Joe Pesansky knows he can step up for Holy Cross as a backup quarterback after helping the Crusaders win a fifth straight Patriot League title last year.

Filing in during multiple season-on-the-line games when Matt Sluka was injured, the offense barely missed a beat. His teammates never doubted him after seeing his relentless work ethic throughout his career and his commitment to the program despite a severe lack of playing time.

Now, with one run left in his college career and Sluka off to UNLV, Pesansky will need to do it again for an entire season as ‘the guy’ under new head coach Dan Curran.

While there may be some doubt around the country as to whether or not Curran and Pesasnsky can keep Holy Cross at the top of the league after losing elite talent like Sluka, Jalen Coker, Jacob Dobbs and CJ Hanson, confidence in Worcester is still high.

“I think the biggest thing heading into the offseason, seeing all these seniors, all these great fifth-years leave, is what guys do in terms of stepping up,” Pesansky said after the first spring practice on Monday.

“It doesn’t start necessarily with football, it starts off the field. I think all the guys can speak to it, one of the best things we have on this team is our camaraderie, the friendships we have. We all hang out outside of football…I do everything with my teammates. So, I think it starts there. You build those relationships throughout the offseason, throughout the summer and you come into the spring. Those relationships are already built and that leadership aspect just fills itself, honestly. As guys get older, you’re like ‘wow, these are the guys that I looked up to, now I’m them.’ You get to do the things that so many people inspired you to do back when you were a freshman, a sophomore. I think it’s all super exciting stuff and it’s about just being you…the best way to lead is to be yourself and that’s what we have a bunch of guys doing.

“That’s what makes it so great.”

Friday night’s practice felt very similar to the Chesney days aside from a few different things here and there. There was quite a bit of turnover with the staff, but one of – if not the biggest reasons for that similar feeling – is because of Director of Performance Chris Grautski, who was one of a few who stuck around. Gratuski brings juice and accountability to the program.

“I think a big part of that is Coach Grautski,” said Pesansky of the atmosphere in practice. “The way our practice is structured, super efficient. I’d say the biggest change is just new faces in the office. Just a bunch of new guys I get to be friends with…all these other coaches, I’m still getting to learn all their names because there’s just so much going on, but I’m getting to meet all these new people, see all these new faces. It’s something that’s really special.”

Ultimately, the players will dictate how things go this season, no matter what Curran and some of the new staff members do a little differently.

“We talked about it as a team when Coach Chesney was gone, we were working on film and all that…the team is us, right? A coach is going to coach us, he’s going to do his thing, they’re going to put this or that in…but, the team is us, right? We’re motivated by ourselves, through our leadership, through our camaraderie, that’s what drives you as a football player.”

Pesasnsky still has plenty to work with talent wise too. Justin Shorter, Byron Shipman, Jordan Fuller and a good tight end group are all still in place with chips on their shoulders.

“Everyone loves everyone on this offense,” Pesansky said. “The receivers, we’ve got a lot of guys who want to step up, a lot of guys who have worked really hard. They’ve changed their bodies, gotten faster and stronger. That’s really what you want to see when you lose a guy (Coker) who had 48% of our receiving yards last year. That’s just insane. A lot of these guys are ready to step up. They make me better just by working with me.

“The offensive line, I’d die for those guys, Those guys work super hard in the weight room and I mean, they’re phenomenal guys…I love every single one of those guys on the offensive line. It’s just about building that connection and trust. When they trust me and I trust them, when I trust the receivers and they trust me, when I trust the tight ends and they trust me…the running backs, that’s how we start clicking as an offense.

“I think that’s something this group has.”

As far as the thought that this might be a ‘down’ year for Holy Cross because Matt Sluka is no longer the quarterback, Pesasnsky hears it. The team hears it can’t do what it’s done in the past.

They don’t care.

“We had a lot of guys leave. Sluka, Dobbs, Coker, CJ. Almost our whole offensive line went to go play D1 FBS football. We don’t care,” he added.

“We know how good we are. We know the guys we have in this building. We know we’re willing to work as hard as possible to get this stuff done. The leaders on this team…people might think we’r not supposed to be as good. ‘Oh, we lost Chesney, we lost those other guys,’ it doesn’t matter to us. We’re going to put in our work every single day and be the best versions of ourselves.

“We’re going to be a dominant football team this fall.”