This Week in Valpo Football: The Valparaiso University football team looks to make it back-to-back victories as the Beacons welcome perennial Pioneer Football League powerhouse Drake – the league's three-time defending champion – to Brown Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff. It's Times Family Day featuring a pregame mascot meet and greet.
 
Previously: Valpo put together one of its most complete performances ever in a Pioneer Football League game last week, getting contributions from all three phases in a 37-3 road rout of Morehead State in Morehead, Ky. Chris Gundy's 95-yard punt return touchdown started the Valpo scoring, before the Beacons overwhelmed the Eagles by outscoring them 24-0 after halftime. A variety of offensive contributors chipped in, including Cedric Benning, who ran for 91 yards in his first Valpo start. 
 
Glancing Ahead: Valpo will fly west next week to take on San Diego in California. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. Central Time and will air on ESPN+.  
 
Series Notes: Valpo is 5-29 all-time against Drake and has dropped each of the last four meetings, three of them coming in lopsided fashion. Valpo's last win over Drake was 24-21 on Sept. 25, 2021 in Des Moines. Valpo has not beaten Drake at Brown Field since Oct. 25, 2003 (W 51-45, ot). Valpo has an 11-game home losing streak in the head-to-head series.  
 
Following the Beacons: Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ with with Todd Ickow (36^th season, play-by-play) and Valpo Athletics Hall of Famer Tom Byrne (sixth season, analyst) describing the action. The radio call will be available on WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso and the TuneIn Radio app with Grayson Merchant and Preston Sieben bellowing out the commentary. For in-game updates, follow @valpoufootball on Instagram and X. Links to live video and stats can be found on ValpoAthletics.com. This season, nine of the 11 games will be on ESPN+ with the remaining two games airing on YouTube.
 
With a Win on Saturday, Valpo Would…

• Beat Drake at Brown Field for the first time since 2003, snapping an 11-game home losing streak to the Bulldogs.
• End Drake's 15-game PFL road winning streak, handing the Bulldogs their first road loss in league play since Oct. 15, 2022 at St. Thomas.
• Have back-to-back wins within the same season for the first time since September 2024 (Indiana Wesleyan and Roosevelt).
• Have back-to-back league wins within the same season for the first time since 2023 (Dayton and Stetson).
• Hold a record of 2-1 or better through three PFL games for the first time since 2022.

Scouting the Bulldogs

• Drake has gone to the FCS Playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
• The head coaches picked them second of 11 in a very tight preseason poll with San Diego (90), Drake (88) and St. Thomas (87) all within three points of one another. 
• The Bulldogs have started PFL play at 2-0, winning at Davidson 51-32 and at home against Dayton 30-22.
• Head coach Matt Walker is in his first season in Des Moines after leading Wisconsin-River falls to the Division-III national championship last season.

A Beacon Blowout

• Valpo's 37-3 win at Morehead State was among the program's most lopsided victories in league play since the Pioneer Football League was formed in 1993.
• The 34-point margin of victory tied for Valpo's second largest in a PFL game. The record is 44 on Nov. 13, 2021, a 47-3 win at Butler. The win over the Eagles tied with an Oct. 14, 2017 home win over Marist (49-15) for second on that list.
• The 34-point margin of defeat was Morehead State's largest in a home game since 2023, a 49-7 loss to Butler.
• The 37 points marked Valpo's highest output in a league game since Nov. 12, 2022, a 45-24 win at Marist.
• The three points allowed tied a program record for fewest points allowed in a PFL game. This marked just the third time Valpo has held a PFL opponent to three points or fewer, joining Nov. 13, 2021 at Butler and Nov. 8, 2014 vs. Butler.
• The three points tied for the fewest allowed by Valpo in a league game since 1984, a 31-0 win over Saint Joseph in Heartland Collegiate Conference action.
• Morehead State was held to three points or fewer on its home field for the first time since 2009, a 39-0 loss to Jacksonville.

Getting It Done on the Road

• Winning on the road is never easy, and worth celebrating for a Valpo program that was 1-19 in its last 20 road games prior to the blowout win at Morehead State on Oct. 3.  
• The game at Morehead State marked the program's second road win since Nov. 12, 2022 at Marist (45-24) and first since Oct. 26, 2024 at Marist (17-14).
• Valpo picked up its fourth-ever win in 16 trips to Morehead, Ky. and won at Morehead State for just the second time since 2006. The victory was Valpo's sixth in 32 all-time matchups overall.

Return to Sender

• Chris Gundy broke a 60-year-old program record with his 95-yard punt return touchdown at Morehead State on Oct. 3. He outdid Tom Dohrmann's 92-yard return from Sept. 17, 1966 at Wabash.
• Gundy's punt return broke the Pioneer Football League record as well, outdoing the previous record of 94 that was set by Davidson's Toms Bernhards-Callahan and Jacksonville's D'Andre Randle in 2011.
• Gundy, who also ripped off a 36-yard kickoff return and totaled 108 punt return yards on two opportunities, was named the Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season after his big day against the Eagles. He also earned Honorable Mention for Stats Perform National FCS Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Gundy's punt return touchdown was his third of the season, making him the NCAA leader across all divisions (FCS, FBS, Division-II and Division-III). He is the first player in program history with multiple punt return TDs in a single season.
• Gundy's 95-yard punt return is a full 13 yards longer than the second-longest nationally in FCS this season. Gundy's 95-yard return is the longest in the NCAA nation (FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III) this season. 
• In the last 12 seasons, Gundy's 95-yard punt return is the second-longest nationally in FCS behind only Elijah Kennedy (North Carolina A&T)'s 96-yarder on Oct. 25, 2025.
• Gundy tied the PFL record for punt return touchdowns in a season, equaling a mark set by Jacksonville's Elliott Finkley in 2008.
• Gundy leads the FCS nation in punt return average at 30.0, well ahead of second at 23.3. He ranks second in all of Division-I behind Florida's Vernell Brown III (34.6).
• The current FCS record for season punt return average (minimum 1.2 returns per game) is 26.5 set by Curtis DeLoatch of N.C. A&T in 2001.
• With 270 total punt return yards on the season, Gundy already ranks fourth in program history for single-season punt return yards and has the most since Ray Hiller's program-record 316 in 1998.
• As a team, Valpo has four punt return TDs on the season, the only FCS team with more than two. Valpo leads the NCAA nation outright as the only team across all four levels with four punt return scores this season.
• Valpo has broken the PFL record for team punt return touchdowns in a season. Several schools previously shared the record, most recently Jacksonville with three PR TDs in 2008. 

Takeaway Time

• Valpo had four takeaways and no turnovers in the Oct. 3 win at Morehead State, marking the first time Valpo was +4 or better in turnover margin since 2017 vs. Morehead State (+5, 6-1).
• Valpo had its first PFL game with four or more takeaways since 2019 vs. Stetson.
• This was Valpo's first three-interception game since Nov. 11, 2023 vs. Stetson.
• Wyatt Little's interception was the second of his career, and both have come against Morehead State.
• Jason Salman made his second pick of the season, as he also had one against Lawrence Tech. He became the first Beacon with multiple this year.
• Connor Cervantes made the first interception of his collegiate career.

Backfield Beacons

• Max Samuel is tied for first nationally with 11.5 tackles for loss (2.30 per game) this season, joining Stony Brook's Khalid Bueno. Samuel and Bueno are tied for the national lead in all of Division-I college football, FBS and FCS.
• Samuel is also the PFL leader in sacks per game with 0.90, ranking ninth nationally.  
• Samuel's 3.5 tackles for loss in the game against Butler tied for the 11^th most nationally in FCS this season. He has at least two tackles for loss in four of his five games this season.
• As a team, the Beacons rank second in the PFL and 27^th nationally with 5.8 TFL/game.
• Valpo owns a PFL-best 2.40 sacks per game, ranking 23^rd nationally.

Punting Prowess

• Valpo punter Will Orlando boomed a 62-yard punt on Oct. 3 at Morehead State, Valpo's longest since Sam Johnson sent one 65 yards on Sept. 7, 2024 at Youngstown State.
• Orlando averaged a career-best 48.5 yards per punt against the Golden Eagles, setting a personal best for the second straight week.
• Orlando's punting average of 40.8 ranks third in the Pioneer Football League.
• In addition, Orlando ranks fifth nationally in FCS in punting average by a freshman.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Week 5 – Valpo 37, Morehead State 3

• Valpo outgained Morehead State 389-251. The Beacons rushed for 161 yards and threw for 228.
• The 389 yards of total offense marked a season high and the team's most in a game since the 2025 season opener vs. Virginia Lynchburg. The 389 total yards marked Valpo's highest accumulation in a PFL game since Nov. 12, 2022 at Marist (460).
• Luke Scoma made two of his three field-goal tries (one blocked) and went 4-for-4 on PATs. Talan Samosky made his first field-goal try in a Valpo uniform.
• Daniel White became the first Valpo player with multiple touchdown catches this season. Colin Hayes' TD reception was the third of his career and his first of the season.
• Making his first career start at running back, Cedric Benning III had his second TD run of the season and accumulated a season-high 91 yards on the ground on 18 carries. Valpo quarterbacks combined for another 53 rushing yards as each QB had eight rushes.
• Rowan Keefe went 14-for-21 for 174 yards, while Noah Ehrlich went 5-for-7 for 54.
• Marty O'Keeffe squeezed three catches for a team-high 90 yards, while White collected a team-high four grabs for 62 yards on a day where 11 different Beacons caught passes.
• After entering the game already ranked second nationally in tackles for loss per game and leading all D1 linebackers, Max Samuel racked up another 2.5 tackles for loss including a sack. He and Nic Lendino shared the team lead with six stops apiece.
• Valpo went 10-of-18 on third down, while the Valpo defense limited Morehead State to 2-of-11 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down. Morehead State did not have any third-down conversions until the final drive of the game.
• The Eagles actually held a 118-27 advantage in total offense in the first quarter before the Beacons outgained them 362-133 the rest of the way.
• The good day for the Beacons started from the outset, when the team snapped a streak of losing the coin toss in 15 consecutive games by winning the toss and electing to defer their choice to the second half.

National Notes

• Valpo ranks 10^th nationally and leads the PFL in third-down conversion percentage defense at .286.
• Valpo ranks second nationally behind fellow PFL member Marist with five blocked kicks. The Red Foxes have gotten a paw on six kicks this year.
• Valpo is tied for second nationally in blocked punts with three.
• The Beacons are 27^th nationally in completion percentage at .639, second in the PFL.
• Valpo is 15^th nationally in first down defense with 85, second in the PFL.
• Valpo is one of nine teams in FCS that has not lost a fumble this season.
• Valpo ranks third nationally in team kick return average at 33.45.
• The Beacons are eighth nationally in passing yards allowed at 160.2 per game, leading the PFL.
• Valpo's punt return average of 23.50 ranks fifth in the nation.
• Valpo's passing efficiency defense of 102.49 ranks fifth nationally.
• The team's turnover margin of +0.80 per game ranks 16^th nationally, while the three turnovers lost are tied for the 10^th fewest in the nation.

Notes Wrapping Up Week 4 – Butler 33, Valpo 28

• Michael Rumoro had a career-high 94 rushing yards, with the bulk of the damage coming on his career-long 78-yard run, his second touchdown of the season.
• Rowan Keefe found the endzone with his legs, his second rushing touchdown of the season and the fifth of his career. The Valpo QB threw for two scores and now has six passing TDs this season and 24 in his career.
• Keefe went 24-of-35 passing for 187 yards, setting a career high in completions for the third straight week. He has 17 completions or more in seven of his last eight games.
• Micah Mackay's TD grab was his first of the season and the second of his career, while Devin Yeats hauled in his first in 2026 and the fourth of his career.
• Chris Gundy and Mackay shared the team lead with six receptions apiece, while Gundy led the way with 59 receiving yards.
• Nic Lendino was the team's top tackler with a career-high-tying 13 stops. He accumulates his highest tackle outputs against the arch rivals, as his previous 13-tackle game came in the 2025 season finale at Butler.
• Max Samuel had 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss against Butler, and is up to a team-high nine tackles for loss and team-high 3.5 sacks on the season.
• Anthony Feltrinelli was second on the team with eight tackles, his second time in the last three games with eight or more.
• Kaiser Wilhelm's 81-yard kick return was the team's longest so far this season.
• Valpo had its best third-down offense of the season, going 7-of-14 for 50 percent.
• Penalties were a bugaboo on Saturday, as Valpo's 124 penalty yards marked the team's most of the Waddle Era and most since the final game of the 2021 season.

QB1 Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalist

• Valpo quarterback Rowan Keefe was named a semifinalist for the 2026 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football premier scholar-athlete award.
• The Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the best scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
• Keefe is one of 45 semifinalists from FCS programs, one of three from the Pioneer Football League and one of 206 semifinalists across all levels of college football. The NFF will announce 12 to 16 finalists on Oct. 21.
• Off the field, Keefe has served as a flag football referee for the Boys & Girls Club, has volunteered for gift drives for Christmas in Merrillville, has done volunteer construction work at a veteran home in Valparaiso and has participated in Polar Plunge to raise money for Special Olympics.

Preseason Plaudits

• Two members of the Valpo defense – defensive back Nic Lendino and linebacker Anthony Feltrinelli – were tabbed to the Preseason All-Pioneer Football League Team by the conference office.
• Valpo was one of six teams with multiple Preseason All-PFL honorees.
• Return specialist Chris Gundy was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-PFL First Team, while Lendino and Feltrinelli achieved Second Team status. A trio of third-team honorees rounded out Valpo's Phil Steele laurels – offensive lineman Noah Kline, tight end Colin Hayes and defensive back Mark Johnson.
• The Beacons were picked 11^th in the preseason poll. San Diego is the preseason favorite to win the league followed by Drake and St. Thomas.

A True Hero

• Team captain Mark Johnson made a selfless decision this past summer, when he agreed to donate bone marrow to potentially save the life of a 5-year-old child in Paris, France.
• Johnson learned that he was a match for the child after signing up for the national registry when he learned the touching story of head coach Andy Waddle's wife Kerry Jean, who had a rare bone marrow disease before receiving a life-saving donation from a man named Todd Spencer.
• Because of his selfless donation and his other community-service work, Johnson has been nominated for the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He is one of 175 total nominees from across all levels of college football and one of 49 FCS student-athletes.
• The story of Johnson's bone marrow donation was told by ValpoAthletics.com, The Victory Bell, The Times of Northwest Indiana, CBS-2 Chicago and NBC-5 Chicago.

Leading the Way

• Three Valpo players were named team captains prior to the season, as voted upon by their peers.
• Senior defensive back Mark Johnson was named a captain for the second consecutive season. He started all 12 games a year ago and has appeared in 33 games over the last three campaigns.
• Redshirt junior defensive back Nic Lendino is serving as a captain this season. He was tabbed All-PFL Honorable Mention last season and has started all 23 Valpo contests over the last two years.
• Redshirt senior quarterback Rowan Keefe is the lone offensive captain. A fifth-year member of the program, Keefe was named the team's Most-Improved Player for the second time in his career last season. Keefe played in all 12 games and made nine starts at quarterback a year ago.

Roster Rundown: Nearly half of the United States are represented on the Valpo roster, as Beacons hail from 21 different states. Illinois (29) and Indiana (23) are the most represented, followed by Ohio (17) and California (10).
 
Who's Back?: The 2026 Beacons return seven starters on offense and eight on defense from last season. This comes after Valpo featured just four returning starters on offense and three on defense last season.
 
Notes Wrapping Up 2025

• The team recorded the largest comeback in program history, rallying from 24-0 down late in the third to beat Stetson 32-31 in overtime, going 4-for-4 on 2-point conversions in the game.
• Five players earned all-conference accolades, two were Freshman All-Americans and one was a First Team FCS All-American, Valpo's first since 1999.
• The Beacons also boasted a Campbell Trophy semifinalist and four Academic All-PFL selections.
• Valpo led the nation in kick return average at 27.9.
• On defense, Valpo had 70 tackles for loss, tied for the fifth most in a single season in program history.
• On offense, the Beacons completed 59.9 percent of their passes, the team's highest single-season completion percentage since 2013 and third highest in program history.
• The 2025 squad opened the season with a 67-10 triumph over Virginia Lynchburg, the program's highest point total and margin of victory since 1958.

Head Coach Andy Waddle

• Andy Waddle (57-71 overall, 2-10 at Valpo) was named the 19^th head coach of the Valpo football program on Dec. 9, 2024. He is in his second season leading the Beacons in 2026.
• A two-time Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Waddle possesses over two decades of collegiate coaching experience including the previous 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 his last two seasons in Ohio. 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.

Meet the Staff

• Reed Florence – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach – In his second season at Valpo after spending the previous three seasons on Waddle's staff at Marietta, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
• Zach Feltrop – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach – In his second year at Valpo after spending the previous 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 seventh season on the Valpo football staff.
• Terry Geiger – Wide Receivers Coach / Recruiting Coordinator – Is in his second season at Valpo after spending the previous three years on staff at Marietta, where he was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator under Waddle.
• Peter Nank – Offensive Line Coach – Is in his second season at Valpo after spending the previous two seasons as the offensive line coach under Waddle at Marietta.
• Michael Joseph – Defensive Backs Coach – Is in his second season at Valpo. 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.
• Connor Vierstra – Tight Ends Coach – Is in his second season on Valpo's staff. 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.
• Weston Bridges – Running Backs Coach – Is in his first season on Valpo's staff after serving as the running backs coach at the University of Sioux Falls in 2025.
• Justin Schiets – Director of Football Operations / Defensive Ends Coach – Is in his first season at Valpo, serving as Director of Football Operations and coaching the defensive ends. Arrived at Valpo after a stint in player personnel and recruiting at Western Michigan.
• David Busch – Quality Control / Offensive Line – Is in his second season on Valpo's staff. Was a five-year starter on the Marietta offensive line from 2020 to 2024.
• Jaelon Quiero-Gordon – Quality Control / Safeties – Is in his first season serving in a quality control role and working with the team's safeties. He was a five-year football student-athlete at Marietta College under Waddle from 2020-2024 and broke into coaching by instructing the defensive backs at Ohio Dominican University.

Family Tree

• QB Marcus Brown and DB Donovan Brown are brothers.
• OL Billy Jack McCool and OL Spencer McCool are brothers.
• DB JQ Harris and LB Nathan Harris are brothers.
• DL Emmanuel Olojo's brother Jeremiah played football at Valpo in 2017 and 2018.
• QB Bo Brunner's older sister Belle golfed at Valpo from 2021-2025, uncle Brian O'Connor played baseball at Valpo from 1996-1999 before being drafted by the Houston Astros and grandfather Tom Brunner competed in track & field at Valpo from 1968-1972. His brother Tommy is a swimmer at Ball State.
• Spencer and Billy Jack's father Billy Wade McCool played football at Wake Forest (1999-2000) and Valdosta State (2000-2001) and rugby at North Texas (2001-2003).
• JQ and Nathan's uncle Robert Mathis played at Alabama A&M and for the Indianapolis Colts.
• DB Mark Johnson's father Mark played football at Vanderbilt from 1986-91.
• DL Bertrand Berry II is the son of former Notre Dame defensive end Bertrand 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.
• 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
• QB Nathan Downey's grandfather Jim Rucks played football, basketball and baseball at the University of Illinois from 1969-1973
• QB Johnny DiBlasio's relative Karen DiBlasio swam at Harvard and in the 1980 Olympics.
• 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.
• LB Floyd Watson III's uncle Kevin Watson played for the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints. 
• LS Hayden Hourany's uncle Joe Brown played football at Ohio State (1996-2000) and for the Seattle Seahawks (2001-2002).
• P Will Struyk is related to George Washington.

Did You Know? #BeaconBits

• DL Alex Goworowski has never seen Star Wars, Rocky, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones or Caddyshack.
• OL Noah Kline's extended family is so large that at one point he had a relative living in every state except Maine.
• 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.
• 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 and a Christ College (honors college) student at Valpo.
• WR Isaac Tran had eight surgeries in a five-year span.
• DB JD Friday is a pro Fortnite player.
• DB Colten Tripp scored a 4 on the AP U.S. History exam.
• RB Niko Kokosioulis can play the piano and ukulele.
• RB Russell Tye did not start playing football until high school.
• RB Elijah Rose has 14 siblings.
• DL Mac McCormick grew up on a farm.
• LB Floyd Watson III was born on Leap Day, Feb. 29.
• DL Alex Prine had a close encounter with a black bear in Canada.

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

• QB #2 Rowan Keefe, R-Sr. – Team captain… Named the team's Most-Improved Player for the second time in his career in 2025… Earned 2025 Academic All-PFL Second Team honors… Enters the 2026 season having made 15 career starts at quarterback including multiple starts in each of the last three seasons… Completed 17 passes or more in each of his final four games of the 2025 season… Went 10-of-16 through the air for 133 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 0 vs. Lawrence Tech… Had career highs in completions (20) and passing yards (249) in Week 2 at Murray State… One-upped his career high with 21 completions on Sept. 19 at Indiana State… Passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one while setting a career high for a third straight week with 24 completions on Sept. 26 vs. Butler.
• LT #74 Mason Knoch, R-So. – Played in 11 games on Valpo's offensive line in 2025.
• LG #63 Cooper Bothwell, R-Jr. – Played in 10 games on Valpo's offensive line in 2025 after transferring from Marist.
• C #56 Justin Hemmersbach, R-Jr. – Played in nine games and made eight starts on Valpo's offensive line in 2025… Started at center in the 2026 season opener before missing the next two games with an injury and returning to action on Sept. 26 vs. Butler.
• RG #79 Austin Lambert, R-Jr. – Played in three games on Valpo's offensive line in 2025. 
• RT #70 Noah Kline, Sr. – Named to the 2026 Phil Steele Preseason All-PFL Third Team… Enters Week 6 vs. Drake having started 37 consecutive games on Valpo's offensive line.
• TE #11 Colin Hayes, R-So. – Named to the 2026 Phil Steele Preseason All-PFL Third Team… Was on the receiving end of two successful 2-point conversion passes in the Nov. 15, 2025 win over Stetson, one at the end of regulation and one in overtime. In both scenarios, Valpo would have lost the game if he did not catch the pass… Had a 2-point conversion catch in Week 2 at Murray State… Hauled in a touchdown catch on Oct. 3 at Morehead State.
• WR #13 Marty O'Keeffe, R-Jr. – Played in 12 games and made one start in 2025, hauling in six catches… Had a team-high three receptions including his first collegiate touchdown in Week 0 vs. Lawrence Tech… Led the team with 56 receiving yards on four catches on Sept. 19 at Indiana State… Squeezed three catches for a team-high 90 yards on Oct. 3 at Morehead State. 
• WR #17 Devin Yeats, R-Sr. – Played in 11 games and made seven starts in 2025, posting 222 receiving yards on 21 catches including three touchdowns… Had a 7-yard TD catch on Sept. 26 vs. Butler, his first TD grab of the season and the fourth of his career.
• WR #9 Chris Gundy, R-Sr. – Had 19 catches for 276 yards and a touchdown in 2025 including a career-high 108 receiving yards on five catches on Oct. 25 vs. Morehead State… Has played in 32 career games entering the 2026 season… Was a yard shy of a career high with 107 receiving yards in Week 2 of 2026 at Murray State… Pulled down a team-high five receptions including his first touchdown catch of the season on Sept. 19 at Indiana State.
• RB #19 Cedric Benning III, Jr. – Made his first Valpo start and had 19 carries for 91 yards on Oct. 3 at Morehead State.   

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

• DE #15 Gabriel Batres, R-Jr. – Was named the PFL Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31 after a three-sack performance against Virginia Lynchburg.
• DT #91 Garrett Risley, Sr. – Played in eight games and made one start for Northeastern State in 2025… Blocked a PAT in Week 2 at Murray State.
• DL #99 Emmanuel Olojo, R-Fr. – Named the 2025 Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year.
• DE #42 Alex Goworowski, R-Sr. – Played in all 12 games and made 11 starts in 2025… Blocked a PAT on Oct. 11, 2025 vs. Dayton. 
• LB #1 Max Samuel, R-Jr. – Started the first four games of the 2025 season before missing the rest of the year due to illness… Was the team's leading tackler with seven tackles including four solos and two tackles for loss in the season opener vs. Lawrence Tech… Had a career-high nine tackles and made his first career interception in Week 2 at Murray State… Had 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss on Sept. 26 vs. Butler… Racked up another 2.5 TFL on Oct. 3 at Morehead State.
• LB #51 Anthony Feltrinelli, R-So. – 2026 Preseason All-PFL Team pick… Named a Freshman All-American by Stats Perform FCS, FCS Football Central and Phil Steele in addition to earning All-PFL Honorable Mention status in 2025… Led the team with 12 tackles in Week 2 at Murray State… Was second on the team with eight tackles on Sept. 26 vs. Butler, his second time in the last three games with eight or more.
• LB #19 Connor Cervantes, R-Jr. – Played in 10 games and made nine starts in 2025, starting each of the final eight games of the season… Made his first career interception on Oct. 3 at Morehead State.
• CB #0 Nic Lendino, R-Jr. – Team captain… 2025 Preseason All-PFL Team… All-PFL Honorable Mention and the team's Defensive Player of the Year in 2025… Finished 12^th in the PFL and second on the team with 86 tackles, averaging 7.2 per game in 2025… Made his first interception of the season and the fifth of his collegiate career on Sept. 19 at Indiana State… Paced the team with 13 tackles on Sept. 26 vs. Butler, matching his career high from last year, also against Butler.
• S #3 Mark Johnson, Jr. – Second-year team captain… Phil Steele Preseason All-PFL Third Team… Became the first Valpo player with an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the same game in over two decades on Nov. 1, 2025 at No. 25/22 Presbyterian… Tied a career high by recording his third career 10-tackle game in Week 2 at Murray State… Led the team with a career-high 11 tackles on Sept. 19 at Indiana State, his second straight double-figure tackle output.
• S #22 Jason Salman, Jr. – Played in nine games in 2024 at Marietta College under head coach Andy Waddle, then played in 12 games and made five starts with the Beacons in 2025… Had his first interception at Valpo and the second of his collegiate career in the 2026 season opener vs. Lawrence Tech… Became the first Beacon with multiple interceptions this season with a pick in the Oct. 3 win at Morehead State.
• CB #8 O.C. Nurse, Sr. – Played in 12 games and made 11 starts last season, totaling 24 tackles including a season-high eight on Oct. 18 at St. Thomas… Achieved a Valpo career high with nine tackles in Week 2 of 2026 at Murray State.

Specialist Quick Hits – Projected Starters

• K #26 Luke Scoma, R-So. – Played in all 12 games and made five field goals in 2025… Went 7-for-7 on PATs in the season opener vs. Lawrence Tech, the most PATs by a Beacon in a single contest since Brian Bartholomew drilled eight on Nov. 6, 2021 vs. Presbyterian… Made his only field-goal try on Sept. 19 at Indiana State, his third straight game with exactly one make.

• P #88 Will Orlando, Fr. – Set the Indiana High School state championship record for punting average at 46.7 with a long of 53 in the 2025 state title game… Averaged 41.3 yards per punt on three attempts in his collegiate debut vs. Lawrence Tech, including a long of 50… Had a career-best 45.5 yards per punt with a long of 51 on Sept. 26 vs. Butler… Booted a 62-yard punt on Oct. 3 at Morehead State, Valpo's longest since Sam Johnson sent one 65 yards on Sept. 7, 2024.
• RS #9 Chris Gundy, Sr. – Phil Steele First Team Preseason All-PFL at return specialist… Led the PFL in kick return average at 28.6 in 2025… Had two punt-return touchdowns in Week 0 vs. Lawrence Tech, earning PFL Special Teams Player of the Week and honorable mention for Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week… Broke a 60-year-old program record and broke the Pioneer Football League record for longest punt return with a 95-yard touchdown on Oct. 3 at Morehead State. Following the contest, he was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season and earned honorable mention for Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week.