Will Ford
Orbit Media Sports Director
Muskingum University Head Football Coach Erik Ieuter and players Cortez McGinnis and Tim Ousley participated in OAC Media Day Aug. 6 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
The annual event features each football team in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and allows every head coach the opportunity to preview their football team heading into the upcoming football season.
Ieuter is excited about his team heading into his second campaign.
“So far, our offseason has been outstanding,” said Ieuter.
Ieuter is optimistic about this year’s recruiting class.
“They are very talented. It’s probably the best recruiting class Muskingum has had in a long, long time,” said Ieuter.
Although Ieuter is hopeful, he reiterates that his players need to go out and earn their place.
“To see how it shakes out once they step on the field, that remains to be seen because nothing is going to be handed to anybody whether its a returner or a freshman…. Potential is a scary word. You gotta fulfill it. So, we are looking forward to having those guys come in and raise our level of competition,” said Ieuter.
Ieuter is ecstatic to have many veterans returning to his squad.
“Our defense has nine returning starters. So, on paper, we should be pretty solid there,” said Ieuter.
Senior Tim Ousley will lead the charge on the defensive line for the Muskies this season.
“It all starts up front with defensive end Tim Ousley. He was a First Team All-Conference player for us last year. He’s a great leader, has an outstanding motor…a really tough guy to block, and we’re expecting another big year out of him,” said Ieuter.
Along with Ousley’s strong presence on the defensive front, ball-hawking cornerback Cortez McGinnis gives the Muskingum secondary a spark.
Cortez McGinnis, Erik Ieuter, and Tim Ousley highly anticipate the start of the 2019 football season. The Fighting Muskies finished their 2018 campaign with a record of 4-6.
“He [McGinnis] is a tough matchup for everybody. He has long arms, he is athletic, makes plays on the ball, and we are really fired up for his junior campaign,” said Ieuter.
On the offensive side of the ball, Muskingum is returning two talented quarterbacks.
“We are fortunate that we returned our top two quarterbacks in starter Brody Hahn and his backup Jordan Garrett. Both are really good kids, really good leaders, and can make a lot of plays. So, having both of our quarterbacks back is a very nice luxury to have,” said Ieuter.
The Muskies are returning two starters on the offensive line as well.
“Offensive line-wise, left tackle TJ Boyd [Honorable Mention All-OAC honoree] returns. He’s got all the tools to really be a top player in this league, and we’re hoping he takes another step and reaches his potential…Iggy Horvath is a really tough kid. Everybody would love to have a kid like that on their team. He just loves to play football, is very competitive, and he returns at center,” said Ieuter.
In addition to two returning offensive linemen, the Muskies added offensive line coach Eli Kosanovich to their staff.
“We’re extremely excited about Coach Kosanovich and adding him to our coaching staff. He’s a top-notch offensive line coach. I love his enthusiasm and passion that he brings to the game. He’s also our strength and conditioning coach. And so we really made enormous strides in the strength and conditioning area as well as in the weight room this past offseason,” said Ieuter.
Ieuter expects fierce competition at the wide receiver position with a group of young players.
“Wide receiver-wise, we’re going to be young, and I’m looking forward to a lot of competition that we have in our wide-receiving corp,” said Ieuter.
As the beginning of a new season approaches, Ieuter and his staff are excited to get this season started and lead the Muskies to the top of the OAC.
The Muskingum Football team returns for WMCO’s Muskie Sports Blast sports talk program Mondays from 8-8:30 p.m.
Muskingum opens up their season Saturday, Sept. 7 as they take on Waynesburg at home. Listen to the game on WMCO 90.7 and the free WMCO app with pregame at 1:15 p.m. WMCO will broadcast all Muskingum Football games during the fall sports season.
