ODU Inks 21 Student Athletes To Letter Of Intent

by Jamar S. Ross

Old Dominion football is still a year and a half away, but the Monarchs program has been anything but idle in preparation for the first kickoff at Foreman Field on Sept. 5, 2009.

Coach Bobby Wilder and his staff stayed busy over the fall and winter visiting high school coaches, reviewing game tapes of prospective players and hosting campus visits. All of their hard work paid off Feb. 6 when ODU received national letters of intent from 21 players, including two students currently enrolled at the university. Of the 19 high school students, 10 are from Hampton Roads. ODU’s first walk-on tryout, held the following day, attracted 107 student-athletes to Foreman Field, all hoping to fulfill their own dreams of playing college football. The players in Wilder’s first recruiting class will redshirt next year in preparation for the 2009 season.

In the unique situation of having to compete for players without yet having a team, Wilder and his staff have focused on selling the vision of a championship Division I-AA program, new facilities and the chance to have a guaranteed five years of education. “Our recruiting philosophy is that we’re going after young men who are great people, great students and great athletes,” Wilder said. “That’s the foundation for what we expect to be a championship-caliber program.”

The Monarchs will open their season at home against Division II Chowan University. Other home games will be against I-AA teams Georgetown, Monmouth and Presbyterian. The hope is to have six or seven home games the first season. ODU will join CAA competition in 2011.
In addition to the opportunity to play for a new program, recruits are excited about the facilities under construction. The $17 million Powhatan Sports Complex will house the coaching staff offices, locker rooms, player lounges, athletic training room and strength training area, and include two practice fields. Other major changes are under way at Foreman Field, where home games will be played. Construction has begun at the south end zone on a $24.8 million game-day building with a 727-space contiguous parking garage. The stadium will get new artificial turf, a state-of-the-art scoreboard and new sound system.

There’s much associated with the new program that appeals to recruits, but the parents have been most eager to hear about Wilder’s five-year academic plan. “With us being a new program, we’re the only school in the country that can guarantee a young man five years of education,” said Wilder. “My hope, and what I tell the parents, is that I’d like to see the players graduate in four years and work on their master’s degree during their final season of eligibility.”

Wilder has assembled an excellent staff to assist him in selling this vision. The latest additions are Dealton Cotton, defensive line coach, and Michael Zyskowski, running backs coach and special teams coordinator. Cotton most recently led Norfolk’s Maury High School to a four-year mark of 30-15. Zyskowski is the fourth member of Wilder’s staff to come from the University of Maine, where he was running back coach and co-special teams coordinator.