McCoy Casey, a preseason third-team FCS All-American and key member of SEMO’s defense, has ended his football career, SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz and defensive coordinator Ricky Coon confirmed this past weekend.
Casey, who was expected to be an important part of the Redhawks’ defense this season, decided to move on from football after years of playing through injuries.
“He just made a decision that he was done playing,” Coon said. “He’s an older guy. He’s done it a long time. He’s battled through injuries, and all those kind of things.”
Coon said the decision was personal and that the coaching staff supported Casey.
Matukewicz said he learned of Casey’s decision around Aug. 14. Casey felt it was time to move on from football, begin his life outside the sport and get a job.
“McCoy is done with football,” Matukewicz said. “Eventually, he just felt like this was his time, so he’s gonna start his life, get a job and move on.”
Matukewicz said the program appreciated Casey’s contributions and wished him well in what comes next.
Casey was coming off a 2025 season in which a foot injury limited him to four games. He finished the season with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, a half-sack and two quarterback hurries.
The injury came after a strong 2024 season in which Casey earned second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors. He finished fourth on the team with 61 tackles, led the Redhawks with 11 tackles for loss and ranked second with five sacks.
While Casey’s departure leaves an empty spot on defense, SEMO has an experienced player available to help fill the role.
Graduate student outside linebacker Jeremy Walton, an All-OVC-Big South second-team selection last season, led the Redhawks in 2025 with 7.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded 46 tackles, four forced fumbles and 11 quarterback hurries.
Walton’s best game came against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 8, when he recorded seven tackles, 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries.
Coon said Walton can essentially step into Casey’s role.
“Fortunately, we got this new rule thing, so we have Jeremy Walton kind of basically stepping in to the same position,” Coon said. “So we lose a good player, but we pick up an all-conference player.”
SEMO will now turn to its depth and Walton’s production as it prepares for its first game of the season.
“At the end of the day, nobody’s more important than the team,” Coon said. “We’re gonna play a game on Aug. 29, with or without me or whoever. And so it’s all about the team.”
After the interview, there was an update in the legal case involving athletes seeking an extra year of eligibility, which could affect Walton.
According to ESPN, a federal appeals court temporarily paused a ruling that would have granted athletes from the 2022 recruiting class an additional season of eligibility.
This is an ongoing story. Check southeastarrow.com for updates