This Week in Valpo Football: The Valparaiso University football team will be back in action following a bye week as the Beacons begin Pioneer Football League play on Saturday at Drake. After playing scholarship, FCS competition each of the last two games, the Beacons will continue a challenging part of the schedule by beginning league play on the road against the defending PFL champions. 
 
Previously: The Beacons fell 58-7 at No. 16/17 North Dakota in the nonconference finale in Grand Forks, N.D. Micah Mackay had his first career touchdown reception on a 67-yard grab, while Micah Markley recorded a team-high 13 tackles. Rowan Keefe went 8-of-15 through the air for 111 yards and a touchdown. Special teams difficulties plagued the Beacons as they had two punts blocked and allowed a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
 
Glancing Ahead: Valpo will play the first PFL home game of the season and play on Brown Field for the first time in five weeks when Dayton comes to town on Oct. 11. It's Grit and Grill Day for Valpo Athletics with a men's basketball open practice taking place at 11 a.m., a free tailgate presented by Lombardi's Sausage Company and Valpo men's basketball at noon and the Beacons and Flyers on the gridiron at 1 p.m.
 
Series Notes: Valpo is 5-28 all-time against Drake, including a 27-3 setback last season. Three of the last five matchups have been one-score games, including Valpo's 20-14 setback in 2023 in the team's most recent trip to Des Moines. Valpo won in Des Moines twice in the calendar year of 2021, but those are the only two road wins for the Beacons in the series as they are 2-14 all-time in Des Moines.  
 
Following the Beacons: All 12 games this season will be streamed nationally, with 10 on ESPN+, one on Midco Sports Plus (at St. Thomas) and one on FloSports (at Butler). Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ with Michael Admire (play-by-play) and Sage Rosenfels (analyst). If the hometown call is what you seek, the game will also air on WVUR, 95.1 FM Valparaiso with Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (analyst) calling the action. For in-game updates, follow @valpoufootball on X. Links to live video and stats can be found on ValpoAthletics.com.
 
Valpo in PFL Openers

• The Beacons will kick off Pioneer Football League play with this week's game at Drake.
• Valpo is seeking its first league-opening victory since starting the 2022 campaign with a 28-21 win over San Diego. The Beacons fell in the league opener vs. Marist in 2023 and at Morehead State in 2024.
• The Beacons did start conference play on the right foot in three of the last five years, getting off to 1-0 starts in Spring 2021, Fall 2021 and 2022.

Scouting the Bulldogs

• Went 8-3 overall and 7-1 in PFL play last season, earning the league title and an FCS Playoff appearance.
• Also won the league in 2023, so Saturday's PFL opener will mark the beginning of Drake's pursuit for a third straight league title.
• Picked to finish second behind San Diego in this year's PFL Preseason Poll.
• Also coming off a bye week after a loss in the Dakotas, falling 42-21 at No. 15 South Dakota on Sept. 2.
• Like Valpo, played back-to-back games against scholarship competition, losing 37-21 at No. 2 South Dakota State on Sept. 13 after opening the season with a 41-7 win over Upper Iowa.
• Under the direction of first-year head coach Joe Woodley, who spent 17 years across town at Grand View University including six seasons as the head coach for the NAIA powerhouse.

Campbell Trophy Semifinalist

• Redshirt senior De'Andre Wilborn earned a high honor on Sept. 24 as he was named a semifinalist for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award presented by the National Football Foundation.
• Celebrating its 36^th year, the Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. He is one of 44 semifinalists from FCS programs, one of three from the Pioneer Football League and one of 177 overall.
• Wilborn, who earned NFF Hampshire Honor Society recognition in 2025, is pursuing a master's degree in sports administration at Valpo after graduating from Georgetown in December 2023 with a degree in government and minor in sociology. Wilborn was a member of the Patriot League academic honor roll from 2021-2023 before earning a place on the Pioneer Football League academic honor roll in 2024.
• A Valpo football team leader, Wilborn's off-the-field endeavors include working as part of the Valpo Athletics gameday staff, completing an internship with Jason Friedman running for Congress Illinois 7^th District in summer 2025 and participating in "Dressed for School Valparaiso." While at Georgetown, he was a member of Black Student-Athlete Coalition and a FlagStar football coach/intern from 2020-2023, teaching youth and low-income students how to play football. 
• The NFF will announce 12-16 finalists on Oct. 22, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. The finalists will travel to the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 36th Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

Notes Wrapping Up Week 4: No. 16/17 North Dakota 58, Valpo 7

• Micah Mackay broke two tackles as part of a 67-yard touchdown reception, the first of his career. He had reached the endzone once previously on a return. His 67-yard grab was the longest play from scrimmage during the nonconference portion of the season for the Brown & Gold.
• Micah Markley was the team's leading tackler with 13 stops including six solos, a career best for the true freshman. Nic Lendino chipped in six tackles.
• Quarterback Rowan Keefe passed for 111 yards on 8-of-15 through the air.
• Devin Yeats had by far his biggest game of the season, making four catches for 22 yards after entering the game with one catch over the first three weeks.

Ricketti Recognized

• Redshirt freshman Ryan Ricketti was recognized for his big day on special teams in the team's game at FCS, scholarship foe Western Illinois on Sept. 13.  
• While the Pioneer Football League does not officially recognize a Freshman of the Week, he was tabbed the league's top freshman for Week 3 and nominated by the league office for national Freshman of the Week honors. In addition, Ricketti was named Honorable Mention for FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week by STATS Perform.
• Ricketti became the first FCS player with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this season, part of a day where he had 149 kickoff return yards on three returns in the Week 3 game at FCS scholarship opponent Western Illinois. Ricketti became just the third Division-I player (FBS and FCS) in the nation with a 100-yard kick return touchdown this season, joining Virginia's Cam Ross and Kent State's De'Realyst Clark. He became the first Valpo player with a kickoff return touchdown since Ollie Reese on Oct. 12, 2019 vs. Dayton (95 yards).
• This was Valpo's longest kickoff return in over two decades. Currently, the longest possible credited kickoff return under NCAA rules is 100 yards. The Valpo record is 103 by Don Koehm on Nov. 8, 1947 vs. Wheaton. Through Week 3, Ricketti led the nation with a kickoff return average of 49.2.   

To the House

• Thanks to Frank Bartell's blocked punt return for a touchdown vs. Virginia Lynchburg and Ryan Ricketti's kickoff return for a touchdown at Western Illinois, the Beacons have taken both a kickoff and a punt to the house this season.
• Through Week 3, only 11 FCS teams nationally had a punt return touchdown this season, and only 12 had kickoff return touchdowns.
• Valpo, Chattanooga and Wofford were the only programs nationally in FCS with a kickoff and punt return touchdown this season that early in the season.

Getting Off the Field

• Valpo opponents are just 15-of-52 on third down this season, good for just 28.8 percent.
• The Beacons rank 13^th nationally in FCS in third-down defense, behind only Sacred Heart, Houston Christian, North Dakota State and UTRGV.
• Third-down defense was also a strength of Marietta's last season, when current Valpo head coach Andy Waddle and defensive coordinator Zach Feltrop helped the Pioneers lead the NCAA Division-III nation in that statistical category at .250.

Sack Superlatives

• Through Week 5, Valpo ranks 17^th in the FCS nation in sacks per game at 2.75 and in total sacks with 11. The Beacons are the PFL leaders in tackles for loss per game at 7.5, an average that ranks 10^th nationally.
• Individually, Gabriel Batres ranks second in the PFL at 0.75 sacks per game.
• Max Samuel is 26^th in the nation and second in the PFL in tackles for loss per game at 1.38.
• On the other side of the ball, Valpo has favorable numbers in terms of sacks as well. The Beacons are sixth nationally in fewest sacks per game at 0.75, the best in the PFL.  

Other Notes Wrapping Up Week 3: Western Illinois 51, Valpo 30

• Valpo's 30 points marked the program's highest total against an FCS, scholarship opponent since a 45-40 loss to Duquesne on Sept. 9, 2017.
• The game was far more competitive than Valpo's previous two visits to Western Illinois, 45-0 and 45-6 losses.
• O.C. Nurse had his first interception in a Valpo uniform and the fourth of his collegiate career, celebrating his birthday in style. Jason Salman's pick was his first at Valpo and the second of his collegiate career.
• Luke Scoma's field goal improved him to 3-for-3 this season.
• Chris Gundy's touchdown catch was the third of his career and first this season.
• Michael Mansaray's touchdown run was his 12^th at Valpo and the 16^th of his collegiate career. McNeely's was his third at Valpo and the fifth of his collegiate career.
• Valpo posted 315 yards of total offense, 191 through the air and 124 on the ground.
• QB Caron Tyler went 10-of-16 passing for 137 yards while rushing for a team-high 79 yards.
• Gundy had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Ryan Ricketti had four grabs for 50 yards.
• Redshirt freshman Anthony Feltrinelli secured a team-high eight tackles, while freshman Micah Markley tallied seven. Max Samuel had another big game, recording six stops including a sack.

Welcoming Waddle

• Andy Waddle was named the 19^th head coach of the Valpo football program on Dec. 9, 2024.
• A two-time Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Waddle possesses over two decades of collegiate coaching experience including the last 12 years as the head coach at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio.
• The Pioneers started the 2024 season 8-0, the first 8-0 start in program history. The program enjoyed a 13-game winning streak that spanned the end of the 2023 season and start of the 2024 campaign, tied for the longest in program history and the program's longest since 1920. The 13-game winning streak was at the time tied with Army for the second longest active winning streak in all of NCAA college football, behind only Division-III SUNY-Cortland's 20-game streak.
• Waddle guided the squad to a combined 16-5 record and 14-2 mark in the NCAA Division-III Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) over the last two seasons. He successfully engineered a turnaround of the Marietta program, leading the team to a record of .500 or better in seven of the last eight years after the Pioneers had previously experienced nine consecutive losing seasons.
• When Waddle took over as the head coach at Marietta prior to the 2013 season, he inherited a program that had won three or fewer games in each of the previous six years and was coming off an 0-10 season. Before Waddle's eight-year run of sustained success that began in 2017, Marietta had a winning record just twice in a 20-year span. The program enjoyed as many winning seasons in Waddle's final eight years as head coach as it had experienced in the previous 30 years combined.
• The 2024 season culminated with Marietta's second-ever postseason appearance and first since 1973 as the Pioneers competed in the Extra Points Bowl, hosted at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. After the 8-0 start, Marietta was ranked 22nd nationally by D3Football.com and 23rd by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The Pioneers finished the 2024 campaign ranked among national leaders in the following categories – third-down conversion percentage defense (first, .250), redzone offense (eighth, .912), total defense (10th, 236.1), sacks per game (3.18, 16th), total offense (453.9, 19th), scoring offense (40.5, 21st) and scoring defense (14.9, 23rd).
• Marietta placed 16 players on the All-OAC team in 2024 and had 101 total all-league selections during Waddle's tenure. Following the 2023 campaign, Waddle was named the OAC Coach of the Year after leading Marietta to its highest win total since 1995. Waddle earned his first OAC Coach of the Year award in 2017 after leading the Pioneers to a 6-4 mark, the team's first winning season in 11 years. During his time at Marietta, Waddle instructed 19 all-region performers, 22 All-Americans and four Academic All-Americans.
• Prior to his dozen years leading the Marietta program, Waddle spent eight seasons at Wittenberg University, where he joined the staff in 2005 as the defensive secondary coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator a year later. Wittenberg won four North Coast Athletic Conference championships and made four NCAA playoff appearances in the seven seasons with Waddle running the defense. His 2009 defensive unit led all of the NCAA in total defense (189.9) and scoring defense (8.85) and the program tied a school record with 12 wins.
• Waddle began his coaching career in 2003 at Mansfield University (Pa.) as the defensive backs coach. The NCAA Division-II Mountaineers went 8-3, a six-game improvement over the previous season, and recorded the team's first winning season in nearly 30 years. In 2004, Waddle served as the secondary coach at D-III Maryville College (Tenn.), where he helped the program win as many games as it had in the previous three seasons combined.
• An all-conference defensive back, Waddle played for two North Coast Athletic Conference championship teams and made three NCAA playoff appearances at Wittenberg. He spent two seasons at the University of Findlay prior to transferring to Wittenberg. He was redshirted during the Oilers' 1997 NAIA national championship season and was a starter the following year.
• Waddle earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Wittenberg in 2003 and completed his master's in executive leadership from Liberty University in 2014. A native of Enon, Ohio, Waddle and his wife Kerry Jean have a daughter, Hopelyn, and a son, Spencer. The Waddles are involved with the Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry and have raised nearly $20,000 while registering over 2,000 potential bone marrow donors.

Preseason Prognostications

• Running back Michael Mansaray was tabbed to the All-Pioneer Football League Team that was released by the league office and garnered Phil Steele Preseason All-PFL Second Team honors.
• Mansaray was named to the All-PFL Second Team in 2024, ranking seventh in the league with 58.36 rushing yards per game.
• His 4.52 yards per rush ranked sixth in the league, while his nine rushing touchdowns were tied for fourth and his 642 total yards ranked seventh. He was one rushing score away from becoming just the eighth player in program history with double-figure rushing touchdowns in a single season. Mansaray had a season-best 135 rushing yards on Oct. 26 at Marist, narrowly ahead of his 132 on Sept. 21 vs. Roosevelt.
• The Beacons will look to prove the league's head coaches' preseason balloting to be wide of the mark, as they were projected 10^th of 11 in the preseason poll. San Diego was picked to win the league, outdoing defending champion Drake atop the survey.

Leading The Way

• Redshirt junior offensive lineman Niko Paic and junior defensive back Mark Johnson have been named team captains for the 2025 season.
• Paic played in all 22 games over the last two seasons, starting all 11 during the 2024 campaign. He made his collegiate debut in 2022 at FBS foe New Mexico State while redshirting that season.
• Johnson appeared in 10 games and made seven starts a year ago, posting 45 tackles including 18 solos, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He was named the Pioneer Football League's Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 27 after a season-high 10 tackles in the Oct. 26 win at Marist, a matchup during which he delivered the game-winning pass breakup on Marist's final offensive snap. Johnson has played in 21 games since arriving on campus prior to the 2023 campaign.

Roster Rundown: The program has continued to bring in talent from all over the United States. Half of the 50 states are represented on the roster, with Illinois (27) and Indiana (21) leading the way followed by Ohio (17) and California (nine).
 
Who's Back?: The 2024 Beacons boast four returning starters on offense and three on defense.
 
Meet the Staff

• Reed Florence – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach – In his first season at Valpo after spending the last three seasons on Waddle's staff at Marietta, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
• Zach Feltrop – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach – Spent the last six seasons at Marietta College, serving as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Waddle.
• RJ Ghilarducci – Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator / Defensive Line Coach – Is in his sixth season on the Valpo football staff.
• Terry Geiger – Wide Receivers Coach / Recruiting Coordinator – Spent the last three seasons on staff at Marietta, where he was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator under Waddle.
• Peter Nank – Offensive Line Coach – Spent the last two seasons as the offensive line coach under Waddle at Marietta.
• Michael Joseph – Defensive Backs Coach – Played at Division-III University of Dubuque before going on to spend five years in the National Football League as a member of the Chicago Bears from 2018-2022 before he spent 2023 and 2024 as a member of the United Football League's DC Defenders. He is the lone member of the coaching staff who was not at either Valpo or Marietta last season.
• Connor Vierstra – Tight Ends Coach – Graduated from Marietta College in December 2024, finishing as the program's all-time career leader in passing touchdowns, completions and pass attempts for the Pioneers.
• Evan Matthes – Running Backs Coach / Specialists Coach – Is in his second year on Valpo's staff after serving as a punter for the Beacons in 2022 and 2023. He was an All-PFL First Team choice in 2023.
• Colin Graves – Safeties Coach – Finished his collegiate playing career at Valpo in 2024.
• David Busch – Quality Control / Defensive Line – Was a five-year starter on the Marietta offensive line from 2020 to 2024.
• Danny Files – Assistant Offensive Line Coach – Graduated from Valpo with a degree in sport management and minor in business administration in May 2023 after playing four years for the Beacons.

Family Tree

• QB Marcus Brown and DB Donovan Brown are brothers.
• QB Caron Tyler's father is rapper Aaron Tyler, better known by stage name MC Eiht.
• DB Mark Johnson's father Mark played football at Vanderbilt from 1986-91.
• RB Amir Simmons is the cousin of Taco Charlton, who played at Michigan and was a 2017 first-round NFL draft pick.
• TE Brayden Welch is the son of Joshua Welch, part of MMA Team Quest for 17 years.
• DL Betrand Berry II is the son of former Notre Dame defensive end Betrand Berry, who went on to play 12 years in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals. He was Second-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection in 2004.
• TE JT Gawrys is the son of Steve Gawrys, who played baseball at BYU from 1987-1991 and went on to play semi-pro ball.
• RB Michael Rumoro's uncle Mark Tortorice played baseball at Grand Canyon from 1982-1985 and played minor league baseball in the Oakland A's and Chicago White Sox's farm systems
• DB Xavier Gipson's relative Tashaun Gipson has played in the NFL since 2012 for the Browns, Jaguars, Texans, Bears and 49ers and was a 2014 Pro Bowl choice
• OL Billy Jack McCool's father Billy Wade McCool played football at Wake Forest (1999-2000) and Valdosta State (2000-2001) and rugby at North Texas (2001-2003).
• QB Nathan Downey's grandfather Jim Rucks played football, basketball and baseball at the University of Illinois from 1969-1973
• DL Emmanuel Olojo's brother Jeremiah played football at Valpo in 2017 and 2018.
• OL Ralph Suarez's father, also Ralph, played football at Minnesota (2000-2001) and FIU (2002-2004).
• LB Tristan Pusateri's sister Taylor is a member of the Valpo track & field and cheerleading teams.
• QB Johnny DiBlasio's relative Karen DiBlasio swam at Harvard and in the 1980 Olympics.
• DB David Akinbosoye's cousin Adetomiwa Adebawore has played for the Indianapolis Colts since 2023.
• DL Caleb Baczek's father Todd played football at Northwestern and was signed by the New York Jets.
• QB Jacob Ritter's mother played volleyball at Iowa and father played football at Michigan.
• OL Marco Morales' grandfather Jaime was a professional Bolivian soccer player in the 1960s.
• RB DJ Manns II's brother Myron played football at Vanderbilt and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2010-2014.
• WR Luke Doyle's father Sean was an offensive lineman at UCLA from 1989-1994
• LB Nathan Harris' uncle Robert Mathis played at Alabama A&M and for the Indianapolis Colts.
• LS Ace McKinnis' father Don was a Big Eight champion in the javelin at Kansas State and also played football from 1980-1985. His uncle Tim McKinnis was a minor league baseball pitcher and professional golfer.
• DL Jacardon Hardemon's relative Joshua Ellison played minor league baseball in the Mariners and Yankees organizations, reaching as high as Triple-A.
• P Nate Hillenburg's cousin Damon Bailey was an All-American in men's basketball at Indiana University and went on to play for the Indiana Pacers.
• QB Iosua Stephens' mother was the princess of American Samoa.

Did You Know? #BeaconBits

• LB Justin Jurmu's oldest brother Jordan was a national finalist in the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship in 2015 at Augusta National.
• DL Alex Goworowski has never seen Star Wars, Rocky, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones or Caddyshack.
• DL Dawson Rye had a pet aquatic frog for over 15 years.
• OL Noah Kline's extended family is so large that at one point he had a relative living in every state except Maine.
• WR Tyler Threat was born and raised in Dallas as a huge Cowboys fan. During a youth football season in Texas, he played against Coach Deion Sanders' team and executed very well on both sides of the ball. His team won and Coach Prime came up to him after the game and gave him a high five.
• WR Ryan Ricketti trains MMA.
• OL Nathan Snedegar is a second-degree blackbelt in Taekwondo. 
• RB Michael Rumoro is a first-generation American.
• WR Bryson Winbush's biggest fear is big statues.
• WR Nolan Teising is named after MLB legend Nolan Ryan.
• P Zander Lankford is in the top 0.1 percent in the video game Marvel Rivals.
• OL Billy Jack McCool lived in the cities/suburbs in the southern United States until eighth grade, then moved with his family to a ranch in Wyoming and learned cattle ranching and horses.
• DB Kaiser Wilhelm is a self-taught gymnast.
• DL Caleb Baczek can play the harmonica.
• OL Marco Morales Created and ran his high school's "Barstool" account that has 1,300+ followers. This account was used to promote his high school's athletics in a fun way that was up to date with current trends/memes and also updated fans/parents on schedules and game times.
• WR Robbie Spang is a student senator at Valpo and a Christ College (honors college) student at Valpo.
• OL Mathew Gasior is a first-generation Polish American.
• DB Uriel Richardson won district and state titles in taekwondo.
• P Nate Hillenburg earned the rank of Eagle Scout in November of 2018.

Player-by-Player Quick Hits – Projected Offensive Starters
*Based on two-deep, starters subject to change

• QB #2 Rowan Keefe, R-Jr. – Named the team's Most-Improved Player in 2023… Played in five games and made four starts in 2023 including 187 passing yards on 9-of-12 through the air, three touchdowns and no interceptions while playing only the second half on Oct. 21 at Davidson… In 2024, started each of the season's first two games… Threw for 111 yards on 8-of-15 through the air at No. 16/17 North Dakota in Week 4.
• RB #7 Michael Mansaray, 6^th – Achieved 2025 Preseason All-Pioneer Football League recognition… Rushed for nine touchdowns in 2024, one away from becoming just the eighth player in program history with double-figure rushing touchdowns in a single season… Had a season-best 135 rushing yards on Oct. 26 at Marist, narrowly ahead of his 132 on Sept. 21 vs. Roosevelt… Opened the 2025 season by rushing for 134 yards and two scores on 15 attempts on Aug. 30 vs. Virginia Lynchburg, finishing a yard shy of his season best from a year ago… Did not play due to an injury on Sept. 6 vs. Adrian… Rushed for his 16^th collegiate touchdown in Week 3 at Western Illinois.
• WR #27 Micah Mackay – Played in all 11 games in 2023 before battling injuries and playing two games in 2024… Picked up a blocked punt in the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown on Nov. 11, 2023 vs. Stetson… Had his first collegiate receiving TD on a 67-yard completion, Valpo's longest offensive play of the nonconference season, in Week 4 of this season at No. 16/17 North Dakota.
• WR #9 Chris Gundy, R-Jr. – Made 41 catches in 21 games over the last two seasons including 29 grabs for 297 yards a year ago… Has found the end zone once in each of the last two years… Shared the team lead with four catches on Sept. 6 vs. Adrian… Led the team with five catches for 85 yards and hauled in a touchdown in Week 3 at Western Illinois.
• WR #14 Ryan Ricketti, R-Fr. – Redshirted and retained four seasons of eligibility while playing in four games during his first year on campus in 2024… Tied for the team lead with three catches in the Aug. 30 season opener vs. Virginia Lynchburg while also ripping off a 71-yard kickoff return… Shared the team lead with four catches on Sept. 6 vs. Adrian… Was the PFL nominee for National Freshman of the Week and named Honorable Mention STATS Perform FCS Special Teams Player of the Week after becoming the first FCS player nationally this season with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 3 at Western Illinois.
• TE #87 Brayden Welch, R-Fr. – At the forefront of a tight end room that features four true or redshirt freshmen… Did not see game action and redshirted in 2024.
• LT #67 Brendan Mcilvenna, R-So. – Did not see game action in 2023 and played in one game in 2024.
• LG #55 Dan Theiss, R-Fr. – Did not see game action in 2024, retaining four years of eligibility.
• C #68 Ryan Pauley, R-Jr. – Started his career at fellow PFL members Presbyterian, playing in five games in 2022… Saw action in three games over his first two seasons at Valpo.   
• RG #50 Niko Paic, R-Jr. – Has played in all 22 games over the last two seasons… In his fourth year at Valpo…. Was elected a team captain by his peers prior to the season.

Player-by-Player Quick Hits – Projected Defensive Starters
*Based two-deep, starters subject to change

• DE #11 De'Andre Wilborn, R-Sr. – Nominee for the prestigious Campbell Trophy Award, based on a combination of athletics, academics and community service… Played in all 11 games in 2024 after transferring from Georgetown… Had seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery on Sept. 6 vs. Adrian.
• DT #98 Antony Morris, R-So. – Played in nine games and made five starts for the Beacons in 2024… Had five tackles including a sack on Sept. 6 vs. Adrian.
• NT #99 Isaiah Fowler, R-So. – Started the majority of Valpo's games last season.
• DE #42 Alex Goworowski, R-Jr. – Earned the 2024 team Scholar-Athlete Award and was the 2023 Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Year… Blocked two kicks in 2024, one of only 22 players nationally in FCS with multiple blocked kicks.
• LB #51 Anthony Feltrinelli, R-Fr. – Racked up 14 tackles including six solos on Sept. 6 at Adrian, pacing the team… Led the team in tackles for the second straight week with eight in Week 3 at Western Illinois.
• LB #41 Micah Markley, Fr. – Was the lone true freshman who started in Week 1… Was second on the team with seven tackles in Week 3 at Western Illinois… Posted a team-high 13 tackles on Sept. 20 at No. 16/17 North Dakota.
• LB #1 Max Samuel, Jr. – Was the team's Newcomer of the Year in 2023 and was tabbed PFL Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 13 of that season… Has played in 21 games over the last two years… Turned in six tackles including a sack in Week 3 at Western Illinois.
• CB #0 Nic Lendino, R-So. – Was a two-time PFL nominee for National Freshman of the Week last season and was named the team's Newcomer of the Year… Made his third career interception in the Aug. 30 season opener vs. Virginia Lynchburg… Ranked second on the squad with eight tackles on Sept. 6 vs. Adrian… Had six tackles on Sept. 20 at No. 16/17 North Dakota.
• CB #8 O.C. Nurse, Jr. – Appeared in 20 games over the last two seasons while playing for head coach Andy Waddle at Marietta… Had an interception on his birthday in the Sept. 13 game at Western Illinois.
• DB #22 Jason Salman – Played in nine games in 2024 at Marietta College under head coach Andy Waddle… Had an interception in Valpo's Week 3 game at Western Illinois.
• S #3 Mark Johnson, Jr. – Team captain and returning starter… Had 45 tackles a year ago, including 10 to go along with a game-winning pass breakup at Marist, helping him garner PFL Defensive Player of the Week laurels… Made his first career interception in the Aug. 30 season opener vs. Virginia Lynchburg.

Specialist Quick Hits – Projected Starters

• K #26 Luke Scoma, R-Fr. – Did not see game action in his first season on campus and is poised to make his collegiate debut as Valpo's top kicker in 2025… Went 2-for-2 on field goals with a long of 43 and 6-for-6 on PATs in his collegiate debut… Improved to 3-for-3 on field goals tries this season with a 38-yard make in Week 3 at Western Illinois.
• P #48 Nate Hillenburg, R-Jr. – Joins the Beacons as a transfer after spending the last four years at Cornell.