EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The East Stroudsburg Warriors continue to climb under head coach Jimmy Terwilliger.
The Warriors are coming off of their first playoff appearance since 2009, finishing 9-3 (5-2 Pennsylvania State Athletic East Conference.) The Warriors are ranked third in the PSAC East pre-season poll behind No. 1 Kutztown and No. 2 Shephard.
The team returns 16 starters from last season, with a slight change under center.
Redhsirt-junior quarterback, Sean McTaggart will be the starting quarterback in 2024.
The Warriors deployed four different quarterbacks last season, each seeing snaps in multiple games. McTaggart started five games last season, appearing in eight. He threw for 1,110 yards while completing 81-132 attempts for 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
“This group is going to be different,” said Terwilliger. “What I've seen thus far in the first preseason is we've got some veteran leaders at both ends of the ball that are really stepping up to the plate and bringing the young guys along with talent underneath those guys with depth. So, I expect us to be able to be competitive throughout every game this year,” said Terwilliger.
Heading into his fifth season leading the team, Terwilliger finds himself on the ballot for the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame. If Terwilliger is inducted, he would become the first person in ESU history to be enshrined in Florence, Ala.
Terwilliger won the Harlon Hill award in 2005 when he was the quarterback for the Warriors. His numbers show he wasn’t just one of the greatest to play at ESU, but one of the greatest quarterbacks in all of NCAA DII.
“Just to put East Stroudsburg football nationally in there, I'm proud of the university I work for. I'm proud to be a Warrior and I look forward to seeing how well we could get nationally recognized in between that,” said Terwilliger.
It’s because of Terwilliger’s playing prowess, knowledge of the game, and leadership style that leaves his players with nothing but confidence in following him back to a playoff appearance.
“You know, Twig’s a great role model [and] mentor,” said McTaggart. “He knows football ins and outs. He was great here, you know… he's a great guy to play for, I wouldn't rather play for anybody else.”
East Stroudsburg begins the season on the road at Edinboro Thurs. August 29 at 7:00 p.m. They open conference play at home vs. No. 1 Kutztown Sept. 28th.