By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Zach Watkins era in Washburn University football will officially get under way on Monday when the Ichabods report to begin preseason preparations for the 2025 season.
First-year head coach Zach Watkins will welcome his Washburn Ichabod football team on Monday for the start of fall camp. [File photo/TSN]
And that start can't come too soon for Watkins, a former Ichabod All-America linebacker and longtime assistant coach.
"The summer flew by, but the last couple of weeks have kind of inched by because you're getting so close to camp and so close to everything else,'' Watkins said. "As those things kind of inch along together it just feels like it's taking forever, but Monday we report and we'll be ready to go.''
Although Monday is the official start of fall camp, Washburn's players have spent all summer on campus getting ready for this moment as the Ichabods look to improve on last season't 3-8 record (2-7 MIAA).
"We had our entire team here this summer,'' Watkins said. "The new strength coach (Clint Dominick) made it a priority and those guys knew what it took to win in the MIAA and we told them since January that they have to do these things to have a great summer, which hopefully leads into success in the fall.''
The Ichabods return 60 lettermen from the 2024 team, including six starters on offense and eight on defense.
Junior L.J. Minner Jr. (6-foot, 205 pounds) was a second-team All-MIAA defensive pick last fall after leading the Ichabods with 103 tackles (59 solo) while senior safety Jordan Finnesy (6-1, 210), who had 89 stops (44 solo), was a third-team all-conference selection on defense and junior offensive lineman Jakobe Harmon (6-3, 305) was a third-team pick on offense.
All-MIAA first-team pick Tre Richardson and third-team selection Maury Sullivan both transferred to Division I programs, but Watkins is confident the Ichabods have the personnel in place to mount a turnaround this fall.
"I think our recruiting, with coach (Ross) Sharp, the director of player personnel, we were able to solidify some holes we had in the roster,'' Watkins said. "We brought in some transfers and developed our young kids, who have played the last couple of years, better than we ever have before. Identifying the holes was Step 1, filling the holes was Step 2. Losing the traensfers we lost, it's tough to replace those guys, but you've got to replace them with talented kids and sometimes numbers more than just one guy.''
"Being a young team the past couple of years, now those guys aren't young anymore. They're older and we're a little bit more of a veteran group. Especially with the transfers we brought in we have a little bit more of a veteran presence, guys who have played college football before.''
Five of Washburn's eight losses last fall were one-possession outcomes, including two one-point and two three-point heartbreakers.
The goal this season will be to flip that script.
"That's been our whole focus since January,'' Watkins said. "The first team meeting, the first weight room session was all geared towards the games we won or lost last year by those slim margins.
"That's what the MIAA is, so if you can win those games you have a great chance (to advance to the postseason) and if you lose those games you have a record like we had last year. So our focus all spring and all summer was those close games.''
Washburn will open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 at home against non-conference foe Truman State.
The Ichabods will open MIAA play on Sept. 6 at home against Northwest Missouri.
Both games are set for 1 p.m. kickoffs.
