Aug. 17, 2011
NORFOLK, Va. -- Now that the wait is now officially over for Old Dominion, We Are The CAA and CAA First Look sat down with captains Thomas DeMarco and Craig Wilkins to talk about the Monarchs journey to conference play.
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In the CAA First Look piece, DeMarco and Wilkins reflect on the beginning stages of the program, their journey to the Norfolk campus, and what the rest of the league can expect from the Monarchs.
DeMarco, the redshirt senior signal caller who joined the program in the spring of 2009, enters the 2011 inaugural CAA season as one of 20 on the prestigious Walter Payton Award Watch List and also has garnered Preseason Honorable Mention All-American status by the Consensus Draft Services. The Palm Desert, California native was also named to the College Football Performance Awards Quarterbacks Watch List in addition to be listed as one of the Top FCS Quarterbacks by The Sports Network.
Wilkins, a three-time Monarch Football captain and stalwart of the ODU defense, lead ODU in tackles with 74 (35 solo, 39 assisted), including making five or more stops in 10 of the Monarchs' 11 games. The Washington, D.C. product, who was a part of the first crop of Monarchs that redshirted the 2008 season in preparation for the first year of ODU Football in 2009, posted a career-high 11 tackles against #14/16 Cal Poly and also had 10 stops, including nine solo tackles in the season-finale at N.C. Central. Wilkins also led the Monarchs with five fumble recoveries, including a pair in the Homecoming Game with Georgia State, was third on the squad in tackles for loss, and captured the Monarchs' second-ever pick six with a 25-yard interception for a score against Savannah State.
Click here to view the video interview.