2025 Team Preview: The Linden Tigers

For the second consecutive season, the Linden Tigers will be breaking in a new starting quarterback this fall. What is different this fall, however, is the fact that they are also breaking in a new coach that is far from new to coaching. After the resignation of long time head man Al Chiola, Mark Ciccotelli and his vast experiences of coaching at different group-size schools enters the helm. Today, we take a look at handful of returning Tigers ready to start this season roaring.    2024 Season Stats: 47 tackles (35 solo), 11 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FF   Although [player_tooltip player_id='1800720' first='Josh' last='Williams'] is listed on his Hudl page as a linebacker, this may be due to roster attrition because last fall it appears that Williams played with his hand in the dirt. Film shows us that Williams has a very good get off, often appearing to bum rush linemen before they even have an opportunity to move his feet. That said, he does have a tendency to get through the line a bit out of control, as if he is barreling into the backfield. However, he is athletic enough to recover and even get up off the ground quickly in order to make tackles. Aside from his strong get off, Williams' is also exceptional as a backside chaser from a 4i. Often beating the back- or cut-off block to protect pulling guards, Williams' quickness also him to play in the hip pocket of those pullers. Also on tape, we see that if he does get cut off, Williams has the presence of mind to bench press the offensive lineman off of him and cross face to the play.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/19898933/joshua-williams/highlights">Hudl</a>     2024 Season Stats: 35 tackles (18 solo), 6 TFL, 2 FF   Another versatile defensive lineman, [player_tooltip player_id='1800726' first='Jacob' last='Ward'] often found himself playing in either a 4i or a 5 technique. When backside and unblocked, it appears that Ward's assignment was often the quarterback, forcing the opposition to hand the ball off. That said, it seems that the Tiger's frontside did enough work play side to clog things up to give Ward enough time to recover and make plays chasing; when chasing, he also has the presence of mind to attack the ball and also take good angles. Moreover, Ward showcased that he can get a power rush going, walking opposing offensive tackles backwards, while separating so he can shed to make a play in either gap. When slanting, I would like to see him execute rips to get through more cleanly - as of right now he sort of bellies and muscles through. Getting his hands on the man in front of him more frequently would help. Lastly, when slanting opposite the reach Ward is well coached to stack his gap to re-set the edge he lost by design of the defensive call.      <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Darealjacobward </div></figure>     2024 Season Stats: 40 rushes, 262 yards 2 receptions, 30 yards 3 tackles   Serving in a spell role last season, [player_tooltip player_id='1800734' first='Jahri' last='Ford'] looks to seize a larger time share out of the backfield this season. As a tailback in shotgun sets, Ford generally hits the hole where the play design is intended, holding the ball high and tight as he makes his way through the line of scrimmage. Additionally, he can carry a defender for about 5 addition yards before going down. There is a burst of speed he possesses, albeit I would like to see him find it and hit it a bit quicker. It seems as though Ford's best play his toss. The way he receives the toss I thought that he should get a bit more to the perimeter immediately in order to stretch the defense horizontally; however, he has very good vision on this play, showing both the ability to get to-and-up the sideline, while also cutting it back toward midfield. Lastly, he has shown to use his hands to catch the ball when targeted. Hudl   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/21jahri </div></figure>     2024 Season Stats: 35 tackles (18 solo), 8 TFL, 5 sacks A prospect who has passion for the game and clearly wants to play at the next level, [player_tooltip player_id='1265486' first='Daryl' last='Agyei'] is a disruptive defensive lineman who makes it a habit to live in the backfield. Although playing with hands on and adopting a "knock-back" mentality is not how he is used, Agyei tends to get through the line unblocked very often due to line stunts and other play design. This plays to a strength of Agyei's: physical tackling. Agyei may tackle a bit high or with inconsistent pad level, but the fact remains he does an excellent job of taking opponents to the ground and is definitely the hammer and not the nail. Versatile enough to play either inside or outside, he alternates between the two and also does not always play with his hand in the dirt. He pursues the ball very well. I would, however, like to see him finish his stunts with rips and work his hips around-and-through when pass rushing.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/99Daryll </div></figure>     2024 Season Stats: 26 tackles (17 solo), 1 FR, 1 scoop & score   With very limited footage of him, we still get a sense of [player_tooltip player_id='910895' first='Zion' last='Francis']' game. Francis is a safety who appears to be aggressive and early to the run. He will get down hill and make tackles, showcasing his vice-grip like wrap; however, his pad level is too high for my liking and it appears that he often catches. In pass coverage he reads and creates well, albeit a quicker jump on the ball would be to his benefit.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/19856354/Zion-Francis/highlights">Hudl</a>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Zionman09 </div></figure>     2024 Season Stats: 67 rushes, 328 yards, 3 TD 2 receptions, 53 yards 22 tackles (9 solo), 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 int   A prospect that received burn as a freshman made me wait an entire two years before he put out film. [player_tooltip player_id='1031703' first='Joe' last='Boyd'] is a linebacker/running back type that packs a punch. Boyd is a fearless runner that uses his body to punish opponents. He appears to be one of Linden's go-to goal line options as he takes pride to serving up the boom to defenders. A hard runner, he profiles as a one-cut, down hill and go type back. Boyd excels at moving his feet through contact and through the pile - showing that he has the ability to keep going with up to four defenders on his back. Although he is not one for many moves in the open field or break away bursts, he will lower his shoulder and spin off poor tackles. When tackling Boyd, your best bet is to wrap his legs, low, and roll to your leverage. I also thought he did a nice job of holding the ball tight to his chest. Defensively, as a linebacker he tends to slow play everything. Yes, he takes his read steps but then seems to stop and react, rather than play like an instinctual, following backer. This does, however, play to his benefit. One one play he slow played, saw screen, and oicked it off for a big gain. He recognizes reach quickly, but rather than take on blockers with his hands to shed Boyd tends to use his body to disrupt them. I, personally, like his game as a back a bit more than a backer.    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/EJoexl </div></figure>

For the second consecutive season, the Linden Tigers will be breaking in a new starting quarterback this fall. What is different this fall, however, is the fact that they are also breaking in a new coach that is far from new to coaching. After the resignation of long time head man Al Chiola, Mark Ciccotelli and his vast experiences of coaching at different group-size schools enters the helm. Today, we take a look at handful of returning Tigers ready to start this season roaring.