By Lee Davis
Jose Casanova loves to play college football.
Or, more specifically, he loves playing football at Samford University.
After an outstanding career as a defensive lineman at Vestavia Hills, Casanova signed with UAB. After three years with the Blazers, he decided to make a change. And he found just the right place to go.
“I had a good experience at UAB and still keep up with a lot of the guys I played with there, but it wasn’t the right fit for me,” Casanova said last week. “I truly believe the Lord led me to be at Samford.”
The decision paid off as Casanova made an immediate impact with the Bulldogs in his junior season of 2014. He started six games in the defensive front and played in all 11 games. Casanova’s best performance may have come in a 52-0 rout of Stillman, as he recorded four tackles including a quarterback sack. His efforts helped Samford to a 7-4 record and runner-up finish in the Southern Conference, traditionally one of the toughest leagues in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
Soon after the season, Bulldog coach Pat Sullivan announced his retirement, so Casanova had to prepare for another transition.
“It’s always tough to follow a man like Coach Sullivan,” he said. “He was a great coach and even better person who loved our football team.”
Former Valdosta State quarterback Chris Hatcher – after a successful coaching tenure at Murray State – was hired to follow Sullivan, and Casanova adapted immediately.
“Coach Hatcher is similar to Coach Sullivan in many ways,” he said. “They both have great football minds and really relate to their players.”
The new season has been good to Casanova. Through four games, he has been a defensive leader in Samford’s 2-2 start. Casanova had a quarterback sack in the Bulldogs’ 45-16 win over Central Arkansas and two tackles for losses in a 58-21 rout of Florida A&M.
“The win over Central Arkansas is definitely a season highlight so far,” Casanova said. “They have a really good team and I think that win proves that we can be a contender for the Southern Conference championship.”
Hatcher brought a fast-paced, hurry up-style offensive scheme to Samford, which influences how the defense practices, as well. “We face it every day in practice, but that’s a help because most of the teams we play against run that same type of offense,” Casanova said. “So what we see on Saturday is a picnic compared to what we practice against Monday through Friday.”
The Bulldogs’ most recent outing was a 45-3 loss to Louisville of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Casanova said the basic difference between the top two divisions in college is simple.
“It’s all a matter of depth,” said Casanova, who played at the FBS level in his days at UAB. “There is great talent in our division. There are just more players at the larger schools.”
Whatever his division of play, a modern college football player’s life is highly regimented during the season. Casanova’s typical weekday begins with breakfast at 7:15 a.m. and a workout in the weight room at eight. He attends classes from 9:15 a.m. to 12:50 p.m., followed by lunch, team meetings, practice, dinner and study time. It’s virtually the same routine the next day.
“We definitely stay busy from August through the last game,” Casanova said. “There’s not a lot of down time.”
While individual honors are nice, Casanova said the main goal of his senior season is to win a championship. “I think we’ve proven we can play with the best teams in our conference,” he said. “I would love to end my playing days here as Southern Conference champions.”
As is the case with most college players, Casanova would like a shot at professional football, but if that doesn’t come to fruition, he hopes to put his degree in sports administration to good use – preferably close to home.
“There is nothing I’d like better than to work in athletic administration right here at Samford,” he said. “This school will always be like home to me, and to work here after graduation would be a dream come true.”
Casanova isn’t the only Over the Mountain alumnus who has found a football home at Samford. Also on the Bulldogs’ roster are freshman tight end Parrish Nichols and red-shirt freshman Tyler Queen from Vestavia Hills, sophomore linebacker Austin Chapman and junior kicker Warren Hanrahan from Mountain Brook, and freshman kicker Jody Purnell from John Carroll Catholic.
Spartan Spirit of ’75
It’s incredible to believe that 40 years have passed since the 1975 Mountain Brook Spartans went 13-0 and won their first of two consecutive state championships. The players, coaches and managers of the team will have a tailgate and reunion Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Mountain Brook school cafeteria before the present-day Spartans play Oak Mountain.
Cavalier Volleys
In our recent profile of John Carroll Catholic volleyball standout Mary Catherine Hart, I unintentionally shortchanged the Lady Cavaliers’ impressive volleyball tradition. As I have been reminded, John Carroll took back-to-back state volleyball crowns in 1996 and 1997, and it produced runner-up finishes in the next two seasons. I’m happy to set the record straight. ϖ
