At this point, Rick Stockstill is one of the elder statesmen of the Group of Five. Stockstill has been at Middle Tennessee since 2006, transitioning the team from the Sun Belt to Conference USA midway through his tenure. All the while, the Blue Raiders have been a consistent middleweight in both conferences.
Several things make 2019 a critical year in Stockstill’s career. First, he no longer has his son Brent to rely on at quarterback. The younger Stockstill threw for more than 12,000 yards in 45 appearances, offering his father a steady hand at the position and four solid years of reliable service.
As they transition to a new quarterback for the first time in years, the Blue Raiders will also be looking to build upon last year’s C-USA West division title. Middle Tennessee hosted UAB in the C-USA championship game, but they couldn’t get over the hump against the Blazers.
Getting back to the title game will be difficult, especially since Stockstill has one of the thinnest rosters returning from 2018. For the longtime head coach, this year leaves a lot to prove in terms of being able to get to a fifth straight bowl game and keep the Blue Raiders effective in what is definitely a transition year.