NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- It's been awhile since Norfolk State has been able to celebrate a conference title on the gridiron. While preseason poll voters may not think 2023 will change that, the Spartans are looking forward to trying to surprise some people.
NSU was picked to finish fifth in the six-team MEAC preseason poll during Friday's Media Day festivities at the Norfolk Hilton. North Carolina Central enters the season as the favorites to win the league and received nine of a possible 12 first place votes.
The green and gold stumbled to a 2-9 record in 2022, but saw a handful of freshmen receive significant playing time. That's something head coach Dawsom Odums thinks could benefit the Spartans as they take the field this year.
"A lot of our games, we had a chance," Odums pointed out. "We didn't finish very well, a lot of reasons for that, but we feel like we're going to be a better football team and we're looking forward to getting that bad taste out of our mouths."
"The guys that were freshmen last year got a chance to play," added senior defensive back Joseph White. "They got a chance to feel what it feels like to be in the heat of the fire and the heat of the mix so the guys that got a chance to play last year, they're going to know and be comfortable with where they are now."
Norfolk State's last MEAC crown came in 2011, but the program was forced to vacate that title because of athlete certification violations. The Spartans are hungry to get back to the top of the league and get fans back into the seats at Dick Price Stadium. Odums said that all starts with stacking up some victories.
"I think that's what ultimately brings people to games- having exciting games at home and winning those games."
"[We're] super hungry," sophomore offensive lineman Baron Franks II added. "Extra guys are always getting work in and there's been a lot of growth through the year and we're just excited about September 2."
Norfolk State opens its season on September 2 at home against Virginia State in the Labor Day Classic before traveling to Hampton the following Saturday for the Battle of the Bay.
The day started with the MEAC Men's Empowerment Breakfast, where Denbigh product and Super Bowl Champion Antoine Bethea served as the keynote speaker. Bethea went to Howard and enjoyed a 14-year NFL career, winning that championship ring with the Indianapolis Colts as a rookie. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times during his career.
"That's one of the reasons why I am here, so they can see me, they can touch me, they can talk to me and they can realize 'this guy was in the same seat and the same shoes that we're in and he was able to do it,'" Bethea said. "I think the biggest thing is just for me to be able to pour into the guys and just let them know that anything is possible."
The MEAC Media Day festivities began Thursday night with a Girls on the Gridiron Flag Football Clinic on Norfolk State's campus.
