Monmouth quarterback Derek Robertson has one thing on his mind for the 2025 football season: winning games. 

Even though he set the single-season program record for passing yards with 3,397 and touchdowns with 31, leading FCS in total offense with 325.3 yards per game, he wasn’t satisfied with the Hawks’ 6-6 record in 2024. 

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“When you look at it, we really only have one goal, and that's to win football games. And we didn't do that enough last year,” Robertson said. “Really the only thing we're trying to do is improve on that and do whatever we can do to improve every single Saturday, and going out there and winning football games. That's really all that matters at the end of the day.”

Robertson has high expectations from everyone, as he was named the Preseason CAA Offensive Player of the Year. The graduate student knows what it takes to win games, and with the players around him, he thinks the Monmouth offense can be even better than it was in 2024.

The Hawks are returning several starters, including Robertson’s top receivers, Josh Derry, TJ Speight and tight end Jack Neri. Along with the weapons in the air, running back Rodney Nelson is returning as a threat on the ground.

Having the Monmouth offense be even more powerful than it was before is a scary thing for CAA teams, as the Hawks led FCS in total offense in 2024, producing 489.9 yards per game, and was second in scoring, averaging 39 points per game. 

“We think we can be a whole lot better,” Robertson said. “There's plenty of things that we can clean up, there's plenty of mistakes on film, there's plenty of just, things in general as an offense we can clean up. We talk about elevating, we want to elevate the standard that we play at to something that Monmouth has never really seen before.” 

Robertson is hoping to take Monmouth to its first winning season since 2021 and first playoff appearance since 2019 when the Hawks fell to James Madison in the second round. Returning 10 of 11 offensive starters, nobody in the CAA should be in better shape than the Hawks, who are hungry for success.

The quarterback brings success with him no matter where he is in the CAA. Monmouth is no different. Now going into his second year under center in this offense, he’s as confident as ever and has mastered the offense. As the starter at Maine, he threw for 2,933 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2023

Not only does he have the confidence of his team, but also the confidence of coach Kevin Callahan. Even though he knows what Robertson is capable of, he wants his team to focus on what’s in front of them.

“Our approach has always been, we've got to play one week at a time,” Callahan said. “It doesn't matter who the opponent is, it doesn't matter what the record is, whether they have X number of wins or X number of losses. You've got to focus on what you have to do during the three hours on the field in order to come off that field a winner. And that's something that I try to reinforce to our team every single day, every single practice.” 

Monmouth Football Picked To Second In CAA Preseason Poll

As Monmouth is picked to finish second in the CAA, Robertson and his teammates understand what is expected of them, but they also want to exceed those expectations. The Hawks also want to exceed their expectations for themselves, something they made clear in a preseason meeting.

“All of us came back together and we have really one goal, and that's to win a championship,” Robertson said. “But that comes with the work we put in every single day. Obviously we have high expectations, but we just have to go out there and prove it every single day, because it's really what you do on Saturday that matters. It's not what you know other people are saying about you. It's about the work you put in every single day and then just going and proving it on Saturdays.”

Armed with Robertson at quarterback and his nine fellow offensive starters returning, the Monmouth Hawks should be in position to win in 2025. The only thing needed is for defensive improvement, something that Callahan said there was a heavy focus on. 

Monmouth will start with several road tests, playing its first game at Dartmouth and then at Charlotte, an FBS opponent, in Week 3. Here’s everything else to know about Monmouth Football. 

How To Watch Monmouth Football In 2025

FloCollege is the home of CAA Football, and all Monmouth Hawks home games and conference games* will be aired on FloCollege. All times are in Eastern Time. 

• Aug 29 at Colgate - 7:00 PM
• Sept 6 at Fordham - 6:00 PM 
• Sept 13 at Charlotte - 6:00 PM 
• Sept 20 vs Villanova* - 1:00 PM - FloCollege
• Oct 4 vs Delaware State - 1:00 PM - FloCollege
• Oct 11 at Towson* - FloCollege
• Oct 18 vs Stony Brook* - 1:00 PM - FloCollege
• Oct 25 at Hampton* - 2:00 PM - FloCollege
• Nov 1 at Bryant* - 1:00 PM - FloCollege 
• Nov 8 vs New Hampshire* - 12:00 PM - FloCollege
• Nov 15 at North Carolina A&T* - 12:00 PM - FloCollege
• Nov 22 vs UAlbany* - 12:00 PM - FloCollege

Monmouth Football Record In 2024

• Aug 28 at Eastern Washington - L 42-27
• Sept 7 vs Lafayette - L 40-35
• Sept 14 at Maine - W 51-22*
• Sept 21 at FIU - W 45-42
• Sept 28 vs Fordham - W 63-21
• Oct 5 vs Delaware - L 42-35*
• Oct 19 vs Bryant - W 55-17*
• Oct 26 vs Towson - L 26-14*
• Nov 2 at Rhode Island - L 37-28*
• Nov 9 at New Hampshire - L 33-20*
• Nov 16 vs Villanova - W 40-33*
• Nov 23 at Stony Brook - W 55-47*

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Don't miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloFootball schedule page for the latest games. 

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