The Patriot League Is Ready for Its Moment

Joseph Tutino
55 minutes ago
17 min read

Five years ago, if you asked a casual football fan for their thoughts about Patriot League football, you would’ve likely elicited some blank stares. Maybe a few chuckles and eye rolls.

Even the diehard FCS football fans and, yes, sickos, including the esteemed co-founders of FCS Nation Radio, would let out a loud guffaw and put the Patriot League (“the Patsy League”) somewhere between “irrelevant” and “yawn” in the dictionary.

For a conference that prides itself on its member institutions putting “student” before “athlete,” the Patriot League has a long, proud reputation as a fine place to play four years of competitive football, often against Ivy League and other northeast opponents, followed by forty years of going pro in, and excelling at, something other than sports. But to borrow a line from the great Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!”

In 2026, forty years after the presidents of Holy Cross, Lehigh, Lafayette, Bucknell, Colgate and, yes, Davidson (for a very hot second) founded what was then known as the Colonial League, the new-and-improved Patriot League is set to emerge as the premier FCS conference in the East and as a legitimate contender on the national stage.

For starters, what was a seven-team football conference just two seasons ago (a conference that had not added a new football program since Georgetown joined as an associate member in 2001) is now home to ten programs, thanks to the addition of CAA mainstays Richmond in 2025 and Villanova and William & Mary in 2026.

Much of the deserved credit for the expansion is due to Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel, who enters her eleventh season in the role since coming over from the Big Ten Conference in 2015. It was Heppel who kicked off last week’s virtual Patriot League Media Day with renewed confidence in the League’s balanced, forward-looking approach amidst a murky (at best) national college football landscape.

She cited the addition of the League’s newest associate members, the League’s and institutions’ commitment to both the student and the athlete, members’ rich traditions and rivalries (including two of the longest-running rivalries in college football history: Lehigh vs. Lafayette (1884) and Richmond vs. William & Mary (1898)), and football members’ recent success on the national stage as reasons why the Patriot League should be considered among the best, if not THE best, football conference in the East, both in 2026 and in the years to come.

Although those who already yearn for the excitement and pageantry of Patriot League football know how important the highly anticipated 2026 campaign is to the future of the League, I understand that not everyone has Patriot League fever just yet. Many have yet to experience special places like Worcester, Massachusetts, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, or Hamilton, New York, on a cool fall afternoon, and that’s ok.

It’s my hope that my passion for what once felt like a forgotten conference on the fringes of I-AA football helps shine some light on why some of us spend many a fall Saturday watching and enjoying the exceptional players, coaches, and programs who comprise the Patriot League.

[Note: A special thank you to PL Associate Commissioner for Communications Ryan Sakamoto for hosting Media Day.]

2026 Patriot League Football at a Glance

(in order of preseason ranking)

No surprises here: Three of the top four PL preseason poll spots were claimed by League newcomers, and the fourth was claimed by the 2025 Patriot League Champions. Villanova (79 points, 7 first-place votes) and Lehigh (75 votes, 3 first-place votes), who battled in the second round of the 2025 FCS Playoffs (a 14-7 nail-biter won late by the eventual national semifinalist Wildcats in Bethlehem), are picked to finish one-two and are the two odds-on favorites to return to the FCS Playoffs as auto/at-large bids (ranked 8 and 11, respectively, in the national STATS Perform FCS Top 25 Preseason Poll).

Nipping at their heels are Richmond and William & Mary, tied for third with 57 votes. The middle of the pack will see at least one of the following programs emerge as a bona fide contender after disappointing 2025 campaigns: 2023 PL Champion Lafayette (55 votes), 2020s powerhouse Holy Cross (38 votes), and 2010s powerhouse Colgate (36 votes).

Rounding out the final three spots are Fordham (19 votes), Georgetown (19 votes), and Bucknell (15 votes), three programs that have combined for two outright PL rings this century (Fordham, 2007 and 2014).

The 41st season of Patriot League football officially kicks off in Week 0 with a total of five pivotal conference matchups (all ten teams in action), starting Thursday, August 27, with Lafayette @ Georgetown under the lights at Cooper Field in Washington, D.C., at 7:00 p.m.

1. Villanova Wildcats

Villanova, PA – 12 miles west of Philadelphia

2025 record: 12-3 overall, 7-1 CAA (lost to Illinois St. in FCS semifinal)
Year founded/affiliation: 1842; Roman Catholic, Augustinian
Head Coach: Mark Ferrante (St. Lawrence ’83; 10th season as head coach, 40th season overall at Villanova)
Home field: Villanova Stadium (12,500)
Week 0 matchup: Friday, August 28 vs. William & Mary, 6:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Ja’briel Mace (Jr., RB/KR; Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List), Chris McCullers (Jr., OL), Braden Reed (So., WR), Omari Bursey (So., LB), Capri Martin (Sr., DL)

Villanova is synonymous with favorite son Robert Prevost ’77 (aka Pope Leo XIV) and college basketball—but football is not very far behind. Coming off a 12-win season that saw the Wildcats fall to eventual national runner-up Illinois St., league newcomer Villanova is preparing for what could be another run at a national title in 2026.

Head Coach Mark Ferrante, a Villanova lifer who coached for years under legendary coach Andy Talley before taking over in 2016, stressed the importance of trusting his players and the program’s process and culture as the team prepares for a new league and a new season; interestingly, Ferrante coached RBs at Lafayette in year one of the Patriot League in 1986 and vividly remembers Holy Cross’s Gordie Lockbaum locking up a spot on the Heisman ballot when Holy Cross defeated ’nova on ESPN in 1987 (Ferrante serving as OLBs coach at the time).

Both junior offensive lineman Chris McCullers (Round Hill, VA) and senior defensive lineman Capri Martin (Harlem, NY), who have both started 28 of a possible 28 contests over the last two seasons, described competing against each other every day at practice as “iron sharpening iron”, both critical tips of the proverbial spear on offense and defense.

As Ferrante noted, a developing story is the impending eligibility of quarterback Pat McQuaide, who threw for 3,092 yards and 24 touchdowns last season; an Ohio judge ruled McQuaide eligible over the weekend.

League note: In 2025, Ja’briel Mace ranked second in the FCS in kickoff returns (31.4 ypr) and first in kickoff return touchdowns (2). Mace ranked 14th in the FCS in all-purpose yards per game (125.47).

Bonus: I asked (almost) every pair of players who appeared at Media Day what their favorite local place(s) to eat is. I still need to rewatch part of Media Day to get the restaurant names down accurately, but I’ll list as many here as possible. Of course, I’ll be sure to add a few of my own to help you on your upcoming PL road trips.

Chris McCullers: La Scala’s Fire, Johnny’s Pizza
Capri Martin: The Refectory (on campus), Yard House, Keeboom’s Kitchen

2. Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Bethlehem, PA – 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia

2025 record: 12-1 overall, 7-0 Patriot (PL Champions; lost to Villanova in FCS second round)
Year founded/affiliation: 1865; private, nonsectarian
Head Coach: Rich Nagy (Trinity ’87; 1st season as head coach)
Home field: Goodman Stadium (16,000)
Week 0 matchup: Saturday, August 29 @ Holy Cross, 3:30 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Luke Yoder (Sr., RB; Preseason PL OPOY and Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List), Hayden Johnson (Jr., QB), Aidan Palmer (5th, OL), Connor Poole (Jr., P)

Lehigh certainly wants to trek back up to the mountaintop in 2026, and the Mountain Hawks have the big guns to do it. All-American running back Luke Yoder (Palm Harbor, FL) will once again carry a heavy burden out of the backfield after a 2025 campaign that saw him rush for 1,409 yards and 15 touchdowns; Yoder credited the program’s core values with giving the Mountain Hawks their identity and keeping them focused after securing their second consecutive Patriot League Championship.

Senior defensive lineman Jadin Nelson (Rosenberg, TX) delivered with charisma and a personality befitting every inch of his 6’1”, 300-pound frame, citing his resilient leadership style as having blossomed since he first stepped on campus for a proud program that ranked near the bottom of the league in the not-so-distant past.

First-year head coach Rich Nagy, Lehigh’s former defensive coordinator who took over for recently departed Kevin Cahill (Yale), cut right to the chase when asked how his team is preparing for another season with high expectations in the Lehigh Valley: “If we don’t prepare well, we’ll guarantee failure.”

The Mountain Hawks have a tough road contest in Worcester right out of the gate, but Nagy will have his experienced squad ready to run headlong into another tough campaign, and another potentially historic season.

League note: In 2025, Yoder ranked second in the FCS, averaging 7.12 yards per carry. He is seventh in League history, averaging 5.83 yards per carry through his career. Yoder was 11th in the FCS with 15 rushing touchdowns and 28th in the nation with 7.4 points per game. He was seventh in the nation with 108.4 yards per game and eighth in the nation with 1,409 rushing yards. Hayden Johnson led the League and ranked 16th in the FCS in passing efficiency (154.2). Johnson and Colgate’s Jake Stearney tied for second in the League and 34th in the FCS with 18 touchdown passes.

Restaurant picks:

Luke Yoder: The Nest, El Jefe’s, Anna’s
Jadin Nelson: Copperhead Grille (Jadin also mentioned two additional favorite spots, but between everyone cracking up and his rich Texas accent, I missed the final two. My apologies to Jadin, but I will review the tape and update!)

3. Richmond Spiders

Richmond, VA

2025 record: 7-5 overall, 3-4 Patriot
Year founded/affiliation: 1830; private, nonsectarian
Head Coach: Russ Huesman (Chattanooga ’82; 10th season as head coach)
Home field: E. Claiborne Robins Stadium (8,217)
Week 0 matchup: Saturday, August 29 vs. Bucknell, 6:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Camden Byrd (Gr., DL; PL Preseason DPOY), Aziz Foster-Powell (Sr., RB), Ronald Anderson (Sr., OL), Carter Glassmyer (Gr., LB), Jordan Allen (Gr., DB), Tayshaun Burney (Jr., DB)

After finishing atop the CAA for two consecutive seasons (2023, 2024), Richmond struggled to put together a consistent season in its first year in the Patriot League in 2025; all 4 PL losses were by 7 points or fewer.

But longtime head coach Russ Huesman, a veteran of five decades in college football (like Ferrante, he, too, was a young position coach at W&M who did battle with Lockbaum’s Crusaders in 1987), is ready for a promising 2026 season, one with an experienced senior quarterback in Ashten Snelsire (Berlin, MD) who helped the Spiders complete a game-winning drive over rival William & Mary to cap off last season.

Snelsire was complimentary of the mentorship he received from graduating senior quarterback Kyle Wickersham, who started a majority of the Spiders’ games last season. Complementing Snelsire on the defensive side of the ball is all-world defensive lineman Camden Byrd (Ashland, VA), who had several offers to transfer for his graduate season but decided to return, a decision he attributed to the education and development opportunities available to him at Richmond.

Coach summarized it best: “fall camp is all ball”, but he also took time to reflect on the “best” of college football, the deep commitment of the players he has had the opportunity to coach, and what needs to change, the transfer portal process, which he called “a joke.”

What is no joke is the work the Spiders have cut out for themselves this season, starting August 29 vs. a scrappy Bucknell squad.

League note: In 2025, Byrd ranked 25th in the FCS in sacks per game (0.71) and fourth in forced fumbles per game (0.25).

Restaurant picks:

Camden Byrd: Publix (his next stop was the Publix near campus for a Pub Sub)
Ashten Snelsire: Wooden & Iron, The Local, Yoshi Sushi

4. William & Mary Tribe

Williamsburg, VA – 50 miles southeast of Richmond

2025 record: 7-5 overall, 6-2 CAA
Year founded/affiliation: 1693; public, nonsectarian
Head Coach: Mike London (Richmond ’83; 8th season as head coach; 37th season coaching in football)
Home field: Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field (12,672)
Week 0 matchup: Friday, August 28 @ Villanova, 6:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Sean McElwain (Sr., TE), Davin Dzidzienyo (Gr., DL), Bryce Barnes (Sr., DB), Stephon Hicks (Jr., Special Teams)

William & Mary may be the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the country (right behind Harvard) and the alma mater of three U.S. Presidents (Jefferson, Monroe, and Tyler), but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger institution on campus than Mike London.

Leading the Tribe in his 8th season as head coach (and 12th overall as a W&M coach), London’s approach in year one in the league is “what’s new, what’s now, and what’s next”, a laser-focused mission for the only current PL coach who has won an FCS National Championship as a head coach (Richmond, 2008).

The winning culture London has cultivated at several stops on the coaching map has taken hold in Williamsburg, as the Tribe shoot for their sixth consecutive winning season, longest streak since the 1990s. But they’re hungry for more.

After a disappointing season marred by frustrating injuries and that culminated in a tough Capital Cup loss to rival Richmond, tight end Sean McElwain (Glen Allen, VA) and defensive lineman Davin Dzidzienyo (Washington, D.C.) are raring to go for what is shaping up to be a promising season in the Historic Triangle, one that kicks off on the road against long-time CAA foe Villanova.

If McElwain, Dzidzienyo, and Co. stay healthy, and the Tribe figure out the QB situation early in the season, watch out.

League note: In 2025, Stephon Hicks tied for the FCS lead with four blocked kicks.

Restaurant picks:

Sean McElwain: Chili’s, Oceans & Ale
Davin Dzidzienyo: Sal’s Italian Restaurant

5. Lafayette Leopards

Easton, PA – 75 miles north of Philadelphia

2025 record: 8-4 overall, 6-1 Patriot
Year founded/affiliation: 1826; private, nonsectarian
Head Coach: John Troxell (Lafayette ’94; 5th season as head coach)
Home field: Fisher Stadium (13,132)
Week 0 matchup: Thursday, August 27 @ Georgetown, 7:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Carson Persing (Sr., WR), Sean Wilson (Sr., OL)

If you live in the Lehigh Valley, you know the final regular season game will always be Lehigh vs. Lafayette, The Rivalry. Each school refers to the other as “the team down the road”, only 10.8 miles separate Lehigh’s Goodman Stadium and Lafayette’s Fisher Stadium (“as the hawk flies”).

Last season’s matchup between the two league undefeateds ended in a Lehigh victory and a deeply disappointed Lafayette squad that just missed out on returning to the FCS playoffs.

But also gone in the portal were quarterback Dean DiNoble and running back Kente Edwards, two dominant forces for the Leopards dating back to the 2023 PL Championship season.

Listening to head coach John Troxell, senior offensive lineman Sean Wilson (Easton, PA), and senior defensive lineman Ahmir Crawley (Windsor Mill, MD) speak, they understand that they have major holes to fill if they want to once again compete with the league’s best, an approach that all three emphasized is “player led.”

As the quarterback competition shakes out on College Hill and, as Wilson said, the next man steps up on a deep squad, Lafayette will look to right the ship under the bright Thursday night lights against Georgetown in the Nation’s Capital.

League note: In 2025, Carson Persing ranked third in the League and 36th in the FCS with 5.0 receptions per game.

Restaurant picks:

Sean Wilson: Oak Steakhouse, Giacomo’s
Ahmir Crawley: Family Chicken and Waffles

6. Holy Cross Crusaders

Worcester, MA – 45 miles west of Boston

2025 record: 3-9 overall, 3-4 Patriot
Year founded/affiliation: 1843; Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Head Coach: Dan Curran (New Hampshire ’01; 3rd season as head coach)
Home field: Fitton Field (23,500)
Week 0 matchup: Saturday, August 29 vs. Lehigh, 3:30 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Cam Nolan (5th, OL)

Frustrating. Unlucky. Maddening. Heartbreaking. Those are just a few words I’ve heard used by alums and fans alike to describe the last four seasons of Holy Cross football, and two of those seasons ended as co-Patriot League champions, sans playoff berths.

Crusader fans were indeed spoiled during the Matt Sluka/Jalen Coker/Bob Chesney years, multiple PL rings, wins over UConn and Buffalo, and several playoff runs. Now, Chesney is the head coach at UCLA after a very successful stint at James Madison, Coker is starting on Sundays, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Sluka brings his record-setting legs to the UFL.

No one knows more about this legacy than head coach Dan Curran, entering his third season at the helm on Mount St. James. Curran is one of the rare coaches who beat Chesney and Co. when he was the head guy at Merrimack; by all accounts, he recruited the portal and the high school ranks very well going into this season.

The one major question mark for the Crusaders is who will emerge as the guy at quarterback? Curran pointed out that he has three veterans in camp who took game snaps last season in junior Cal Swanson, sophomore Dominic Campanile, and junior Pitt transfer David Lynch.

But will the offense and defense gel under new coordinators (both hired in-house), and will the offense produce after a dismal 2025?

Fifth-year offensive lineman Cam Nolan (Oxford, MA), a legitimate NFL prospect, and senior linebacker Adam Due (Prosper, TX), who will be a key leader on defense, are confident that 2026 will be a vast improvement over last season.

The Cross will look to build on last season’s penultimate shellacking of Georgetown at Fenway Park and get back to its championship ways by taking on defending PL champion Lehigh at home on August 29 on the best grass surface in New England, Fitton Field.

Restaurant picks: I dropped the ball and ran out of time to ask both Crusaders their favorite spots, but as a Holy Cross graduate I’ll take a stab with some of my favorite Worcester area spots: George’s Coney Island Hot Dogs, the Boulevard Diner, Carl’s Oxford Diner, 111 Chophouse, anything on Shrewsbury St.

7. Colgate Raiders

Hamilton, NY – 100 miles west of Albany

2025 record: 5-7 overall, 3-4 Patriot
Year founded/affiliation: 1819; private, nonsectarian
Head Coach: Curt Fitzpatrick (St. John Fisher ’04; 2nd season as head coach)
Home field: Crown Field at Andy Kerr Stadium (10,221)
Week 0 matchup: Friday, August 28 @ Fordham, 6:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Winston Moore (Sr., WR), Trooper Price (Sr., LB), Tymir Wynn (Sr., DB), Luke Vogeler (Sr., K)

No one will deny that Hamilton, NY, is the longest road trip in the Patriot League. Colgate’s campus in bucolic Madison County is a quintessential liberal arts oasis (sometimes lake-effect snow winter wonderland) smack dab in the middle of upstate (or what I consider upstate) New York.

It’s in that kind of remote setting that head coach Curt Fitzpatrick is doing his best to build what he built at SUNY-Cortland: a perennial winner.

Fitzpatrick took a major step in that direction when he led the Raiders to a 5-7 finish in 2025, taking Villanova down to the wire in September, edging Holy Cross on the road in October, and going toe to toe with Lafayette in November.

Although the final results weren’t always on the winning end, Fitzpatrick’s 2025 Colgate team was physical and competitive, characteristics that senior linebacker (and all-NCAA name team) Trooper Price (Ponte Vedra, FL) and senior quarterback Jake Stearney (Chicago, IL) hope to carry over into this fall.

Both Price and Stearney have played a lot of football and expect to be the grizzled veterans and leaders their young coach expects of them; Price’s thoughtful response to a Media Day question about his brand of leadership showed a) that he’s the son of a long-time coach, and b) he and his teammates are locked in.

Don’t be surprised if Colgate takes the next step this season under Fitzpatrick.

Restaurant picks:

Trooper Price: Seven Oaks Golf Club (highly recommends the Junior Doug)
Jake Stearney: Hamilton Eatery

8. Fordham Rams

Bronx, NY

2025 record: 1-11 overall, 1-6 Patriot
Year founded/affiliation: 1841; Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Head Coach: Joe Conlin (Pittsburgh ’02; 9th season as head coach)
Home field: Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field (7,000)
Week 0 matchup: Friday, August 28 vs. Colgate, 6:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Andrew Osmun (Sr., LB), Mike Doctor (Sr., LS)

The 2025 football season is one the Fordham faithful would like to file away, forget, and move on from. After being taken out behind the woodshed by a beatable Boston College team, the Rams would tick off a series of double-digit defeats before pulling off an improbable 26-21 win over Jesuit rival Holy Cross, the Rams’ first victory in the Ram-Crusader Cup series since 2016, and one that undoubtedly saved their coach’s job.

But the losing continued.

Head coach Joe Conlin is facing down the barrel of his most challenging season yet in his quest to bring Fordham back to the promised FCS playoffs land for the first time since gunslinger Tim DeMorat quarterbacked the Rams in 2022.

Conlin feels confident he has the guys he needs to compete this year, adding a handful of players in the transfer portal and having another full season of senior quarterback Gunnar Smith (Lake Mary, FL) in the shotgun.

Senior linebacker Andrew Osmun (Spring Grove, PA) spoke to playing fast and building on the defensive legacy of the James Conways and Ryan Greenhagens who set school and national records in their time on Rose Hill.

However, it’s fair to say the Rams have their work cut out for them with early contests against Colgate and in the Fargodome against former FCS power, and recent FBS entrant, North Dakota State.

League note: In 2025, Osmun ranked 46th in the nation with 8.3 tackles per game.

Restaurant picks (with a special emphasis on great food on Arthur Ave. in the Bronx):

Andrew Osmun: Enzo’s, Taco Supreme
Gunnar Smith: Enzo’s, Michaelangelo’s

9. Georgetown Hoyas

Washington, D.C.

2025 record: 6-6 overall, 3-4 Patriot
Year founded/affiliation: 1789; Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Head Coach: Rob Sgarlata (Georgetown ’94; 12th season as head coach, 32nd season overall at Georgetown)
Home field: Cooper Field (4,418)
Week 0 matchup: Thursday, August 27 vs. Lafayette, 7:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Chigozie Oge-Evans (Sr., DL)

No one does more in the Patriot League with less than Georgetown head coach Rob Sgarlata. A fiery veteran of twelve head coaching seasons on the Hilltop, Sgarlata has spent every year of his coaching life with the Hoyas, after an illustrious college career as one of the all-time leading rushers in Hoya history.

His teams always play tough and fast, but often fade when the calendar turns to late October/early November; the Hoyas’ end-of-season woes continued with a tenth-straight defeat at the hands of their Jesuit rival.

Part of the reason is Georgetown remains the only member of the Patriot League that does not offer football scholarships since the conference implemented a four-year phase-in of scholarships in 2013. Since then, the Hoyas have gone a combined 43-89, including a 19-52 conference record, last season being Georgetown’s first non-losing campaign since 2011.

Nevertheless, Sgarlata is as gung ho as he always is, emphasizing a new offensive coordinator, improved strength and conditioning program, and a deeper roster in 2026 that has already led to a more competitive camp.

Georgetown’s only preseason All-Patriot honoree, senior defensive lineman Chigozie Oge-Evans (Oxford, United Kingdom), is ready to have a breakout season as a Big Ben-sized disruptor for the Hoyas after starting all 12 games in 2025.

His defensive counterpart, and fellow Deerfield Academy alum, speedy graduate student cornerback Wednar Cadet (Wellesley, MA) returns after dealing with injuries last season, spotlighting the team’s focus on getting the fundamentals right in camp before hosting Lafayette for Thursday Night Lights in DC.

Georgetown needs to prove they can win in October and November, especially as the Patriot League slate only gets tougher.

Restaurant picks:

Chigozie Oge-Evans: Wisemiller’s
Wednar Cadet: Wisemiller’s, Filomena

10. Bucknell Bison

Lewisburg, PA – 60 miles north of Harrisburg

2025 record: 5-7 overall, 2-5 Patriot
Year founded/affiliation: 1846; private, nonsectarian
Head Coach: Jeff Behrman (John Carroll ’91; 1st season as head coach)
Home field: Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium (13,100)
Week 0 matchup: Saturday, August 29 @ Richmond, 6:00 p.m.
Preseason All-Patriot honorees: Sam Milligan (Sr., WR; Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List), Brandon Biagiarelli (Jr., LB)

It’s a brand new day on the banks of the Susquehanna River as longtime D-III head coach Jeff Behrman tries to make his winning formula contagious at Bucknell.

Winning is what the Bison would like to get back to doing as the school celebrates two decades since its one and only PL championship in 1996.

Behrman’s communication style, which led to several winning campaigns at Union and John Carroll (His secret? “The people.”), is infectious and has clearly led to buy-in from the two Bison who attended Media Day, senior wide receiver Sam Milligan (Swarthmore, PA) and junior linebacker/safety Nick Hoying (Kings Mills, OH)—both of whom stressed that Behrman’s early appeal is that he cares about his players as people first and foremost.

Milligan, who led the Patriot League in touchdown receptions with 10 last season, raved about the new culture and staff and talked at length of the emphasis on training and playing with intensity and intentionality.

Hoying echoed Milligan while revealing that while he wants to win now, he also wants to be a leader who gives back to the underclassmen who will be a big part of righting the herd in Lewisburg.

The glaring hole Behrman has to fill is quarterback Ralph Rucker IV, who graduated as Bucknell’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns, passing yards, and completions; Behrman praised the five young men currently in the quarterback room for the Bison.

While it will certainly take some time to rebuild the Bucknell program, the Bison can play spoiler throughout the season if the offense begins to click. A very tough Week 0 test at Richmond awaits.

League note: In 2025, Milligan led the League and ranked 11th in the FCS with 10 touchdown receptions. Brandon Biagiarelli ranked 31st in the nation, averaging 8.7 tackles per game.

Restaurant picks: