Defensive lineman move bolsters UD offensive line in NCAA FCS football

As an offensive lineman, Fintan Brose can peer across the line of scrimmage during University of Delaware spring football practices and have a good idea what his defensive counterparts might be contemplating.

He used to be one them.

“You kind of think ‘How would they attack me?’ ” he said.

Knowing how those he has to battle and block might be scheming to cope with him should help Brose in his efforts.

“I can put myself in that position,” Brose said and, in turn, perhaps read their minds a little bit.

The 6-foot-2, 280-pound Brose got a brief taste of offensive-line play before going back to the defense during Delaware’s 2021 spring season, and played defense in the fall.

Now he’s back on the offensive line, possibly the Blue Hens’ position area of greatest need as they conclude spring drills with Saturday’s annual Blue-White intra-squad game. It kicks off at 3:30 p.m. at Delaware Stadium.

Brose has seen duty at both guard and tackle.

“What really went into the decision was really a matter of where he could get onto the field first,” first-year Delaware coach Ryan Carty said.

“He might have a better chance on offense right now. I think he would help us on both sides. He’s a good enough athlete and good enough player to help us on both sides. But I think he’s kind of built for playing offensive line and he’s doing very well.”

Brose has traded his uniform number 99 in for a more offensive-lineman-looking 54.

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“He’s been really good,” Carty said.

Brose was needed on the offensive front last spring because several linemen were out with COVID-19. In the 37-0 win over Maine at Delaware Stadium to open the spring season March 6, Brose actually was the rare two-way player, appearing on both the offensive line at guard and on defense.

“It was just those two weeks before the Maine game when I was practicing both ways,” Brose said, “and actually it was primarily offense because I had to know the playbook.”

He only appeared in one more spring game after that, seeing snaps on defense in the following week’s win over Stony Brook.

Brose was then a key part of the defensive front rotation in the fall, appearing in 10 games for the 5-6 Blue Hens.

But when Carty took over in December, he and his staff, examining the Blue Hens’ needs, decided to move Brose back over to the offensive line, which was depleted by the loss of starters David Kroll, Ben Trent and Mickey Henry.

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“That was one of the first conversations [Carty] had with me,” said Brose, who has three years of eligibility left. ” ‘Would you be interested in playing offense?’ I was at the point, new coaching staff, I’d do whatever to win. Football is about winning, in my opinion. It’s not about playing defense or offense.”

At Hempfield Area High in western Pennsylvania, Brose was a two-way standout as a lineman, playing both guard and tackle on offense and rarely coming off the field.

Among the two dozen schools to offer scholarship were most of the FBS Mid-American Conference and Vanderbilt.

But Brose wanted to come to Delaware and join his brother, Braden, a tight end. Now the two are on the same side of the line of scrimmage.

During a recent practice, Brose was lined up at left guard in a first offensive line unit that included Brock Gingrich at center, Patrick Shupp at right guard and Braden Clark and Blaise Sparks at the tackle positions.

On another occasion, Brose was at left tackle with Ryan Last or Bradley Anyawu at left guard joining Gingrich, Shupp and Clark or Sparks.

“We’re trying to be as versatile as we can,” Carty said of moving the linemen, including Brose, to different positions, “and make sure that we’re finding the right chess pieces to put on the board.”

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Delaware also has Stevon Brown, a two-year starter at guard who has been limited by some injuries, James Prince, Noah Williams and Robert Nachtman. Prince, Anyanwu and Nachtman have also started games. This summer Delaware will add graduate transfer Joshua Stevens from Georgetown and could bolster the position with others as well.

Brose has demonstrated the “strength, toughness and athleticism,” Carty said, that are necessary for success at the position.

“Knocking the rust off, playing the balance at all times,” Brose said of the challenges of being back on offense full-time.

“On defense you can kind of fire out and be a little more out of control. On offense you have to be in control and then keep the technique and, obviously, the playbook is a lot bigger than on defense.”

With a new coaching staff, Brose is actually in the same boat with his fellow linemen and the rest of the offensive players learning a new system.

“Offensive line play is pretty similar across the board,” he said. “Everyone has their little kinks in there. Overall, it’s similar for the most part. They’re not asking us to do something we’ve never done.”

But he does like the way Delaware is approaching how to attack offensively.

“I knew all the offensive linemen and it’s a great group,” Brose said. “Since you do really have to work together, be a little tighter, on the field, you’ve got to rely on each other.

“Day to day, we’re getting better. That’s all we want to do. We just hope to be ready for the first game.”

Hen scratch

True freshman Ryan O’Connor, the Easton, Maryland, product, has been getting third-team quarterback reps behind starter Nolan Henderson and back-up Zach Gwynn.

Sophomore QB Devin Bollinger announced on Twitter Tuesday night he was entering the transfer portal.

Blue-White weekend is also an annual UD alumni football reunion and that will feature a special event with 1996-2000 quarterback Matt Nagy and 1999-2003 defensive back Mike Adams inductions’ to the UD Athletics Hall of Fame. Nagy is now back on the Kansas City Chiefs’ staff as quarterbacks coach after his four-year term as Chicago Bears head coach and Adams is looking for work after serving as Bears assistant secondary coach last season after his 16-year NFL career ended.

Carty recently had high praise for Henderson, who is returning after missing the last seven games of 2021 following surgery to repair an abdominal/pelvic area injury. “He looks accurate, tough and athletic,” Carty said. “He’s everything he needs to be to be a very good quarterback in this league at this level. And he’s been just a workhorse in getting ready.”

Terminology is the most difficult aspect for players in learning a new offense, Carty said, adding: “They have to memorize a new language, basically.”

“We would like to live probably in that 11 personal [one running back/one tight end] realm a little bit more than they did in the past,” Carty said when asked how he valued tight ends in his offense but added that, because Delaware does have some depth there, he’ll use them when he has them.

Don’t be fooled into thinking Delaware changed its helmets Saturday. Players will continue to wear the black soft-shell covers that provide extra protection, as they have all spring. They won’t be on during fall games.

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.

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Defensive lineman move bolsters UD offensive line in NCAA FCS football

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