LEXINGTON, Va. – Watching VMI football practice Friday morning, one thing stood out--heightened energy and an insatiable level of intensity. And for good reason.
Even with a new head coach, the Keydets turned some heads in 2023 finishing 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the Southern Conference. Some positives for the program to build upon.
Danny Rocco and staff enter year two with a team that’s another year older and wiser. With a roster littered with local talent from top to bottom and standards having been set, Rocco says there’s a bigger level of comfort as the team moves through fall camp.
“I feel like our relationships are a lot different, a lot stronger,” said Rocco. “There’s a lot more depth to that. There’s another group of guys that, you know, we signed and brought in here. And our style of play, I think, is gonna look a little different to the opponents.”
“I think they really came in with a new culture, a new mindset,” said Keydets offensive lineman and William Fleming grad Tyriq Poindexter. “It wasn’t just, ‘Hey, we’re here to practice hard and win games.’ It’s, ‘Hey, we’re here to set you guys up for the rest of your lives.’”
Quarterback Collin Shannon shared similar sentiments.
“Last year we were talking about becoming relevant again in the conference, showing a lot of people who we were. So this next year, we don’t like relevant anymore. We don’t want to be mediocre anymore. We want to win a conference. So that’s what we’ve been battling every day, is just winning the moment every day,” Shannon said.
“You see a lot more people on board,” said Keydets wide receiver Ivan Thorpe. “A lot more people believe because from 1-10 to 5-6 is a big difference and you see we have more talent and we’re putting in more work than last year--it should be a hell of a story.”
VMI will start writing the 2024 chapter soon with opening kickoff set for August 29 on the road at William & Mary.