NORFOLK, Va. (ODUSports.com) - Old Dominion University football travels to Wake Forest on Friday, Sept. 3 to open the 2021 season. Head Coach Ricky Rahne makes his head coaching debut for the Monarchs in the first meeting betwen ODU and Wake Forest on the gridiron.
• Ricky Rahne will make his head coaching debut 632 days after being hired as the second head coach in ODU history.
• The Monarchs return 26 letterwinners and 11 starters from the 2019 squad.
• Offensive lineman Isaac Weaver and kicker returner Blake Watson were All-Conference USA honorees in 2019.
• Linebacker Jordan Young is fourth in school history with 246 career tackles. He is 94 stops away from tying Craig Wilkins' school record of 340 career tackles.
• Senior kicker Nick Rice is six field goals away from breaking Jarod Brown's career record. Brown was 49-of-69 in his ODU career, while Rice is currently 44-of-58 in field goal opportunities.
• Of the 113 players on the roster, 68 have never played a down for the Monarchs.
The Meeting
ODU and Wake Forest meet for the first time. Wake Forest is the sixth overall, and fifth current member of the ACC to face the Monarchs. ODU has played against North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Maryland. Maryland was still in the ACC when ODU played the Terrapins in 2013.
Sixth Year Monarchs
For the first time in program history, ODU will have a player in his sixth year in the program. And they have three. Joe Joe Headen, Isaac Weaver and Jordan Young are each in their sixth year at Old Dominion. All three have graduated and will receive their masters degree by next spring.
Young Leading the Way
Senior linebacker Jordan Young is ninth in school history with 246 career tackles. He is 94 stops away from tying Craig Wilkins for the school record. The next closest Monarch to Young in career tackles is Joe Joe Headen, who has 97 career tackles.
Young Squad
ODU is one of the youngest teams in FBS many ways you look at it.• ODU has 52 freshman on this year's squad, including players that enrolled in school in 2020.• ODU has 16 redshirt freshman for a total of 68 total freshman• Nine seniors, including WKU graduate transfer, Roger Cray
The nine seniors is the sixth fewest in the country and fewest in Conference USA.
