The temperatures have started to drop, signaling one thing: the start of football season. As Penn football’s season-opener approaches, the team has been increasing practices, both in quantity and intensity. But with the new season comes another change: newly nominated captains.
The 2023 season saw five seniors and juniors step up to lead the team, but this year, only three seniors lead the pack. The 2024 season captains are senior quarterback Aidan Sayin, who captained as a junior last year, senior defensive lineman Paul Jennings, and fifth-year senior defensive back Shiloh Means.
Despite the nomination in leadership positions, all three captains, along with coach Ray Priore, emphasized the leadership capabilities of all of the players on the roster. Captainship does not elevate a player in terms of game or importance on the field.
“[I] love the three young men we picked this year. They’re all very unique, great, talented players, young men, and teammates,” Priore said. “… But we have a host of other seniors who’ve done a great job [as] fifth year[s], guys that are leading as well.”
Aidan Sayin
As the starting quarterback since halfway through his freshman season and a veteran captain, Sayin was a natural choice for this year’s group of captains. Still, he remains humble about his nomination.
“It means the world to me to be a captain,” he said. “… That’s what I want to be, someone to bring the level of play of my teammates up, [to] make everybody around me as good as possible.”
Besides improving his game, Sayin is focused on team goals, including “execution, getting the plays right, [and] … technique on certain plays.”
His consistency as a leader is something his teammates deeply appreciate and in which they place a lot of trust. Priore claimed that Sayin and his co-captains will be able to see and take care of issues that he and the other coaches don’t notice.
“What they’re able to do is bring out any issues that they see that we don’t see as coaches and bring it to our forefront,” Priore said. “… Our kids take care of each other. … They have each other’s back in every sense of the word.”
Paul Jennings
Jennings was awarded an All-Ivy honorable mention last season, but to him, being a captain is much more special.
“It definitely feels great to reach the point where others see you as a leader and can trust in you to set the example every day,” Jennings said. “Everybody’s a leader in their own way.”
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive lineman will lead a unit of 19 others in his position group. He is certainly pumped for the season, hoping to improve upon last year’s disappointing 6-4 record, but he is also looking forward to stepping up in his new role as captain.
“[I] definitely will be taking a more vocal role with the team this year, making sure everybody’s putting their best foot forward every day,” Jennings said. “… We’re really excited to get prepped up for Delaware.”
In addition to setting a good example for the rest of the team, Jennings eagerly anticipates working with his co-captains. He emphasized that they have leadership on all sides of the ball, with Sayin’s experience on offense as a quarterback and his and Means’ role on defense.
Sayin agreed, claiming, “I think we’ll just do everything together. … One brain is not smarter than three.”
Shiloh Means
Rounding out the captains is fifth-year senior Shiloh Means. The defensive back from Indianapolis views his new title as a challenge rather than an honor.
“It’s a challenge for me to hold myself accountable, like with everything that I do,” Means said. “And I think it is nice for the guys to look to me to hold them accountable as well, because … they know that I’ll challenge them.”
Starting in all 10 games, Means made 44 tackles last season, 23 of which were solo, and he led the team in interceptions. One of his standout performances was against Harvard on Nov. 11, 2023, in which game he contributed a season-high of eight tackles.
While Sayin emphasized the importance of technique, Means’ primary focus as a captain is on the mental aspects of the game.
“I think that the actions of a captain and … someone who’s not a captain should be the same, because we should all have the same mentality.”
All three captains view their titles as an opportunity to set the standard. As Priore put it, rather than taking on an instructional role for the rest of the team, “these guys are their mentors. They’re guides to get them to that point in time and understand what the [football] program represents.”
The Quakers open up the football season with an away game against Delaware on Sep. 21.
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