and sustainable when the days seem long.

Sean McTaggart: Veteran quarterback returns for 2025 season

East Stroudsburg's first challenge will be the youth movement taking place in the program – the team lost 20 seniors from the 2024 squad. But they do have experience in the most important position: quarterback. That's where Sean McTaggart, after a record-breaking year in 2024, is leading the QB room.

East Stroudsburg University football starts 2025 with something to prove (1)

Terwilliger simply used the word "veteran" when describing what McTaggart brings to the table for the upcoming season.

"Whenever you get a veteran calling the shots, you can do a lot of stuff," Terwilliger said. "The thing that sticks out to me about Sean is that he's got toughness and grit. And if you give me a tough, hard-nosed gritty kid, we can do a lot of things."

The Warriors head coach also praised McTaggart's mentorship ability in the position group, teaching the younger players, including Harrison Susi, whom Terwilliger said will take "meaningful snaps" this year.

Another player to watch for East Stroudsburg is running back Deonte Crawford, a Freedom High School graduate and ESU's top running back prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. He's had to wait his turn behind the likes of Tahir Mills and Tyriq Lewis, but now it is his turn to lead from the backfield.

"I've had to be patient since pee wee football," Crawford said. "I think learning the game and being patient led me to this point. I stayed patient in high school behind some great backs, then I came to college and had to wait behind some great backs. This is my year to start."

Defensively, the Warriors lost several key players to graduation, including defensive back Noah Hambrick, defensive end Aidan Hayward, and linebacker and leading tackler Raymond Simmons IV. That side of the ball isn't completely inexperienced, however.

Everette Dingle, who'll be a redshirt junior in 2025 and was second on the team with 59 total tackles, is now one of the defensive leaders, alongside Malachi Bowman and Amir Shields in the secondary.

"Everette is a primetime player, he's always in good position and gets people lined up. Especially at safety, which is like the quarterback of the defense," Terwilliger said. "He's an instinctive player. He's not the biggest or fastest, but he's a good football player. And he can get all those young, talented guys that are coming lined up.

"He's got some help with Malachi Bowman to his right, Amir Shields to his left. He's got Khalil Scott in front of him and a defensive front that I think has been pretty good."

The defensive front has been a pleasant surprise for Terwilliger this spring, citing the complimentary mix of younger and veteran players. There's Terrell Reynolds, who led the team with 6.5 sacks in 2024; Ashton Blose, who had 2 sacks and 4.5 TFL; and other returners like Jake Williamson.

Regarding new players to the rotation, there's Jamori Stepheny, Vincent Isom, Ivan Bailey-Green and Ryan Epps, all players whom are expected to contribute after waiting their turn last season.

"Those guys are setting the tone. It's been a bear trying to block them, and we're gonna need that," Terwilliger said.

Offensively, the surprise has been how quickly the younger players have picked up the system, which is one of the more complex in college football. Terwilliger's offensive involves a lot of moving parts and players, including multiple quarterbacks. So for underclassmen to adjust to it with little issue has been great for the Warriors.

"You have to think about it: it's a lot of guys who are hungry," Crawford said as the reason for the quick integration. "It's their chance to finally step on the field after being patient and waiting, so they're gonna give it their all."

Next season is still a long way away, but East Stroudsburg's youth movement is off on the right foot.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: East Stroudsburg football led by motivated new faces