RIVER FOREST, ILL. – As Concordia University Chicago (CUC) football prepares for opening day, a promising year arrives under the direction of second year head coach
Chase Hankins supported by a team of new and returning assistant coaches. "Our coaching staff gets a lot out of our players because they know that we care for them and respect them. I think that is a much better form of coaching and leadership than the stereotypical 'listen to me because I told you to' style of coaching," Hankins said.
Coaching Staff
With Coach Hankins at the helm, a number of changes have come in the rest of the coaching staff. Most notably the addition of
Charlie Drewek as the Defensive Coordinator and
Charley Clark Jr. as the Offensive Coordinator.
Seve Loubriel returns as the Recruiting Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, and Linebackers Coach while
Tierre Turner returns as the Defensive Line Coach. Recent CUC football graduate
Travon Thomas joins the coaching staff after successful four-year career with the Cougars while
Jailynn Franklin joins the coaching staff as a student assistant after his own successful four-year career.
Justin Iagmin joins the coaching staff as another student assistant after spending two season playing for Concordia University Ann Arbor.
Last Season
The season kicked off with a trip down to Greenville University on September 7
th, but ultimately fell short in the season opener despite some strong offensive performances. They went on to hold their home opener, hosting Manchester University in what would be a thrilling showdown.
Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.) had himself a day, throwing for 194 yards and three touchdowns, leading both teams. In the final 15 minutes, Manchester battled back to take the lead, but Bosch once again found a target in the endzone, scoring the game winning touchdown with just under two minutes left in the game, claiming victory 28-27.
In the team's highest scoring game of the season, Concordia hosted Lakeland University on September 21
st for the first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game of the year. CUC struck first, as Bosch once again found Levy in the endzone. The teams battled back and forth as the Muskies led 20-10 after 15 minutes. The two teams battled back and forth with the lead and Bosch took it himself to take a 61-60 lead with less than a minute. However, the Muskies threw an 86-yard Hail Mary and defeated the Cougars, 66-61.
On the road for the next two games, Concordia went 1-1. The team traveled to face nationally ranked Aurora University on September 28
th, falling 72-6. They turned it around with a trip to Eureka College and pulled out the victory. A combination of strong offense and stand-off defense led to the 31-27 victory.
In the homecoming game against Rockford University on October 12
th, the Cougars fell behind early and clawed their way back in. The team went 4-for-4 in the red zone, but ultimately fell 74-45 to the Regents. CUC would face two tough conference opponents and ultimately fall to both St. Norbert College and Wisconsin Lutheran College before hitting the bye week.
Coming off a bye week, the Cougars had two more games left. On the road to Wisconsin, CUC faced rival Concordia University Wisconsin on November 9
th.
Wesley Jackson (Robinson, Ill.) snatched two touchdown passes in the 52-24 loss. In the final game of the season, the Cougars hosted Benedictine University. The Eagles scored on the first drive and never looked back. CUC outscored Benedictine in the second half, 14-7, as Bosch ran in two touchdowns, but the Cougars fell 49-14.
"Last year served as the foundation for the culture we are building," Coach Hankins noted. "A lot of systems were put in place and a lot of positives came from the new scheme, opportunities for player leadership, and a lot of hard work in recruiting and development. With those positives, we also found some opportunities to tweak and improve on what might not have worked as well last year. We are very excited about bolstering those positives while tweaking those negatives and the players have responded with nothing but trust and enthusiasm which is awesome to see."
Returning Players
The Cougars see a handful of key returning players including starting quarterback
Colton Bosch, who received NACC All-Conference accolades last season. First Team All-Conference tight end
Wesley Jackson settles in for his junior season after logging more than 250 yards on receptions last season. The final returning All-Conference player comes from left tackle
Daniel Banks (Chicago, Ill.), who returns for his sophomore season after being a reliable and consistent threat for the Cougars.
The Cougars return with six seniors in
Jakob Redmond (Bishop, Calif.),
Blake Henson (Potosi, Mo.),
Jonathan Aungst (Lovells, Mich.),
Jacob Garrison (Glendale, Ariz.),
Dalton Baird (Clearwater, Fla.), and
Austin Jackson (Addis, La.). Joining the returning senior squad is key juniors including leading running back
Joron Brown (St. Joseph, Mich.), wide receiver
Jayden Taylor (Southfield, Mich.), kicker
Dennis Vanderplow (Livonia, Mich.), linebacker
Louis Mobley (Indianapolis, Ind.), offensive lineman
Benjamin Hardy (Clinton Township, Mich.), and defensive lineman
Adam Lambaz (Elgin, Ill.).
"It means a lot to me that there are so many [returners] compared to what Concordia has been used to in years past," Coach Hankins said. "As we go into year two for me as a head coach, it is cool to see that these guys experienced one year with me and believe in what we are doing enough to continue their careers here. They are a talented group and they have matured in the weight room and film room which is something we hope continues to translate to performance on the field."
New Faces
The Cougars bring in a large class filled with numerous transfers and first years. With such a large incoming class, Coach Hankins notes that they're stronger than ever:
"What is awesome about this incoming class is that we did not have to sacrifice quality for quantity. Which is crazy to think about considering it is the largest class Concordia has brought in in over a decade. They are very competitive and hungry to prove themselves, but they are very mature in that they know they have been competing with teammates for the past two weeks and that once they step off the field they turn the competiveness off and embrace each other as teammates, which is a very cool thing to see!"
A Look Ahead
The Cougars open up the season a bit different than years past with a non-conference matchup with University of Minnesota-Mary on September 6
th. Following that, they hit the road to play Manchester University on September 13
th before coming back to defend home turf and open up NACC play against St. Norbert. Going back-and-forth between road games and home games, the Cougars take on Wisconsin Lutheran on September 27
th, Eureka College on October 4
th for homecoming, Rockford on October 18
th, and Concordia University Wisconsin on October 25
th, all with 1:00pm kickoffs.
For their only back-to-back road series of the year, the Cougars travel to Lakeland on November 1
st and Benedictine University on November 8
th before bringing it back home for the regular season finale against Aurora University on November 15
th for senior day. Each of these final three games are slated for a noon kickoff.
"[These guys] are fighters and focused on proving others wrong," Coach Hankins said. "What makes them contenders is that they also have a lot of respect and love for each other as well. It is very reassuring to us as coaches because it lets us know that we kept the right guys around and brought the right guys in."
2023 Stat Leaders
Passing:
Rushing:
Receiving:
Defense:
Special Teams:
*Indicates player is no longer on the team.
"I think we have a good team that is going to surprise some people this year," Coach Hankins closed with. "Our goal is to win our next game until there aren't any to be played. If we continue to focus on the details and process, whatever it says on the scoreboard will take care of itself."
Opening kickoff is slated for 11:00am today, September 6
th, right here in River Forest. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
