The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
CCSU thrives recruiting in state
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When Pete Rossomando took over as the head football coach at Central Connecticut State University in 2014, he made it a goal to win battles not just on the field, but in his own backyard. He was determined to keep as much of the state’s talent at home as possible.
“Most kids want to go to school close to home if they feel like it’s a fit,” Rossomando, now in his fifth season, said Tuesday from the Northeast Conference’s Social Media Day at MetLife Stadium. “That’s where we want to start, and then we’ll branch off from there. It’s always been an emphasis for us, is recruiting (in Connecticut). That philosophy’s never changed.”
Rossomando is starting to see the fruits of his labor. The defending NEC champion Blue Devils had seven players make the all-conference preseason team, four of whom are from Connecticut: offensive linemen J’Von Brown (Norwich Free Academy) and Connor Mignone (Joel Barlow), linebacker Kenneth Keen (Brien McMahon) and defensive back Tajik Bagley (Ansonia).
“That’s our most important asset, the football players in our state,” Rossomando said. “Connecticut’s got good football with great coaches. We feel really good about the kids that we have from there.”
Rossomando, who began his coaching career as an assistant at the University of New Haven in 1994 before returning to become the head coach in 2008, has every reason to be bullish about the talent pool in Connecticut. He’s used it to his advantage, building a program that went 8-4 last season and is a favorite to defend its NEC championship in 2018.
“We’ve definitely got a target on our backs,” said defensive lineman Chris Tinkham, another allleague selection. “I think we believe that we can uphold that No. 1 ranking. It’s just a matter of what guys are going to put into it and how we’re going to
mesh.”
The Blue Devils added a few more Connecticut products to the mix this season as freshmen, including Ansonia running back Markell Dobbs — who rushed for 2,314 yards and 38 touchdowns last year and is listed by CCSU as a defensive back — Capital Prep quarterback Kyle Zajack, Wilbur Cross cornerback Kwane Taylor and St. Joseph wide receiver Jared Mallozzi, among others.
Former Windsor star Courtney Rush, who had a team-high five touchdown receptions as a junior, commended the Blue Devils’
ability to find the diamondin-the-rough types of talent from the Constitution State.
“I think they sort of build an all-star team of tri-state guys, especially guys that might’ve slipped under the radar and might not have had the intangibles like the height or the weight,” Rush said. “They look at the numbers and they look at the film. They don’t necessarily look at the way someone’s body is built up.”
Take, for example, Bagley. Under-recruited coming out of Ansonia, where he rushed for 3,460 yards and 56 touchdowns over three seasons, Bagley has developed into one of the NEC’s most dynamic players. As a sophomore, he tallied 42 tackles and two
interceptions, and averaged 25.2 yards on kick returns.
“More importantly,” Rossomando said, “he’s matured as a human being. He’s a dean’s list student almost every semester he’s been in college, which is very impressive. He’s a business major, which is not easy. He’s a great football player. He can play running back tomorrow. He can play wide receiver tomorrow. He’s just a very smart football player.
“He understands the game and he plays very, very hard and very, very intense.”
In all, CCSU returns nine players on offense, including quarterback Jacob Dolegala and tight end Arthur Gilmore, and six players on defense.
Much is expected from Dolegala who passed for 1,953 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, but was suspended for the team’s FCS playoff loss to New Hampshire after he was arrested at an off-campus house party.
“There was never ever a maturity issue with Jake when it comes to being around the facility and being with the team and dealing with the way he prepares for games,” Rossomando said when asked about the incident Tuesday. “It was a post-game, really a lack of judgment by him. I would bet that would never happen again.”