New era for Nassau C.C. football

Jhaleel Oswald, a former Nassau Community College football captain and key member of its 2013 Toro Bowl-winning team, is the Lions’ new head coach after running the defense/special teams under predecessor Jamel Ramsay for the past two seasons.

The Lions, who tackled plenty of adversity in 2023 and finished a disappointing 5-5, have more than 80 in the program and kick off the Oswald era with a trip to Cleveland to face Rochester Community and Technical College this Saturday at 4 p.m. The Yellowjackets are coming off a heartbreaking loss to DuPage in the NJCAA National Championship game.

“Last year we went through a lot of trials and tribulations and didn’t play up to our standards,” said Oswald, a free safety during his playing days at Nassau and LIU. “Our expectations are to put out a product that gets us back on track with our foundation and culture,” he said. “I’m not sure if we can measure that with wins and losses this year since we have a very young team with about 60 freshmen, but I know these guys are going to play hard and also work hard in the classroom.”

With five of the first six games on the road, Oswald likes the idea of a youthful team spending lots of time together and building camaraderie.

“It’s both a blessing and a curse,” Oswald said of the challenging schedule that includes visits to Navy Prep, Hudson Valley CC and Hocking in September. “We’re going to find a lot out about ourselves early,” he added. “At the same time, it’s a good opportunity to grow the chemistry. We’re trying to look at the schedule in a positive way and we’ll have a bunch of home games in the second half of the season.”

The Lions’ home opener at Mitchel Athletic Complex is under the lights against Army Prep on Friday, Sept. 13. They’ll then play three consecutive games at home in October, versus Erie CC, Monroe and Hudson Valley CC. “We’re playing all respectable programs with quality coaches,” Oswald said. “Every week is going to be a battle.”

Some key new faces to the offense are former Suffolk County high school standouts Jayden Taylor (Walt Whitman quarterback) and Caleb Corbett (Longwood running back.)

Taylor, a lefty with a strong arm, mobility, leadership qualities and knowledge of the game, improved every day in camp, Oswald said, to win the starting job. “He’s a great kid who can do a little bit of everything and I’m really looking forward to him leading our offense,” Oswald said.

Corbett will lead a backfield that includes transfer Eric Harris and serve as one of Oswald’s targets. “Caleb is a powerful runner with good hands and he’s stood out in camp,” the coach said.

A pair of sophomore receivers, Elijah Porter and Andre Mottas, 6-foot-3 and 6-1, respectively, are primed to up their production and make their presence felt downfield. “They’re similar players who run well, have good size and excellent hands,” Oswald said.

The offensive line is one of the Lions’ top position groups and can go eight deep according to Oswald. Sophomore Kenroy Hutchinson anchors the unit at center, with sophomore Jaeden Davis-Samuels of Hempstead and freshman Jayden Jagmohan other confirmed starters

On the defensive side, sophomore linebacker Ja’quevios Sam comes off a 49-tackle campaign, sophomore cornerback Dwayne Shulters picked off 2 passes and broke up 6, and could form a shutdown tandem with Abdul Somo.

On special teams, kicker Igor Rzasa and punter Danny Iobo will take care of the legwork.

2024 Schedule
Aug. 24 Rochester CC Away 4 p.m.
Sept. 7 Navy Prep Away 1 p.m.
Sept. 13 Army Prep Home 7 p.m.
Sept. 21 Hudson CC Away 1 p.m.
Sept. 28 Hocking Away 1 p.m.
Oct. 4 Wagner JV Away 11 a.m.
Oct. 12 Eric CC Home 1 p.m.
Oct. 19 Monroe Home 1 p.m.
Oct. 26 Hudson CC Home 1 p.m.
Nov. 2 Louisburg Away 1 p.m.