FULTON, Mo. - Going all the way back to the spring, William Woods University has put in hard work leading up to its second season as it strives to improve with added depth to its roster under first-year head coach Sam Camp, the offensive coordinator during the Owls' inaugural campaign.

"I think we had a really good spring of growth and maturity with the guys," Camp said. "Starting the physical process of the strength conditioning, carried that over into the summer. We're able to get a lot of new faces on campus for the summer to help build that familiarity, build that brotherhood amongst the team. Then, as we've been going through fall camp, it's been great to get the pads on. There's so much that goes into the process of being an athlete that doesn't involve getting to actually play the game, lifting weights, and the academic side, and so much. 

"So, it's been awesome to see these guys get back to the routine of playing football, going through practice, getting to have a little bit of fun, cut it loose a little bit and still attack it with a great focus and mentality. The biggest thing at this point, as we are a few days out from the game, is to lock in on the mental side of things. Stay healthy and get the last little bit of learning and preparation in that we can."

While this may be Camp's first season as a college football head coach, he brings seven years of collegiate coaching experience.

"I'm really excited," Camp said. "I grew up in coaching. This is what I've always felt called to do. Always wanted and dreamed of being a head coach at the college level, and to get to do it in a place like this, where you're getting to write the history, there's not a past tradition that really within the football program itself, that you're trying to replicate how it was done. You're getting to build who we're going to be as a football program moving forward. I enjoy the challenge, and I think that for us to continue to find guys that buy into that challenge is important, and I think we got a lot of them on this team that are excited to continue to build and move forward."

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Camp had a successful playing career from 2014-17 as a wide receiver at another NAIA program, Friends University in Wichita, Kan. A four-year letter winner, Camp received All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference honors twice.

"I played at Friends University for Monty Lewis, who played for and then coached with my grandpa for a number of years, and that was sweet," Camp explained. "His son and I are the same age. He was the best man in my wedding. We were roommates for multiple years, and just a great opportunity at Friends.

"From there, I went to Kansas Wesleyan, and was a part of two incredible seasons where we had undefeated regular seasons, deep runs in the playoffs, multiple All-Americans and all-conference awards, really rewrote the KCAC record book in football those two seasons. From there, I went to Texas Wesleyan, as my first full-time job was with the receivers and running backs. It was weird because it was the COVID year, we played two games before we got shut down because of a COVID situation.

"From there, I went to Western New Mexico University as the wide receivers coach, and that was a unique building opportunity to take a program that hadn't had a winning season in 30 years and build the culture and rebrand the program. And then from there, I went to Army. I was on the defensive side, my first time coaching on the defensive side, and that was just an awesome experience, just a different level of football, a different level of intensity being at the academy, and just going through that experience. And then went back to Western New Mexico as the offensive coordinator before coming up here."

All the way back to his childhood, there have been people throughout Camp's football journey that have shaped him into the head coach he is today.

"Monty is definitely one of the biggest ones for me," Camp shared. "He's a coach that's one of the winningest coaches in NAIA history, and his passion was small college football, which is what I grew up around. I was at an NAIA football game almost every Saturday of my childhood. I do love this level and these gameday experiences. Other big one for me is Matt Drinkall. He was the head coach at Kansas Wesleyan when I was there, and now he's the head coach at Central Michigan in his first season. He's a big one for me. I'd say my other big one would be Philip Vigil, who's the head coach that hired me at Western New Mexico, and now he's the head coach at Colorado State Pueblo. They made it to the national playoffs this year, I believe, the semifinals or the quarterfinals. Three guys, with all of them, it's the things they've taught me with football are huge, but it's also just as much about being a great coach, being a great mentor and building the culture of programs is really what I take away from those three specifically." 

When it comes to the strategic side of the game, William Woods' defensive and offensive game plans will look different this year. Despite being more experienced with wide receivers and heavy pass attacks, Camp wants to utilize the run game more in the Owls' balanced offense for Year 2.

"For me, the big thing is the success in the controllables," Camp said. "We can talk about points, we can talk about yards, and all those things have variables. But how do you show up every single day? You show up with an enthusiasm to be here. Do you show up with knowledge, take the time to know what you need to do, and put that into action and be a great teammate? As far as schematically speaking, there's going to be some differences on the defensive side this year than what we did last year. On the offensive side, I think we'll be much more dependent on the run, more 50/50 split than what we saw last year, just from the growth we were able to have in the offensive line room, both as guys maturing, increasing the experience in that room and just the overall reps of getting better."

After playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation that included four teams that made the NAIA Football National Championship, one being national champion Grand View University, another being semifinalist Benedictine College, the Owls knew they needed to add more depth, specifically in the trenches. Woods did that, which has led to a more robust preparation process. 

"I would say the biggest strength of this team as we go forward is that you care more," Camp said. "You prepare harder when you've had to struggle. This group has been through a lot, the guys that have been here from the initial spring that we had student-athletes on campus with the program, the guys that have stuck through and stayed the path through the season that we had last year, and then the guys that have joined this program and are aware of those struggles and have their own struggles that they've had to face outside of here, that's a thing in life, that can make a real impact on the way people prepare and the way that the people go and attack things. We have a chip on our shoulder, and we don't want to feel those same feelings that we felt a lot over the last year. I think that our biggest strength is we know what it feels like to underperform and not meet our goals, and we get to use that as motivation."

Putting in their best effort will be of utmost importance for the Owls in the Heart of America Athletic Conference South Division, which had three teams in the NAIA National Championship in 2024. Those three teams all received first-place votes in the Heart of America Preseason Coaches' Poll, with Benedictine (35 points; five first-place votes) picked first, Baker University (29; one first-place vote) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (29; one first-place vote) in a tie for second.

"I think we're going to be much more prepared again from the standpoint of we have probably 1,000 more reps as a program than we did going into the season last year," Camp said. "Getting to have spring ball, getting to have a fall camp with a number of returners, a number of guys that have collegiate football experience, to where there were games last year where all of us would say we beat ourselves in ways, or we at least put ourselves in harder situations to be successful, because we got in our way. I think we're showing a lot better with that as we've gone through the fall so far, of limiting the pre- and post-snap penalties, limiting the mental errors, limiting the things that are 100% controllable, whether we're playing football on air, or if we're playing against another team. As we look at that and we go into this year's schedule, we know who we got. We faced a lot of these teams last year. There's only a few new faces on the schedule, as far as opponents, and sometimes that can relax the nerves of a young team. We've faced off against these guys before. We know who we are, we know who they are, and they know who we are, and let's just go play our brand of football."

A standout on the defensive side who's been a team leader since the program's first practice, sophomore defensive back Carter Holloway is the lone All-HAAC South returner. Receiving honorable mention honors in 2024, Holloway tallied 8.8 tackles per game (second in the HAAC South) and totaled a team-high 55 tackles, 4½ tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups, one sack and one forced fumble.

"Carter has stepped up a lot this year in a leadership perspective," Camp said. "This is for Carter some, and this is for a number of guys on our team: when we bring a brand new group of people together, there's no pecking order. There's nobody that's that fifth-year returning senior that has made a name for himself. Sometimes it's hard for guys to step into that leadership role. Now, with Carter proving himself last year, I think the guys respond to him in a different way from the way that he handled business last year. He's a guy that knows the defense in and out. He can be a quarterback on the defensive side for us and fly around, and now he's not playing with the hesitation of a system that is still new to him. He's familiar with what coach Justin Coleman is asking him to do. He's familiar with what his roles are. He's flying around, playing some great football right now." 

On the offensive side, The Woods returns an individual who accounted for 72% (1,706 out of 2,358 yards) of its yardage in that department last year, quarterback Gabe Serri, who enters his final season of college football.

"He's done an awesome job this fall of being a leader with the offense, commanding things when he's out there, making decisions that are good decisions and help the offense move down the field," Camp said.

While Serri is a known name in the Owls' offense, some others are looking to make their mark.

"We got a few guys for sure," Camp said. "Starting up front, Frances Carillo (Louisiana Southwest) is a big addition to the offensive line. Going to be playing left tackle for us, big kid out of Southern California. He shows up and he works his tail off every single day, has the size and experience that we didn't have last year on the offensive line, and so he's going to be a huge impact piece for us.

"We've got a tight end room of three great guys that have been having a great fall. Bryson Nealy (Cisco College) is a transfer that came in, and he's been doing a great job. Liam Hughes made the transition from quarterback to tight end. Lawrence Shadd is a player that was with us last year. He was a wide receiver, and now we've transitioned him to the tight end position and done a great job. I think having those three guys adds an element to our offense where we didn't have that last year at that position. We had a couple of guys that played the position, played it well, but when you have multiple tight ends that all can operate at a very high level, that gives you some wrinkles to throw in there.

"At wide receiver, Desmond Wilkins (UAPB) is a transfer that was with us for the spring, that has been doing an awesome job. Adds some deep threat ability, big size out on the perimeter that's really going to be beneficial for us. We've got a freshman, Jorden Matlock (Orchard Farm), who's been doing a really good job that I think will have a big role as a freshman. That's still sprinkled in with returners like Jalen Becerra, who's coming off an injury that happened in the spring. We'll see how much we get him this fall. Jorden Price, who got injured first game of the year last year against William Penn, that didn't really get the opportunity to show out so deep receiver room again. 

"At running back, we've been battling injuries throughout the fall, but there's four or five running backs that, when they have been healthy, have shown a lot of ability. I'm sure we'll probably see all five of them at some point this fall. I wouldn't necessarily say one of them right now is in the front row to have the best year. It's about who can stay the most healthy and take advantage of their reps. But, there's a room of a lot of talent there as well."

Defensively, Camp elaborated on what that side of the roster will look like for WWU.

"Starting up front, we've got Siddiq Webb (Blinn), who came in at the mid-year, Keron Starks (Limestone University), who came in at the mid-year, both two guys that have been playing college ball for a little while," Camp said. "Don't necessarily have a ton of in-game experience, but have the maturity and the physicality that you need in that room, and that goes along with Sovereign Morton, who's returning, Chris Smith Jr., who's returning, Xavier McCoy III, who's returning. 

"Then, we have a couple of young guys as well that have been showing a lot of promise at linebacker. We've got a pretty tough battle for the two interior spots, mike and will. One of those being returner Darrias Butler, as well as transfer Derek Robbins (Minot State). And then, a returner that didn't get a ton of playing time last year, Sean Conner, and two that transferred in the spring as well, Alex Owens (Lincoln University) and Jackson Wiechman (McKendree University).

"At our outside linebacker position, Vernell Foster (Riverdale) has been doing a great job. He's a true freshman coming in from New Orleans that has made a couple of really impressive plays this fall out on the perimeter corner. We've got two true freshmen that are showing a lot of physicality, a lot of get up and go. Karey Moore (Tustin) from Southern California and Bo Jacobs (Langston Hughes) from Georgia, that have been doing a great job.

"At safety, we've got Carter Holloway and Jeramiah Hurd (John Horn). Jeramiah is a freshman from Texas, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, that has been with us this summer and did a great job. It's going to be a little bit younger defense this year, but guys that have a lot of really good high school experience, and we're excited to get them going." 

On special teams, William Woods brings back its starting kicker/punter from Year 1, Justin Sharkey, who converted a 41-yard field goal for his longest make of the year and placed six of his punts inside the 20-yard line.

"Justin's been doing a great job," Camp said. "The transition from soccer to football is harder than a lot of people think, and he did a good job of attacking that challenge last fall, but I think having a full year now of going through spring ball and some more reps, he's been showing some great improvement. We have a freshman, Adrian Pace (Allen), who I think will have some potential to make some impacts in the punting game, especially. 

"At snapper, we've got a freshman, Jacob Medina (Round Rock), who's been showing a lot of ability there and been doing a really good job for us. Jorden Matlock as well have shown some potential at kicking. We'll see how that transpires."

Not only do the Owls have plenty of new names and changes on their roster, but they also have on their coaching staff. Justin Coleman has been elevated to defensive coordinator after serving as assistant coach - special teams coordinator/linebacker coach a season ago. WWU's new hires include offensive line coach Troy Kowal, linebacker coach Charles Barnes and wide receivers coach Chuck Wade.

"Justin Coleman, promoted him from linebackers coach from last year to defensive coordinator," Camp said. "He's a young coach, but he's a hungry coach. He does a great job of motivating the guys and connecting with the players. Originally worked together with him when he was a GA at Western New Mexico, and to watch his career develop and be a part of it's been an awesome experience. 

"On the offensive side, we've got Troy Kowal as our offensive line coach. He played with coach Coleman at Minot State. Coach Kowal is a coach with tremendous offensive line experience and knowledge. He was drafted in the Canadian Football Legaue, played for a lot of seasons in college because he's able to go back and play at a Canadian college after exhausting his eligibility in the states. Last year, he was at Division I Northern Colorado, and he's done an awesome job of developing that room. Coach Wade, our wide receivers coach, originally from Florida. He's a guy that played in the ACC as a true freshman, played on the offensive side and the defensive side in college, has a great knowledge, has a great ability to connect with receivers. Receivers can be drama queens. Receivers can sometimes be the guys that it's hard to wrangle in, and he does a great job of connecting with those guys and getting us all on the same page.

"On the defensive side, along with coach Coleman, we have coach Barnes, who was a player for me back at Kansas Wesleyan. Our career goes back. He's spent a couple of his years coaching with some other guys that I've coached with in the past. I know he comes from a great background there. He was also at Wake Forest as a graduate assistant, and that's where the connection with coach Wade came in as well. A high level of experience on the defensive side. He was a great player. All of them were great players and have turned that into a great coaching career."

In terms of graduate assistants, William Woods retains defensive backs coach Izaiah Taylor and defensive line coach Christopher Silva. The Owls also added special teams coach Justin Barnes and Sean Harold.

"We got Izaiah Taylor on the defensive side, helping with the defensive backs, and he's another guy that played Division II ball, then for a graduate transfer year, played at Division I Charlotte," Camp said. "Great experience. Another young guy that does a great job of helping connect with the kids and build those relationships and help us move in the right direction. Coach Silva, a more nontraditional path, having not played college football, but played it in high school. I think he does a great job of taking his story and connecting with these kids about you've got a great opportunity in front of you to get a college education, to play college football, and sometimes can speak to them in ways that the rest of us can't because we haven't experienced the other side of life outside of football like he's been able to. He does a great job with our defensive line."

William Woods faithful can catch the Owls on the gridiron for the first time this year when they kick off the 2025 campaign with the Second Annual Billy Bowl against William Penn University of the Heart of America North Division at 7 p.m. Thursday at North Campus Athletic Complex in Fulton. It'll be the first-ever Thursday night game hosted by WWU, one of 11 NAIA-UEN Featured Games for kickoff week, and most importantly, the winner gets hold of the Billy Bowl bragging rights belt.

"I think last year, if there was a game that we wish we had Week 5, that would be the one you circle," Camp said. "A game where you feel like we got in our way a lot that Thursday night last year, and a game where, as the team matured and came together more of a team, you would have liked to just seen what type of run we could have given them. Going into this year, it's something that's on our mind, the guys that were here with us, the guys that have seen the tape and understand what the game was like last year, we're more excited for this opportunity. I think it's a game we can go out there and we play our best football, we can beat a lot of teams, and this is one that we can go get for sure."