OPENING KICKOFF

• The 2024 season begins on Saturday for the Sacred Heart University football team, as the Pioneers host the Hornets of Delaware State University as its home opener at Campus Field. 
• This is the first all-time meeting between the Pioneers and Hornets. 
• SHU is 11-1 in home openers and 7-5 in season openers under head coach Mark Nofri.
• Overall, the Pioneers are 13-12 in season openers in the Division I era (since 1998). 
• The opening kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Fans can catch all the action live with Randy Brochu and Freddie Coleman on the call on ESPN+. 

BRIEF LOOK AHEAD TO 2024
The Pioneers, in their first season as an FCS Independent, begin 2024 with three straight home games, against Delaware State (Aug. 31), Saint Anselm (Sept. 7), and Georgetown (Sept. 14).  The Pioneers then close out the month of September with a pair of road games against Stonehill (Sept. 21) and the University of Delaware (Sept. 28). 

October opens with a home date against Norfolk State (Oct. 5) before a two-game road stint with Howard (Oct. 12) and Lafayette (Oct. 19). One week later, the Pioneers resume play on the road against Mercyhurst (Oct. 26). SHU's final home game of the season comes against LIU (Nov. 9). 

The Pioneers finish the season with an away game against Merrimack (Nov. 16).

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Delaware State enters Saturday's game with an 0-1 record following a 35-14 road loss to Hawaii.

Head Coach Lee Hull enters his second with the Hornets.

Delaware State finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 1-10, with their solo win coming against Virginia University of Lynchburg.

The Hornets return a total of nine starters on the offensive side of the ball, and six starters on the defensive side. 

The Hornets were chosen to finish sixth in the MEAC. 

Delaware State had three players - Edward Core, Darren Cook, and Eric Montes - named preseason All-MEAC. 

OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
Head football coach Mark Nofri announced his 2024 team captains at the end of spring camp. 

Tyreke Brown, Marques Mason, Myles Talley, Jalen Madison, and Payton Rhoades, all of whom have demonstrated exceptional skills and leadership, have earned that honor.

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE COACHING STAFF
Over the summer break, SHU football head coach Mark Nofri announced new additions and appointments to his 2024 coaching staff. 

DeMarcus White, Mike Kennedy, Kyle Wiggins, and Nate Marr have joined the Pioneers. White will serve as the new safety coach, while Kennedy will be the new coach for outside linebackers. Wiggins will take over as the corners coach, and Marr will serve as the Director of Football Operations/Recruiting Coordinator. 

Kevin Duke, who previously coached the outside linebackers, has transitioned to quarterback coach. Doubling up on his duties is Pat Saporito, who will oversee both special teams and wide receivers for the Pioneers. 

WELCOME TO PIONEER FOOTBALL
The SHU coaching staff was busy during the off season, signing 27 players, including 14 offensive players, 12 defensive players, and one special teams player. 

Out of the 27 players, 10 of them are transfers from Bates College, Iowa Central Community College, Sierra University, Monmouth University, Florida State University, Trinity (CT), Youngstown State, University of Rhode Island, Rutgers University and the University of SAn Diego. 

MADISON MOVING THROUGH THE RANKS
Jalen Madison took a giant leap in 2023, rushing for 645 yards on 139 carries and scoring four touchdowns. The Stratford, Conn. native added 11 receptions for 60 yards to his 705 all-purpose yards in 11 games last season. 

As a Pioneer, Madison has totaled 1,123 career rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He currently ranks 11th all-time with 4.5 yards per carry behind 247 attempts. 

SHU, MERRIMACK PLAY FOR THE YANKEE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Sacred Heart and Merrimack jointly announced on Aug. 21 that their football programs will compete for The Yankee Conference Championship presented by LEONA on Nov. 16 at Merrimack. 

Scheduled for a noon kickoff at Duane Stadium, the winner will be crowned as The Yankee Conference Champion and claim possession of the historic trophy.

Originally formed in 1946 and later transitioning to a football-only league in 1976, The Yankee Conference consisted of various members spanning the New England to Mid-Atlantic region competing at the Division I-AA level, now known as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

CHESTNUT RE-SIGNS WITH THE TENNESSEE TITANS
Former SHU standout Julius Chestnut re-signed with the Tennessee Titans on a one-year contract. Chestnut joined the Titans before the 2022 season. 

In his first two NFL campaigns, Chestnut carried the ball nine times for 12 yards and caught three passes for 41 yards. He has also returned 10 kickoffs for 215 yards. He was a reserve on the Titans for the first three games last season but was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 and missed the final 14 games.

Chestnut first caught the attention of NFL teams during the spring season of 2021 when he finished third in the Walter Payton Award voting after leading the FCS with 205.2 all-purpose yards per game and a program-record 171.0 rushing yards per game. A consensus First-Team All-American, he finished his career second in school history with 3,467 yards, and his 34 touchdowns are third all-time.

CHESTNUT SECURES SPOT ON 53-MAN ROSTER FOR TITANS
Following a strong preseason performance, Julius Chestnut earned a spot on the Tennessee Titans 53-man roster. 

In his first two NFL campaigns, Chestnut carried the ball nine times for 12 yards and caught three passes for 41 yards. He has also returned 10 kickoffs for 215 yards. He was a reserve on the Titans for the first three games last season but was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 and missed the final 14 games.

LAST SEASON RECAP
The Pioneers finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 2-9 and a NEC mark of 2-5.

SHU's first win of the season came on the road against NEC foe Saint Francis (Pa.). With the game tied at 34-34, following a Red Flash touchdown, the Pioneers maintained their composure offensively, moving the ball from the SHU 45 to the SFU 23 over the final 2:20 to set up Sam Renzi for the game-winning field goal with two seconds left on the clock. 

The Pioneers' next win came on Senior Day, when they topped Central CT State by a final score of 31-24, snapping a five-game losing skid. SHU was led offensively by Malik Grant, who tallied two rushing touchdowns, while defensive back Maximus Mongelli recorded a career-high 13 tackles.

Sacred Heart had six NEC All-Conference bids, including a pair of First Team selections. Linebacker, team captain DeAndre Byrd, and defensive back Arsheen Jiles earned placement on the First Team All-NEC list. Four Pioneers were named to the Second Team All-NEC list, including defensive linemen and team captains Tyreke Brown and Carson Primrose, defensive back Mike-Lee Joseph, and kicker Sam Renzi.

Byrd also was recognized by the New England Football Writers Association as being named to the All-New England Team. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native finished with a team-leading 79 tackles behind 31 solo and 48 assisted stops.

FOLLOW LIVE

• Pioneer fans can find the latest news, scores, highlights, up-to-the-minute breaking news, or schedule changes on the official website of SHU Athletics. 
• Follow the Pioneers at @SHU__FB on Twitter and @shufb_ on Instagram.
• All the Pioneers' home contests can be found on Pioneer+, SHU's new video and streaming platform. 
• Live Stats are also available at sacredheartpioneers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

ON DECK
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Sept. 7, for a home contest against Saint Anselm. Game time is set for 1:00 PM at Campus Field.