Aug. 13, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Along the offensive front Stony Brook loses just one starter from a year ago, making the group a solid one. As a unit in 2007, the offensive line helped Stony Brook average over 160 yards on the ground and allowed just an average of 1.45 sacks, the 30th best mark in the nation.

The left side of the group is especially strong with the return of seniors Lawrence Lovell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at tackle and Steve Council (Plainfield, N.J.) at guard. The pair have been starters at their positions for the last two seasons and will anchor the line.

On the right side senior Ali Khawaja (East Meadow, N.Y.), a starter for the past two seasons at guard, will bring senior leadership to that side of the line. Juniors Chris Pugliese (Medford, N.Y.) and Jeff Santos (Irvine, Calif.) each saw a lot of action last season and bring two years worth of experience to the mix. At center sophomore Paul Fenaroli (Monroe, Conn.) saw plenty of action as a true freshman and looks to have secured the starting spot. Sophomore Emmett Phillips (West Hartford, Conn.) also saw action last season and will have his name in the mix along the line as well.

Depth behind the starters is a concern for Priore and his staff, so three transfer players were brought in to add some experienced depth to the line. Junior Charles Ryan (Carmichael, Calif.) comes to the program from the JC ranks where he was all-conference and all-state selection. Sophomore Bryce Carter (Freehold, N.J.) comes to Stony Brook from Temple where he had one year of experience, while senior Daniel Muy (Tallahassee, Fla.) has played at both Nebraska and Florida International.

Stony Brook's potential depth does not stop with the transfer players. Two players stat out last season taking redshirt years and are ready to contribute in 2007 after a year in the Seawolves system. Junior Markell Watson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) sat out last season after transferring from Maine, while local product redshirt freshman Mario Dattilo (Centereach, N.Y.) redshirted during his true freshman season. The only true freshman along the offensive front in 2008 will be Eric Mauler (Edgewater, Md.) who lettered three times at South River High School.

"We only graduated one person in our program who played reps for us and started last year so I think that's a good thing," said Priore. "I don't think we have a tremendous amount of depth right now with our kids that are in the program but we've been fortunate enough to balance that with some incoming transfers. Lawrence Lovell and Steve Council have been mainstays for us on our left side of the line and are both quality offensive lineman. I think both of them have the opportunity to have outstanding seasons. We're fortunate enough to add some depth with our transfers. I think those kids bring some quality experience, some quality ability, and will add to our depth of our program."