Defense wins day at Monmouth football scrimmage showcase & 3 more takeaways

"I feel like a lot of people just try and diminish me for my height, but I think I use my height to my strength because I'm so much lower than the offensive tackles," he said. "I can really get in there, try and work whatever I need to work. But yeah, guys like Lamont (Lester) and Josiah (Graham), they were all great last year. And hopefully, I could step into that role as a pass rusher and also linebacker and whatever my team needs me to be."

His outstanding play is particularly impressive given the experience across the front seven. Staple linebackers Charlie Sasso, Ryan Russo and Spencer Kishbaugh all were solid throughout the spring. But Keshen's versatility and talent would seemingly make him impossible to keep off the field. He was hardly the only riser pushing for playing time on the defense, as fellow edge/linebacker Donovon Rondeau was impressive prior to getting dinged up in the showcase and linebacker Chris Ulmer was all over the field.

Here's a look at three more takeaways as Monmouth football turns its attention to the summer and fall.

Hawk defense is much improved even without staple rushers

Two of the burgeoning trends in football broadly are teams coveting the ability to be multiple defensively and possessing depth—and variety—within the defensive line. A recent example of both trends is the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, a team that was tied for 7th in the NFL in sacks as a team but didn't have any player ranked in the top 25 in sacks individually (they did have three players tied for 29th with seven sacks).

Monmouth may not have two outstanding tentpole rushers like they did with Lamont Lester and Josiah Graham last year, but the Hawks should be able to produce similar production with versatile cast of playmakers. Hunter Watson has looked nearly unblockable as he enters his third year in the program, and his presence has created rushing opportunities for players like Keshen and Rondeau.

Monmouth football competes in the program's Spring Showcase on April 26.

But the emergence of those two players also could allow Monmouth to be more multiple in mug fronts and other disguised looks to confuse offenses. The versatility goes beyond that with staple playmakers like Jaeden Jones, who can be impactful anywhere he lines up, and emerging players like Jah Reid in the hybrid safety role. Reid was consistently able to run with receivers out wide as a nickel, but is also a dynamo as a box defender.

With those novel concepts adding to the team's strong foundation with plenty of experience, the defense is trending towards being a strong point in 2026.

"Today is probably the worst we'll ever be, because we're always going to get better. Our defensive coordinator (Lou DiRienzo) says that a lot, and that really sticks with me every day because we have that growth mindset. Last year is last year—that's all old news," Keshen said. "We're going to be something special this year, and I'm just excited to just be a part of it.

Offense finds footing and generates explosive plays

Although the Monmouth offense didn't win the majority of reps against the defense, the victories were major. The Hawks struck gold with several chunk gains and finished the day with multiple long touchdowns.

And even with Frankie Weaver returning at quarterback after five starts last year, Monmouth allowed competition to heat up with redshirt freshman Brad Seiss pushing the presumed starter. It was Seiss who spearheaded the first touchdown drive of the afternoon, finishing it off with a touchdown pass to Christian Harrison on a dig route.

Seiss connected on another long gain to Keshawn Mister, but then it was Weaver's turn to show off his aerial explosiveness. The redshirt sophomore hit Kendall Dorsey on a back-shoulder deep ball for a touchdown as Dorsey eluded his defender, and Weaver then found Caleb Newsome on a corner route for another touchdown. It's a new role with Weaver taking firm control of the offense after filling in as the backup last year, but he looked comfortable directing traffic.

Frankie Weaver steps into a throw. Monmouth football competes in the program's Spring Showcase on April 26.

"It's just finding chemistry with those guys," Weaver said. "All those guys last year, they had chemistry with each other and then me coming in, they just brought me with them. And now it's my turn to bring guys with me as well. So I'm excited to do that."

A subtle testament to his experience was his ability to get things organized with the offensive line before the snap. Monmouth is experimenting with multiple different offensive line combinations as the Hawks must replace four starters, but those pockets seemed to be a lot cleaner with Weaver managing the offense.

Monmouth football competes in the program's Spring Showcase on April 26.

Now that Weaver has experience and familiarity with the speed of D-I college football, he's focused on further refining his skillset. One point of emphasis: winning the key inflection points within a football game.

"The gotta-have-it downs, the terminal downs, just being successful there," Weaver said. "And then also the deep balls. I feel like I missed a few deep balls last year that I could have hit, and I'm just ready to work on those this year."

Gallo installs competitive foundation in spring practices

Of course, the undercurrent of this year's spring practice session is new head coach Jeff Gallo building a culture that expands on the one established by longtime coach Kevin Callahan. As just the second coach in program history, there's more continuity than novelty as Monmouth goes through its first coaching transition.

But it was notable how open the competition was at various position groups this spring, starting at quarterback but expanding to all parts of the roster. There are naturally several exceptional players that are incumbent starters and leaders, but Gallo made it clear that playing time is up for grabs.

"I've really enjoyed this throughout the winter and the spring, trying to build this team with our guys. We have a really great group," Gallo said. "They've worked incredibly hard, really. Then, focus on competition. Building out that competitive depth of our team. I think we've done that. The base of what we're going to be on offense and defense is in."

With how players were rotated between the first and second teams, there appeared to be plenty of starting spots still up for grabs going into the fall.

Head coach Jeff Gallo is in his first season leading the Hawks. The Monmouth football program begins the 2026 season with spring practice.

"When we compete, it's me versus me. Then, it's me versus my position group. Then it's me versus my side of the ball," Gallo said. "Then it's us versus another team. So we really push on the competition within your room, and then the competition with the side of the ball because you can play different personnels in a game—like hey why are we playing two tight (ends) compared to three wide (receivers) or hey we're playing big compared to nickel—so you're competing on each side of the ball then on the field, it's offense versus defense. So if it's constant competition and the best guys go, that's where you get better."

With the first prologue written, the book of the 2026 season is being foreshadowed. And compared to past iterations of Monmouth football, this year's story is going to be a unique one. But there's still more work to do outside of the fish bowl of observation that is spring practice. The Hawks will be back working again by the end of May.

"It's really fine-tuning. Getting our guys faster and strong. Really drilling down the techniques, drilling down the schemes they're in," Gallo said. "How do we keep getting better every day as you approach the first game of the year. So it's going to be summer time with gas in the tank, fine-tuning. And at camp, elevating every day, getting ready for the first game of the year."

The Hawks have taken a long look in the mirror this spring. Now, it's time to turn their attention to Tennessee Tech on Aug. 29.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth football spring scrimmage showcases defense