Monmouth Defensive End Mounir Keshen Primed For Breakout Season

WEST LONG BRANCH - If this spring's Blue/White Showcase scrimmage was any indication, Monmouth sophomore defensive end Mounir Keshen is ready to become one of the Hawks' next impact players.

After overwhelming the offense with three sacks and spending much of the day in the backfield, Keshen put together the kind of dominant performance that turned heads and had spectators buzzing about who this number 52 was. He now enters the season primed to help anchor a rebuilt pass rush with breakout potential written all over him.

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The Hawks' defense lost 19 sacks from a year ago with the defections of ends Lamont Lester (Colorado) and Josiah Graham (Texas St.) in the transfer portal, creating a pressing need to develop new edge rushers to bookend returning edge starter Hunter Watson (4 sacks).

"I believe we have a great group of interior guys and on the outside," said Keshen. "We have a good group of pass rushers, and I think we can do a lot more than we did last year. It was a blessing to be around the guys last year and learn from Lamont and Josiah; now it's my time to really hone in on what they taught me and hone in on what coach Cole (defensive line coach Cody Cole) has taught me in the pass rushing game setting edges and all that stuff. I believe we have a great group of guys on the edge, Hunter Watson, Donovan Dyson and Jake Davis, who can really get after it."

Keshen has stepped into that role with a swagger that suggests he is not merely filling a role, but seizing a stage that suddenly feels built for him to prove he can be Monmouth's next disruptive force off the edge.

Originally brought in as a linebacker, Keshen shifted to defensive end this season after Monmouth's staff saw how well his burst, athleticism, power and closing speed fit as an edge rusher. The move put him closer to the ball and gave the Hawks a better way to unleash his ability to pressure the quarterback.

"It's a little bit more natural," said Keshen of the switch. "I played defensive end my first two years of high school, then switched to linebacker my junior and senior years. I played linebacker last year; now I'm going back to the role that I already have a feel for. So, for me, I had to hone in on technique a little bit more, but honestly, it's been a really smooth transition for me."

As a true freshman last season, Keshen played in all 12 games as a reserve and on special teams, finishing with eight total tackles, including four solo stops.

Speaking of high school, Keshan played under head coach Dennis Scuderi, who will be inducted into the South Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame later this month, at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

"Coach Scuderi actually recruited me as far back as Little League," said Keshen. "He talked to my parents and explained the vision he had for the Paul VI program. His vision for our class and me was to rebuild our program. He wanted a good recruiting class, and he developed us into the guys we are today. I believe I wouldn't be the player I am today if I weren't for coach Scuderi."

Scuderi recalls hearing about this young kid who people were already raving about his potential.

"So, he was playing for the Pennsauken Indians and the person who ran the organization I coached," said Schderi. "He told me about him and told me to come down and watch him, so I did, and we were lucky enough to get him to come to our school. He came in and started as a freshman on varsity and dominated some people; he was unbelievable. Sophomore year, he kept getting bigger, and by his junior and senior years, people were running away from him.

"I see him every summer; he's real good friends with one of my coaches, so he's around a lot," added Scuderi. The kid's a fanatic; always in the weight room. He's constantly lifting weights and constantly trying to get better. It's never about him, though; it's always about the team. He's a great leader, and believe me, we still miss him. He's a great person, a great human being, and a quality kid. He's going to do great things at Monmouth."

At Paul VI Keshen was a four-year starter who led his team to consecutive WSFL championships and playoff appearances in his junior and senior seasons. He was a third-team All-State selection and a second-team All-Non-Public pick his senior season after recording 119 tackles, 24 tackles for loss (TFL), four sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He had double-digit tackles in 10 of his 11 games, including a season-high 18 tackles against St. Augustine. For his career, he totaled 323 tackles, 62 TFL and 19 sacks.

"I owe my trainer with SRT Prep Academy, coach Gary Onuekwusi, who got me right for my senior season," said Keshen. Honestly, I owe a lot of my ability to him. I have to give him a lot of the credit for what I accomplished in my senior year. When it was time to go, he had me ready to go."

Ironically, in 2013, Onuekwusi, a linebacker, transferred to Monmouth from Temple for his final season of eligibility and was second on the team in tackles.

"I got most of my offers after camp season my senior year," said Keshen of his recruiting process. "Monmouth was literally right in my backyard, and my parents could come see me play. Coach Gallo recruited me, and it was a blessing that when I first stepped on campus it just felt like a family and I already belonged. So, it wasn't a hard decision for me. They had a plan for me and really trusted it."

Long before he arrived at Monmouth, Keshen's rare size and physical maturity earned him the nickname "Manchild" as a youngster, and it has stuck with him ever since for good reason: he's "built like a brick ….house."

"That actually came from my little league team back in Pennsauken, New Jersey," said Keshen, laughing. "My coach on the Pennsauken Indians, coach Joe, gave me the name and it stuck with me all through high school and now at Monmouth."

Defensive line coach Cody Cole is not only excited about what Keshen can become on the field, but just as impressed by the character, work ethic and maturity he brings to the program every day.

"Someone you can count on; a helluva young man out of South Jersey," said Cole of Keshen. "As a human being, his faith is in the right place; a strong believer in Christ, and you see it throughout his fruits and his labor. He acts the right way, treats people the right way, and holds himself to a high standard, as well as others. We really love him as a teammate and a player.

"The first thing you saw in Mounir as a freshman was his physical presence," added Cole. "Whenever he was on the field, he was able to get off of blocks at a very young age. He's naturally strong, which helped his leverage. He was the guy who was a true freshman that we could rely on and would go into games and help us. He's got the ability; he just needs to keep stacking days. He has pass-rushing ability but is stout enough to play the run, so we thought edge was a better fit for him. It's making him a better player because it allows him to get to the ball a lot faster. He can read his key from the line of scrimmage and play fast. I do believe he will do some great things for us this season."

Former defensive coordinator Louis DiRienzo, who tragically and suddenly passed away this summer, initiated Keshen's move to defensive end.

"It was coach Lou's idea, and to be honest I was unsure about it in the moment," said Keshen about the switch. "I was honing in on my ability at linebacker, but one thing about coach Lou, it was all about the team. He saw something in me that I didn't really see in myself, and he wanted to spread my talent across the field. He thought it was a good idea, and I trusted him, and I've been making steady strides ever since."

For Monmouth to reach the goals it has set for itself this season, the defense will have to take a significant step forward, especially after too many games last fall became shootouts. Monmouth's defense ranked 93rd out of 126 FCS teams in total defense.

"I really don't listen to the outside noise," said Keshen about last season's defense. "Our coach says it a lot: It's rat poisoning. We've gone through a lot of adversity, losing coach Lou, and just all the negative hate on the defense over the last couple of years. But we come together on connection, growth and toughness. We're all connected like a brotherhood, especially on the defensive side. We all love each other, and we're all striving to be better than we were yesterday or today. One thing that we always say is, "Today's the worst we'll ever be, because we're always striving to be better," whether that's being mentally tougher or physically tougher. I believe that our defense is going to do a lot of great things this season. We will hit some adversity, but it's more about how we handle it as a group."

The arrow, at least from here, appears to be pointing up for Monmouth's defense. With Watson and Keshen on the edge, a deeper rotation at both linebacker and up front, and a secondary that boasts All-American safety Jaeden Jones, the Hawks look far better equipped to complement their offense and turn the tides from last season's struggles into the foundation for a much more complete team.

Look for Keshen to play a big role in the turnaround.