Harvard football is ushering in a new era on Saturday. Here’s what you should know. | Sport
AAs practice ended on the evening of September 10 and Harvard’s football team left the field, the Crimsons’ new head coach, Andrew Aurich, stood on the sidelines and greeted each player with a high five and words of encouragement before they headed to the locker room.
Eleven days before the Crimsons’ season opener against Stetson University, the energy on the practice field was palpable as Aurich prepared for the biggest challenge of his career.
The game against Stetson will be Aurich’s first as head coach and will mark the beginning of a new era for the Harvard Crimsons football team without legendary coach Tim Murphy – the winningest coach in the history of Ivy League football, who retired in January after 30 years with the team.
Aurich has been head coach for more than seven months and has found support within the team, but his debut could help dispel criticism he faced after his hiring from alumni and players who expressed doubts about his qualifications and selection over veteran Harvard assistant coach and defensive coordinator Scott Larkee (class of 1999).
The game, which will be played at Harvard on Saturday, is not only Aurich’s first test, but also a chance for the Crimsons 2024 team to build on their successful 8-2 season of recent times, in which they were tied with Yale and Dartmouth in the battle for the Ivy League title.
“Two of the best”
Aurich starts the season with an enviable dilemma: they have two talented quarterbacks and only one starting position.
Junior Jaden Craig and senior Charles DePrima shared the position last season, so Aurich is in the unique position of being able to choose between two quarterbacks with collegiate experience, both of whom hail from the Garden State.
DePrima, who started the first seven games last season, managed more than 85 rushing yards in four games but struggled to find consistency in the passing game, posting a completion rate of just over 50 percent.
After taking over the center position following a midseason slump from DePrima, Craig was able to thrive in the air, where DePrima struggled through the first seven games. With his strong arm and exceptional agility, Craig provided stability as a passer, throwing for at least 245 yards and completing over 60 percent of his passes in the final period in each of his three starts.
With Craig finishing the 2023 season as the starter, the Crimsons could adopt a two-quarterback approach – with DePrima in wildcat formations, jet sweeps and flea flickers, similar to how the New Orleans Saints in the NFL use tight end/quarterback Taysom Hill – to build an explosive and unpredictable offense.
Despite the potential competition for the quarterbacks, Aurich was excited to have both signal callers on the squad
“It’s a great position because they’re two of the best quarterbacks in the Ivy League,” Aurich said in an interview last Tuesday. “Our job as coaches is to make sure we put them both in a position to help us win.”
DePrima is entering his final year with the Crimsons and believes the team is ready to come together. He says it’s “no secret that our quarterbacks have a ton of experience and depth.”
“Through camp and spring ball, we’re making each other better, so I’m just excited to see what we can do out there on the field,” the senior said.
Craig has also embraced the uncertainty. “It’s definitely a unique experience,” he said. “There aren’t really two quarterbacks competing for one spot who are such good friends, but we push each other to get better every day.”
Craig, who threw for 775 yards and four touchdowns and ran for seven more scores in the 2023 season, hopes the offense will take a big leap forward this fall.
“I just hope we continue the same path we did last season, just making explosive plays, big plays, but also just doing all the little things right,” Craig said.
On a personal level, Craig hopes to take on a larger leadership role, saying he wants to be “more of a vocal leader” after “taking a back seat last year.”
“We get along well with the people we have”
While all eyes will be on Deprima and Craig in Saturday’s game, the Crimsons’ hopes also rest on their key offensive players – senior running back Shane McLaughlin and junior wide receiver Cooper Barkate.
McLaughlin, the Crimsons’ first offensive captain since Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2005 and a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection, will once again lead the backfield. McLaughlin posted 918 all-purpose yards (830 of which were on the ground) during an impressive 2023 season.
Barkate caught 40 passes for 501 yards last season and will be Harvard’s primary target. The speedy wideout, who came to Cambridge in 2022 as a blue-chip talent out of Newport Beach, Calif., will run routes alongside seniors Scott Woods II and Kaedyn Oderman – the only other pass-catchers on the roster with more than one college catch. With five freshman receivers on the roster, Aurich hopes a new star emerges who can take the veterans’ place in the 2025 season.
With some strong offensive talent at the skill positions, the Crimsons’ offensive line remains a potential weak spot to watch in Saturday’s game.
Harvard was tied with Princeton for most sacks in the Ivy League last year – with 27 for the entire season – and the team has produced three starters this year, so Stetson will serve as an important first test for this year’s starting lineup.
On the special teams side, the Crimsons could see a freshman make his mark on the team early in his college career. Kicker Kieran Corr was the nation’s top-ranked kicker and a five-star punter when he graduated from high school in Winchester, Mass. He has no experience at the college level but could be a key addition to the team.
On defense, the Crimsons lost key players such as linebacker Matthew Hudson (born ’24), defensive lineman Thor Griffith (born ’24) and 2023 captain Nate Leskovec (born ’23-24).
Despite the losses, the unit returns leading tackler and junior safety Ty Bartrum and sophomore defensive back Damien Henderson, who was named to the Phil Steele All-America third team last season, to continue Harvard’s strong defensive performance.
Standout senior linebacker Eric Little was optimistic about the defense’s prospects this season despite the lack of talent.
“We’re doing well with the guys we have here,” Little said. “I know a lot of good guys left that were considered leaders on defense, but we have guys that are more than capable of filling those roles.”
“I’m excited to see how the team sticks together”
Aurich is a key figure to keep an eye on for the Crimsons this year, but even before his first game, players seemed optimistic about how he would handle his role.
“I’m absolutely confident in what Coach Aurich is doing, and I think our spring preparation and training camp so far have really put us in the right position,” Deprima said. “I’m just excited to see how the team sticks together and how they end up doing in the first week,” he added.
Beyond the game against Stetson, Aurich is looking forward to preparing for intensive games together with the team.
“What I’m most looking forward to is losing myself in the weekly preparation for a game,” said Aurich. “These guys give it their all week in and week out because the goal every week is to be 1-0 on Saturday and when you can do that, it becomes a really fun process.”
The Crimsons look to defend their Ivy League title in a highly competitive field. The team finished second to Yale in the Ivy League preseason media poll, but received one more first-place finish than its historic rival.
The Bulldogs, under longtime coach Tony Reno, have lost several key players since last season – including quarterback Nolan Grooms, who was always a thorn in the Crimsons’ side – but the return of their talent has been enough to inspire confidence in another successful season.
Dartmouth, which shared the Ivy title with Harvard and Yale last year, finished tied for fourth in the media poll after losing several players to the transfer portal.
The Crimsons’ late October meeting with the other fourth-place team, Princeton, will be another season highlight. The Crimsons hope to earn their first win against the Tigers since 2017 and redeem themselves for a 2021 game in which a faulty referee call in the third overtime cost the Crimsons a win.
The game is made even more exciting by the fact that it is Aurich’s first duel against his alma mater and against a team that he once coached.
Harvard should not face much of a challenge from Stetson (2-1), which lost to Furman by over 40 points last week and finished 3-8 last season. Still, the Crimsons’ performance could set the tone for the season.
After 10 consecutive games without a bye, Aurich hopes to build momentum week to week. He said he wants the team to “stay focused all week long” so the week’s hard work can “lead to success on Saturday.”
Crimson fans should mark Saturday on their calendars. If the Aurich era is anything like the Murphy era, the opening shot of the 2024 season will be a fond memory for years to come.
—Editor Jo Lemann can be reached at [email protected].
—Editor Praveen Kumar can be reached at [email protected].
