LEXINGTON, Va. – Youth will define the wide receiver room for VMI football this fall, but the Keydets are confident their young playmakers can grow into difference-makers.
Among them is redshirt freshman Owen Sweeney, a former Cave Spring standout who saw action in three games last year before an injury cut his season short. Now healthy, Sweeney said he is embracing the responsibility of holding himself and his teammates accountable.
“With no seniors, I mean, it’s hard to find leadership,” Sweeney said. “So we expect everyone to hold each other accountable in that sense. If someone’s slacking off, someone’s not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, everyone should be getting on them. Everyone’s motivating each other. Everyone’s pushing each other to be the best they can be. I don’t feel pressured at all. I’m excited to make plays out there. I’m confident in our guys, and I’m confident in myself.”
First-year offensive coordinator AJ Hampton said the offense has been built to maximize the strengths of VMI’s underclassmen.“We actually structured this entire offense around our young talent,” Hampton said. “VMI is a unique place, to say the least. And it’s a place where, in the past, it’s been difficult to get old, for lack of better terms. Without a graduate school, those young guys are counted upon week in and week out. So we structured the terminology in a way that allows them to show their abilities. And they’re doing that thus far.”
At 6-foot-4, Sweeney is expected to be a key target in the passing game as the Keydets aim for improvement on offense under Hampton’s direction.