Oh, and the offensive line averages a little more than 260 pounds a man.

But when you ask Camden Catholic football coach Rick Brown what really excites him about his team, his eyes bulge at the thought of his defense.

It's that lethal combination that makes the Irish the preseason No. 1 team in the Daily News South Jersey Top 10.

"Defensively we'll be really good," said Brown, now in his fourth season at the helm. "We'll be really fast and we have a lot of returning starters. We're going to switch to a 3-4 defense this year because we have an abundance of fast linebackers. And then we can move around Sherard."

That would be Sherard Cadogan, the 6-3, 230-pound man-child who is the team's star tight end on offense and Mr. Everything on defense.

"Teams last year started checking off and running away from him," Brown said. "We're going to make it a little bit more difficult for them to do that this year."

Last season, Cadogan recorded 14 sacks for the 9-2 Irish and wreaked havoc on opposing blocking schemes. He has narrowed his college choices down to five - Wisconsin, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and West Virginia. He said he has been recruited mostly as a defensive end, but not solely.

"Some of the schools have talked to me about tight end, and some about defensive end," he said. "Wisconsin has talked to me about being an h-back, which would kind of be an all-over position - lining up in the backfield as a tight end. It really doesn't matter to me where I play, just as long as I'm out on the field."

He'll be out there plenty for Brown this season. On the defensive side, he'll be the leader of that quick group, and offensively, he'll be one of the main targets for future Wisconsin Badger quarterback Joe Brennan.

"We have really been looking forward to this season," said the 6-5 Brennan, who threw for 2,074 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. "I really don't get involved that much with talking about what I'm going to be doing next season and the stuff in the future. Me and the guys on the team really have high expectations for this team. We want to host a playoff game. That hasn't been done in a long time. We take everything day-by-day here.

"We have good senior leadership this year. We have a lot of kids who are eager and want to work hard to make this a successful year. We have a great sophomore class. Five or six of them start on our offense. They know they have a big role on this team."

Speaking of big, no one stands taller than 6-7 receiver Terrance Casper. Brown said that almost all the coaches who have come to see Brennan and Cadogan through the years have shown interest in the lanky wideout.

The word is out about the Irish, who will open the season Saturday at Camden. Now it's just a matter of living up to expectations.

"I think it's just public perception," Brown said of his team's lofty expectations. "When you have a Division I quarterback and a tight end and wide receiver who are among the tops in the state, you're assumed to have a pretty good team. We really have a good supporting cast around those guys. We are decent all over. But you don't really know anything until the first snap of the first game.

"Offensively, we have a sophomore at running back who is very talented in Mike Blandon. He scored four touchdowns for us last year as a freshman. His upside is way up there. Our offensive line has two seniors on the right side in Tom Persechino and Mike Vitacolonna, and then three sophomores in center Elijah Long, Marcus Coleman and Tyree Davis."

It's pretty much a given the Irish will have few droughts when it comes to scoring points. But it is the defense that really has the coach excited. Which could be a scary thought for opponents.

Here's a look at the other teams in the preseason Top 10:

2 Williamstown: Coach Frank Fucetola always has his team ready, and it helps that running back Marcus Hampton and quarterback Billy McCarty return for the Braves, who went 9-1 last season.

3 Delsea: The Group 2 champions ruled last season with a terrific run game. It will be no different this season, as Austin Medley leads a loaded backfield.

4 Cherokee: The Chiefs have a new turf field, but will be the same old powerhouse under coach P.J. Mehigan.

5 St. Augustine: Quarterback Dustin Thomas threw for 1,419 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Hermits a year ago.

6 Glassboro: All the Bulldogs have done is win 24 straight games over the past two seasons under coach Herb Neilio.

7 Paulsboro: "We are painfully young, maybe the most raw team I've ever had," lamented coach Glenn Howard. Something makes us think he will be able to overcome that.

8 Haddonfield: "We are cautiously optimistic," coach Frank DeLano saod. There's reason for the optimism as the Bulldogs return many from the S.J. Group 2 runner-up squad.

9 Pennsauken: New coach and former Pennsauken and Rowan star Clinton Tabb takes over the reins for the Indians.

10 Washington Township: Although the Minutemen lost star running back Brandon Colavita, they'll be fine offensively with veteran quarterback Nick Valori running the unit.