
Sophomore running back Rashawn Marshall will have a chance to play a role in Maine’s ground game this season. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)
ORONO — Often, Football Championship Subdivision programs scour the transfer portal for players from Football Bowl Subdivision programs looking for a bigger opportunity. The University of Maine has certainly done that over the years. This season, though, head coach Jordan Stevens and his staff are trying another approach in the portal, too.
In rebuilding the running game, Maine didn’t look at players searching for carries after spending time on the bench with FBS schools. Rather, Stevens looked at standouts from smaller programs looking for a greater challenge.
As the Black Bears begin their season Saturday at Liberty, the top of the running back depth chart includes Sincere Baines, a transfer from Division II UNC Pembroke; sophomore Rashawn Marshall, who has yet to see college game action; and Sivert Klefsaas, a transfer from Division III University of Northwestern in Minnesota.
Maine’s top three rushing leaders in 2024, Brian Santana-Fis, Jaharie Martin and Tavion Banks, moved on. Of the other eight players who carried the ball at least once, only Symon Sathler was a running back. Sathler returns after carrying the ball twice for five yards last season. Cape Elizabeth’s Nick Laughlin moved from wideout to running back in the spring but will miss Saturday’s game because of an injury.
“I was just looking for some development. I wanted to be a part of a good culture. On my visit, everything was good. It’s a brotherhood. It’s an opportunity,” Baines said about his decision to transfer to Maine and leave his native North Carolina after a pair of strong seasons at UNC Pembroke. “There’s a lot of snaps to be played across this whole offense, and we know that. We’ve got to keep improving so we’re ready.”
It’s a step up in competition level for these guys, no doubt. For the Black Bears, who have been in the bottom half of the Coastal Athletic Association in rushing in recent seasons, it’s a chance worth taking. Maine has had success bringing in players from college football’s lower levels before. Last season, wide receiver Mo Irefin joined the Black Bears after earning All-America status at Division III St. Vincent College. He caught 19 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown, and led the conference in punt return average with 10.6 yards per return.
The newcomers have an opportunity to help a run game that improved last season but has lots of room for growth. In 2023, the Black Bears averaged just 79.7 yards per game on the ground, last in the CAA by a large margin and the only team in the league under 100 yards per game. Last season, Maine averaged 107.8 yards but was still 14th in the 16-team league. The Black Bears were also 14th in the league in rushing attempts (382) and yards per carry (3.4).
So Maine looked for talent that might’ve fallen through the recruiting cracks. At 6 feet, 215 pounds, Klefsaas could become a strong short yardage runner. Marshall looked strong in preseason scrimmages, Stevens said, and he calls Baines a “natural running back.”
“I just been really impressed by his overall awareness, vision and speed. He only has a couple years under his belt, so he doesn’t have a lot of miles on him,” Stevens said of Baines. “He’s someone who had production last year and had some big games over 100, 150 yards rushing. We know he can do it, and he’s a hungry, focused individual.”
Klefsaas was sixth in the nation in Division III in rushing yards last season, with 1,334 yards on 201 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. In two seasons at UNC Pembroke, Baines ran averaged 6.7 yards per carry and ran for 1,511 yards and 19 touchdowns. Will that success translate to FCS? One would think if a back has the ability to hit the holes in Division II or III, he can do the same at FCS. That’s where the Black Bears’ offensive line comes in.
Four of the five projected starters on Maine’s line played in at least 11 of the 12 games last season, and the fifth, right tackle Tyler Williams, saw action in five games. This group — tackles Andrew Kocan and Williams, guards Anthony Illiano and Leavitt grad Jack Boutaugh, and center Nicholas Cruji — has played a lot of football together.
“We’ve been able to keep that room relatively intact. Any time you can do that with offensive linemen, I think that’s a win,” Stevens said. “I think those guys have improved tremendously.”
For his first FCS game, Baines expects to have a lot of family in attendance, making the relatively short trip from his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Liberty’s campus in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Baines doesn’t see this as Maine taking a chance on a former Division II player. He sees it as taking a chance on himself.
“If I wanted to be the best version of me, I had to look for it,” Baines said.
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