Spring Cleaning with David

By David Asbury

As spring ball ends and the temps start to rise, let's do a little spring cleaning by wrapping up spring ball and the draft.

You can't build a great house without a great foundation.

Spring has sprung! Flowers are blooming, people are having picnics and ODU football recently finished Spring Practices with the annual Priority Charity Bowl Spring Game!

Where some teams (like Marshall) play a real game between starters and second strings, ODU's Spring Game is more of an open practice with a scrimmage. Still, it is a great time to get an early look at the team before they start preparing for Spring Semester finals and then regroup in the summer and prepare to face Indiana on August 30th. Here are just five takeaways the game provided us on that beautiful spring day.

1. Solid Quarterbacks.

Colton Joseph's development has been amazing to watch year-over-year. He gave a mediocre performance in 2024's Spring Game but what a difference a year makes. He had a great 2025 Spring Game beating his teammates on the ground and in the air. In fact, he looks like he may be one of the best quarterbacks in the Sun Belt. Backup Quinn Henicle impressed too. It is clear this is the best quarterback room Ricky Rahne ever brought to ODU. ODU led the Sun Belt in rushing yards thanks to these dual threat quarterbacks and they should be able to do it again.

Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography.

2. Best Linebacker Group in ODU History.

Jason Henderson is back baby! The 2024 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and all-time ODU tackle-leader is back in pads after missing most of the 2024 season with injury. He redshirted last year and this year he looks ready to play. He played the Spring Game in full pads which is a great sign that he'll be back to football shape come fall. Mario Thompson and Jahleel Culbreath also impressed throughout the game. Captain Koa Naotala sat out the game with injury but we have been told he will be ready to go for summer ball. Expect this group to make a lot of tackles this season.

3. New Skill Positions Need Breaking In.

We knew before Spring Practices started that all of the starting receivers would be new. With it will be some growing pains and there were a few drops and miscommunications in that group. Ja'Cory Thomas stood out with a big play down the filed. On the other side of the ball we expected some starters to return in the secondary when Spring Practices started but starting corner Rasheed Reason and safety Patrick Smith-Young entered the portal before the game giving opportunities to new players and deeper competition. The hope is this group can be as good as last year's and the new secondary did play very well.

4. Improved Offensive Line

There were a few missing pieces from last year but big body Zach Barlev returns to play left tackle. New center Ryan Joyce appears to be an improvement as well. The offensive line did a great job protecting the quarterbacks, as well as creating running lanes for running backs and quarterbacks alike.

5. Changes to Spring Football.

Just like everything else in college football, Spring Games are changing. It used to be an annual tradition for a real football game between the team and an opportunity to see players. Some schools are opting not to have a Spring Game at all while others like ODU are changing it more into a short open practice and celebration with fans.

So what is going on? Well, the portal and NIL is going on. Before, it made sense to showcase the talent on your roster, but now that risks teams with bigger checkbooks coming after your hidden players. As Rahne said after the game, “We’re obviously not going to show everything under the sun, but you know, but I thought they did a nice job.” Had ODU played a full Spring Game and an unexpected player broke out as the player of the game, well a P4 team may have come calling. In fact, holding the Spring Game after the Spring Portal opened was a smart move.

Bigger programs likely filled their spots before looking at ODU's roster. But even that cannot completely stop the portal bleeding as safety Patrick Smith-Young was lured to enter it. But even there, by playing the game late, playing time went to players who will be on the roster come fall.

Professional Monarchs: ODU Players in the NFL, UFL and CFL

The 2025 NFL Draft is behind us and the NFL rosters are mostly set. No Monarchs were drafted this year but that is okay. There are still a lot of professional Monarchs who are extending their playing career and making a lot of money to play a kids' game. NFL alums are important for a college program. High school recruits want to see what the program has done at the highest level. Naming the locker room after Taylor Heinicke is important for them to see. So it is important for the program for fans to continue to support and keep track of professional Monarchs. Moreover, it gives fans something fun to root for at the pro level. To keep track of all the professional Monarchs, I have gathered a list below with their current employment and roster situation.

NFL ROOKIES

Santana Saunders - Indianapolis Colts:
One of the best offensive linemen for the Monarchs signed with Indianapolis Colts. The four-year starter and former ODU captain signed as an undrafted free agent so he will at least make it to summer camp. But can he earn himself a roster spot or a place on their practice squad? That is the question that will be answered for all of the rookies with Old Dominion ties.

Devin Brandt-Epps - Buffalo Bills:
Devin Brandt-Epps was a defensive tackle for the Monarchs from 2021 through 2023 and was a regular contributor on the defense. He started for New Mexico in 2024 where he made 29 tackles. Buffalo coaches told the him they liked his versatility and speed off the ball, pulling tape of his games against Arizona (one tackle), Auburn (three tackles) and Washington State (three tackles) in particular.

Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography.

Pat Conroy - Las Vegas Raiders:
ODU's Conroy broke out as a top receiving tight end in the Sun Belt. He finished second on the team with 37 receptions for 523 yards and led the squad with five touchdown catches. The Raiders have a solid tight end room with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer so Conroy will have a hill to climb just to make the team, however they are great players to learn and compete with.

Jordan Bly - New York Giants:
Former NFL player Dre Bly's son committed to Old Dominion out of high school and played here from 2021 to 2023 before transferring to Gardner Webb. There he pulled in 32 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. He will get a shot to follow in his father's footsteps and play in the NFL.

Aaron Young - Denver Broncos:
Aaron Young was a very reliable starter for the Monarchs during the 2024 season. After spending five seasons at Rutgers, he had his career season at ODU rushing for 887 yards and scoring eight touchdowns. He joins fellow former Monarch Blake Watson in the Broncos running back room.

Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography.

Ali Jennings - Green Bay Packers:
Jennings was such a consistent deep threat for the Monarchs in '21 and '22, gaining 2,025 yards and 14 touchdowns. Since then he transferred to Virginia Tech where he had substantially less production and less playing time. He will get a chance to prove himself in the pros for the Green Bay Packers this summer.

Lamareon James - Cleveland Browns:
James made a name for himself at ODU being a great returner and sticky corner from 2021 to 2023. In 2024, he transferred to TCU where he started the season. He went undrafted but signed as an unrestricted free agent for the Cleveland Browns.

Ethan Duane - Buffalo Bills:
The punter from Australia had a good career at Old Dominion before graduating and moving on to play for the University of Buffalo. Ethan gets a chance to showcase his talents in rookie minicamp for his new home team.

NFL VETERANS

Taylor Heinicke - Los Angeles Chargers:
Last August, I was sitting with my family at SoFi Stadium while wearing my Philip Rivers jersey. We were watching the Chargers backup quarterbacks struggle as I turned to my wife and said, "the Chargers should really trade for Taylor Heinicke." A couple of weeks later and back home in Virginia, I got exactly what I asked for and the Chargers traded for the ODU legend to backup Justin Herbert. Heinicke rarely saw the field last season but signed an extension for the 2025 season. The Chargers also signed North Dakota State alum Trey Lance as well as rookie DJ Uiagalelei. Heinicke is the favorite to keep the backup job.

Rick Lovato - Free Agent:
Long snapper Rick Lovato is the first Monarch to win a Super Bowl and first to do it twice. He built a career with the Eagles but Philadelphia finally decided to move on from him and cut him this offseason. As I write this, he is a free agent but his consistency may earn him a camp spot somewhere.

Zach Pascal - New York Giants:
Zach Pascal was an amazing wide receiver for ODU and a key part of the 2016 team that won the Bahamas Bowl. In the NFL, he had a solid three years for the Indianapolis Colts and is the first Monarch to score a touchdown in the NFL. Since then, he has had a stint with the Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals. Watch for him to play more special teams for the New York Giants this season.

Tre Hawkins III - New York Giants:
Hawkins played cornerback at ODU in 2022 and played relatively well. The New York Giants drafted their second Monarch in the sixth round and he impressed in the preseason enough to make the roster in 2023. In 2024, Hawkins recorded his first career interception against Derek Carr. The pick was New York's first since Week 1, breaking an 11-game stretch in which the Giants did not record an interception, and NFL record. In the same game, Hawkins suffered a fractured lumbar spine injury, ending his season. He finished his season with 10 tackles across three appearances but hopefully will return for the G-men healthy for the '25 season.

Oshane Ximines - New England Patriots:
Ximines is the highest drafted ODU player, being drafted in the third round by the Giants in 2019. A star at ODU, he racked up 32 sacks in four years. That production slowed down in the NFL and he only has 6.5 sacks since joining the Giants. New York did not re-sign him but this offseason he signed with the New England Patriots where he will join ODU alums Keion White and Deron Mayo.

Keion White - New England Patriots:
Keion White actually started his career at ODU as a tight end. He switched positions to defensive end in the 2019 season and played very well. He graduated ODU in 2020 and then transferred to Georgia Tech to play for them in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He became one of their best players on defense and good enough for the Patriots to draft him. When ODU announced that it had three draft picks in 2022 (Saldiveri, Kuntz, Hawkins), White corrected them and said he was the fourth. He recently came back to ODU to attend the spring game and meet with fans at The Pride of ODU tent.

(Coach) Deron Mayo - New England Patriots:
The Patriot's fired Deron Mayo's brother and hired Mike Vrabel as head coach. The former ODU defensive end was his brother's strength and conditioning coach and will be retained in that same role under Vrabel. Keion White spoke highly of Deron during that recent visit back to Old Dominion for the spring game.

Stone Smartt - New York Jets:
Smartt played quarterback for Bobby Wilder and then wide receiver for Ricky Rahne. He's been in LA playing tight end for the Chargers. He has shown flashes of success when they let him on the field, to the point where he became a bit of a fan favorite. But his blocking may not have been good enough for the Chargers to keep him, so he hit free agency and will compete with fellow ODU tight end Zach Kuntz. Speaking of...

Zach Kuntz - New York Jets:
Zach Kuntz was a great tight end and receiver for the Monarchs after arriving via transfer from Penn State. The New York Jets drafted Kuntz late in 2022 when they were featured in HBO's Hard Knocks. He even caught a touchdown in a preseason game... which Aaron Rodgers laughed at because Kuntz ran the wrong route. He was seen as a developmental prospect and spent most of the 2023 and '24 on the Jets' practice squad. There is a new staff in New York and he will have to compete with fellow Monarch Stone Smartt to make the 53-man roster.

Nick Saldiveri - New Orleans Saints:
ODU featured Big Sal predominantly at right tackle during his collegiate career, but he has the ability to play multiple positions on the line. Nick Saldiveri started six games at left guard for the New Orleans Saints in the 2024 season. However, for the second season in a row, he ended up on the injured reserve list. Hopefully 2025 will be a healthy one and he can see more starts in his future.

Blake Watson - Denver Broncos:
Blake Watson was a Bobby Wilder recruit who started out as a wide receiver. Then Ricky Rahne saw his potential as a running back. He played very well in that position in 2021 and in 2022 he had a hell of a game against Coastal Carolina in the 49-x upset in Conway. In '23 he transferred to Memphis where he had a breakout season with over 1600 all-purpose yards and 17 total touchdowns. He was a star in Memphis. He was expected to be a late round draft pick but went undrafted. The Denver Broncos signed him where he made the team and four carries for ten yards and one 13-yard catch. Hopefully he earns more playing time in 2025.

UFL & CFL

Tyran Walker-Hunt - B.C. Lions (CFL):
Coward played defensive line for the Monarchs but from 2017 to 2020 he played and played often on the offensive line for the Chicago Bears. He then bounced around the Steelers, Jaguars, Falcons, Cardinals and Texans before going to the UFL this season with the San Antonio Brahmas. In March, he was released and signed a new contract with the B.C. Lions of the CFL.

Tobias Harris - Ottawa Redblacks (CFL):
Harris transferred to play for the Monarchs in 2022. He started 12 games at cornerback during his lone season, totaling 44 tackles, one sack, one interception, and 11 pass breakups. In 2023, he played professionally for the Redblacks mostly as a return specialist returning 38 kickoffs for 867 yards and one touchdown while also returning 24 punts for 326 yards.

Miles Fox - Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL):
Fox played at ODU for four years at defensive tackle. His senior year he and the Monarchs defeated No. 13 Virginia Tech. Upon graduation, he transferred to Wake Forest (a Monarch and a Demon Deacon just like me). He spent two years there given an injury redshirt and extra Covid year. He spent the 2022 year with the BC Lions and 2023-24 with the Blue Bombers. Now he embarks on a new CFL team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Isiah Paige - To Be Named Soon (CFL):
Isiah had a stellar finish to his Old Dominion career in 2024, leading the Monarchs with 61 catches for 819 yards and 3 touchdowns. Isiah was put on one team's negotiation/protected list, meaning they have his rights if he doesn't decide to play in a different league.

Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography.

Retired/Free Agents: Kaleb Ford-Dement (NFL), Nolan Johnson (NFL), Bunmi Rotimi (NFL/UFL), Tim Ward (NFL/CFL), Travis Fulgham (NFL/CFL)