Georgetown University’s football team (5-6, 2-4 Patriot League) ended their 2024 season with a crushing 34-0 defeat by the Holy Cross Crusades (6-6, 5-1 Patriot League) Nov. 23. Despite a disappointing conclusion, better days may still be yet to come for the Hoyas: The program displayed a promising consistency with many players as season standouts.
Entering their tenth season under program graduate Rob Sgarlata (COL ’94, GRD ’12), the Hoyas sought to build upon their success in 2023, during which they recorded their best record since 2019. The Hoyas started their season strong with two wins against the Davidson Wildcats and Marist Red Foxes, both by more than 20 points.
Against the Wildcats, the Hoya ground game showed its strength early on, gaining a total of 263 yards. Senior running back Naieem Kearny rushed five times for 87 yards, gaining an average of 17.4 yards per carry, and sophomore running back Bryce Cox contributed another 84 yards on the ground, rushing three times and averaging a staggering 28 yards per attempt. Each running back also scored two touchdowns en route to a 46-24 win.
The next week, the Hoyas showed out similarly against the Red Foxes. Junior quarterback Danny Lauter threw for a touchdown and nearly 200 yards, the running game kept up its stellar performance and the defense stepped up to hold Marist to only one touchdown and one field goal. Sophomore defensive lineman Cooper Blomstrom led the charge on that side of the ball by recording six tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hurry and a broken pass on his way to winning Patriot League defensive player of the week honors.
However, the Hoyas failed to live up to expectations for their next two games, losing both against Sacred Heart and Brown, respectively. Hoyas bounced back for two more wins against Columbia and Lafayette.
The Homecoming win against Columbia, in particular, brought excitement to the fanbase. Facing the Lions, the Hoyas executed a 20-17 come-from-behind victory to capture the Lou Little Trophy, awarded to the school that wins their annual head-to-head.
Just as a pattern began emerging, the Hoyas lost their momentum, walking away with just one more win throughout the rest of regular season play, closing out the year with a three-game losing streak.
The team ended on a 5-6 overall record and again missed the playoffs. Since initially joining the Patriot League in 2001, the Hoyas have not been able to qualify.
However, while the box scores and records may tell a story of a team that struggled to find consistency, the reality on the field showed flashing moments of potential and resilience.
After their loss against Holy Cross to end the season, Sgarlata projected hope about the program’s future.
“We will take the lessons from this season and continue to build on the foundation that has been created by this year’s seniors and graduate students. We look forward to the future of Georgetown football,” Sgarlata told Georgetown Athletics.
Defensively, Georgetown had standout moments, especially in their early-season victories, while their offense had more sporadic moments of brilliance.
Just last week nine Hoyas were selected to All-Patriot League teams, both offensively and defensively. Senior long snapper Sebastian Alonso earned a first-team special teams selection after playing in all 11 games for Georgetown and recording four tackles for the season. Defensive linemen sophomore Cooper Blomstrom, sophomore GianCarlo Rufo, graduate David Ealey III, sophomore Zeraun Daniel and graduate Preston Murray were all named to the defensive second team.
Blomstrom was named Patriot League defensive player of the week twice this season, leading the defensive line with 12.5 tackles for a loss of 65 yards, 6.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Rufo earned four Patriot League honorable mentions throughout the season, while team captains Ealey III and Murray each earned one Patriot League weekly honorable mention.
Junior wide receiver Jimmy Kibble was selected to the offensive second team, leading the league with 720 reception yards on 46 receptions. Senior kicker Patrick Ryan and senior special teams non-specialist Kenneth Borders were selected to the special teams second team; Ryan played in all 11 games for the Hoyas and earned four Patriot League weekly honorable mentions, while Borders saw action in 9 games and recorded 11 tackles.
The Georgetown football team also clinched three Patriot League academic all-league selections thanks to Rufo, Ryan and senior wide receiver Cam Pygatt. To be eligible for selection, a player must have a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade point average, must have at least sophomore standing at his institution and must have played in at least 50 percent of the team’s games.
As the Hoyas enter the off-season, the program faces critical questions about how to build a more competitive team for next year. While the 2024 season ended without playoff contention, individual accolades on both sides of the ball hint at untapped potential within the program. With key returners like Kibble and emerging leaders across the roster, the foundation is there for future growth.
For now, Georgetown football fans will have to wait and see if these moments of promise will translate into a stronger season in 2025. The road ahead looks long and challenging, but as Sgarlata said himself, the team’s effort and dedication remain steadfast as they continue building toward a hopeful horizon.
