The Kent State Golden Flashes kicked off their 2023 season on a Thursday night in Orlando, signifying a completely brand new era for the program.
Coaching changes are beyond commonplace in college football. Losing star talent to the transfer portal is an increasing phenomenon. But Kent State was struck with a tremendous combination of both this offseason. Head coach Kenni Burns inherited a team returning the fewest starters in the FBS at three, and that vast inexperience showed in a 56-6 thrashing at UCF in Week 1.
But 22 players accrued a valuable start in that UCF game, and the overall experience of the program cranked up exponentially after a 50-point defeat.