Coaching
A real signature win with real consequences elsewhere
ODU's road win at Virginia Tech directly contributed to that program firing its head coach — a genuine, quantifiable marker of how far Rahne's program has come.
SUN BELT FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 10 OF 14
OLD DOMINION MONARCHS
2026 Season Snapshot • Norfolk, Virginia
9-3 (Sun Belt East runner-up)
SBC
2026 Schedule
Live schedule, lines and results for Old Dominion.
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HEAD COACH
HANDICAPPING PROFILEHEAD COACH
Ricky Rahne — 7th season at Old Dominion
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
20–30 at Old Dominion
A longtime Penn State assistant (worked with Christian Hackenberg and Trace McSorley) who took over ODU in 2020. Delivered the program's best season in a decade in 2025 (9-3, StaffDNA Cure Bowl win over South Florida) — extended through 2029 immediately afterward as the program's second-place Sun Belt East finish was its best since joining the conference in 2022.
OLD DOMINION ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 9-3, ODU's best record in a decade, including a signature 45- 26 road win over Virginia Tech (the program's first-ever win at a Power 4 opponent) that directly led to Brent Pry's firing there. A real, statement-caliber season.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$846K+
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per USA Today's 2024 compensation database (via HERO Sports); Rahne signed a 4-yr extension in Dec. 2025 after ODU's best season in 10 years, with financial terms not yet fully disclosed. ODU has not disclosed a team NIL figure.
HANDICAPPING NOTES
- A real signature win with real consequences elsewhere: ODU's road win at Virginia Tech directly contributed to that program firing its head coach — a genuine, quantifiable marker of how far Rahne's program has come.
- Total offensive rebuild after historic production departs: 2025 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Colton Joseph (34 total TD, 3,600+ combined yards) transferred to Wisconsin; outside evaluators bluntly note "the offense lost EVERYBODY" — almost no starters return.
- Real, earned confidence at the new QB spot: Quinn Henicle already has a signature moment — Cure Bowl MVP honors after 24 carries (most by any non-academy QB in the country that week) replacing Joseph in relief.
COORDINATORS & SCHEME
OFFENSE / DEFENSEOFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Kevin Decker • 4th season • No-huddle spread option
Enters year four needing to replace historic production at every skill spot. Quinn Henicle (Cure Bowl MVP) has the inside track at QB over Washington State transfer Jaxon Potter; RB Devin Roche (630 yds, 5 TD in 2025) is one of the only meaningful returning starters on the entire offense.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Blake Seiler • 7th season • Base 3-2-6
The longest-tenured coordinator on staff, entering year seven. Provides real system continuity for a program replacing nearly its entire offensive identity heading into 2026.
2025 SEASON RECAP
RECORD & VENUE NOTES2025 RECORD
9–3 (Sun Belt East runner-up)
StaffDNA Cure Bowl: W 24-10 vs. South Florida, ODU's first bowl win since 2016. Best season since joining the Sun Belt, driven by Colton Joseph's Offensive Player of the Year campaign and a road win at Virginia Tech.
HOME FIELD
S.B. Ballard Stadium
Artificial turf (AstroTurf), Norfolk. Hosts James Madison and Marshall in 2026 as ODU tries to build on its best Sun Belt-era season while replacing nearly its entire starting offense.
PRIMARY SKILL PLAYERS
2026 PROJECTED STARTERS| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Quinn Henicle | RS-Soph | ★★★★★ | Three-star signee out of Downingtown, Pa.; Cure Bowl MVP after taking over for Colton Joseph in relief (24 carries, 107 yds, 2 TD, most non- academy-QB carries in the country that week). Has the inside track over Washington State transfer Jaxon Potter. |
| RB1 | Devin Roche | — | ★★★★★ | ODU's lone full-time returning starter on offense; 630 yds, 5 TD in 2025, the clear centerpiece of a nearly-total offensive rebuild. |
QB1Quinn HenicleRS-Soph★★★★★
Three-star signee out of Downingtown, Pa.; Cure Bowl MVP after taking over for Colton Joseph in relief (24 carries, 107 yds, 2 TD, most non- academy-QB carries in the country that week). Has the inside track over Washington State transfer Jaxon Potter.
RB1Devin Roche—★★★★★
ODU's lone full-time returning starter on offense; 630 yds, 5 TD in 2025, the clear centerpiece of a nearly-total offensive rebuild.
OFFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line rebuilt via portal | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Outside evaluators specifically credit the staff's portal work assembling "good-sized small-school blockers who fit the system," but note the whole unit turned over — a real, total line reconstruction. |
Line rebuilt via portalOL—★★★★★
Outside evaluators specifically credit the staff's portal work assembling "good-sized small-school blockers who fit the system," but note the whole unit turned over — a real, total line reconstruction.
HANDICAPPING NOTE — O-LINE
- Outside analysts explicitly flag rebuilding an entire offensive line in a few months as "asking for the world" — a real, honest red flag heading into a new-QB season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Front seven under Seiler | DL | Benefits from Blake Seiler's seventh-year system continuity, the clearest defensive stability on the roster amid the offensive rebuild. |
Front seven under SeilerDL
Benefits from Blake Seiler's seventh-year system continuity, the clearest defensive stability on the roster amid the offensive rebuild.
LINEBACKERS
2026 PROJECTED- Old Dominion's linebacker corps returns under the same defensive coordinator (Blake Seiler) for a seventh straight season — real, rare continuity while the offense replaces nearly its entire starting lineup.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Easterly | DB | ★★★★★ | Publicly praised the new-QB transition ("they can run... they're both good quarterbacks"), reflecting real returning experience and leadership in the secondary. |
Mario EasterlyDB★★★★★
Publicly praised the new-QB transition ("they can run... they're both good quarterbacks"), reflecting real returning experience and leadership in the secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS
KICKING, PUNTING & RETURN GAME- Overall: No major specialist storylines flagged for 2026. Old Dominion's defense-and-special-teams continuity under Seiler is the clearest stabilizing force for a program replacing almost its entire offensive identity after its best Sun Belt-era season.
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
8-5
61.5% cover rate — 19th of 82
2025 Straight up
10-3
Point differential +175
Scoring environment
50.5
Combined points per game — 52nd highest of 82
Home / road ATS
3-3 · 4-2
Totals 5-8 O/U (2-4 home, 3-3 road)
Points scored / allowed
32 per game scored (20th) · 18.5 allowed (10th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +13.5 (12th) · Strength of schedule -9.6
- Home / road: Home 3-3 ATS, road 4-2 ATS (neutral-site games excluded).
- Home / road: Totals 5-8 O/U — 2-4 at home, 3-3 on the road.
- Trend: 2025 ATS 8-5 (61.5% cover rate) across 13 games.
- Trend: Averaged 32 points and allowed 18.5, a 50.5 combined per-game scoring environment.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
+1.1
46th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-1.2
49th of 82
Defensive SRS
+1.5
44th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+13.5 · 12th of 82
Against the spread
8-5 (61.5%) · 19th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
50.5 · 52nd of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Notes
Saved Just J research for Old Dominion.
Total offensive rebuild after historic production departs
2025 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Colton Joseph (34 total TD, 3,600+ combined yards) transferred to Wisconsin; outside evaluators bluntly note "the offense lost EVERYBODY" — almost no starters return.
Quarterback
Real, earned confidence at the new QB spot
Quinn Henicle already has a signature moment — Cure Bowl MVP honors after 24 carries (most by any non-academy QB in the country that week) replacing Joseph in relief.
Offensive Line
Offensive line outlook
Outside analysts explicitly flag rebuilding an entire offensive line in a few months as "asking for the world" — a real, honest red flag heading into a new-QB season.
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