From the Big Apple to the Big Ten: LIU Sends 2 to the P4
Long Island University may not historically be a household name in Power Four recruiting circles, but two recent spring portal transfers are making that case harder to maintain. Defensive lineman Elijah St. John and offensive tackle Moshood Giwa are now suiting up for Purdue and Rutgers, respectively—two Big Ten programs. In the Big Ten, they’re awfully familiar with the “cloud of dust” approach to football, and linemen on both sides of the ball are crucial to winning with and against the run game.
For LIU, these moves are more than just roster changes; they’re proof of concept. No one wants to lose their best players, and the Sharks will have their work cut out for them replacing some of their best players in 2025. But from a recruiting standpoint, it’s hard to ignore what Coach Cooper and his staff is doing: If you come to LIU unranked, you can work and be developed into a player ready for the P4 ranks.
From LIU to the Big Ten Trenches
The jump from the NEC to the P4 is not just about raw talent. It’s about a program developing their players. Both St. John and Giwa have gotten stronger and turned into game changing players while on Long Island. It probably doesn’t hurt that they’ve been going against each other in practice for over a year, either.
Elijah St. John, a 6-1, 275-pound defensive lineman from Ottawa, Ontario, has committed to Purdue after back-to-back seasons as a disruptive force up front for the Sharks. In 2024, he posted 40 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and two forced fumbles in 12 games. That kind of performance, combined with his motor and experience, made him a key target for the Boilermakers as they reshaped their defensive front. For our part, he was anticipated to be an all-NEC player. We had him graded as the best second team All-NEC Blitz preseason defensive lineman prior to his departure.
Purdue, which has leaned heavily on the portal this offseason, added St. John as one of six defensive linemen in the spring window. The Canadian’s journey from Clearwater Academy International to LIU, and now to West Lafayette, underscores how LIU can turn overlooked prospects into Big Ten contributors. For St. John, he now faces a tough competition to earn playing time among a defensive front that will look to play and rotate out players for maximum disruption. He’ll have to lean on the same effort that turned him into a starter at LIU to do that for the Boilermakers.
Meanwhile, Moshood Giwa brings a different kind of toolset to Rutgers—a 6-6, 315-pound frame with 34-inch arms and experience at both tackle spots. After redshirting in 2023, the Brooklyn native logged 734 snaps across 11 games in 2024. He can play both tackle spots, which might have made him even more attractive to the power schools. That versatility is now drawing attention in Piscataway, where Rutgers is looking to replace longtime starter Hollin Pierce and solidify the edges of its offensive line.
With three years of eligibility and a solid foundation built at LIU, Giwa is already deep in the competition under offensive line coach Pat Flaherty. His ability to plug in at multiple positions makes him a valuable asset for a team that’s reconfiguring its line around returning veterans and young challengers. It’s possible that he’ll need further development, but he’s already shown the potential to grow.
A Development Blueprint
It’s an exciting time to be recruited by the Sharks. LIU’s coaching staff has built a reputation on evaluating under-recruited talent and turning it into opportunity. That approach has now paid off on both sides of the line, in two of the most physically demanding positions in college football. For a program that played physical ball in the NEC last season, sending a pair of linemen to the Big Ten is a statement about just how powerful they can be.
This isn’t a one-off. LIU continues to build its roster with the knowledge that if players perform, the Power Four will come calling. That may challenge traditional views of success in the FCS—but for LIU, success now means preparing athletes not just to compete, but to ascend. From here, the Sharks will bring in the next class of players and develop them into difference makers. They’ll lose some after they’re successful in the Big Apple, but that’ll just make them more attractive to the next class of student athletes that want to develop into stars.
As the college football landscape continues to shift with the portal and NIL, programs like LIU are redefining what it means to be a developmental program. St. John and Giwa are proof: the Sharks aren’t just keeping up. They’re developing their athletes into players that any team in the nation would love to have.
They’re sending players to the biggest stages in the sport. And that message is clear. If you can be a difference maker here, you can play anywhere.
Looking Ahead to 2025: Ethan Greenwood, QB, LIU
It took a while for LIU to turn the keys over to Ethan Greenwood—but once they did, the offense found its gas pedal.
A transfer from The Citadel, Greenwood didn’t open the 2024 season as the starter. But by midseason, he was running the show, and in a 186-yard outburst against Stonehill, he didn’t just win the job—he rewrote the playbook.
On first thought, you might note that 186 yards isn’t exactly an eye dropping number for QB passing. And you’d be right. But let’s be specific here- Greenwood got those 186 yards on the ground.
Suddenly, the Sharks were a different team with an offense that could be impossible to contain at times. LIU went 4-2 down the stretch with Greenwood under center, and in the two losses, they still held leads in the fourth quarter. The late-season surge earned Greenwood second team All-NEC honors and set the stage for a potentially massive 2025 campaign.
LIU already had an identity on offense and ran a little atypical. Greenwood got into the games, taking snaps in the shotgun or in the backfield as a threat. But despite his utilization, as it was LIU had fallen to 0-6. They were a good 0-6, to be fair, with lots of chances to win games that just didn’t bounce their way. But clearly, something had to change for the Sharks. Enter Greenwood as the starter.
What makes Greenwood such a challenge is that he doesn’t just run the offense—he is the offense. LIU tailored its scheme around his skill set, and while the passing numbers (921 yards, 6 TDs, 52.3% completion rate) might not turn heads, they’re not the full story. Greenwood rushed for 913 yards in his 12 games, averaging 5.6 yards per carry with 5 touchdowns. Had he started the entire season, his numbers would have certainly been higher. He turned broken plays into backbreakers for opposing defenses, looking more like a throwback slash player than a conventional quarterback. Think Kordell Stewart and you’re in the right ballpark.
(See? Being old and having a memory has its benefits sometimes.)
His success wasn’t a solo act. A talented offensive line gave him the freedom to freelance, and Greenwood paid it off by becoming a constant scramble threat that no defense in the NEC fully solved. That element of surprise might be gone in 2025, but Greenwood’s ability to disrupt the game remains firmly in place.
The question now is whether he can take the next step as a passer. LIU’s schedule opens brutally—with Florida and Eastern Michigan—but if Greenwood continues to evolve, the Sharks could quickly become a problem in the NEC. Opposing coaches will spend all offseason game-planning for him, and it still might not be enough. Greenwood forces defenses to defend every inch of the field—and then some. We’re excited to see if any of the defensive coordinators in the league have found an answer- clearly, the week before gameday wasn’t enough time in 2024.
Greenwood changes the way football looks in the NEC. Sometimes, the play breaks down. And sometimes, that was the plan all along.
LIU’s SEC Challenge Highlights 2025 Schedule Release
Sharks in The Swamp. It sounds like a bad horror movie.
But in the NEC, it's how Ethan Greenwood will kick off his first season as the undisputed starting quarterback.
The LIU Sharks are set to open their 2025 football season with an unprecedented challenge—facing the Florida Gators in Gainesville on August 30. This matchup marks the first time a Northeast Conference football team has taken on an SEC opponent. It's a daunting test that will push LIU before September even begins.
Florida, a program rich in history and success, represents one of the toughest environments in college football. Playing in front of over 88,000 fans at The Swamp is an experience few NEC teams have ever faced. The closest comparison might be Duquesne’s trip to Florida State to open the 2022 season, but even that doesn’t quite match up to this stage.
Head coach Ron Cooper has led LIU into difficult matchups before. Last season, the Sharks traveled to Ft. Worth to take on TCU from the Big 12 in an early-season challenge game. When we’ve talked to coaches about these FBS matchups, they often acknowledge the financial component but also emphasize the unique opportunity for their players to compete in an unforgettable atmosphere. For the Sharks, this game isn’t just about the score—it’s about playing on a national stage and measuring themselves against top-tier competition. There can be no doubt that this game will be televised nationally.
This contest won’t impact the NEC standings, but it will test the Sharks at the highest level. What LIU takes away from Gainesville will become clear as the season unfolds. The coaching staff will have the chance to see how well their roster matches up against a power four FBS opponent. These types of games are rarely wins from a binary perspective, but if you want to see what you’ve got on your squad, there’s no better way to find out.
The Sharks have embraced a major challenge to open the year, and now they prepare to see how they measure up.
And, as always, if you win one of these, you'll never forget it.
First Glance: What Game Should Each Fanbase Be Most Excited For?
With the 2025 NEC football schedule officially released, each team has at least one marquee matchup that could define their season. Whether it's a rivalry clash, an early test against an FBS opponent, or a key conference showdown, these are the games that we’re looking forward to most for each team.
CCSU at Connecticut (8/30/25)
Coming off a Fenway Bowl victory, UConn will have plenty of momentum entering 2025, and Storrs should be electric for this in-state matchup. Electric, yes- but also maybe overconfident. The Blue Devils, fresh off an NEC title, aren’t in rebuilding mode—they’re reloading. Week 1 tends to deliver surprises, and an upset here would certainly make waves across the NEC and beyond.
Duquesne at Robert Morris (11/22/25)
This game carries the most weight for both programs, especially as RMU navigates key coaching and personnel changes. The Colonials start their season with a major test at West Virginia, while Duquesne begins its campaign against city rival Pitt. By the time these two meet in late November, playoff implications could be in play, making this rivalry battle one of the biggest games in the conference. And obviously, in-city rivalry games are what college football should always be about.
LIU at Rhode Island (9/20/25)
Last year, LIU led Rhode Island in the fourth quarter before a late rally by the Rams spoiled the Sharks’ hopes of a signature win. Now, the rematch takes place in Rhode Island, with LIU quarterback Ethan Greenwood firmly established as the starter. After two early FBS matchups, this game will serve as an early measuring stick for just how competitive LIU can be this season.
Mercyhurst vs. LIU (10/4/25)
This is more than just a conference matchup—it's a historic first. Mercyhurst officially enters NEC league play with this home game against LIU, marking a significant moment for the Lakers' program. After ending 2024 on a high note with a win over Saint Francis, the Lakers will be eager to prove they belong in their new conference home.
Saint Francis at CCSU (9/13/25)
Last year’s matchup was a tight contest, with CCSU’s opportunistic defense making the difference. This time, the Red Flash will look to flip the script in their NEC opener on the road. The question is whether CCSU can continue its turnover-driven success or if Saint Francis can capitalize when those opportunities don’t materialize.
Stonehill at Duquesne (10/4/25)
The Skyhawks have been a thorn in Duquesne’s side, winning in both 2022 and 2023 before the Dukes finally got revenge in 2024. Now, the question remains: does Coach Eli Gardner have Duquesne’s number? Playing on the Bluff is always a challenge, and this matchup could have serious implications for NEC standings.
Wagner at LIU (11/22/25)
This rivalry game (we call it the Boroughs Brawl) deserves a trophy—perhaps the Verrazzano-Narrows Trophy, named after the bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn. Last season, LIU took the win, 28-21, ending what had been another growing year for Wagner with a sour taste in Staten Island’s mouth. This time, the Seahawks will have a chance to return the favor and end their season on a high note- or take their season even further, into the playoff.
LIU Adds Transfer Trey Watkins to Secondary
The LIU Sharks have bolstered their secondary with the addition of Trey Watkins, a 6'1", 185-pound defensive back from Rahway, N.J., who transferred from Lafayette. With two years of eligibility remaining—and a possibility for a third—Watkins can bring an immediate impact that lasts over several seasons.
For Watkins, the decision to join LIU was a natural one. "LIU felt like home from the moment I stepped on campus for my official," he shared. "Coach Cooper and the staff’s energy and expertise, combined with their vision for me and how my skillset fits into the program, made the decision an easy one."
Watkins joins LIU after three seasons at Lehigh, where he appeared in 11 games, including nine in 2023. His experience and intelligence on the field will be critical for a Sharks defense that struggled last season, allowing 19 passing touchdowns and nearly 28 points per game.
The need for reinforcements in the secondary is clear, especially with the graduation of Maurice Wilmer, who led the Sharks with two interceptions last year. LIU managed just three interceptions all season, with the third coming from standout linebacker DQ Watkins. While DQ shined, the secondary's lack of playmaking left the team vulnerable against the pass.
Watkins’ size, versatility, and hunger to contribute position him as a key addition to the Sharks' defensive plans. LIU’s decision to prioritize a player with a combination of talent and drive reflects strong self-scouting by the coaching staff. Watkins is expected to make an immediate impact as the Sharks aim to improve their defensive numbers and climb the NEC standings.