Old Dominion preview

NORFOLK There will be no talk this year of returning stars or veteran leadership at Old Dominion.

That's what happens when your record in the last 69 years is 0-0.

Instead, a group of mostly freshmen and sophomores will dive into the unknown, ready to find out just how they stack up against college competition.

Coach Bobby Wilder told all his recruits they'd be given the opportunity to show what they could do, a promise that has resulted in spirited practices in Norfolk.

"Since we don't really have seniors on the team, everybody's fighting for a job," receiver Monty Smalley, a Douglas Freeman grad, said. "It's just intense competition all over the place."

That's exactly what Wilder wants as he prepares his recruits to tackle one of the toughest schedules a team has played in its inaugural season. After openers against Chowan and Virginia Union, the team will face nine teams in a row at the I-AA level.

It's impossible to predict just how this group will fare in its inaugural season. The Monarchs will play two years as an independent before joining the CAA in 2011.

The fans have already given their stamp of approval -- Foreman Field is sold out for every game this season.

Wilder traveled the state to find players to be a part of the inaugural season, and 60 of his 90 players are from Virginia. He has a mix of orthodox and unorthodox recruits.

Justin Hill, a Manchester grad and defensive lineman, took the long way to Norfolk. He played at a community college in Pennsylvania, then took three years off from football before Wilder's staff called and asked if he'd put the pads back on.

Hill agreed, and is blazing another trail for himself -- he's the first Music Business major in the history of Monarchs athletics.

"I went to ask if I could get a music tutor, and they said, 'Umm . . . nobody's ever done that before,'" he said with a laugh.

That's been said a lot at Old Dominion in the past two years, and players say they're eager to start playing against real competition, trained by the intense practices that are forming the inaugural depth chart.

"You can't take a play off, or somebody else will come in and jump over you in the lineup," receiver Dorian Jackson said.

Jackson and running back Jamar Parham played high school football at Matoaca, and are representing Richmond on a roster heavy with Tidewater-area players.

Parham said that when the competition for starting spots is on, though, it's every man for himself.

"There's no slacking, because everybody wants to start," he said. "They're all thinking the same thing -- gotta go hard, every day."

The skinny