I do not think Dan Hunt could have recruited the Ephs' top TB, Joel Nicholas, who was in his third year in the program in what was, I believe, Hunt's first. I agree that Nichols and Fischetti both have talent that is rare to see in NESCAC and with both of those guys back (and Nicholas hopefully healthier), that is one of the reasons that I'm high on the Ephs. I'm not so worried about the offensive line losses because, while Williams did lose two elite offensive linemen, both of those guys missed big chunks of the season with injuries, giving other guys the opportunity to gain experience (and generally hold up pretty well). Williams does bring back four of the linemen who started vs. Amherst (one of them a talented athlete who had switched over from the DL but figures to get a lot bigger and better) plus two more linemen who started at least one game last year. While there is only one dominant anchor on the O-line, the unit is deeper, with more experienced guys in the two-deep, than it has ever been in the Raymond era. And again, offense is clearly the weaker unit heading into the season, the defensive is absolutely stacked.
I agree with SpringSt7 that the Middlebury comparison is a not really an apt one. EVERYTHING had to go right for Midd to go 9-0. No one really thought they were the most talented overall team in the league that year. Six of Midd's wins came in one-possession games, including three wins by a combined eight points, they won by a combination of a few good breaks and tremendous clutch plays, but they were not a dominant team by any stretch. Williams, on the other hand, won seven games by blow-out margins (all of those games were essentially over before the fourth quarter) and only the Tufts game could be considered a fortunate win. Midd did actually lose some really key players from its undefeated team before 2021, including nearly all their offensive weapons. Their star tailback unexpectedly leaving the team during pre-season was a massive blow. There was no one remotely as good as him ready to step in. They also lost four of their top five receivers (including their top two guys and a star TE) from a core that had been previously very hard to match up with. So there was really no one guy that Jernigan could really rely on as a go-to guy to start the year. With Williams, at least you know there are going to be three tremendous tailbacks who can carry the load while the new QB gets up to speed.
All that being said, it's a QB game and so much depends on how the new QB will fare, so there is certainly a high degree of uncertainty around Williams until we see a few games. But in terms of overall talent returning at every OTHER position, Williams is certainly right there with Trinity and Wesleyan. Honestly, I think anything from 5-4 to 9-0 is realistic to expect from Williams, with 7-2 being the most likely expected outcome. I do NOT see a total collapse like Midd experienced, however.
