Five practices into University of Delaware spring football drills, there is a feeling the future is now for the Blue Hens’ defense.

Delaware is preparing for the 2024 season with an eye on 2025 and its move to the more demanding Football Bowl Subdivision as a Conference USA member.

The Hens’ defense has typically been among the best in the Coastal Athletic Association and the Football Championship subdivision, particularly with the experienced units it sent on the field in the spring 2021 and fall 2022 seasons.

Delaware was still a top-five CAA defense in most categories last year.

Ineligible for the 2024 CAA title or FCS playoffs because of its impending climb, the Hens will still go about the process of trying to win every game while simultaneously building for the future.

“We gotta step up,” said outside linebacker Ty Davis. “We’re moving to FBS in two years. … We gotta be prepared for that. If we prepare now it will help us in the future.”

Spring drills conclude with the annual Blue-White intrasquad game at Delaware Stadium April 19 at 7 p.m.

Manny Rojas: Hens to keep 3-man front

The defensive approach when going to CUSA will include, defensive coordinator Manny Rojas said, sticking with the 3-man front Delaware has used primarily since 2017.

Delaware did play with four defensive linemen sometimes last year, Rojas said, against 12 personnel sets (one running back, two tight ends) and even some 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end). He called that flexibility “pivotal” to having continued success.

“But I don’t see us transitioning and changing to a 4-down defense [full-time],” he added.

“The 3-3-5 structure gives us the ability to really defend the pass and that’s what this game has turned into, a pass happy game. We’re still able to stop the run. I think some of the things that we’re looking to do this spring are get better in our run defense and being able to do different things to deploy that.”

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Emulating CUSA champ Liberty

Rojas was a standout linebacker at Liberty when it was an FCS program. In 2025, Delaware will join Liberty in CUSA, which the Flames won last season and earned a berth in the Fiesta Bowl opposite Oregon.

He was somewhat surprised, Rojas said, to see Liberty actually switch from a 4- to a 3-man front last season “to try to play to the speed of the game a little bit more.”

That’s the future challenge for Delaware also.

“As we transition, as we grow, we are looking for [what] everybody wants — bigger, faster, stronger athletes,” Rojas said. “We are looking for speed, athleticism, length as well to go out there and compete with those teams.”

Transfers Scott, Evans, Matthews excel

Delaware has already added those types of players with some of its recent transfers such as safety Jason Scott (Boston College) and cornerback Nate Evans (North Carolina State).

“Both have been able to come in here and learned our defense pretty quickly,” Rojas said of players who were in similar schemes at their previous schools.

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Another who has quickly earned coaches’ praise is linebacker Blake Matthews, a transfer from Troy.

“I love the way Blake plays the game,” Rojas said. “The way he plays with physicality, toughness on the edge, his ability to run to the ball, redirect. His quick, lateral, change of direction was huge because he showed it on his high school film and he showed it on whatever college film he had from Troy.”

Among returnees, Rojas singled out safety Hasson Manning, who saw time as a true freshman last year, as a player who “is really starting to come on.”

Ty Davis now a bandit

Two-year starter Davis has continued to transition from being a safety to playing the hybrid outside linebacker “bandit” position that requires both speed, physicality and the ability to defend both the run and the pass and also blitz.

“It’s a mix of everything,” Davis, a third-team All-CAA pick last year, said.

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Putting on weight is the key, Rojas said, and Davis is up to 207 pounds and aiming for 215 after finishing last season at 197, he said.

“He continues to gain that weight he’ll be a real good player out there for us,” Rojas said.

Keyshawn Hunter relishes FBS challenge

Old Dominion transfer Keyshawn Hunter is among the Blue Hens who have FBS experience and, therefore, understand the challenge ahead.

The key, he said, is having the proper mindset.

“Competition doesn’t change,” the defensive lineman said. “The jersey just changes. They’re men just like how we’re men. They put their helmet on just like how we put our helmet on. … It’s just gonna be who’s going to be the aggressive party that day, and I got my money on us.”

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Blue Hens defense preps for 2024 with eye on CUSA in 2025