The four will be among 15 starters returning from last year's team that was among the best in school history. The Blue Hens went 11-4 and advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game before falling to three-time defending national champion Appalachian State University. Delaware won the Lambert Cup Trophy as the top team in the East and was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference team of the year.
Hendricks is a center from Baltimore, Md., Johnson is a middle linebacker from Fairport, N.Y., Michaud is a wide receiver and kick returner from Levittown, Pa., and Marcorelle is a defensive end from Ft. Pierce, Fla. Marcorelle will serve as a co-captain for the second straight year after becoming the first sophomore in school history to be so honored a year ago.
Delaware will have four players serve as captains for just the second time in school history. Leo Hamlett, Chris Kumpon, Geof Gardner and Kenny Bailey served as captains during the 1996 season when the Blue Hens went 8-4 and advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
Hendricks, a former walk-on, returns as one of the nation's top centers for the 2008 season. A three-year letter winner and two-year starter, he earned first team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors a year ago and was named an honorable mention All-American by The Sports Network. During the 2007 season, he helped lead an offensive line unit that paved the way for All-Americans Omar Cuff and Joe Flacco. Delaware was among the national leaders and led the CAA in scoring offense (36.2, 11th in NCAA), passing offense (289.5), and total offense (460.6) this past season.
Johnson, another former walk-on, is a three-year letter winner and three-year starter. He enjoyed an outstanding season as a first-year starter at middle linebacker last fall, when he led the team with 122 tackles, including 69 solo stops, and posted two sacks, 11 tackles for loss, three interceptions and one fumble recovery. The total of 122 tackles was the 11th highest for a single season in UD history. He was virtually unstoppable during the Hens' post-season run as he had 37 tackles, 4.5 tackles for losses of 31 yards, and intercepted two passes in four NCAA playoff games. He also earned Blue Hen Touchdown Club defensive player of the game honors five times during the year.
Marcorelle returns as one of the top defenders in the conference after being named third team All-CAA and honorable mention All-American by The Sports Network a year ago. A two-year starter, Marcorelle had 64 tackles last season and led the team with 15 tackles for loss for 94 yards and eight quarterback sacks for 68 yards. He also broke up a pass, recovered two fumbles and set a UD single season record with five forced fumbles. He posted four sacks and nine tackles for loss as a freshman in 2005 before missing all but two games during the 2006 campaign due to a shoulder injury.
Michaud, one of the top multi-purpose threats in the CAA, earned third team All-CAA honors a year ago at wide receiver. He also can play running back and is among the top kickoff returner specialists in the league. A three-year starter, he caught 52 passes for 682 yards and three touchdowns in 2007 and has snared 116 passes for 1,228 yards and five touchdowns for his career. He set UD single season records last season with 39 kickoff returns and 806 yards and his 20.7 average was among the league's best marks.
Delaware will open preseason camp in early August in preparation for the 2008 season opener Aug. 30 at Atlantic Coast Conference contender the University of Maryland. The Hens will host longtime foe West Chester on Sept. 13 in the first of six home games at Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium.
For more information on UD athletics, see [www.udel.edu/sportsinfo].
