Some think Hampton University's talented true freshmen compare to the legendary 2003 group.
HAMPTON - Jacobi Fenner was so nervous on his first play in a Hampton University uniform that he jogged downfield covering a kickoff Saturday at Howard.
Pirates coach Joe Taylor pulled him aside and chastised him.
"He told me, 'I brought you here for a reason, because you have speed and can hit, so hit somebody,' " Fenner said. "On the next two kickoffs, I sprinted downfield and was in on the tackles.
"Coach Taylor met me at the sideline, shook my hand and said, 'That's what I'm looking for, son.' Knowing he's there for me gives me faith."
Minus 14 senior starters from last year's team, Taylor will place his faith in more true freshmen than usual. He played eight in the 31-24 win at Howard: Fenner, cornerback James Butts, wide receiver Dyrri McCain, tailback Dennis Mathis, safety Jonathan Wade, safety Rasoul Wilson, place-kicker Carlo Turavani and linebacker Carson Byrd.
Photo: These Hampton University freshmen, from left, want to continue the Pirates' run of MEAC titles: Dyrri McCain, Rasoul Wilson, Jacobi Fenner, Dennis Mathis, James Butts, Carlo Turavani, Jonathan Wade and Carson Byrd.
Turavani went 4-for-4 on extra points and made his only field-goal attempt. He was selected the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week.Butts returned a kickoff 46 yards and held his own while playing most of the game at cornerback.
The others, like Fenner, got their feet wet without making any glaring mistakes.
Taylor expected nothing less.
"You've got to go through to get through," said Taylor, whose Pirates play Saturday at North Carolina A&T. "That's how you gain experience."
The number of true freshmen playing already has some comparing them to the 2003 group. It's probably too early for that.
Taylor played nine true freshmen in the '03 opener, and by season's end, seven were starters. Only Turavani starts at the moment.
These days, the Pirates tend more to supplement the lineup with Division I-A transfers, and five are starting this season.
All told, the '03 recruiting class produced 11 starters, a 38-9 record, three MEAC titles and six NFL rookie camp participants.
Ten seniors from last season were in rookie camps in the spring. Three are drawing NFL paychecks, and another plays in Canada.
Their legacy inspires, rather than intimidates, the newcomers.
"I think it's more motivation than pressure," Mathis said. "That class won three rings and raised the bar.
"If we learn from our juniors and seniors and put it all together, we can raise the bar at Hampton even further."
Byrd, a top-60 high-school recruit in Ohio last year, said last year's seniors attracted him to Hampton.
"The fact that 10 Hampton guys got a shot (in NFL camps) this year and that five went to the NFL combine was a real big bonus for me in making my decision," he said. "Even though I was from Ohio, I knew those guys' names."
Senior fullback Qutrell Payton likes to remind the newcomers that last year's seniors didn't win the MEAC title until he and the current seniors arrived on the scene.
He mentors them on the ingredients for becoming perennial MEAC champions.
"Coach Taylor taught us that it's about becoming a family and being your brother's keeper. I think that's why we've had so much success.
"I came in with 22 freshmen and 20 are still here. We take a lot of pride in what we've accomplished."
McCain said the new freshmen plan to help Payton and the other seniors earn a fourth MEAC title ring.
Then they'll look to create their own legacy.
"We had a team meeting Tuesday night and the guys were all getting their MEAC championship rings from last season," McCain said.
"Qutrell was talking about going for their fourth one. Coach Taylor said that if we win a national championship, we get a diamond in the ring.
"We're going for four straight, too, all with diamonds in them."
Saturday's game
WHAT: Hampton vs. North Carolina A&T
WHERE: Greensboro, N.C.
WHEN: 6 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
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