Monmouth football QB Tony Muskett poised for breakout season on CAA stage

WEST LONG BRANCH – The sequence, tucked within Saturday’s final scrimmage of summer training camp, provided a glimpse of what might be possible for Monmouth in the coming months.

It began with a 15-yard pickup by junior receiver Dymere Miller on a jet sweep, before speedy sophomore back Jaden Shirden broke a 43-yard run. And finally, it was quarterback Tony Muskett lofting a perfectly thrown fade pattern into the left corner of the end zone to senior wideout Asante Kearney for a 14-yard TD pass.

And it’s Muskett’s ability to deftly pull the strings on an offense with unlimited potential that’s created such a buzz about what the next few months might hold as the Hawks fly into their first season in the Colonial Athletic Association.

It’s a higher-profile platform for a player poised to make his case as one of the top FCS quarterbacks in the country, having already provided a glimpse of what could be coming in the first 15 starts of his career.

How good has Muskett been?

The Springfield, Virginia native, with three years of eligibility remaining, had an efficiency rating of 145.01 last season, which was top-20 nationally and the highest among any of the returning quarterbacks in the CAA.

He threw 25 TD passes and just six interceptions, and has 34 TDs and eight interceptions over the first 15 starts of his career, while averaging 241 yards-per-game last season for an offense that seeks to establish the run.

“It’s a great opportunity for our program as we move to the CAA, and for Tony, who we’re fortunate to have as a leader of that unit, and the team,” Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said.

It all begins with the Sept. 1 season opener at New Hampshire, the first of eight CAA games for a program that won a pair of Big South championships (2019, 20) and has been to the FCS Playoffs three times since 2017.

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“I don’t worry about the individual stuff,” said Muskett, the preseason All-CAA quarterback. “If I can play well, that’s a big part of our team playing well, and that’s the ultimate goal, and we’re excited to get going.”

Quarterback-driven success

The blueprint for quarterback-driven success is well established at Monmouth.

Muskett took over from Kenji Bahar, now with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers after spending time with the Baltimore Ravens. Bahar rewrote Monmouth’s passing record book, throwing for 9,642 yards and 70 touchdowns, with the Hawks going 28-9 over his final three seasons, with the advancing in the FCS Playoffs for the first time.

“I can’t tell you how much fun I’m ready to have and how much talent we have, and I’m ready to show everybody that, too,” Muskett said.

“I know how hungry we are to prove ourselves.”

The loss of receivers Lonnie Moore and Terrance Greene (who transferred to James Madison) creates a massive void, with the pair having accounted for 259 catches for 4,843 yards and 39 touchdowns for the Hawks.

But in addition to Miller, who flashed his potential last season, the Hawks added a pair of experienced players in Darrion Carrington, a Toms River native and graduate transfer from Yale, and Ugo Obasi, a graduate transfer from Virginia.

The Hawks also have a talented table of running backs, led by seniors Juwon Farri, on the watch list for the Waler Payton Award, given annually to the FCS’s top offensive player, and Owen Wright.

The stage is set for the Monmouth program to take the next step in its 30-year evolution, from a start-up program to challenging for titles in one of the country’s top FCS conferences.

And the platform it provides Muskett will help narrow the national spotlight on a player who has only scratched the surface so far.

Takeaways from Saturday’s scrimmage

• It was a mixed bag as the Hawks’ closed summer training camp at Kessler Stadium, including some disturbing trends during the 90-minute session. Punter Ryan Kost had a pair of kicks blocked, while a field goal attempt from close range clanged off the upright. In a season where there figures to be very little margin for error, special teams gaffes could be the difference on any given weekend. In addition, there were a pair of bad snaps that resulted in Muskett scooping up the ball and throwing it away.

• Muskett and Miller, who caught 20 passes last season, are developing a chemistry. On the first series of the scrimmage, Muskett stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure and fired a pass down the middle to Miller, who made a nifty catch in stride for a 26-yard gain.

• Freshman Enzo Arjona is already entrenched as the No. 2 quarterback, with the coaching staff showing a lot of faith in the former Northern Highlands standout.

• The return of inside linebacker Da’Quan Grimes, an All-Big South performer who missed last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, is huge, with sophomore Remi Johnson playing alongside Grimes.

• Getting a lot of time in the scrimmage were a pair of freshman who played locally in linebacker Charlie Sasso from Wall and defensive lineman Brendan Bigos from Middletown South. It appears both will have roles within the unit coming off the bench.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth NJ football: QB Tony Muskett poised for breakout season