Eagle

GRANVILLE, Ohio — Shawn Eagle has one season of college football left and he's determined to make the most of it.

Eagle, a 2007 graduate of Seneca Valley High, is now a senior tight end for Denison University.

The Big Red are in a transition season after Jack Hatem, who served as the team's defensive coordinator from 2007-09, took over as head coach in March following a 3-7 2009 campaign.

Eagle said he believes the change was good for the program.

"The last few years, we have been a very run-oriented football team," Eagle said before Denison's 21-6 season-opening win over Ohio Wesleyan last Saturday. "This year, there's going to be a lot more passing — not necessarily deep passes, but a lot of quick drop passes. That's something that was basically non-existent here the last few years.

"Coach Hatem was clearly the best fit for the job," Eagle added.

Eagle saw action in nine games as a freshman in 2007 and started eight games at tight end in 2008.

But it was last season when he began to put his stamp on Division III football in Ohio.

While providing key blocks for Denison's ground game, Eagle also caught 20 passes for 278 yards. For his efforts, he was named an honorable mention in the North Coast Athletic Conference's postseason balloting.

Both the number of receptions and the yardage led the Big Red in 2009, something Eagle is hoping does not happen again this season.

"I want to help the team any way I can, but a tight end should not lead a team in those categories for an entire season," he said. "We've got a lot of talent at wide receiver and I'd like to see them get more chances to make plays."

Eagle was recognized as one of the top tight ends in Division III college football in Ohio by ohiocollegefootball.com before this season.

"That was flattering," Eagle said. "There's a lot of great football players in Ohio and a lot of them play in our conference."

Though Denison was not set on a starting quarterback before the season, it may have found one.

In the Week 1 victory, sophomore Max Paulus completed 15 of 25 passes for 172 yards to go with one touchdown and one interception.

"He doesn't have the strongest arm," Eagle said of Paulus, "but he seems to have that 'it' factor."

Note: The NCAC is home to seven college football teams, including Allegheny College in Meadville. ... Coach Jack Hatem could not be reached for comment.