DOVER — After a while, Eric Montes got tired of hearing it.

The high school football standout couldn’t help how tall he was, of course.

And whatever his height was, it wasn’t good enough for the college recruiters who came to talk to him.

“A lot of big-time schools would come up to me and they would love my film,” said Montes. “They just didn’t like how tall I was.

“Three inches may not seem like a lot but, in a football aspect, it’s actually a lot.”

The 6-foot Montes, though, says he’s glad he ended up proving himself as a defensive lineman at Delaware State.

The senior goes into the season as a second-team pick on the All-MEAC preseason squad. Montes says he’s still got a pretty good-sized chip on his shoulder.

“All the time,” he said. “From where I came from and how I grew up and people looking down on me just based off my height, I always had a chip on my shoulder.

“But it wasn’t like I didn’t expect that. That kind of drove me, especially with the leaders that I had my freshman year, when they were seniors and juniors. Looking up to a really good group of men, it really motivated me even more.”

Last fall was a breakout season for Montes. After collecting 14 tackles in his first three seasons at DSU, he was in on 53 stops a year ago.

That total included nine tackles for losses of 53 yards, with seven quarterback sacks.

Hornet coach Lee Hull says whatever Montes lacks in height, he makes up for in quickness. The senior now weighs 260 pounds, about 25 pounds more than he did when he first came to Dover.

“He’s really active,” said Hull. “He makes up for it (his height) with his quickness, effort, intensity — all those things.”

Along with Montes, DelState has Darren Cook returning on its defense front. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound senior was also a second-team pick on the All-MEAC preseason squad.

Cook, too, had his best college season last fall. Among his 36 tackles were 12.5 tackles for losses of 61 yards with 6.5 sacks.

“‘Bear’ is a big, strong physical guy,” Hull said about Cook. “Those two are an anchor for our defensive line. We have a lot of confidence in them, just being leaders and playing a lot of football.”

The two linemen are roommates. Montes said that helps them be on the same page when they’re out on the field.

In their room, Montes said they’re usually talking football and how they can be better players. But they actually don’t line up next to each other very often.

“There’s always a good chemistry with Darren and I,” said Montes. “When Darren and I are on a side, it’s obviously the strong side with chemistry and everything.

“I know his skillset and he knows mine. That’s what we’re trying to build as a unit. We’re just trying to make sure we’re all on the same page. ... I’m confident in our ‘D’ line and our defense.”

The Hornets, who open the season on Aug. 24 at Hawaii, added three transfers along their defensive front in the off-season. The group includes Gensley Auguste (6-6, 280, Temple), Mario Keanon (6-2, 295, Tarleton State) and Jackson Shirer (6-1, 245, Liberty).

Montes hopes he and Cook set a good example for the newcomers.

“I feel like when I was a freshman looking at the seniors and juniors, I had a good role model to look up to,” he said. “I want them to look and me and Darren and all the seniors .... look at us, look at what we do, listen to what we say.

“As long as we’re working together, we should be fine.”

One thing Montes wants to show his teammates is that they should never be satisfied. No matter how good you think you are, you can always be better.

“I feel like everyone should have that mindset,” he said. “The work’s not done. There’s always room for improvement.”

Extra points

•Cook’s grandfather, Lonnie Perrin, played for Washington, Denver and Chicago in the NFL.

•In 2021, Shirer played in 13 games for Liberty, finishing with 102 tackles, including 13 for loss. The Texas native finished with 10 tackles in four games but didn’t play for the Flames in either of the last two seasons.