Kennesaw State Owls:
The Kennesaw State Owls are poised for a program-changing 2024 football season as they transition from FCS to FBS and join Conference USA in hopes of having the same early success as Jacksonville State had last year in year one of FBS membership.
Offense
The Owls may have a bit of a QB conundrum at the start. Jonathan Murphy racked up nearly 1,600 total yards and 15 touchdowns last season, but Davis Bryson will be pushing for opportunities. He was just 2-of-11 last season and Murphy got the bulk of the work, but the jump to FBS could be significant.
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Murphy was second in net rushing yards to Michael Benefield, who is among the returning starters on offense for Kennesaw State. Benefield had 6.3 yards per carry but only had 87 carries, as the Owls were limited to nine games. They did have 22 rushing touchdowns against nine for the opposition and were +1.6 in yards per carry differential.
Defense
Garland Benyard, a senior, and Evan Thompson, a junior, are pivotal to the defense. Benyard led the team with 90 tackles and four sacks last season, while Thompson added 75 tackles and three sacks, providing strength and leadership.
Kennesaw State actually had 10 interceptions last year and four players had two or more. Not everybody has come along for the FBS ride, but the defense was very effective last season against a pretty weak schedule. Even though Conference USA isn’t very good, this is still a step up in class and reading into last year’s data points doesn’t say much for 2024.
Outlook
As Kennesaw State transitions to the FBS level, the 2024 season is filled with anticipation, and TSI projects 3.5 wins in year one, projecting them ninth in Conference USA with the worst offense and eighth-rated defense.
Pick: Over 2.5 Wins
