Gannon, Erie Campus — The Gannon community is passionate about sports, which is why many students and faculty were excited for the upcoming football season. Coming off an 8-3 campaign, which saw the Golden Knights tie for first place in their division, the expectations were high for this talented squad.

A busy National Signing Day back in February saw 24 athletes commit to Gannon University. One of those 24 from National Signing Day was Zeshon “Z” Casimir, who started his new journey from the Sunshine State to the Keystone State.

The Sarasota-born athlete played for Lennard High School and Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Southwest Florida. The heavy competition in Florida molded Casimir to be disciplined on and off the field.

The freshman defensive back is a hard worker who is selfless, kind, and represents the core values of Gannon University. He is determined to be an explosive playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.

“I play very smart as well as explosive. I spend a lot of time watching film, looking for the little things that can benefit me on Saturdays. I love to make open field tackles as well as those big hits that the crowd can feel.” says Casimir, who also mentioned that people should expect him to make plays on the ball as well as trigger fast on anything that comes in front of him.

During the upcoming football season, the defensive back says he expects to win a lot of games this season. He also praised the coaching staff. He says, “[The coaches] are very experienced and have a love for us players and I believe if we take what they have to offer, we will go far this season.”

One player that has mentored Casimir in his short time as a Golden Knight has been senior Ty Tiggs. His teammate, who also plays safety, is “a great role model off the field” and “has been a crucial part of my learning process of how to deal with college.”

Casimir didn’t sign with Gannon just for the football team, but also to be a part of a very close community. He says his favorite part about being at Gannon is being around so many different types of cultures. He says, “Being involved in such a diverse community is something that people should take advantage of. I love to learn more about how different communities operate around the world.”

Casimir’s dream is to be a professional football player. Most importantly, he wants to make his family proud. He says. “I want to be the first person in my family to graduate college. My biggest goal in life is to provide for my family and retire my mom.”

The Gannon Knights lost 28-14 in their season opener to Northwood (MI). There is still a lot more football to be played in this promising 2024 season. The Knights hit the road for a battle with the undefeated Warriors in East Stroudsburg on Saturday, September 14 with kickoff set for 6:05pm.