Aug. 25, 2017 BALTIMORE, MD - In the first of a seven-part series breaking down the 2017 Johns Hopkins football team, HopkinsSports.com takes a look at the Blue Jay defensive line. While newcomers to the program may make an impact this season, the breakdown includes only returning players.
Who's Gone: The Blue Jays must replace 2016 Second Team All-Centennial defensive end Kyle Bonci, who counted a team-high 10 sacks among his 31 tackles a year ago.
An Experienced Group: Keonte Henson (DE), Lance Hammond (DT) and Nick Marinelli (NG) combined for 34 starts last season - all three are back in 2017. Chris Stauch, Tommy Burke, Anthony Davidson and Mike Kalanik played in 47 combined games a year ago; they're all back as well.
I'm Honored: Henson is a two-time First Team All-Centennial Conference selection, has the strength to take on tackles and the speed to chase down plays from sideline to sideline. He has 133 career tackles, including 19 for losses and 9.5 sacks and already ranks among the Blue Jays' all-time greats at defensive end; he is bidding to become the first Blue Jay defensive linemen to earn First Team All-Centennial honors three times since Jelani Rucker (1992-94).
Hammond has played in 34 of a possible 36 games in his career and counts 120 tackles (12.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks) to his credit; he was a Second Team All-Centennial selection in 2015 and earned honorable mention status a year ago. Hammond posted a career-high 46 tackles last season and is one of the top returning interior linemen in the Centennial.
Not Just About the Big Two: Henson and Hammond will, rightfully, draw much of the attention, but Davidson (23), Marinelli (22) and Kalanik (20) all totaled at least 20 tackles last season despite a rotation that went eight deep.
A Bigger Role: Kalanik made an immediate impact as a freshman last season, playing in all 12 games and totaling 20 tackles, including 5.0 for losses and 2.0 sacks. He is the heir apparent to Bonci at the end spot opposite Henson and appears poised for a breakout sophomore campaign.
Inside the Numbers
253 - Combined career tackles for Henson (133) and Hammond (120) entering the 2017 season.
3.46 - Combined average GPA in the 2017 spring semester for the top seven returning players noted above. All seven posted above a 3.15 GPA for the semester - Davidson posted a 4.0.
16 / 7-of-8 - During the Blue Jays' current eight-year run at the top of the Centennial Conference, Johns Hopkins has produced 16 All-Centennial defensive linemen with at least one first team selection in seven of the eight years.
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