With Expectations Soaring, Monmouth Football Focusing On What's In Front Of Them

WEST LONG BRANCH – A week into fall training camp, Monmouth University football put on the pads for the first time Wednesday, inching closer and closer to the start of the season, which many feel has the potential to be a historic one.

“There was a lot of energy out there, the guys were playing really hard, and there was a great effort,” said Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan. “Usually, on the first day of live work, the execution leaves a little bit to be desired. So, yeah, we’ve got to clean that up a little bit, a lot of little things we can do better.”

There’s plenty of time to do that, and you can be assured that Callahan will have his team raring and ready to go by opening night, August 29, at Colgate.

Monmouth is coming off a disappointing season where their 6-6 record could’ve conceivably been 9-3 if not for shooting themselves in the foot a few too many times.

Their offense was prolific and, more often than not, unstoppable. They were ranked No.1 in the FCS in total offense per game (489.9) and second in passing yards per game (332.5). And fortunately for the Hawks, the orchestrator of arguably the top offense in Monmouth football history, Derek Robertson, is back for one more go at it.

Robertson was first in the FCS in passing yards per game (328.08) and total offense (325.2), third in total passing yards (3937), fifth in touchdown passes (31), seventh in passing efficiency (161.84), and eighth in yards per attempt (9.05) a year ago.

He was the Coastal Athletic Association’s Offensive Player of the Year and was named to numerous All-American teams.

“We’re not focused on last year; it’s a completely new year,” Robertson said. “We obviously have a lot of the same guys coming back on offense, but we’re just focused on getting better every single day. There are a lot of improvements we can make, and that’s all that really matters, is getting better every single day.”

Robertson wasn’t kidding when he said the offense has a lot of the same guys coming back. The Hawks return nine starters and 11 key offensive players, including five 2025 Preseason All-CAA selections in receivers Josh Derry and T.J. Speight, tight end Jack Neri, and right tackle J.T. Cornelus, who was also named to various Preseason All-American teams. Sophomore running back Rodney Nelson was a 2025 CAA Preseason Honorable Mention selection after rushing for a team-high 823 yards while averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 133 attempts with six touchdowns.

“It’s awesome, it’s great already having a relationship with all these guys,” Roberson said about having so many familiar faces back this season. “The biggest thing in football, especially at the quarterback position, is trust in the guys you play with, and I trust every single guy we have out there on the field with us, and we just continue to build on that every single day.”

Entering fall training camp, Robertson had already been named the 2025 CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, as well as claiming Preseason All-American honors from STATS Perform, Phil Steele, and FCS Football Central. He’s been named to the 2025 STATS Perform Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List and the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List.

“It’s sort of cool, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter,” said Robertson about the avalanche of preseason accolades he’s received. “What matters is what we do as a team on a daily basis so we can win football games starting August 29. The postseason stuff matters, and we want to be at the top in the postseason. But to be at the top in the postseason, you have to put in the work now, so that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Monmouth was picked to finish second in the CAA this season in preseason polls and has been consistently ranked in the Preseason FCS Top 25 Polls, with Hero Sports ranking them at No. 21, STATS Perform at No. 22, and Football Central at No. 21.

As you can imagine, the expectations for this group are through the roof; probably at an all-time high for the football program.

“I’m not worried about the outside expectations,” said Callahan about blocking out all the noise. “We think we can make something special happen this year, and that’s what we’re working for. On the outside, people are saying this and that and ranking us here and there, but in my mind, that’s just other people’s opinions. The opinions that count are the opinions of these guys right here. We’re just going to take it one practice at a time and get ready to play Colgate, and that’s really the only thing we’re thinking about now.”

Callahan is impressed with the level of maturity Robertson has shown, given the amount of hype he has received.

“He’s handled it as good as anybody I've ever seen,” said Callahan. “He’s got a great perspective on it and just comes out and tries to improve and get better each day. He has a much louder voice than he had a year ago, and that’s helping him become the type of leader and field general you want out here.”

Like Callahan said, Robertson does have a great perspective on the season. Obviously, the goal is to win a championship, and Monmouth has the opportunity to do just that. But he also knows you must crawl before you can walk. It’s there for the taking, but it’s how you take it that counts, and Roberston is fully aware of that.

“Yeah, I don’t want to sound too cliché, but I like to take it day by day, one game at a time,” he said. “There’s obviously an end goal in mind, we want to do really big things, like win a championship. But we can’t focus on that right now; we have to focus on today, focus on practice tomorrow, and continue to learn each day and take it from there.”