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Football MSU Athletics Communications

The Trench Mob

Morgan State Offensive Line Building Its Identity Through Trust, Physicality, and Preparation.

BALTIMORE, Md. (Oct. 1, 2026) — There is a certain comfort that comes with knowing the five players lined up beside you have your back.

For Morgan State's offensive line, that trust has become one of the defining characteristics of a unit that has helped provide senior quarterback Cameron Edge with a clean pocket through the first four games of the season.

The Bears have allowed just three sacks, tying for seventh nationally, while converting all 13 of their red-zone opportunities, tying for the nation's best mark.

But for the players responsible for protecting Edge, the numbers are only part of the story.

The foundation is trust.
 
Casillas
Daniel Casillas Jr.
"The biggest thing is we're communicating up front," veteran center Daniel Casillas Jr. said. "We have trust in each other. We don't have to be able to speak all these words and tell everybody where to go every time."

That communication is particularly important in the middle of the line, where Casillas works closely with his fellow linemen to identify protections and make adjustments.

For junior guard Evan Cooke, playing alongside Casillas provides another layer of confidence.

"Danny is a good friend," Cooke said. "Communication with him is great because he knows the playbook like the back of his hand. He knows everything before it happens. He's really like the heart of the team."

That familiarity has allowed the group to play with confidence rather than hesitation.

"We already clicked, and we know where we're going with each other," Casillas said. "We know where we need to be in the protection. We understand the rules."

Trust in the Trenches
As the center, Casillas carries much of the responsibility for getting the offensive line organized before the snap. But unlike previous seasons, he doesn't feel the need to shoulder every decision himself.

"Ultimately, this group that I have with me is great," Casillas said. "They're smart. They understand the game. So we understand concepts. I don't have to speak much to them. I can let them make their calls, and we already know how to work with each other."

That trust has allowed Casillas to play more freely.

"Maybe in years prior, I've had to make a couple more calls where I have to put a little bit more on my plate," he said. "And so I'm not playing to the best of my abilities just because I'm thinking about so many other things. But this group is making it easier, just allowing me to play and just have fun."
 
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That freedom has translated into protection for Edge, who has emerged as one of the MEAC's top quarterbacks through the opening stretch of the season.

From the offensive line's perspective, Edge's understanding of the offense has been just as important.

"He just got here, and he already knows everything," Cooke said. "He's telling receivers every single route. He knows what the O-line is doing. Really perfect for me."

Casillas also credits Edge for contributing to his own protection.

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Kelton Sparks
"Cam's also been doing a great job in putting himself in great positions," Casillas said. "If he sees something that he doesn't like, he'll get out of it and get into something more favorable for us. And it helps us keep him clean."

Still, the offensive line isn't satisfied.

"Three sacks is still three sacks too many," Casillas said.

For Kelton Sparks, a sophomore transfer from Morehead State, the philosophy is even simpler.

"We don't care who's behind us," Sparks said. "He's not getting hit. That's our mentality. Any sack is too many; any pressure is too many."

The goal remains the same regardless of who takes the snap.

"If our quarterback wants to sit back there for 20 seconds, we should go with him for 20 seconds," Sparks said. "So, that's how it should be."

A Different Kind of Juice
Sparks arrived at Morgan State with the benefit of joining a group already familiar with the system.

"I've played with a bunch of guys who've been in the scheme, who know the team, and made it really easy for me to come in and kind of plug and play in a way," Sparks said. "Any questions I had, I had four to five guys who were right there ready to answer them for me."

That veteran leadership helped Sparks get comfortable quickly. But he also believes he brought something of his own to the room.

"I think I bring a little bit of juice, maybe different juice," he said. "We've got a bunch of dudes who get juiced in their own way."
Sparks' personality is evident on the field.

"I like to be really vocal. I like to talk my talk. I like to do my thing," he said. "And we like to go be physical. And that's us as a unit."

For Sparks, few things compare to seeing five offensive linemen work together and then watching a running back break into the open field.

"I just love that feeling of dominating another man as five people," he said. "And then you see a running back take off for 60. There's no better feeling than that."
 

That physicality is something Casillas believes outsiders may not fully appreciate about the Bears' offensive line.

"There might be times people think we're undersized in terms of height," Casillas said. "But that doesn't change. We're going to be physical. We're going to be aggressive. We're going to be mean. We're going to move people off the ball."

That identity extends to both phases of the offense.

"Ultimately, that's the style we want to play," Casillas said. "We want to be able to run the football. But at the same time, when we've got to air it out, we're going to be able to keep our quarterback clean and help him step up and deliver that ball."

For head coach Damon Wilson, that identity up front is essential to how far the Bears can go.

"It's really important. We want to go as far as our big guys go," Wilson said. "Offensive line and defensive line are really the two most important positions on the field. They don't have a lot of stats a lot of times, especially offensive linemen, but those guys need to continue to lead the charge."

Learning the Next-Level Details
The line's preparation has been another key to its early success, and Leavitt has emphasized teaching players to recognize what is coming before the ball is snapped.
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Offensive Line Coach Tate Leavitt


"I'd say it's their ability to identify things and take the coaching that we're applying in practice and transfer it to the field," Leavitt said. "The guys do a good job with their eyes of identifying the protection and getting us in the right spot."

That preparation has resonated with Casillas, who said Leavitt's game plans allow the linemen to play with greater confidence.

"Tate has just come in and took it over, took it into a little bit of a next level, just a fresh perspective," Casillas said. "Sometimes that's what you need, is just a little fresh perspective on things. A lot of you just see things a completely different way."

Casillas also made sure to recognize the foundation laid by co-offensive line coach Richard Reddix.

"I think Coach (Richard) Reddix laid a great foundation for us," Casillas said. "He's laid a great foundation, and Tate has just come in and taken it to a little bit of a next level."

For Cooke, that combination of experience and perspective has helped accelerate the group's development.

"He brings a lot of experience, him playing at bigger schools," Cooke said of Leavitt. "He played at Kentucky. So he's bringing in a lot more knowledge of stuff we didn't know before."

Sparks has noticed the difference in the details as well.

"Coach Tate is really a guru of the game," Sparks said. "He is on even the little details. He calls them next-level details."

Those details, Sparks said, allow the offensive linemen to anticipate rather than simply react.

"Being able to start processing next-level details kind of makes the game slow down," he said. "You're not processing it in real time. You're kind of anticipating it, and it makes you feel like you're moving way faster when the game's the same."

Learning From the Best
One of the biggest advantages for Morgan State's offensive line comes during the week, when the group goes against a defensive front capable of testing every aspect of its protection.

The Bears' defensive line has established itself among the nation's most productive pass-rushing groups, led by sophomore Donovan Moyer.

For Casillas, facing that level of competition every day creates an environment where improvement becomes unavoidable.

"It's always a blessing when you're able to compete against those types of quality guys," he said. "And so when you're playing that level of competition day in and day out, it only makes you better."

There is no hiding from mistakes in practice.

"If you constantly are getting beat by those guys, you are going to get tired of losing, and you're going to have to change something to get better," Casillas said.

But the objective isn't simply to win practice reps. It's to establish a standard the offensive line can carry into Saturday.

"The main focus is we got to do our job and not play down for nobody's competition," Casillas said. "And that's—I think we've been doing a pretty good job so far."

That daily competition reinforces the physical identity the group wants to establish.

"Just playing our brand of football, playing our style of football and matching physicality, if not exceeding it in physicality," Casillas said. "That's what Coach Tate stresses all the time."

Still Room to Improve
For all the progress the group has made, Leavitt believes the offensive line is still developing.

The next step isn't necessarily about making wholesale changes. It's about refining the details that separate a good unit from a great one.

"Details, details, details," Leavitt said. "The one thing I'm incredibly impressed with about this group is the intent and physicality with which they play, and their ability to flip the switch on game day."

But he wants more consistency.

"It's the details—whether that's technique, details with our eyes, and making sure in the run game we're seeing what we need to see," Leavitt said. "Cleaning up the details in our combinations and one-on-one situations in the run game, I think, is going to be the next step for this group."

For Leavitt, strength is important, but technique ultimately determines success in the trenches.

"I think technique always wins," he said. "When it comes to technique, technique wins the game every rep."

Wilson believes that continued development could eventually produce something special.

"I don't think we're playing anywhere near our best football yet," Wilson said, "and I think if we do, it's going to be a sight to see."

Five as One
That shared identity has also created a personality away from the field.

Cooke describes the group as serious when the moment calls for it, but close-knit the rest of the time.

 
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Evan Cooke
"We get serious when we need to be, but I'd say we're a very goofy group," Cooke said. "Very close. Everybody hangs out with each other one-on-one. And yeah, it's like a mini family."

That chemistry extends beyond the position room.

The linemen joke with each other. They communicate in their group chat. They enjoy each other's company.

But when Saturday arrives, the switch flips.

"We know it starts with us," Sparks said. "When it's time to lock in, come Saturdays, we do a really good job of bringing who's down up and keeping everyone on the same level and keeping our juice."

For Sparks, enjoying the work is part of what makes the unit effective.

"If we're having fun with the five of us, it's going to make the job a lot easier," he said.

That chemistry has earned the group a nickname that fits both its personality and its job description.

The Trench Mob.
"We're like a mob," Sparks said. "We're in the trenches. We're a mob. We go handle our business as five."

Five players. One assignment. One standard.

Protect the quarterback. Move people off the football. Create running lanes. Play physical.

And above all, trust the man next to you.
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate, and certificate programs. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
 
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Players Mentioned

Daniel Casillas Jr.

#74 Daniel Casillas Jr.

OL
6' 2"
Graduate Student
Evan Cooke

#79 Evan Cooke

OL
6' 6"
Junior
Donovan Moyer

#9 Donovan Moyer

DL
6' 3"
Sophomore
Cameron Edge

#5 Cameron Edge

QB
6' 2"
Senior
Kelton Sparks

#77 Kelton Sparks

OT
6' 4"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Daniel Casillas Jr.

#74 Daniel Casillas Jr.

6' 2"
Graduate Student
OL
Evan Cooke

#79 Evan Cooke

6' 6"
Junior
OL
Donovan Moyer

#9 Donovan Moyer

6' 3"
Sophomore
DL
Cameron Edge

#5 Cameron Edge

6' 2"
Senior
QB
Kelton Sparks

#77 Kelton Sparks

6' 4"
Sophomore
OT