KINGSTON, R.I. – Rhode Island figures to be strong in the trenches on either side of the ball in 2021. This year's defensive line is experienced, deep and talented.
Redshirt senior captain Andre Bibeault (Cumberland, R.I.) has started 21 consecutive games at defensive end. With 92 career tackles – including 11.0 tackles for loss – Bibeault's production has steadily increased with every season he has played. As he enters his sixth season for the Rams, Bibeault provides steady leadership on the defense.
With the Rams switching to a 3-4 base last spring, freshman Westley Neal, Jr. (Miami, Fla.) and James Makszin (Norwalk, Conn.) both started all three games alongside Bibeault. Neal showed why he was one of the nation's highest-rated FCS recruits coming out of high school, recording 10 tackles and a sack in his abbreviated first season. Makszin was similarly productive, finishing the spring with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss. Fully recovered from an injury that ended his 2019 season after four games, Makszin has 42 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and one interception in 18 career games.
Veterans Emil La Marca (Paramus, N.J.) and Dylan Brown (Tampa Bay, Fla.) have been regular rotational guys on the line for the last three seasons, combining for 35 career games. La Marca can line up in any spot on the line, while Brown is most often employed on the inside. Combined with Matt Thomas (Brooklyn, N.Y.) – who appeared in all three spring games after transferring from Rutgers – and Ryan McDonough (Vero Beach, Fla.), the Rams boast a significant amount of football experience on the line.
Redshirt sophomore Robert Sanflippo (White Plains, N.Y.), junior Jasyn Andrews (Stamford, Conn.) and freshman Matthew Osinaga (Providence, R.I.) fill out the depth chart for Rhode Island. Sanflippo and Andrews are both Division III transfers who have at least one year in the program and could carve out roles this season.
One wildcard for the unit is redshirt freshman Malachi Burby (Berlin, Conn.), who announced last spring that he was diagnosed with mycarditis. The Rutgers transfer had five tackles in the shortened spring season and is still recovering. Once he is fully recovered, Burby has high-impact potential for the Rams.
Check GoRhody.com on Monday for a look at the running backs.
