#SeawolvesSnaps - Roster Rundown: Running Backs

Stony Brook, N.Y. - With 30 days to go before the season opener at Rhode Island, GoSeawolves.org is excited to introduce the first installment of #SeawolvesSnaps.  Today's Roster Rundown looks at the running backs.  For season and individual tickets, please call (631) 632-WOLF or CLICK HERE

Outlook
With the graduation of one of the most prolific players in program history, most schools would struggle to replace the production. Not Stony Brook. The two-deep will feature two FBS transfers, a redshirt sophomore and a junior college transfer, three of whom will compete for the No. 2 spot.

Miguel Maysonet '13 rushed for 1,964 yards and 21 touchdowns, becoming the Stony Brook and Big South Conference's all-time leading rusher. Having taken his talent to the NFL, the bulk of the work, according to head coach Chuck Priore, will be given to senior Marcus Coker.

Coker, who transferred from the University of Iowa in January 2012, teamed with Maysonet to feature two 1,000-yard rushers for a program-best third straight year. Coker recorded three 100-yard games, including a season-high 144 against Presbyterian. In the first-round playoff game against Villanova, Coker ran the ball a season-high 29 times, and was instrumental in a 21-play, 98-yard drive that took up a staggering 12:43 time of possession.

"I personally believe he has the ability to handle 25 to 30 carries a game," Priore said. "In the last five games of 2012, I thought he returned to the form he showed at Iowa."

With Coker returning as the No. 1 running back, competing for Coker's back-up in Priore's two-back rotation will be between Jamie Williams, James Kenner and Jameel Poteat.


 Despite rushing only 23 times last season, Williams actually led Stony Brook in yards per game (9.9), helped by a 144-yard performance against Pace.
A transfer from ASA College in Brooklyn, Kenner was the Avengers' No. 2 back last season, but still rushed for 676 yards and eight touchdowns in only nine games.

The depth of the position will be bolstered by Poteat. A transfer from the University of Cincinnati, Poteat played in 11 games last year, rushing 34 times for 119 yards and a touchdown. As a prep standout at Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, Pa., Poteat was a consensus four-star recruit and top-100 player in the nation, recruited by the likes of USC, Tennessee and Notre Dame before choosing Cincinnati.

Final Thoughts
While Maysonet and Coker shared the majority of carries last season in a 1/1A rotation, the majority of game experience lies with Coker, who will be the featured back. For the next 30 days, the competition between the other three running backs will be exciting.

Stat Stuffers
• Coinciding with its two first playoff apperances, Stony Brook has rushed for 3,475 and 3,582 yards, respectively in 2011 and 2012
• Including his season totals at Iowa, Coker is 976 yards away from 4,000 for his career
• Against Pace last season, Williams recorded two rushes of 41 and 42 yards
• Kenner posted three straight 100-yard games last season at ASA
• Poteat was ranked as the No. 15 running back in the nation as a high school senior

Running Backs at a Glance
Players Yr. Ht. Wt. 2012 Stats
Marcus Coker Sr. 6-0 230 1,018 yards, 9 TDs
Jamie Williams R-So. 5-9 205 228 yards, 5 TDs
James Kenner * Jr. 5-11 205 676 yards, 9 TDs
Jameel Poteat ^ Jr. 5-10 210 119 yards, 1 TD
* at ASA College

Shadesof48.com uncovers Hofstra trying to "block" Stony Brook from CAA full membership

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Stony Brook Football Doing Great Things!

 Meet the boy who inspires an entire team to do their best. Joey was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of five and has been in remission for the past 9 years. Thanks to the efforts of a not-for-profit called Friends of Jaclyn, Joey was “adopted” by the Stony Brook University Football Team as their good luck charm. For four and a half years, he has attended practices, rushed the field before kick off, and has attended 4 league championships, all of which were won by Stony Brook. Whether it’s good luck or not, Joey has proved to be an invaluable member of the team and the family they have formed over the years. For more information, check out http://friendsofjaclyn.org/ - See more at: http://hooplaha.com/young-cancer-survivor-brings-good-luck-to-college-football-team/#sthash.Ydv4lNEK.dpuf

Miguel Maysonet trying to run his way onto Cleveland Browns' NFL roster

By BOB GLAUBER  bob.glauber@newsday.com

BEREA, Ohio - It is a few minutes after practice, and Miguel Maysonet sits on a bench overlooking the sprawling practice field at the Browns' training complex, talking hopefully about calling this place home for his NFL career.

The former Stony Brook star knows it won't be easy, not with a glut of running backs in training camp, and not with blue chip tailback Trent Richardson atop the depth chart. But Maysonet has come this far after a terrific career with the Seawolves, so the dream lives on for Riverhead's favorite son.

"I'm a guy from Stony Brook, and some people look down on it because of the competition we played," Maysonet said. "But I'm here for a reason, because they saw something in me. So I'm excited to show them what I can do."

Maysonet's fledgling NFL career has already taken some unusual turns, and it remains to be seen whether he'll be with the Browns once training camp ends. Maysonet had hoped to be drafted in the mid- to lower rounds, but he was not selected. The Eagles signed Maysonet to a rookie free-agent deal, but even those plans fizzled early. Philly released Maysonet a few days after a rookie mini-camp, preferring to go with Cowboys veteran free agent Felix Jones instead.

"I was out with my buddies playing golf, and I was going to report the very next week," Maysonet said. "[The Eagles] called me and said they signed another running back and that they were going to release me."

Confused? Yes. Disappointed? Absolutely. But Maysonet now sees the move as a blessing, because he thinks Browns offensive coordinator Norv Turner's system fits him much better than Eagles coach Chip Kelly's fast-paced offense.

"I like the offense here a lot better than what Philly ran," he said. "It's good for a running back . . . real good. We do a lot of 'downhill' stuff and run out of the I formation with a fullback, not east-west stuff like in Philly. There's a lot of power runs, and the backs get out on some [pass] routes. I'm excited about that."

Now it's a matter of getting some chances, which are few and far between for the moment. Buried on the depth chart, he gets few practice reps because of all the running backs ahead of him. Besides, everyone knows Richardson, the second-year tailback out of Alabama, is the focal point of the offense. For now, Maysonet's proving ground is individual drills.

"It's different, coming from getting all the reps back in college to here, where you start off at the bottom," said Maysonet, who rushed for 1,964 yards and 21 touchdowns last season, one of the most prolific seasons ever in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and a performance that attracted plenty of attention from NFL scouts. "You just have to keep working, stay positive with the whole situation of not getting reps. It's good. With all the guys ahead of me, I have to bide my time and be prepared when the chance does come."

But Maysonet has the unique opportunity to watch and learn from one of the NFL's most gifted backs. Richardson, the third overall pick in the 2012 draft, rushed for 950 yards as a rookie and is aiming for a breakout season this year.

"Being around Trent is amazing," Maysonet said. "I go from playing college ball and watching him in the NFL to actually being next to him as a running back. I've learned a lot of things from him. For Trent's size, he has exceptional speed, and he makes some cuts that make you say, 'Wow.' "

Maysonet knows he's not in the same class as Richardson, but he does believe he deserves to be at this level, despite the meteoric leap in competition from his days at Stony Brook. He saw just how different things are at this level the first day he walked onto the practice field. And that was even before practice started.

"I've never experienced walking out on the practice field and seeing 3,000 people just sitting there ready to watch you," he said. "When I was at Stony Brook, we'd have maybe two people in the stands . . . if that. So when I saw all the fans just hanging out, it was mind-blowing. But it was a great feeling to be able to experience that."

Now he's ready to experience what it's like to walk out onto the field in front of nearly 70,000 people. If he can make it to game day in September, then Maysonet's dream come true.