By Cardinal Insider Steve Grinczel
GRAND RAPIDS – The Saginaw Valley State football program has been building momentum toward having a statement season in 2024, but you wouldn't know it from Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Media Day.
Despite boasting arguably the best linebacking corps – led by consensus All-American Micah Cretsinger – in NCAA Division II; what could very well be the league's top offensive line; a roster loaded with tested veterans and key newcomers; and a string of three consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2000-05, the Cardinals were picked to finish in the middle of the pack at the annual event held on Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Sheraton Grand Rapids Airport Hotel.
The poll of the eight conference coaches, who couldn't vote for their own teams, was less of a snub than it was a no-brainer, however. Perennial national powers Ferris State, with four first-place votes, and Grand Valley State, with three, were picked one and two, while Davenport was slotted third. The Bulldogs are still glowing from their 2022 National Championship while defending GLIAC champ GVSU is coming off a 7-6 season-ending loss to eventual National Champ Harding in the second round of the D-II playoffs. Davenport also finished third last season on the strength of a 24-21 win over fourth-place SVSU.
The Cardinals get being overlooked but warn opponents to underestimate them at their own peril.
"We knew we were going to be picked fourth, but we know preseason rankings don't really mean anything and we're not going to let it discourage us," Cretsinger said. "We're hungry, driven, passionate and enthusiastic. Everyone knows they're going to have to play their hardest game against us because we're dangerous."
Fifth-year head coach Ryan Brady's optimism for this season is anchored in a foundation that has produced championship results in similarly positioned programs at every level of college football.
"I think the strength of our program is player development," Brady said. "Taking this program from good to great is what motivates me and motivates our players, and that's what our mission is. You win with people, and we've been developing great people that we've recruited and gotten out of high school. It takes time to get them ready, get them experienced and get them the confidence to beat the best.
"We've been on a steady climb and things continue to get better each and every day and through each segment and each semester. The kids can feel that, and we're excited about the direction we're heading and the opportunity we have this fall."
When Saginaw Valley opens preseason camp on Monday, Aug. 12, a 14-strong senior class and a large group of juniors should hit the ground running, forcing less-experienced newcomers to keep up or be left behind. All that experience means very few Cardinals will have to endure a break-in period despite having to adjust to three new assistant coaches.
"I really think it's the continuity and chemistry that this team has already demonstrated that gives me the most confidence," Brady said. "We still have some young guys, but they're extremely talented and I think we have a great balance of seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen. The connection between the guys we have and the experience we're returning is going to help us. Everybody's gotta pay their dues, and you have to trust the process, but at this point, there's a lot of belief in our building."
For good reason.
Cretsinger and fellow senior offensive lineman Connor Cracchiolo both turned down offers from teams in Power Five conferences, and the opportunity to earn substantial name, image and likeness (NIL) money to remain in Saginaw. Both have realistic aspirations of playing in the NFL.
"That says a lot about our program and the family atmosphere we have created and built, which means an awful lot to these guys," Brady said. "We've been through some intense battles together against the No. 1 team in the nation where it's been right down to the wire, the last play, twice. We're light years better than we were two years ago when we were in those situations.
"These guys see the growth and see the development. They look around and are like, 'Wow, we've got a great group of young men here.' And that just lifts everybody's confidence."
Cretsinger leads a linebacking unit that Brady calls, without reservation or qualification, the best in the country. Cretsinger tied a D-II record by returning four interceptions for touchdowns last season and was tied for second in the nation with eight picks. Alongside him are Alfred Dailey Jr. and Brandon Rawls, who were second-team All-GLIAC picks.
"Those three are going to be difficult to get by," Brady said.
Not far behind on SVSU's list of strengths is the offensive line where Cracchiolo, a second-team All-GLIAC selection is joined by three others with starting experience, including (center) Joe Botello, (left guard) Ryan Whitely and (right guard) Tyus Thompson.
"It's the best O-line I've had since I've been here and it's been the area of greatest improvement," Brady said. "Everybody on this line is going into their third or fourth year of starting, so we're going to have continuity there. We've also got three big, strong, athletic tight ends who all have experience (Mitchell DeBrincat, Jalen Williams and Tylor McCoon)."
If the Cardinals had a seasoned all-league quarterback, their conference outlook would be enhanced significantly because that's the default nature of preseason rankings. Nevertheless, Brady, a former GVSU quarterback who also coaches the position at SVSU, is high on a pair of red-shirt freshmen, in Mason McKenzie, who played in three games as a true freshman, and Nick Patterson, who passed for more than 10,000 yards as a prep standout.
McKenzie can be "a difference-maker with a very electric arm," while Patterson fills out his uniform like a linebacker and is a big-play guy "who can do it all," Brady said. "Our players have complete belief in both of those guys, and I believe both will help us win."
It won't be all on the quarterbacks' shoulders to move the ball; however, because GLIAC Freshman of the Year and second-team all-league running back Terrance Brown has game-breaking ability and is expected to combine with Flint native Michael Jamerson III, a transfer portal pickup from Arkansas Pine Bluff, to form a potent one-two punch.
Newcomers to watch include a pair of transfer wide receivers, Joe Walker from Eastern Michigan and R.J. Manning from Youngstown State. Walker "can stretch the field and has big-play capability" while Manning has a lot of twitch and versatility. We're excited about the value they bring along with Jamerson."
On defense, the Cardinals have added end Grant Cooney, an experienced senior who played four seasons under new SVSU defensive coordinator Brandon Clayton at national powerhouse Northwest Missouri State.
"Grant is a very experienced football player, who knows this defense and this system inside out, so he adds a lot of value to our defensive line room and will have a great influence as a leader," Brady said. "We're expecting big things from Grant."
Jordan Trowers, who started 11 games at Youngstown State last season, will bring experience to Saginaw Valley's young secondary. Carl Biddings, who began his career at Louisville before transferring to Indiana, lacks game experience but should bring an FBS perspective to the defensive line.
"Carl's been playing at the Power Five level for the last two years," Brady said. "He's athletic, twitchy and powerful, and we're expecting him to be a contributor and help make us better up front."
New blood has also been introduced to the coaching staff. In addition to Clayton, Brady has hired new offensive line coach Mike McClanathan from Eastern Michigan, tight ends coach Davis Lewandowski from Louisiana Monroe and running backs coach Tony Bryan from nearby Clio High School.
"We've run the same defense as Northwest Missouri State, so we brought Coach Clayton in to continue on the path we've been going down," Brady said. "Our players and coaches have adapted to what he brings really well and could see the results of that in spring ball, which wasn't always good for me because I coach offense. I had to game plan against our defense every day just to have some success in practice.
"These new coaches have come in and adapted and added value. We've dug in and done a deep dive and these coaches have helped find things we can get better at, and that's exciting."
What might be a detriment to a lot of teams but might play into SVSU's favor because of its experience, is that the Cardinals will be the visitor in seven of 11 games.
"With what we've been through as a team, the obstacles and adversity we've overcome throughout the years, we're a team that's built to handle these conditions," Cracchiolo said. "Our team thrives on going into hostile territory and being the villain trying to take over someone else's stadium. That's the persona we've adopted, and personally, I love trying to ruin everybody's day over there."
Furthermore, it puts a premium on playing at home in Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium.
"Our fans are only going to get four guaranteed opportunities to watch their team play, so you can't miss out," Brady said. "I expect it to be a packed house, a rowdy house. We've got Grand Valley coming for Homecoming this year in the Battle of the Valleys, so that's going to be really exciting."
If Brady's vision for the Cardinals manifests itself on the field, the fans are going to have a fun team to watch.
"I want to be a great defensive team," he said. "I want our identity to be, 'Wow, we can't run the ball against Saginaw Valley, and wow, it's hard to score against these guys.' From there, I want to have the best special teams program in the nation. On offense, we'll see in camp how things unfold, but we have the ability to be a speed-and-space team, and we also have the ability to be a smash-mouth run team. I would be completely OK with being like Michigan last year, just put in a couple tight ends and just run it down your throat. I love to run the ball, but I would be completely OK with airing it out over and over and over, too."
Every championship team has had a program win or two along the way. Brady sees no reason why the Cardinals can't have a program season.
"We've learned a lot of hard lessons throughout the course of the last few years," he said. "Those are things our players still bring up and to me that's great because those things have resonated. So, we like to say, the only team that beats Saginaw is Saginaw. If we play our best, we're going to be tough to beat."
