When the Stetson Hatters take the field at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening to take on visiting Sacred Heart in the 2016 season-opener the hope is that fans will see a different kind of Stetson team.

Some of the differences in the Hatters for 2016 will be noticeable, but some difference will be subtler. The Hatters will certainly be bigger and stronger, but also will have a better internal leadership structure within the team, thanks to some off-season work.

“We've had a great fall camp, maybe the best we have had since we started the program back, but there are still some unknowns,” Stetson coach Roger Hughes said. “One of the reasons we had such a great fall camp is that we came into it in the best shape we have ever been. That is a direct testament to Mark Wateska, our strength coach. He set a standard and expectation level in the weight room for work and how you come back in shape. He has also improved our toughness.”

In addition to the credit for the work Wateska did to get the team ready in the weight room, there were also significant contributions from Dr. Matt Wilson, who worked with the team through the book “Extreme Ownership” to improve communication and accountability.

“It all started when we trained the captains in that area first,” Hughes said. “The captains came back and helped to train the rest of our team, with Dr. Wilson facilitating that. He did a great job of pointing out differences and areas where conflict could occur, but with good communication, conflict won't occur. We have been able to get to know each other better and understand that we are all trying to get to the same things.”

The teams' leadership was challenged early in training camp when junior quarterback Colin McGovern went down with a season-ending injury. In addition to being one of six team captains, he was a player the rest of the squad had extreme confidence in. His loss elevated sophomore Gaven DeFilippo to the starting job at quarterback.

“There was certainly nothing good with what happened, but there were two silver linings,” Hughes said. “The timing of it allowed us to give Gaven a lot more reps during camp and, secondly, the (injury) was about as clean as it could be. His ability to recover is pretty set, so we will have two more years with him after a medical redshirt.”

DeFilippo redshirted last fall and, with a year he spent at prep school, he is two years older than most sophomores, but it was the work he did in the off-season that put him in position to take the reigns of the Stetson offense.

“If you had asked me last year at this time if he would be starting for us, I would have said no,” Hughes said. “He worked hard over the summer to change his body. He lost weight and got quicker. He made a commitment in the weight room. So, from that standpoint, I am not surprised. I think the team has gained a lot more confidence in Gaven, and there is certainly no questioning his courage.”

In addition to an inexperienced quarterback, the Hatters will have a pair of first time starters on the offensive line, but will have a deep and experienced corps of skill players to help ease any early growing pains.

The offensive line includes a pair of fifth-year seniors on the left side in tackle Patrick Fogarty (a captain) and guard Matt Wawrzyniak. Sophomore Jim McCammon returns after starting every game last year at right guard. The newcomers to the front are sophomore center Garrett Mullin and sophomores Dominic Coluccio and Andrew Rogalski at right tackle.

“They are sophomores and are talented kids, but they haven't been in the fire,” Hughes said. “Mullin had a very good spring and was lined up to have an opportunity to start anyway. There will be some baptism by fire for those guys but they are all doing a better job of communicating. I credit Coach Brian Boerboom for that and, hopefully, it will pay off.”

DeFilippo will have a full stable of backs and receivers at his disposal. Senior backs Cole Mazza and Mike Yonker are both healthy going into the year and sophomore Arkee Brown has taken a giant step forward. On the outside the Hatters have redshirt sophomore Darian Wright back at full speed along with fifth-year senior Kegan Moore. They will be joined on the inside by another fifth-year senior captain in Jonathan Jerozal. Sophomore Austin Perlman is another threat at receiver.

“Cole Mazza, I think, can't wait to get going,” Hughes said. “He missed a lot of the year last year with that turf toe injury and he is anxious to get going. Perlman made huge improvements from his freshman season and it is good to have Darian and Kegan back at full strength.”

The position with the greatest impact potential is tight end where senior Austin Marks and redshirt sophomore Austin Tyrrell return along with sophomore Donald Parham. All reported to camp stronger and, in the case of Parham, bigger. At 6-foot, 8-inches tall, he will pose a serious matchup problem for most teams on the schedule.

“I hope he is quite a weapon for us, and we think he will be,” Hughes said. “I keep thinking about Harold Carmichael, who played for the Eagles. He is really agile, he is sneaky fast, and he has tremendous ball skills. We have three that can play and will have a prominent role in what we are doing. The nice thing is that their athleticism allows us to do some things, such as split them out wide, and we hope that little bit of uncertainty for defensive coordinators will help us in the long run.”

On the defensive side of the ball the Hatters are loaded with veteran players, including seven seniors who are set to be in the starting lineup. In addition to those seniors there is a mixture of veterans and promising young players who will fill out the lineup.

The Stetson defense revolves around two-time All-American, and two-time Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year, Donald Payne. Another of the fifth-year seniors who serves as a team captain, Payne returned post graduation to see through to the end what he and the other fifth-year players started in 2012.

“Really, if Donald just has a Donald year, we will be fine,” Hughes said. “The things that he has accomplished are just remarkable. Frankly, there are some people that just don't believe his numbers. My biggest fear is that Donald is worried too much about having to live up to his billing, rather than just playing.”

With a veteran corps around him, Payne may actually see his numbers decrease in his final year while the Hatters produce a better overall product on the field.

“He has a lot more trust in the guys playing next to him to make their plays, so he doesn't feel like he needs to make every play,” Hughes said. “While he does make a lot of plays, there have been times when he has gotten out of position because he was trying to do too much. Our defense should be more sound.”

The strength of the defense will start on the line of scrimmage where Davion Belk, another fifth-year senior captain, returns at end. He will get a boost from the healthy return of redshirt junior Shayne White as well as juniors Eddie Curry and Jeff Fallabel at the other end.

The extra boost on the front will come from a trio of younger players at nose tackle.

“Freshmen Shane Parton and Nick Kryvicky are really good players and Zane Smith has really improved as a sophomore,” Hughes said. “We have never been deeper with quality at nose guard than we are this year. We have also never been deeper in the defensive line. The thing is, if an offense double-teams Davion, then they have to answer who is going to block the rest of those guys.”

A pair of fifth-year seniors return at linebacker in Dylan Wydronkowski and David Lazear. Like Payne, both graduated last may, but decided to return for one last season.

“I can't say enough about Dylan Wydronkowski and David Lazear,” Hughes said. “Dylan is a captain and David is one of the Lieutenants of our leadership council, both of those guys have been phenomenal leaders. Both of them have really taken charge of the defense.”

The new starter at linebacker is redshirt freshman Colby Duncan, who opened a lot of eyes in camp. He had Division I offers out of high school but, after spending time at Troy, he decided that Stetson was a better fit for him.

In the secondary, the Hatters have two more fifth-year seniors in Chris Atkins and Glenn Adesoji joining Payne. Atkins has moved from corner to free safety while Adesoji will be opposite of Payne at the other Dawg safety spot. The trio of senior Dre Long, junior Chancellor Jackson and sophomore Jackie Johnson will primarily man the corner positions.

“We have to play well at corner if we are going to continue to pressure,” Hughes said. “Jackie Johnson has really played well and I think that Dre Long has had absolutely his best camp. There is no question that Chancellor Jackson is a great backup, plus we have Atkins and Adesoji who can move to corner if we need them.”

Hughes said special teams is where the Hatters have to make the most strides in order to be successful. The kicking game, with seniors Eric Fogle (punts) and Grant Amick (FG/PAT/KO), is in great shape. The key improvements must come from the return game. To help that, the Hatters will employ more of their top-line players in all phases of special teams.

Wright, Payne, Brown, Atkins and Long will all get chances to return kicks with the hope of giving the offense better field position. On the other hand, some of those same players will cover kickoffs and punts to try to limit opponents' success in the return game.

“We have spent a ton of time on special teams trying to cover every scenario,” Hughes said. “I think the kids are better embracing the importance of special teams and that is another reason why I think this camp has been one of our best.”