Paxton DeLaurent on his return from injury, leadership, and motivation for the season

SEMO quarterback Paxton DeLaurent enters the 2024-25 football season in his senior year, looking to return from injury better than before.

DeLaurent was a key part of the Redhawks’ offense last season before having his season cut short by injury. Delaurent started 11 games, threw for 1,792 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, and rushed for 75 yards and four touchdowns.

Head Coach Tom Matukewicz commented on the quarterback’s recovery, noting that Delaurent has come back bigger and stronger than before.

“Yeah, he's done a good job. You know, he's got to stay healthy. He's got to do his part, which is getting bigger, stronger, all those types of things. He's put on some weight. We’ve got to protect him,so we’ve got to do a great job in the O-line and tight ends and running backs making sure we're giving him time in the pocket,” Matukewicz said.

DeLaurent sees this increase in physical strength not only as a benefit to himself and his health, but also to his availability and the team as a whole.

“I took this year to really focus on my physical strength. The past two seasons, I missed some games, and I know that let the team down in a way. So I’m just trying to work on every aspect of my game.Also the coaching staff and the weight room staff told me I need to get bigger, and I took that very seriously. I think it's really helped me just be able to feel healthy and throw a lot farther,” DeLaurent said.

Entering his senior year, DeLaurent has been tasked with not only running the offense but also with leading the locker room. Coach Matukewicz mentioned that DeLaurent has stepped up as a major leader on the team.

“Paxton is [a leader] for sure. Zack Gieg is another one on offense and then on defense, Bryce Norman and I would probably say Joedrick Lewis. Those are the four that have been pretty vocal, their play has [made them] stand out,” Matukewicz said.

DeLaurent acknowledged the weight of leading the team, discussing the pressure of being a leader and how he must take responsibility for all of his actions for the team's sake.

“You know, you really, really can’t have an off day. You have one bad day and there's problems, and I feel like I had one bad day this fall camp, so I'm trying to rebuild trust with those guys and continue to build the best thing. To be a leader, ownership is important, and letting them know how much you care about it. So it's definitely something that you have to work on every day and make sure even when you're not having your best day, no one can tell,” DeLaurent said.

DeLaurent has been ranked as the No. 8 returning quarterback in the FCS, according to Hero Sports, and served as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy over the summer.

Despite these individual accolades, the Redhawks are ranked third in the OVC preseason polls. Delaurent is unbothered by this prediction, saying that it motivates rather than discourages the Redhawks.

“I think that just adds a chip on your shoulder if [going] 4-7 didn't already add a chip on your shoulder. People got injured and had years that they didn't want, so I think this team's a hungry team, and really, we just can't wait to play, but we’ve got three more weeks to keep getting better,” DeLaurent said.

The Redhawks begin their season on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 6 p.m. in Montgomery, Alabama, facing the University of North Alabama in the FCS Kickoff Classic.