NORFOLK, Va (WAVY) — We’re a little over four months away from Old Dominion Football opening up their 2025 season against Indiana in Bloomington. While the Monarchs are looking for their first winning season in the Ricky Rahne Head Coaching tenure, they’re ascending on both sides of the ball.

We know the offense, behind breakout star Quarterback Colton Joseph, is going to be at the very least exciting. But, when you think of that excitement, it definitely carries over to the other side of the ball on the defense, specifically the linebacker core.

“It’s about time. It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. He looks good, knocking the rust off,” said ODU Defensive Coordinator Blake Seiler talking about All-American Linebacker, Jason Henderson. Henderson medically redshirted last season after only playing in ODU’s opening game of the 2024 season against South Carolina. Now, he’s back to full speed, without any brace on his legs, behind rising Linebacking star and Newport News native, Koa Naotala.

“It’s great, you know. There’s nothing better than having your leaders back. That’s critical,” said Seiler.

But it’s not just about the talent on the field, it’s also about the talent on the sideline. Old Dominion is keeping its core coaching staff after a few years of turbulence. In fact, ODU is one of 14 FBS Schools to return all coordinators with at least 3+ years experience.

“Continuity is everything. It’s hard with the portal. As hard as it is to lose good players, it’s even harder to lose good coaches. It just takes so much time to train a new coach, so we’ve been blessed there,” said Seiler.

The Monarchs will open their season against Indiana Saturday, August 30.