ODUSports.com will do a position by position preview this week of the football Monarchs, starting today with the quarterbacks and running backs.
Quarterbacks
| No. | Name | Class | Ht. | Wt. |
| 13 | Drayton Arnold | Fr. | 5-11 | 190 |
| 19 | Shuler Bentley | So-r. | 6-1 | 201 |
| 17 | Kody Cunningham | Fr. | 6-4 | 209 |
| 11 | Blake LaRussa | Fr-r. | 5-10 | 185 |
| 12 | Brennan Lewis | Fr. | 6-3 | 187 |
| 10 | David Washington | Sr-r. | 6-3 | 210 |
Shuler Bentley and David Washington combined to throw for more than 2500 yards and 20 touchdown passes on the year. Bentley started the year and led ODU to wins over Eastern Michigan and Norfolk State, but struggled during a three game stretch.
Washington took over and on his first pass in nearly two years, hit Zach Pascal for a 53-yard touchdown pass against Charlotte. Washington threw a pair of 300-yard games and led ODU to two more wins until suffering a season-ending injury at Southern Miss. Bentley took over and had his two best yardage games of the season against USM and Florida Atlantic to end the year.
Washington is expected to be the starter as long as he is fully healed from his injury, but at the very least, ODU has two capable quarterbacks to run the offense.
Also returning is redshirt freshman, Blake LaRussa. A Virginia Beach product, LaRussa redshirted last season and showed a greater command of the offense in spring practice and will compete for a backup role.
Also joining the Monarchs are true freshmen Drayton Arnold, Brennan Lewis and Kody Cunningham. Arnold enrolled at ODU a semester early after throwing for 8500 yards at Myrtle Beach High School in South Carolina. Lewis signed with the Monarchs in February and Cunningham is another local product from Ocean Lakes High School.
Running Backs
| No. | Name | Class | Ht. | Wt. |
| 26 | Justin Cooper | So-r. | 5-11 | 203 |
| 35 | Jeremy Cox | So. | 5-11 | 208 |
| 28 | Malik Fuller | So-r. | 5-9 | 173 |
| 32 | Gemonta Jackson | Fr-r. | 5-10 | 191 |
| 33 | Ray Lawry | Jr. | 5-10 | 204 |
| 24 | Josh Marriner | Jr-r. | 5-9 | 186 |
| 27 | Brandon Simmons | Jr. | 5-9 | 185 |
| 23 | Brandon Sinclair | Fr. | 5-10 | 205 |
| 30 | Nick Ferrari-Smith | Fr-r. | 5-9 | 182 |
ODU returns the Conference USA leader in rushing yards (1136) in Ray Lawry, as well as a host of young running backs that will compete for carries and playing time. The Monarchs return all but six yards (99.7 percent) of its total from last year, and the competition will be just as fierce for carries this season.
Lawry finished second in Conference USA with six 100-yard games and scored 12 touchdowns to lead the way for the Monarchs. The junior from Logan Township, N.J. will be
challenged for playing time by several candidates.
Sophomore Jeremy Cox finished second on the team last season with 369 yards and a touchdown. Cox rushed for 33 yards in the season-opener at Eastern Michigan but then had just 35 yards the next four games while battling injuries. He turned a corner in the 31-21 win over UTEP, taking over for an injured Lawry, he carried 15 times for 84 yards and his first career touchdown. The following week at Southern Miss with Lawry out, Cox carried the ball 21 times for a career-best 98 yards. He had a solid spring and will look to compliment Lawry in the backfield.
Adding another dynamic in the backfield will be Gemonta Jackson. A native of Petersburg, Va., Jackson redshirted in 2015 but showed speed and explosiveness in spring practice. Jackson will look to gain carries as he gains more experience.
Josh Marriner, a graduate transfer from UConn, added his name into the mix as well. Marriner rushed for 141 yards in two years at UConn. He was named Eastern Region Offensive Player of the Year as a senior at Western Branch. He is the brother of ODU cornerback, Brandon Addison.
Junior Brandon Simmons earned a scholarship with his hard work and determination his first two years with the Monarchs. Simmons has not carried the ball in his first two years, but has been a solid special teams player.
Nick Ferrari-Smith had a strong fall camp before a knee injury sidelined him for the season and forced him to redshirt. Ferrari-Smith, along with Justin Cooper and Malik Fuller add depth to the running back group.
True freshman Brandon Sinclair signed with the Monarchs in February and adds another threat in the backfield. He rushed for more than 4600 yards as a high school teammate of Drayton Arnold at Myrtle Beach High School.