Dan Ives

Football 11/11/2020 11:10:00 AM John Painter

All-Decade Football: Linebacker

These Guys Were Coaches on the Field, Heart and Soul of Their Teams

Eighth in a series.

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HAMILTON – The 2010s were another amazing decade in the annals of Colgate Football.

The Raiders won four Patriot League championships for the second decade in a row, upping their all-time total to 10. Colgate made two deep runs in the NCAA playoffs, advancing to the quarterfinals in both 2015 and 2018. The Raiders under head coaches Dick Biddle and Dan Hunt went 64-53 overall and 39-17 against Patriot League competition.

In celebration of those accomplishments, Colgate Football announces the All-Decade Team for 2010-19. Voters for this team were from the coaching staff, alumni, athletics department and media. Ties in the voting at wide receiver and linebacker resulted in one additional player being named for both of those positions.

"This was a neat thing to do and I appreciate everyone who helped out and gave their time to this process," Colgate head coach Dan Hunt said. "For me personally, it was really fun to talk about these guys, having been here for all of them and then some -- but not all as the head coach. It was a unique perspective on this to go back and talk about these great players."

Hunt especially enjoyed comparing those who finished their careers in 2010 or 2011 versus players who rounded out the decade.

"It was a good cross-section from different views of the football team," he said. "And the voters got it right. Obviously, there are players not on the list who easily could be. There were four championships during this 10-year period and two trips to the NCAA quarterfinals -- so there are some good players and some good teams."

Hunt noted that 11 of the 27 honorees came from the 2018 team that finished seventh and eighth in the major national polls after starting the season 9-0 on the strength of five shutouts. Those zeroes tied an NCAA FCS record for a season as Colgate breezed to a Patriot League title and earned a first-round NCAA playoff bye.

"Particularly on the defensive side of the ball, there are five on this team who were on that 2018 defense, and then four on offense and one on special teams," he said. "And to be honest with you, that's the way it should be. That's an all-time defense and an amazing all-around team that obviously performed very well."

Kyle Diener (2013-16)

Diener led the Raiders in tackles each of his final three seasons, and before that was the team’s freshman leader. He was a two-time All-Patriot League First Team selection after earning a Second Team nod in 2014. Diener finished with 332 career tackles, including 200 solo. He was the Patriot League leader in 2015 with 129, helping the Raiders to a Patriot League championship and two road victories in the NCAA playoffs. That run began when Diener batted down a Fordham two-point conversion pass on the last play of the game to cap a wild 31-29 win.

Kyle is the prototypical -- he probably came out of the womb as a linebacker! He played linebacker and looked like a linebacker in everything he did his entire life. Came here and anchored a great defense and was on the team that made a run to the NCAA Quarters. He was just that other coach on the field, which is what you need in a linebacker. He loved contact, was a physical run-stopper and knew what he was doing. Kyle defines that position.

Coach Dan Hunt

Chris DiMassa (2008-11)

DiMassa twice earned All-Patriot League honors, including a First Team selection in 2010. He led the Raiders in tackles in each of his last two seasons, posting 92 in 2010 and 101 in 2011 to finish top-four in the conference both years. He played in all 22 games those two seasons, including a career-high 15 stops against Fordham in his sparkling junior season. DiMassa also posted four interceptions and finished his career with 214 tackles in 46 games.

Chris was a little bit bigger player -- maybe in the Kyle Diener mode -- and another one who brought intensity, fire, great tackling, run-stopping -- everything you could ask for and more. He was a complete picture linebacker, and I'm really happy that he got the votes and is on this team.

Coach Dan Hunt

T.J. Holl (2015-18)

Holl earned All-America honors in 2018 after leading a Raiders defensive unit that tied an NCAA FCS record with five shutouts. His 121 tackles were tops on a defense that led the nation in scoring defense (9.3), total defense (237.7) and pass efficiency defense (88.77 rating). Holl was Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and pocketed All-Patriot League and All-ECAC First Team honors. He posted 18 tackles against Army of the FBS and then 16 at No. 1 North Dakota State in the NCAA quarterfinals. Holl played his final season at Louisville as a graduate transfer.

T.J. was one of the most passionate football players we ever had. He did not come here as a linebacker; came here as a quarterback but quickly transitioned. I'll never forget when he came to me and said, 'Coach, I just want to help the team. Where can I play?' We put him at linebacker and he was instinctive, physical, and in 2018 had one of the best seasons we've ever had a Colgate Football player have -- both from a statistical standpoint but also from a heart standpoint. He was the heart and soul of that dominant defense. Just the passion, the physicality and the toughness he brought to the game -- he's another player who has become how you measure that position now.

Coach Dan Hunt

Kris Kent (2011-14)

Kent finished his career with 37 consecutive starts and was a two-time All-Patriot League selection. He led the Raiders in tackles-for-loss in each of his final three seasons, finishing with 31 career TFLs. Kent posted a career high 12 TFLs in 2014 after registering 11 the year before and eight during the Patriot League championship season of 2012. He also led the team with 5½ sacks in 2014. For his career, Kent finished with 281 tackles and two interceptions in 44 games played.

Kris in the earlier part of the decade was the same type of player. Brought a lot of energy. He didn't come in as a linebacker but brought those instincts, that hustle and that physicality to the defense. It's no wonder that we've always had good defenses and we've won a lot of games when I can name guys like Kris Kent at linebacker. And that's what he was. He was a player who was going to be in the right place, was going to run sideline to sideline and was going to make the play when he got there.

Coach Dan Hunt

Chris Morgan (2013-16)

Morgan was an All-Patriot League First Team performer in 2016 after a versatile career that included 237 tackles and 27 kickoff returns for a 21.1-yard average. His 93-yard kickoff return at Yale in 2014 was Colgate’s first non-onside runback for a TD in nearly 15 years. Morgan was second on the team in tackles each of his final two seasons, including a career-high of 93 stops in Colgate’s 2015 Patriot League championship season and run to the NCAA playoff quarterfinals.

"Chris was the first person to play the outside linebacker position the way we have it now. Came here as a corner and he had to buy into what we were doing to make that position change. He had to trust us. And not only did he trust us, I'll never forget, 2015 when we moved him there, we asked him to do it and he did it. Against Holy Cross at a critical point in a critical game, he had an interception for a touchdown that really showed what that position could do and really saved a slow start to a season and got us going. I've told him, I credit a lot of the success we had in 2015 to that play against Holy Cross to put that game away. And once he did that, he defined what that position became. We've since had players similar to him but he made it. He made it what it is, he did it well and I'm really happy to see him on this team.

Coach Dan Hunt

Next Up: Defensive Backs, Friday.