BGSU football head coach Eddie George held his first press conference of the season ahead of the week one matchup against Lafayette.
Here are my Falcon Four takeaways:
Captains were announced for the 2025 season
Quarterback Drew Pyne, right tackle Nate Pabst, cornerback Jalen McClendon and linebacker Gideon Lampron were all selected as the team’s 2025 captains. George chose those four because of the way they bought into the culture and the way they preach it.
“Our captains this year were voted on by our staff as well as the team, and we picked four. I think they’re really good captains for us, who all served on our leadership council as well,” George said. “So, throughout the entire summer, I made sure that whoever was going to be in front of this team with the c on is the real deal,” said George “They bought in and they preach it day in and day out, not just in how they talk, but their actions. They’re an extension of myself and the coaching staff in terms of the expectations of what leadership should look like. So, I’m really excited about these four leaders as our captains.”
The offensive line is still the strong point of the entire team
The offensive line seems to be the key position group that brings the most experience back. With that experience, it brings over 3,000 offensive snaps across the entire offensive line, which is something Coach George values.
“They’re an experienced group, with almost 100 career starts. Just watching them throughout the summer mature, not just training camp, but the summer conditioning. They got in excellent shape. You can sense a toughness about this group,” George said. They run the show, so they really stood out.”
The running back room will be interesting, but with no true starter
The room not having a true definitive starter allows for all guys to have their chance to prove why they should start. George wants one to two guys to take the leap as the first couple of weeks progress.
“All of them will play to some capacity. I would like to see one guy or two really take the forefront, but each one of them brings something unique and different to the table, whether it’s Chris McMillian and his ability to go in between the tackles. You got Cameron Pettaway, who was a redshirt freshman who has excellent vision, excellent feet and can see the hole really well. Nakai Amachree is really coming on the last two or three weeks of camp after coming off of a knee injury, and we’re starting to really see what he’s capable of doing. Of course, Kaderris Roberts is also going to be able to contribute,” George said. “So, we’re expecting all four guys will get some touches, but somebody’s going to have to separate from the pack at some point in time of the season and be the guy that we can lean on. So, I feel good about all four of them.”
Excitement for Thursday is through the roof
George describes the first game as Christmas morning and amped up to coach these players. The players are also fired up and full of energy in practice this week, and it’s apparent.
“We’re just excited about football overall. This is our Christmas, right? I mean, it’s here. Christmas is here in terms of football, that is. I think everybody’s waited a long time to get back on the field, to get to be competitive and just have the stadium full and excited,” George said. “Our kids are excited about the opportunity to play in front of our fans, and you can sense it. You can sense it in practice, and there’s some really good lively practice today, full of energy, guys bouncing around. They feel they’re ready to go. I think the coaching staff is ready to go, and we’re pumped, and hopefully our fans are going to be nice and loud and give us a home-field advantage.”
BGSU will officially kick off the season Thursday at 6 p.m. at Doyt L. Perry Stadium against the Lafayette Leopards.
