The Morehead State Football Eagles met with the community Wednesday during their 2024 Media Day. New head football coach Jason Woodman was a point of interest for the crowd. He’s coming off an 11-year stint with Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he led the Falcons to 60 wins and five winning seasons.
Woodman said he’s seen a great effort from the MSU team since arriving last Spring. The coach said the team is not being rebuilt, but instead is adding to a history of successes. There are several returning players to the team, all of whom contributed to the Eagle's 4-7 finish last season, three of their wins were in conference play.
In addition to the team’s training and experience, the head coach said community involvement will be key to future success.
“I think that once people understand that we understand what the community means to us, I hope that our football team will mean more to them. So, I think it takes a little time, we have to be visible in the community, we have to give back. But we have to be successful, that’s important as well,” Woodman said.
He told reporters he’s seen the team working hard to improve cohesiveness and their on-field abilities. He said that while MSU is smaller than other schools, the game is the same.
“As far as football goes, it’s football. I think more than the bigger schools the community seems like it’s more centralized and more pointed towards the university than it has been at other places. As a whole, I think it’s a lot of the same challenges you have as a football coach. Just with the community and environment being a little different,” said Woodman.
The coach said the Eagles are being very aggressive on the field and are determined to succeed this year. To that end, the team is focusing on playing foundational football and highlighting areas they excel in. He said while being a new coach has been a challenge, getting to know the players and community has made the transition a welcome one.
The Eagles will take on the Central State Marauders in their home opener Thursday, August 29 at 6 p.m.