McCloskey took the fifth
DB wants to see a turnaround before leaving Lehigh
Sam McCloskey could have been enjoying a day at the beach.
Instead, on a recent steamy summer afternoon, McCloskey was where he has been for the last four years. He was coming off the field after an early practice with the Lehigh football team with sweat pouring down his face.
McCloskey is a fifth-year defensive back who took a medical redshirt so he could come back one more time in an effort leave Lehigh in a good place.
When he arrived in Bethlehem in 2015 after helping Bishop Guilfoyle of Altoona win a PIAA state championship as a running back, McCloskey was part of a recruiting class determined to pick up the pieces from a 3-8 season in 2014 that ended with a dismal loss to Lafayette at Yankee Stadium. McCloskey assisted in the rebuild as Lehigh improved to 6-5 in 2015, followed by a league title with a 9-3 record in 2016.
McCloskey was injured and played in just four games in 2017 when Lehigh went 5-7 but still shared a league title and returned to the FCS playoffs. Then it all came apart with a dreadful 3-8 campaign last year.
So McCloskey is back and ready to stage another turnaround.
“I came back for one reason and that’s to go out on top with a championship,” he said. “That’s the big picture. But I also wanted to come back and lead the young guys through a day-by-day process.”
McCloskey is energized by a new atmosphere at Lehigh.
Tom Gilmore is the new head coach and has brought a defensive mindset in his return to South Mountain after having been the defensive coordinator on Patriot League championship teams in the early 2000s. How good can the team be?
“We feel like every year the Patriot League is wide open,” McCloskey said. “It all depends on us. We can’t worry about a Colgate or Holy Cross. The main focus right now is on the opener against St. Francis.
“We have to win the out-ofconference games and build some confidence that can roll into the Patriot League games. We thought we could turn it on once the league began last year, but it doesn’t always work that way.”
The turnaround starts with a defense that has struggled for several seasons. In certain years, the offensive exploits were able to overcome the defensive deficiencies. Things improved last year, but it was hard to tell because the squad struggled as a whole.
This year, defense may become the team’s trademark. If it does, guys such McCloskey will become the face of the team.
“We have a lot of guys on the defense who have played a lot of football, guys who started as freshmen and sophomores,” McCloskey said. “We have some really good players and many of them like [linebacker] Keith Woetzel and [free safety] Riley O’Neil have stepped up as leaders. They realize this is it.”
McCloskey believes the offense will surprise and bounce back after a disappointing 2018 season, but he knows the big question about every Lehigh team since he has been on campus has been about the defense.
“I can’t guarantee anything,” he said. “I think we’re better. But how much? We’ll see.”
McCloskey gets called “Grandpa Sam” since he is one of the team’s veterans and some of his teammates think his body is breaking down. He embraces the senior-citizen role.
“A lot of the guys definitely look up to me and I am hoping a lot of the guys will take on that role next year,” he said. “I definitely feel like I have a lot of play left on the field.” in high school.
“I’ve had a lot of opportunities here,” he said. “I feel like I owe it to the program to come back and be a leader.
“It would have been easy to leave because you don’t know what you’re getting with a new coaching staff. I like the way the new coaches came in and took control of it.”
What’s his No. 1 piece of advice for the younger players?
“To take a deep breath and relax,” McCloskey said. “I got yelled at all the time when I was a younger player. My parents and coaches were tough on me when I was in high school, but I still had trouble adjusting when I really got yelled at when I got here.
“Now I realize I got way too worked up about things.”