2023 Patriot League Football Media Day Highlights

Fred ’50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Stan Dakosty and student-athletes preview 2023 season

Full Press Conference

HAMILTON – Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Stan Dakosty, junior quarterback Michael Brescia, and fifth-year linebacker Tyler Flick fielded questions from the media during the 2023 Patriot League Virtual Media Day on Tuesday afternoon.

Press Conference Highlights:

Opening remarks from Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Stan Dakosty:

"I'm obviously excited to be on here and excited for the season. We'll report next week, start practice on Friday, and then ramp it up from there.

"We had a lot of work to do coming off the last season. As a program, we set some new standards and expectations. We have implemented high levels of accountability with our leadership to keep pushing through and getting this program back to where it needs to be, where it should have been, and where it has been. So, I think that from that standpoint, we're excited.

"We had about 80 guys up here over the summer working out and working hard together as a team, and we have some guys that have been doing some awesome internships as well. Overall, we got a good mix of guys that have been around and have played, but we also have some guys that were thrown into the fire last year. They got some experience early on in their careers that they can carry over into this season. At the end of the day, this team is a fun team to be around, a fun team to coach, and very tight-knit. It's easy to see that they love football and love the process. We're going into camp next week with high expectations but with the understanding that there's still a lot of work to do."

Question for Fred '50 and Marilyn Dunlap Head Football Coach Stan Dakosty about playing Syracuse and Villanova back-to-back and if the team sees them as a test for conference play:

"Yeah, when we play the Power-5 programs we go into those games with the same mindset as every other game. We're going to line up, fight, and play competitive football. In the locker room after the game, if it's a loss, we're upset. We have a great conference in the Patriot League. We're going to play against a lot of great teams. Add that to playing some of the top teams from a conference like the CAA and Ivy League. There are never any cupcakes on our schedule, but that's who we are. I list every game with the same sense that the opponent's going to be as difficult as the next."

Question for Michael Brescia on if he feels he's taking on more leadership as an upperclassman:

"Last year was my first year as a captain. We needed to get the culture back in the place that it needs to be; the winning culture that Colgate is and what we pride ourselves in. I, along with other upperclassmen and some underclassmen are taking on leadership roles on this team to get back to that winning culture. I'm very happy to see where we're at right now, and we still have ways to go. It's exciting to know that we have such great leaders on this team moving forward into the season."

Question for Tyler Flick and his expectations for the defense going into camp:

"I think going into camp we have a lot of high expectations, mostly because a lot of the guys have played and have experienced different situations that they were thrown into last season. If you take the Lehigh game, for example, I think we traveled with four corners that game, many of them were freshmen, which at the time was kind of scary, but now it's great. That's an asset that we're going to use to win this season. Going into fall camp, we had a ton of freshmen and underclassmen up here during the summer. We've been getting out on the field, doing fieldwork with the scheme, and other things like that. So, we already feel like we have a head start going into this fall camp, which is going to be necessary to try to overcome that 3-8 record last year."

Questions for student-athletes on what they are most looking forward to coming into camp and places where they can see some improvement this season:

Michael Brescia: "As Flick said earlier, we've had over 80 guys here, so that's been great. We also have some guys that have been doing internships, so I'm excited to get together as a full team at our first meeting. That's going to be super exciting and just really flying around on the field at our first practice and getting to finally compete, not only in captain's practice but with the pads on. We're just going to enjoy being around each other with the same goal in mind to win a championship."

Tyler Flick: "Getting back together as a team in the dorms for fall camp. That's always a great experience. Also, the Syracuse games will be a highlight. That was our COVID year that it got canceled. So, for a lot of guys, it's going to be our first time playing Syracuse. It will be a special one, especially since it's almost like a home game. It's only 50 minutes down the road, so I think that will be a highlight of the season."

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Players Mentioned

#5 Michael Brescia: QB; 6' 3"; Junior

#47 Tyler Flick: LB; 6' 1"; Fifth Year

Players Mentioned

#5 Michael Brescia
: 6' 3"; Junior
: QB

#47 Tyler Flick
: 6' 1"; Fifth Year
: LB

Players Mentioned

#5 Michael Brescia

#47 Tyler Flick

Players Mentioned

#5 Michael Brescia

#47 Tyler Flick