Even with loss of two standouts, EKU secondary should be strong once again

Nathan Hutchinson
Register Sports Editor

RICHMOND — Tony Hatmaker certainly was well aware of the outstanding performers the Colonels lost to graduation from the secondary last season.

Still, he couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised to find out just how much talent he had to work with after taking over as Eastern Kentucky University’s defensive backs coach earlier this year.

“As I told my guys the other day, I don’t know anything about those guys,” Hatmaker said of last year’s Eastern Kentucky University seniors. “I’ve heard nothing but good things, but I’ll take you guys because I know you and I don’t feel like we are slowing down a step.”

And he has good reason to feel that way.

The Colonels did graduate two high-profile standouts from perhaps the Ohio Valley Conference’s best secondary — OVC Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Huff and NFL draft pick Antwaun Molden — but still return a pair of senior starters and a young and talented group of defensive backs.

Safeties Zach Denton and Brandon Gathof were both among the team leaders in tackles last season and sparked a defense that had a league-best 24 interceptions as EKU clinched its first OVC title in a decade.

The Colonels also added Andre Evans, a junior transfer from the University of Buffalo, to a core of defensive backs who were the focal point of the team’s recruiting class two seasons ago.

“The younger guys have fallen in line, because those seniors are the ones who set the tone,” Hatmaker said. “They set the tone in practice. They set the tone in drills, in our meetings. All those type of things.”

Denton and Gathof have emerged as the leaders of the secondary, even though neither were considered big-time prospects in high school.

Gathof (6-foot-2, 200 pounds from LaGrange) sat out his first year at EKU, but earned playing time as a redshirt freshman and has continued to get better each season. He has been a First Team All-OVC selection the past two years and last week was named a Preseason All-American by the Sports Network.

The safety had 91 tackles last season (second-best on the team) and a career-high five interceptions in addition to three tackles for loss.

Denton came to EKU as a quarterback and made the transition to safety as a sophomore. The 5-foot-11, 199-pound native of Cincin-nati has thrived at the position and last season was a second-team all-conference selection after collecting a career-high 69 tackles and five interceptions.

Denton and Gathof are both set to begin their fifth year at EKU, along with senior safety Kody Tuupo. The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder played in all 12 games last season, finishing with 24 tackles, and will once again rotate in as the main backup behind the Colonels’ two all-conference safeties.

“All three of those guys enjoy playing the game,” Hatmaker said of Denton, Gathof and Tuupo. “There are guys who are really talented, but just don’t love the game and don’t love the inner workings of the game and all the things that go along with it. All three of those guys very much have a passion for the game.”

Even though he is just a redshirt freshman, safety Patrick McClellan has impressed the coaching staff and will certainly get an opportunity to play this season.

Sophomore Robert Dees, a Madison Southern graduate, played in 11 games last season and will likely once again see some action as a backup safety.

“The surprise of the spring defensively was Patrick McClellan,” EKU coach Dean Hood said. “I think he’ll be able to add some depth at the safety position.”

Molden and Huff left big holes at defensive back that Evans, sophomore Jaren Gooden and redshirt freshmen Jeremy Caldwell and Quinton Gaddy will be asked to fill.

In particular, those first- and second-year players will need to produce right away.

“They’ve got great athletic ability and they are very bright young men,” Hat-maker said of the team’s young DBs. “Sometimes you end up having to play younger guys before they are ready — but I wouldn’t put any of those guys in that category. They are exactly where they need to be at this point in time.”

Gooden (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) was the only member of that talented group of freshman defensive backs to see action last season. He played in every game and had 20 tackles and an interception.

“He’s a guy who is much more mature than his sophomore status,” Hatmaker said. “He went through a very difficult time a year ago where he lost his father right before camp and I think because of those experiences and his natural maturity has kind of brought him along.”

Jeremy Caldwell and Quinton Gaddy were both redshirted last year, but will be asked to play significant roles this season.

Caldwell was an all-state selection at Red Bank High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., and was also named the Region 4A Special Teams Player of the Year in 2006. The 5-foot-10, 173-pound freshman played mostly safety in high school, has great athletic ability and likes to hit.

“He’s an outstanding player,” Hatmaker said. “He has the skills you need to be a great corner. He plays the ball well. He’s got great hands. He’s a also a very physical guy.”

Gaddy was slowed by an ankle injury in the spring and still should see action as a backup defensive back and on special teams.

Evans graduated from the same high school as Molden (Glenville H.S., Cleveland, Ohio) and started three games in his final season at Buffalo (2006). The 5-foot-10, 169-pounder saw action in 16 total games before transferring to EKU last spring.

“He’s a special athlete,” Hatmaker said of Evans. “He’s got some experience under his belt and he also ran track for us last year. He’s also another guy who is very bright. We are very excited about how he has progressed.”

Less than a week before the season opener (Thurs-day at Cincinnati), Evans, Caldwell and Gooden are all still battling for the two starting spots at defensive end. But, regardless of who is on the field when the game starts, all of them will get plenty of snaps.

“Any of those main three are going to very interchangeable,” Hat-maker said. “We have not made any definitive decisions about who is going to be starting, but all three are going to be our guys.”

Those decisions certainly won’t be easy to make.

But ultimately, it’s a nice dilemma for Hatmaker and the rest of the staff to deal with.

“They have all the stuff you are looking for and the desire to grow and get better every single day,” Hatmaker said of the Colonel secondary. “It’s been a pleasure to work with them.”

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 Fuqua making an impact

Nathan Hutchinson
Register Sports Editor

RICHMOND — Stephon Fuqua was much more interested in furthering his education then he was continuing his college football career.

But, he found an opportunity to do both.

After graduating with a degree from the University of Akron last spring, the Cleveland native wanted to pursue a masters degree in sports management — a program the school didn’t have.

So, Fuqua explored his options.

“I had gotten introduced to Eastern Kentucky University through Coach Rob Andrews, old coach of mine,” Fuqua said. “He is an alumni and he told me about the atmosphere here and immediately, I was interested.”

EKU offered the degree Fuqua was interested in and with a year of eligibility left, he could play immediately for the FCS (Division I-AA) Colonels

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound fifth-year senior joined the team this fall and has started to emerge as one of the Colonels’ better receivers and a solid performer on special teams. He had six catches for a career-high 104 yards during last week’s win over Austin Peay and has nine catches in his past two games.

“We needed someone like him,” first-year EKU coach Dean Hood said. “We felt like we had a great bunch of young receivers, but we needed an older guy to come in and help us. He was an answered prayer.”

Fuqua was a track standout in high school and played only one year of football.

Still, he was offered a scholarship by Akron and was redshirted his first season at the school. Even though he appeared in a total of 12 games, Fuqua did not have a reception during his freshman (2005) or sophomore (2006) seasons with the Zips.

Last year, he started six games and had 20 catches for 155 yards.

Fuqua started training camp as a somewhat unkn-own commodity. However he has earned more and more playing time in recent weeks.

He had only two catches through the first three games (both against Western Kentucky), but has led the Colonels in receiving yards in each of the past two weeks.

“I just want to work hard,” Fuqua said. “For me, this is my last year and I just wanted to enjoy it — whether it was playing or giving the defense a good look on the scout team or playing on special teams. I just wanted to go out and have some fun and go out with a bang.”

Fuqua has impressed the coaching staff his teammates with his speed and pass-catching abilities, but another quality has also earned him a lot of respect.

“He took a shot at Tennessee State that should have knocked him out,” Hood said. “He held on to the ball, came back and played. That’s (the toughness) you like to see.”

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Project to Prodigy: Molden Benefits from Speed Training

Published:Saturday, March 29, 2008

By Joe Scalzo

The former Harding player was impressive at the NFL Combine.

When Robert Andrews first spotted Antwaun Molden, he was a scrawny, 5-foot-9, 130-pound defensive back with almost no hope of seeing the field at Warren Harding High.

“He wasn’t a kid you looked at and thought he was going to be a star,” said Andrews, an assistant coach for the Raiders at the time. “He wasn’t a Maurice Clarett, he wasn’t a Prescott Burgess. He was a nobody.”

But he would listen and he was willing to work. Over the next three years, as Molden emerged as a promising talent, Andrews helped mold him into a college football player, first at Toledo and then at Eastern Kentucky. When Andrews left to coach at Cleveland Glenville before Molden’s senior year, Molden followed him. When Molden was looking to leave Toledo, Andrews helped get him a scholarship at his alma mater.

Still, when Molden’s career was over, he wasn’t much more than a blip on the NFL radar. That changed last month when he wowed scouts with his performance at the NFL Combine, turning in the top performances among defensive backs in six different tests.

Molden attributes his growth to Andrews’ coaching.

“He’s got an uncanny ability in developing athletes, knowing the different position techniques, the different muscle groups you need to develop,” said Molden. “He gives you the tools a cornerback needs.”

Andrews, who played on YSU’s 1991 national championship team, has coached more than 25 cornerbacks who went on to play Div. I college football, including Glenville standouts Ted Ginn (Dolphins) and Donte Whitner (Bills). He’s also worked with several top area athletes, including Burgess (who played at Michigan and was drafted by the Ravens), Dave Herron (Michigan State, Vikings, Patriots) and Brandon Beachum (who just graduated from Mooney in December and now plays at Penn State).

He conducts group workouts at Farmer Jim’s in Cortland — you can find out more by visiting www.speednskillz.com — and, Andrews said, you don’t have to be a big name (or a cornerback) to benefit from his training techniques.

“When you measure what you can do with kids, Antwaun is a great starting point,” said Andrews. “My relationship with kids doesn’t end when the session is over.”

Adds Molden, “He’s one of the biggest reasons I developed into the athlete I am.”

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Antwaun Molden arrived in Indianapolis for the NFL combine last month basically as an unknown prospect to a wide range of scouts.

He left Indianapolis several days later with an arrow pointing up next to his name.

Approaching the combine as if it was his personal ‘‘American Idol,’’ Molden’s performances in the physical and agility tests were strong enough to impress scouts with a Simon Cowell-like outlook. Molden, a former Warren G. Harding student/athlete, was the only cornerback to rank among the top five percent in all drills, which included a 40 time of 4.39 seconds.

In the matter of days, Molden went from being considered a late-round selection, or possibly an undrafted free agent, to a possible first-day pick. According to nfldraftscout.com, Molden, who played three seasons at Eastern Kentucky University, is currently ranked 14th among 239 cornerbacks. He’s projected as a fourth-round pick, although the upward-pointed arrow indicates he could move up higher.

‘‘That’s one opportunity you don’t get in life,’’ Molden said of the combine experience. ‘‘When you get it, you have to take advantage of it. I was well prepared. I was happy with my performance. Right now I’m hearing second or third (round).’’

Molden, who’s considered a big cornerback at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, exhibited his strength at the combine when he bench-pressed 225 pounds 23 times (more than some offensive linemen). Add to his 40 time and bench press showing an incredible 37.5 vertical leap and a 10-9 broad jump, and it’s evident why his stock is on the rise.

At least 10 NFL teams have contacted Molden to line up interviews. The Cleveland Browns, who don’t have a selection until the fourth round, were the first to visit with Molden after the combine. The meeting was easy to arrange because Molden lives in Cleveland.

The Browns have geared most of their offseason to strengthening the defense, with an emphasis on the line and linebackers. However, a need at cornerback surfaced when Leigh Bodden, a starter last season, was sent to the Detroit Lions in a trade that sent defensive lineman Shaun Rogers to Cleveland.

‘‘Every single interview with them was great,’’ said Molden, who visited with Baltimore Ravens officials last Thursday.

The number of Browns executives Molden met with indicates the team has a strong interest. He interviewed with general manager Phil Savage, coach Romeo Crennel, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, special teams coach Ted Daisher and Lew Merletti, senior vice-president.

Merletti, formerly the director of the Secret Service, is responsible for doing background checks on prospective draft picks. It’s never a bad sign when Merletti is involved in the interview process.

As much as Molden would like to play for the Browns, he hopes it doesn’t happen. That would mean that he wouldn’t have reached his goal of being picked in the first three rounds.

‘‘God willing I will be off the board before then,’’ he said.

Molden has followed a long, winding road to be where he’s at today in his life. After playing for Harding in his senior season of 2002, he transferred to Cleveland Glenville High School to finish the school year and compete on Glenville’s nationally-renowned track and field team. He ran on three relay teams with Ted Ginn Jr., Troy Cloud and Roland Sweet that set national records.

Rob Andrews, who was an assistant football coach at Harding, was instrumental in leading Molden to Glenville. Andrews left Harding to serve as an assistant coach on coach Ted Ginn Sr.’s perennially strong football team.

Andrews, who is helping to train Molden, felt it was important for Molden to be challenged by Glenville’s elite athletes.

‘‘At Glenville if you get beat it’s acceptable. It wasn’t acceptable to him,’’ Andrews said. ‘‘We had guys that were flying by him. He fought like crazy to get back to the pack. He knew where he stood. He knew he was bigger and stronger, but he wasn’t as fast. But he had great speed.’’

Molden, who was raised in Warren by his grandmother, Bernice Molden, didn’t leave Harding with ill feelings. He enjoyed playing defensive back and receiver for then-coach Thom McDaniels. It was just that he felt he needed to be challenged by what Glenville had to offer.

‘‘Thom McDaniels and his staff were great. I respect them,’’ Antwaun said. ‘‘It was a great experience, but I left because I thought it would be more beneficial to me.

‘‘I feel like by leaving there I made a big step in my life. It was an opportunity, and I wanted to take advantage of it. Cleveland Glenville is a great program. They have great athletes to be around.’’

McDaniels, who’s now coaching at Massillon Jackson High School, isn’t surprised that Antwaun is on the verge of being a NFL draft choice.

‘‘He had great skills and really impressive speed,’’ McDaniels said. ‘‘He was a very gifted athlete on a very good team. He was one of many we had — Michael Phillips, Prescott Burgess, Mike Kokal and all those guys.’’

Phillips, a cornerback and quarterback in high school, went on to play defensive back at the University of Pittsburgh. A star and team leader, Phillips was known more than Antwaun at the time.

‘‘The thing I remember about him (Antwaun) is that he was a hard worker,’’ said current Harding coach D.J. Dota, who was the defensive coordinator for McDaniels. ‘‘He stayed focused on what he wanted to do. He expected a lot from himself. He doesn’t want to fail.’’

Antwaun attended the University of Toledo in 2003 but was relegated to the scout team because of Proposition 16, which requires potential NCAA Division I student/athletes to attain a pre-determined ACT or SAT score based on their grade-point averages in core curriculum classes. Because the grades Antwaun took with him from Harding to Glenville were below average, he wouldn’t have been able to score high enough on the ACT to receive a scholarship.

Antwaun played for the Rockets primarily on special teams in 2004, but his academic problems prohibited participation in spring practices in 2004 and 2005. That’s when he remembered how aggressive EKU was in its recruiting of him. With his grandmother unable to handle the costs of tuition at Toledo, Antwaun was accepted by EKU as a transfer.

‘‘Because of the situation in high school, it was a snowball effect,’’ he said. ‘‘Eastern Kentucky said they would put me on scholarship as soon as I got there.’’

Antwaun didn’t move into the starting lineup for the Colonels until last season. In 2005 he played in 11 games and recorded 37 tackles, one interception and one pass defensed. The following season he appeared in 10 games and finished with 36 tackles and one pass defensed.

It all began to come together last season when he recorded 70 tackles (43 solos) as a starter in every game. He intercepted two passes, recovered one fumble and defensed nine passes as the Colonels won the Ohio Valley Conference championship.

If Antwaun hadn’t broken a bone in his hand and played with a cast for seven weeks, he feels his statistics last season would have been better. The injury, however, was the least of his concerns. On Nov. 14 of last year he said goodbye to his fiance, Joi Smith, who died at age 21 from a rare form of muscular cancer.

‘‘It was a tough season, not on the field but off the field,’’ he said. ‘‘I had to deal with a lot of tragedies.’’

Antwaun relied in his religious faith to help him through the difficult times. After the season ended, he was able to regroup and set his sights on the next stage of his life.

That began with an impressive showing during practices for the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star game in January. According to Chad Reuter of nfldraftscout.com, Antwaun ‘‘played physically and showed that he could turn and run with receivers.’’

As well as Antwaun has progressed, he’s not considered the best cornerback prospect coming out of the OVC. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of Tennessee State is ranked third overall by nfldraftscout.com and is projected as a first-round pick.

Antwaun has a different take on which OVC prospect is better.

‘‘The film doesn’t lie,’’ he said. ‘‘Cromartie is a great athlete, but if you watch the film you can determine who’s the better athlete. I can’t say that myself because I’m basically biased because I think it’s me.’’

Antwaun gave Cromartie his due when saying, ‘‘he and I battled for the number one spot, and he came out on top.’’

Antwaun has plenty of time to show that the arrow is pointing in the right direction.

mmclain@tribune-chronicle.com