‘Nothing to lose’: Why the Charlotte 49ers appear to playing with a ‘sense of freedom’
There’s a renewed sense of confidence around the Judy W. Rose Football Center this week, and it’s not because of the Charlotte 49ers’ recent victory against Florida Atlantic.
As the season finale and the program’s senior day approach, with the visiting UAB (3-8, 2-5 AAC) Blazers trekking to the Queen City on Saturday, the 49ers (4-7, 3-4 AAC) are playing with a freedom that wasn’t present before Biff Poggi’s termination.
“The team felt a sense of freedom,” senior center Jonny King said. “Not from anything that had happened, but we just went down there and played free. It was because of the message that was sent to the team. Everybody just played like they had nothing to lose.”
Despite being eliminated from bowl contention and having to mix and match lineups with double-digit scholarship players in the portal, a win on Saturday would mark the program’s best season since 2021. And while a fifth win still wouldn’t put the program where athletic director Mike Hill wants it to be, which was made clear by Poggi’s midseason firing, the Charlotte job is an attractive job that Hill expects to be filled in the near future.
Hill told The Observer that Charlotte’s pool exceeded 30 candidates, and is continuing to whittle down, stating that the 49ers are “making progress, but still have work to do.”
And when the hire is made for the program’s fourth head coach in its brief history, it’s clear that priority No. 1 is keeping true freshman DeShawn Purdie on campus.
And it sounds like there’s mutual interest.
QB DeShawn Purdie’s future
Following his career-best day, tossing for 396 yards and three touchdowns against the Owls on Saturday, Purdie was asked about his future.
“I’ve got to think about all that after this game (against UAB), but I bleed green. I want to change this place around,” Purdie told the Niner Times, UNC Charlotte’s student newspaper.
In an exclusive interview with The Observer, Purdie talked about his development through his freshman season.
“I’ve seen my game and my development as a young man grow, on and off the field because of the people around me, the culture, and the love around me,” Purdie told The Observer. “That’s what happens when you’re in a positive environment.
“Finish. Same mission. Just got to finish the season,” Purdie continued. “It’s going to be a lot of fun on Saturday. I love the seniors. It’s also a new beginning of something that’s going to kick off next year.”
Purdie threw 14 deep passes (exceeding 20 air yards) in last Saturday’s win, completing seven of them, which marked his career-best day. And in the first game without Poggi on the sidelines, interim head coach Tim Brewster made sure that offensive coordinator Mike Miller was free to call his own game.
“I tried to free Mike (Miller) up. As a head coach, sometimes you want to make recommendations. I’ve been a play-caller. I think it’s really important for him to have a clear mind. Just to feel really good about his ability to call the game,” Brewster said. “I told all the coaches that I didn’t want anybody talking — I wanted the offensive coordinator to have peace.”
The result?
“Free like a bird. Just going out there and playing with no regrets. It was dope. Just seeing my teammates and everybody happy,” Purdie said. “Seeing the seniors smile and seeing the defense going out with a bang. It was an awesome experience seeing everyone genuinely happy.”
Winning for the 49ers’ seniors
With the roster in flux pending the program’s next head coach, numerous players will play their last snaps as 49ers on Saturday. But even in today’s age of two, three, and even four stops in a collegiate career with the transfer portal in full effect, the 49ers have a handful of individuals who have spent their entire collegiate tenure in the Queen City.
King and Prince Wallace-Bemah have been with the program since 2020 and 2019, respectively, playing for both Will Healy and Biff Poggi.
Wallace-Bemah hasn’t focused on Saturday night being his last game in green and gold, but the emotions are bound to spill over when the clock strikes zero.
“It will hit me when the clock hits zero on Saturday night, but as of right now, I’m just trying to cherish the time I have with my guys in the locker room and the staff that we have now,” Wallace-Bemah said.
King added: “We’ve got to go out with a win. That’s the most important thing.”
And while Charlotte is preparing for the season’s final game, the 49ers will be missing quite a few familiar faces in the lineup on Saturday.
Contending with the transfer portal
Since Poggi’s firing on Nov. 18, Charlotte has seen 10 players enter their names into the transfer portal, with starting left guard Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, cornerback Elijah Culp, and kicker Stephen Rusnak highlighting the exits. But despite Rusnak entering his name into the portal on Monday, the Michigan State transfer stated his intention to play in Saturday’s senior day matchup.
Rusnak has been a perfect 11 for 11 this season, coming off a program-best performance with four made kicks against Florida Atlantic last weekend.
“It’s all a part of the deal now. It’s football the way it is. They’re kids, they’re going to get in the portal. There’s kids that are in the portal that are going to play for us on Saturday,” Brewster said. “I’m for the player, 100 percent. There’s no concrete deal as you jump into the portal. Kids now, today, they want to see what their options are. They want to see how much money is out there.”
And with the total of FBS scholarships dropping from 120 to 105 in 2025, the options will be slightly limited. But Brewster is calling for limitations to the portal, specifically monetarily.
“I think what we’ve got to do is have some type of salary constraints. It just absolutely blows my mind that there’s a quarterback that’s going to make over $10 million. As we move forward, we have to have some type of organization, detail and sanity to it. I think that’s certainly in the future.”
List of players in the portal on Nov. 26:
Maguire Neal
Cornell Allen
Elijah Culp
Stephen Rusnak
Jordan Herman
Jordan Spasojevic-Moko
Kyle Cunanan
Aiden Kaler
Rod Gainey Jr.
Mo Clipper Jr.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 4:09 PM.