This Week in Valpo Football: Homecoming, Family Weekend, the Pioneer Football League opener and the Hoosier Helmet rivalry game. There is no bigger day on the 2026 Valparaiso University football calendar than this Saturday at Brown Field. Plus, a Valpo water-transfer tattoo will be given away to Valpo fans who enter the stadium, while supplies last. There figures to be plenty of extra juice as the PFL's oldest rivalry prepares to author its next chapter.
 
Previously: Valpo closed the nonconference portion of the season with a 39-16 loss at Indiana State, a full-scholarship, FCS opponent. The game was delayed for 1 hour, 15 minutes due to lightning early in the third quarter. Nick Beidl blocked a punt, while Nic Lendino recorded an interception. Most of Valpo's offensive damage came through the air, including touchdown catches from Chris Gundy and Daniel White of 11 and 34 yards, respectively.
 
Glancing Ahead: Valpo will head to Morehead, Ky. for its first road trip of Pioneer Football League play on Saturday, Oct. 3. The game will kick off at noon Central Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN+.
 
Series Notes: Valpo is 30-55 all-time against Butler in this instate rivalry that dates all the way back to 1927. The Beacons have dropped four straight in the series with all four of those losses decided by 10 points or fewer including three one-score games. Last season, Butler escaped with a 27-20 victory in Indianapolis in the season finale, a game that saw Valpo mount a comeback with 13 unanswered, fourth-quarter points. Late in the game, Valpo's offense had drives of 97 and 99 yards, while the defense made two interceptions and had a goal-line stand to force a turnover on downs. Seven of the last eight Hoosier Helmet rivalry games have been decided by 10 points or fewer. The lone exception to that was Valpo's most recent win, a 47-3 blowout on Nov. 13, 2021 in Indy.     
 
Following the Beacons: Saturday's game will air on ESPN+ with Todd Ickow (36^th season, play-by-play) and Valpo Athletics Hall of Famer Tom Byrne (sixth season, analyst). The radio call of the game will air on WVUR, 95.1 FM Valparaiso, ValpoAthletics.com and the TuneIn Radio app with Grayson Merchant and CJ Perez on the call. 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.
 
Scouting the Bulldogs  

• Only loss on the season so far came to No. 1 Montana State, a 51-24 defeat on Sept. 5.
• Have wins over Georgetown College (27-23), Franklin (52-0) and Chicago State (47-20).
• Picked to finish fifth in the Pioneer Football League preseason poll this season after tying for sixth last year with a 4-4 league mark.
• Under the direction of second-year head coach Kevin Lynch.

Valpo in PFL Openers

• Valpo is seeking its first league-opening victory since starting the 2022 campaign with a 28-21 win over San Diego.
• Valpo fell in the league opener vs. Marist in 2023, at Morehead State in 2024 and at Drake in 2025.
• Prior to that, the Beacons did start conference play on the right foot in three consecutive years, getting off to 1-0 PFL starts in Spring 2021, Fall 2021 and 2022.

Valpo in Homecoming Games

• Eight of Valpo's last nine Homecoming games have been decided by seven points or fewer.
• The Beacons enter this week seeking their first Homecoming victory since 2022, a 28-21 win over San Diego.
• Valpo is 1-6 in the program's last seven Homecoming games, a trend the Beacons hope to buck on Saturday.

Block Party

• Valpo blocked two punts in the season opener against Lawrence Tech, and then followed that up by blocking both a field goal and PAT in the Week 2 game at Murray State. The fun continued in Week 3, when the squad blocked a punt in the game at Indiana State.
• The Beacons are tied with Weber State for the Division-I (FBS and FCS) lead in blocked kicks with five. In fact, Valpo and Weber State are the only teams in all divisions of NCAA Football (FCS, FBS, Division-II and Division-III) with five blocked kicks.
• Valpo's three blocked punts represent the outright Division-I lead (FBS and FCS). The Beacons are tied with a trio of D-III programs for the NCAA lead.
• The team is already only one block away from moving into a tie for fourth in program history for blocked kicks in a season.
• Antony Morris, Nick Beidl, Garrett Risley, Bertrand Berry II and Jayden Brogden have all blocked kicks this season.

QB1

• QB Rowan Keefe has set career highs in pass completions in each of the last two games, despite those contests coming against programs from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the nation's premier FCS league.
• Keefe completed 21 passes on Sept. 19 at Indiana State, totaling 162 yards through the air.
• He went 20-of-35 for a career-high 249 yards and one touchdown on Sept. 12 at Murray State. The team captain surpassed his previous personal best for passing yards of 234 on Nov. 8, 2025 vs. San Diego.
• Keefe has completed 17 passes or more in six of his last seven games dating back to last season.
• Prior to completing 20+ passes in back-to-back games, Keefe's career standard was 19 in the Nov. 8, 2025 game vs. San Diego.
• Valpo's 249 passing yards against Murray State were the team's highest total since Oct. 29, 2022 at Dayton (323).
• Keefe's 249 marked the most by a Beacon since Michael Appel Jr. had 323 in the aforementioned 2022 game against the Flyers.
• Nine different Beacons caught passes against Murray State, including Isaac Tran, who had his first TD in a Valpo uniform.

Notes Wrapping Up Week 3 – Indiana State 39, Valpo 16

• Nic Lendino made his first interception of the season and the fifth of his collegiate career.
• Mark Johnson racked up a career-high 11 tackles including nine solos. This was his second straight double-figure tackle output. 
• Jason Salman picked up seven tackles, while Max Samuel had six including a TFL and a pair of QB hurries. Kaiser Wilhelm and Wyatt Little accrued six stops apiece as well.
• Marty O'Keeffe led the team in receiving yards with 56 on four catches, while Chris Gundy had a team-high five grabs for 34 yards.
• Gundy's TD catch was his first of the season and the fourth of his career, exactly one in each of the last four seasons. Daniel White's TD grab was his first in a Valpo uniform after he had one last season while playing for Carroll.
• Luke Scoma made his only field-goal try of the game to improve to 3-for-5 on the season with one make in each game.
• Rowan Keefe went 21-of-30 through the air for 162 yards. He set a career high in completions for the second straight week.
• As a team, Valpo passed for 218 yards but rushed for -7, while Indiana State gained 313 yards on the ground and 255 through the air.
• Once fellow charter members of the Indiana Collegiate Conference, Valpo and Indiana State were meeting on the gridiron for the first time since 1968.

National Notes

• Valpo ranks 12^th nationally in third-down conversion defense at .283.
• The Beacons share the FCS lead in blocked kicks with five.
• Valpo ranks fourth nationally in kick return average at 33.67.
• The Beacons are 12^th in FCS in punt return average at 19.9.
• The team is also top-20 in passing efficiency defense at 107.74 (19^th).
• The squad's 3.00 sacks per game rank 11^th nationally, while Valpo sits 12^th nationally with just two turnovers lost.
• Chris Gundy ranks fifth in the nation in combined kick return yards with 300. His 151.3 all-purpose yards per game rank seventh nationally, while his 32.0 kickoff return average ranks seventh and his punt-return average of 28.0 is fourth.
• Max Samuel ranks 12^th nationally with 1.83 tackles for loss per game.

Here's a Stat We Can't Make Heads or Tails Of

• Valpo has lost 14 consecutive game-opening coin flips dating back to the 2025 season opener vs. Virginia Lynchburg.
• Valpo did win the coin flip to begin overtime last season against a Stetson, but for this note, we are examining only the game-opening coin flip.
• The statistical probability of losing 14 straight is 0.0061, or 1 in 16,384.
• There is a 50 percent chance that Valpo will break the streak and win the coin toss on Saturday.

Notes Wrapping Up Week 2 – Murray State 27, Valpo 18

• By margin of defeat, this was the second-closest Valpo has ever come to beating an MVFC team, behind only the 28-21 loss at Illinois State in 2022.
• As a whole, the Pioneer Football League entered the week at 4-66 since 2000 in games against the MVFC, so Valpo nearly pulled off what would have been a very substantial upset.
• Redshirt sophomore Anthony Feltrinelli was the team's leading tackler with 12, while Mark Johnson joined him in double figures with 10. Feltrinelli has racked up nine tackles or more in five of his last six games dating back to last season. This was the third time in his Valpo career that he had at least a dozen. Johnson's 10 stops tied a career high and represented his third career 10-tackle game, one in each of the last three seasons.
• Feltrinelli and Johnson were closely followed by O.C. Nurse and Max Samuel on the Valpo tackle chart as they had nine apiece. Nurse surpassed his 2025 best of eight against St. Thomas for his Valpo career high in the tackle department.
• Samuel registered a career high in tackles as well and is tied with Feltrinelli for the team lead with 16 apiece through two games. Samuel's interception was the first of his collegiate career. He had a sack and 1.5 TFL on Saturday, lifting his season total to a team-high 4.5 TFL. He has recorded 13 tackles for loss in his Valpo career.
• Chris Gundy was Valpo's leading receiver with five catches for 107 yards. This was the second 100-yard receiving game of his career, and he was a single yard shy of his career-best 108 on Oct. 25, 2025 vs. Morehead State.
• Rowan Keefe's rushing score was the fourth of his career.
• Colin Hayes has been on the receiving end for each of Valpo's last three successful 2-point conversions, two on Nov. 15, 2025 vs. Stetson and one at Murray State. 
• Murray State held a slight 388-327 edge in total offense. The Beacons outgained the Racers through the air 249-194.

A Special Day on Special Teams

• The Beacons had three punt-return touchdowns in the Week-0 victory over Lawrence Tech – two of the traditional variety by Chris Gundy and one that was a blocked punt picked up in the endzone by Bertrand Berry II. Valpo became just the fourth team in the history of Division-I FCS with three punt-return touchdowns in a game and the first since Sept. 22, 2011, when Hampton did so against Virginia State.
• Gundy became the first player in program history with multiple punt-return touchdowns in a season, let alone in a single game.
• This season's Beacons already rank tied for second in program history in punt-return TDs in a season. This marks the first time since 2000 that Valpo has had three or more punt-return touchdowns in a season. This season is already tied for second in program history with the 2000 season, behind only four punt return TDs in 1993.
• Gundy totaled 108 punt-return yards on three returns. For reference, that would have ranked fifth nationally in FCS for all of last season. Although Valpo had a prolific 2025 season in the return game, most of that was on kickoffs as opposed to punts. The Beacons have already surpassed their total punt return yards from the 2025 season (73).  Valpo had one punt-return TD last season, Frank Bartell on Aug. 30, 2025 vs. Virginia Lynchburg.
• Valpo's 152 punt return yards vs. Lawrence Tech would have ranked second nationally in FCS all of last season.
• Valpo had two blocked punts all of last season and already has two this season.
• Freshman punter Will Orlando averaged 41.3 yards per punt on three attempts in his collegiate debut, including a long of 50.
• Kicker Luke Scoma went 7-for-7 on PATs, the most PATs by a Beacon in a single contest since Brian Bartholomew drilled eight on Nov. 6, 2021 vs. Presbyterian.

Gundy Recognized

• After his aforementioned huge performance in the punt-return game in Valpo's season opener vs. Lawrence Tech, Chris Gundy was tabbed Pioneer Football League Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Gundy also received Honorable Mention for National Special Teams Player of the Week from STATS Perform FCS.
• Valpo boasted multiple PFL Special Teams Player of the Week awards in 2025, most recently Nic Lendino on Nov. 16 for his role in the victory over Stetson.

Winning By a Wide Margin

• Valpo defeated Lawrence Tech 59-13 in Week 0, the team's second victory by 45 points or more in as many seasons under head coach Andy Waddle after beating Virginia Lynchburg 67-10 last season.
• The 46-point win over Lawrence Tech marked the program's third-largest margin of victory since 1970, behind only last season's game against Virginia Lynchburg (57) and a 48-point walloping of Missouri Baptist in 2014.
• The 46-point gap in Week 0 represented the 16^th most lopsided win in program history and the ninth most lopsided since 1932.

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.
• LT #74 Mason Knoch, R-So. – Played in 11 games on Valpo's offensive line in 2025.
• LG #67 Brendan Mcilvenna, R-Jr. – Started 11 games on Valpo's offensive line in 2025.
• C #63 Cooper Bothwell, R-Jr. – Played in 10 games on Valpo's offensive line in 2025 after transferring from Marist.
• 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 4 vs. Butler having started 35 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 #20 Michael Rumoro, So. – Played in nine games and made two starts as a true freshman in 2025… Had 137 rushing yards on 34 carries plus eight receptions for 51 yards in 2025… Had his first collegiate rushing touchdown in Week 0 vs. Lawrence Tech.

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.
• DT #98 Antony Morris, R-Jr. – Played in all 12 games and made three starts in 2025, making an interception in the season finale against Butler…. Blocked a field goal in Week 2 at Murray State.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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. 
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.