Delaware football watch list: These 6 veterans are key to Blue Hens' 2023 success

Much mystery envelops the University of Delaware football team as it commences preseason drills Monday.

Such is the case when a new starting quarterback must take over, nearly the entire starting 2022 defense has to be replaced and newcomers and former reserves aiming to cement a spot abound.

But the Blue Hens do benefit from having several proven players in whom their typically lofty ambitions — pursuit of a CAA title and FCS playoff berth — will be rooted.

These six UD veterans are particularly crucial to the Hens’ success, will be counted on most by teammates and surely cause worry for opposing teams:

Jourdan Townsend, WR

The fifth-year senior has been a key playmaker for the Blue Hens since his freshman season in 2019 and earned All-CAA credentials the last two seasons. Townsend is a versatile wideout, capable of lining up in several spots and equally adept at stretching the field, catching balls in traffic across the middle and periodically carrying the football. Townsend just became the 32nd member of Delaware’s career 1,000 receiving yards list. His 91 catches have netted 11 TDs. He’s also a dangerous punt returner who ranks 11th on the all-time UD chart with 304 career yards. Townsend enters preseason healthy, which he did not last year. That’s a great comfort for the quarterbacks vying for the job, Ryan O’Connor and Zach Marker, who’ll rely greatly on Townsend’s guile and know-how.

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Marcus Yarns, RB

The fourth-year running back out of Parkside High in Salisbury, Maryland, was Delaware’s second-leading rusher last season behind transfer arrival Kyron Cumby. Delaware’s is a pass-oriented attack, which opens up opportunities for members of its deep backfield. Duties are shared there. Cumby’s 48.1 ground yards per game led Delaware but ranked 14th in the CAA. Yarns netted 481 yards on 73 carries, a 6.6-yard average that was tops among UD backs. He is a constant breakaway threat, as his 82-yard TD gallop against Delaware State last year showed. Yarns' 21 catches for 199 yards and three TDs also led Hen backs.

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Fintan Brose, OL

Brose’s talent has been visible since he saw duty on both the offensive and defensive lines as a true freshman during the 2021 spring season. He went to offense full-time in the fall of 2021 and started at guard that season and at both guard and mostly tackle in 2022 while snaring third-team All-CAA laurels. Delaware is counting on its offensive front to be better than it’s been in several years this season and Brose, as both a run blocker and QB protector, should lead the way.

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Chase McGowan, DL

McGowan initially demonstrated his penchant for making important plays when he had four tackles for lost yardage, including three sacks, in Delaware’s pivotal 2021 spring win at Rhode Island. Now in his fifth season and with three All-CAA citations to his credit, the 6-1, 260-pound McGowan will be counted on to set the example in Delaware’s refurbished defense. McGowan now has 24 career tackles for loss and 15 sacks. The more he can add to those totals, the better the Blue Hens will be in 2023.

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Ty Davis, DB

Davis was viewed as a recruit capable of making a quick impact at Delaware and certainly has demonstrated that. He preserved a year of eligibility by playing in just one game in 2021 and then started nine of the 13 last year at safety. Delaware’s secondary has been gutted by the loss of several long-time starters, so Davis will need to both lead and perform. A solid 6-3 and 205 pounds, Davis provides a physical element the Blue Hens must have and is the team’s leading returning tackler with 54 takedowns, which ranked fifth, last year.

Nic Ware, DB

Delaware needs Ware as much as it needs Davis, with the fourth-year safety bringing valuable experience and a nose for the football to the defense. Ware demonstrated his potential as a freshman by being an important late-season contributor during the 2021 spring run to the FCS semifinals. He stepped in when Kedrick Whitehead was ejected for targeting in Delaware’s CAA-title-clinching win at Villanova. Ware has now appeared in 29 games with seven starts last year, has 62 career tackles and made clutch interceptions in a 2021 fall win at Maine and last season versus Morgan State.

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Jourdan Townsend, Marcus Yarns among Delaware Blue Hens to watch