FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[RamapoRUFan]

I am kicking off my previews for each NESCAC team - first up is Bowdoin.  Check it out at https://nescacfootballreport.com/team-overviews/

[TheJeff]

Adding to the offensive conversation, can say it's the first time in years I can say I'm excited about the Amherst offense. The success of their offense this year mainly rests on Marek Hill, but I really think Amherst has found a legitimate NESCAC starter in him.

It will certainly be tough without Jung at wideout, but Moore along with a slew of young guys should fill those roles. Additionally, Matt Diaz was one of the most effective TE's in the league.

For running back: Demitrius Smith will be one of the leaders of the rushing attack. He was a key in revitalizing the rushing layer of the Amherst offense that was dormant for a couple of years (which I attribute a significant amount of their offensive shortcomings to). A name to look out for is Michael Dunmore, a sophomore running back, who I'm assuming was going to see significant time last year, but was injured in Bates to end his season. He supposedly had some serious D1 looks and I think could do some serious damage this year. I'm sure there will be other backs seeing time as the season goes on.

The biggest loss for the offensive line was Coach Ballard, hopefully the group doesn't miss a beat. They return senior Miles Roberts (possible the best lineman in the league), two sophomores: Jack Martin (monster tackle) and Emmett Haughney (could see him player either center or guard), both played well as FY's last year. Additionally, junior Jonathan McLaughlin (started at center first half of '25 season before injury) and senior Ryan McGurn (started '24 season until an early injury and missed all of '25) will be back from injury. Not quite sure where those two will be used, but I'm assuming they will be starters. Amherst has experience up front and I believe will have depth having recruited 5+ OL the past 2 recruiting classes.

Although Amherst may not have the star power of a team like Wesleyan going into the season, some players seem like they could have breakout years. I look forward to week 1 vs. Bates at Pratt, should be a great one.

[nescac1]

Ok so after all the talk of explosive offenses I did some digging and it really is unprecedented how much offensive firepower is returning to the league (well, at least outside of that first COVID year):

17 of the top 20 runners return including two truly elite backs in McLellan and Lynskey.
7 of the 10 ten passers return including six of the top seven QBs, and Middlebury always seems to find a strong QB.
15 of the top 20 receivers return including a bunch of elite players (O'Brien, Falls, Kelly, Newcombe, Hooper could get there, and I'd put Nye and Kuehberger in there too as I suspect both will have big years, as usual in NESCAC just a loaded group).

As for the other two QB transitions, Bates rotated a bunch of guys last year at QB and I suspect will find a more steady solution to get to the ball to their MANY offensive weapons in any event, and Colby's improved depth chart there has already been noted.  So really, Middlebury, which loses its QB, its top WR, and its top lineman, is the ONLY team in transition on offense, but they still have a few big stars to build around and typically figure out how to move the ball through the air with that system. 

There is plenty of talent returning on defense around the league, too, but there are some bigger losses on that side of the ball.  Colby, Amherst, Trinity and Wesleyan all lose multiple all-league guys on defense (and all but Trinity lose at least two first-team guys).  Trinity remains stacked and Wesleyan seems to be able to replace guys pretty easily now but I do think the Colby and Amherst (which graduated in my view two of the top three defenders in the league, both guys who made life easier for everyone around them in the front seven) personnel losses are significant.  Still, those two teams always are tough on D and should still be fine. 

In short, this is a very good year for NESCAC's first year competing in the NCAA.  Last year was a bit of a transition year for the league but now most teams are pretty stacked, especially the pre-season co-favorites, Trinity and Wesleyan.  But even if a dark horse surpasses both, they will have to be a very strong squad to do so.

On another note, of course Williams JUST updated its positions on the roster after my roster analysis, so I'll go back and update that post accordingly.  Spoiler: there still ain't a lot of DL! 

 

[Trin9-0]

Adding to the offensive conversation, can say it's the first time in years I can say I'm excited about the Amherst offense. The success of their offense this year mainly rests on Marek Hill, but I really think Amherst has found a

Marek Hill could be the biggest wild card of the NESCAC season. His career numbers aren't great; 14 touchdowns with 16 interceptions and a 61% completion percentage in 14 games. However, he still has two years left and he's a capable runner. If he can take a step forward then Amherst could push to be near the top of that middle cohort which also includes Williams, Middlebury, Colby, and Tufts.

I find Colby particularly interesting. They finished 6-3 last year, just one game short of a three-way tie for the league championship! And they somehow did it with the second worst offense in the league. Their quarterbacks combined for just two passing touchdowns... TWO. For the year! It's also worth noting that 5 of their 6 wins came by an average of just 7 points. It appears to be either sophomore Pat Miller or transfer Stephen Gill taking snaps in Waterville. If they can produce anything offensively for the Mules it will be a huge upgrade. The downside for Colby is that they graduate 4 All-NESCAC defenders from the #1 scoring defense in the league. But Colby actually returns a lot of kids with playing experience on defense, especially in the secondary. Will they continue to build on last year or do they come crashing back to earth?

Middlebury similarly is one of the few teams that will start the year with a new quarterback which makes them difficult to predict. Ahonen is a legitimate loss but the rest of the receiving corps is back. They also graduated much of their o-line, but have depth returning at linebacker and in the secondary. It was strange seeing a Panther passing attack be so pedestrian last year. My guess is that junior, Aidan Moss, takes over at QB. I'm not convinced that he's enough of an improvement to change their win total from last year. 

I still see Trinity and Wesleyan as the clear top two in the league with Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Tufts and Colby in the secondar-tier. Any one of them could beat the others within that group and it's likely that at least one of them will upset either Trin or Wes.

Bates, Hamilton, and Bowdoin will likely resume their place at the bottom but, like last year, the gap between them and the middle tier is not as large as it has been in the past.

[Nescacman]

Just when you thought is was safe to be on the D3Boards, here comes NESCACMAN...

Welcome to the official start of the 2026 NESCAC Football Season, our 13th season (not including the 2020 season), previewing, predicting, reviewing, and ranking all that is NESCAC. For those of you not familiar with our work, weekly we will rank the teams, review the previous weeks action, preview the coming weekend's games, and present our picks (with spreads and outright winners). For a taste of what we do, here was our preview of last year's NESCAC Championship game as Wesleyan hosted Hartford State on historic (and recently upgraded) Andrus Field (the oldest continuously used college field in America):

"Hartford State College at Wesleyan University: NESCAC game of the year in Middletown. Battle of Connecticut for the 2025 NESCAC Championship. Just when you thought you couldn't beat last year's drama in South Hartford, we get "Round 2". Should be a great day, great game, great atmosphere at historic Andrus Field, the longest continuously used college football field in America. Regardless of the silly NESCAC tie-breaking rules, in the eyes of the vast majority of NESCAC experts (us included), and Coaches Devanney and DiCenzo, this game will decide the 2025 NESCAC Championship. Wesleyan is coming off a huge come from behind OT win in Williamstown last week in which they won their 4th straight Little 3 championship. The week before, they beat a very good Amherst squad in front of the largest crowd in the NESCAC in 2025. Meanwhile, Hartford State has won seven games in a row after a stunning opening day loss to the upstart Colby Mules. This game pits strength against strength. Wesleyan comes into this game with the #1 total defense and #1 rushing defense, while HS leads the NESCAC in total offense. Wesleyan's top passing offense will face a Bantam pass defense that is ranked first in the NESCAC. We expect HS to show a balanced attack leaning in on their dual headed monster at RB in Tyler DiNapoli and Tate Hoffmeister. WR Nolan O'Brien has been dynamic at WR and on specials for the Bants. QB Jaxon Carroll has been efficient in a game manager role leading the Bants offense. No team has been able to run against the stout Wesleyan defense, who is #1 in the NESCAC and 14th in the country in run defense so Hartford State may have to pass a bit more than they have as of late. The Bantams are 3rd in the NESCAC in passing TDs with 15. O'Brien is a dangerous weapon for HS on both offense and returning kicks on special teams. Meanwhile, we think Wesleyan will try to air it out. They have struggled to run the ball (9th in the NESCAC in rushing) while they are first in the NESCAC in passing. Last week, they set a team record for most passing yards in a game with 458 against Williams. It will be tougher this week for Wes. The Bants secondary will try to stop QB Matt Fitzsimons, WRs Blake Newcomb, WRs Dante Kelly, Sean Cannon, Sam Wein, and company. Wes will mix it up with some well-timed runs, but we expect a ton of passing from Wes. Wesleyan won last year in Hartford to capture the 2024 NESCAC championship and will be going for the repeat in 2025. The Bantams have gotten better as the season has progressed so this will be a definite challenge for the Cards. The Bants have been getting a lot of guys involved in the offense and have been distributing the ball much more than they normally do. Wesleyan has not beaten Trinity at home since 2014 and last beat the Bantams in back-to-back games in 1997 and 1998. We expect a very close, one-score game with Wes pulling out the W in an instant NESCAC classic on historic Andrus Field.

Wesleyan 30 Hartford State 27
Point Spread: Hartford State -3"

For the record, the actual final score was, of course, Wesleyan 31 Hartford State 28...Roll Cards!

We also produce a weekly podcast focused on NESCAC Football...."Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast"

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast is the first and only podcast of its kind in NESCAC history. Hosted by Chris Grace (play-by-play announcer for Wesleyan) and Dave Bagatelle (Wesleyan Alum and former player), our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, previews, and predictions.

Our season preview including interviews with all 10 NESCAC coaches will be available prior to Week 1.
 
The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

Follow us on X (aka Twitter): @nineweeksnescac
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Facebook: Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EbgGxDZRd/)
YouTube: 9 Weeks Nescac (https://www.youtube.com/@nineweeksnescac)
Spotify Podcasts: 9 Weeks Nescac
Apple Podcasts: 9 Weeks Nescac

We also collaborate with the NESCAC Football Report. Look for NESCACMAN's weekly predictions and point spreads at nescacfootballreport.com.

Looking forward to another fun NESCAC Season.

[nescac1]

I noticed that Trinity's super-hyped D1 transfer QB last year, who ended the season third on the depth chart, is not on their preliminary roster.  A good reminder that D1 pedigree is often overrated and, notwithstanding the no-D4 quips, the athletes we already have on hand in NESCAC are generally pretty darn good!

Trinity does look absolutely stacked, with a massive group of very accomplished seniors and grad students leading the way.  Really curious to see how much damage whoever emerges from what should be a hyper competitive league season will do against the rest of the country. 

[Trin9-0]

I noticed that Trinity's super-hyped D1 transfer QB last year, who ended the season third on the depth chart, is not on their preliminary roster.  A good reminder that D1 pedigree is often overrated and, notwithstanding the no-D4 quips, the athletes we already have on hand in NESCAC are generally pretty darn good!

Trinity does look absolutely stacked, with a massive group of very accomplished seniors and grad students leading the way.  Really curious to see how much damage whoever emerges from what should be a hyper competitive league season will do against the rest of the country. 

I'm not sure it's fair to say Aronson was "super-hyped" by anyone.

Lumbercat was the first to report it:

Trinity pulls off another one. Secured SMU Red Shirt QB Tyler Aronson of Vero Beach, FL.
6"3" 225 with 4 years of eligibility. Four star recruit out of HS class of'24.
Allegedly recruited and offered by several FBS programs after entering the transfer portal in May. Just committed to Trinity.

I acknowledged the lackluster history of D1 transfers in the NESCAC but held out hope:

Aronson was a 4-Star QB prospect by Rivals and had at least four other FBS offers coming out of high school. There's not a long track record of successful D1 to NESCAC transfers, but if he turns out to be the real deal then Trinity would be in a great spot at quarterback for the next three seasons.

Charlie had the early scoop, yet again:

Looks like it will come down to wire at Trinity for them to name starting QB between Cam Holland & Jaxon Carroll.

Aronson appeared to have all the accolades but despite a decent football camp word around Hartford State is just not ready for the starting QB spot.

That's all I could find on this board regarding Aronson. Either way it still leaves Trinity with only three quarterbacks, senior starter Jaxson Carroll, junior back-up Cam Holland, and first-year Carl Monks.

[Trin9-0]

Here's what the Hansen ratings project for NESCAC win totals this season:

Trinity 7.1
Wesleyan 6.5
Williams 5.2
Middlebury 4.9
Amherst 4.6
Colby 4.3
Tufts 3.9
Hamilton 3
Bowdoin 2.9
Bates 2.7

Seems like another example of expected parity in the league this year. With that said the model has it as a two horse race for the title as it gives Trinity a 42% chance to win the NESCAC followed by Wesleyan at 26%. No other team is in double digits. I'd put Trin and Wes much closer together. This rating doesn't seem optimistic about an at-large playoff bid either. Wes has just an 8% chance and Trinity 7%.

Other notable points: Wesleyan returns an astounding 91% of their offensive production; tops in the league and 8th in the nation. Hamilton is not far behind with 90%, good for 10th in the country. It has Colby bringing back the least total production in the league with just 56%. Tufts has only 45% of their defensive production back this year. Not a great sign for team that finished 9th in scoring defense in 2025. Of the contenders, it has Trinity with the lowest returning total production (just 61%... yikes).

[Nescacman]

Here's what the Hansen ratings project for NESCAC win totals this season:

Trinity 7.1
Wesleyan 6.5
Williams 5.2
Middlebury 4.9
Amherst 4.6
Colby 4.3
Tufts 3.9
Hamilton 3
Bowdoin 2.9
Bates 2.7

Seems like another example of expected parity in the league this year. With that said the model has it as a two horse race for the title as it gives Trinity a 42% chance to win the NESCAC followed by Wesleyan at 26%. No other team is in double digits. I'd put Trin and Wes much closer together. This rating doesn't seem optimistic about an at-large playoff bid either. Wes has just an 8% chance and Trinity 7%.

Other notable points: Wesleyan returns an astounding 91% of their offensive production; tops in the league and 8th in the nation. Hamilton is not far behind with 90%, good for 10th in the country. It has Colby bringing back the least total production in the league with just 56%. Tufts has only 45% of their defensive production back this year. Not a great sign for team that finished 9th in scoring defense in 2025. Of the contenders, it has Trinity with the lowest returning total production (just 61%... yikes).

Some good fodder Hs7-2...feels like UBates and the Jumbo's might be a tad low...the Conts, MID, and Colby a tad high...the others feel about right to us (although the Bants and the Cards might be a bit low as well).

Question...did HCOF Jeff get you one of those "Bantam 2025 NESCAC Champion" sweatshirts?!?
 

[SpringSt7]

Loved Aronson at Tufts. Was surprised the jumper never came around but always seemed like a gamer. Best of luck to him at Trin

Missed one

[SpringSt7]

Can someone refresh my memory on where we are at in regards to out of conference scheduling? It feels weird that the NESCAC is finally postseason eligible and is still playing a 9 game regular season that starts on September 19th with no non conference opponents. Is that planned for next year or did I make that up?

[Trin9-0]

Some good fodder Hs7-2...feels like UBates and the Jumbo's might be a tad low...the Conts, MID, and Colby a tad high...the others feel about right to us (although the Bants and the Cards might be a bit low as well). 

I agree... last year was the first time in league history that the champion(s) had more than one loss to a NESCAC foe. For it to happen in consecutive years seems very unlikely.

[Nescacman]

Can someone refresh my memory on where we are at in regards to out of conference scheduling? It feels weird that the NESCAC is finally postseason eligible and is still playing a 9 game regular season that starts on September 19th with no non conference opponents. Is that planned for next year or did I make that up?

That's not happening anytime soon....our understanding is the NESCAC powers that be (aka the college president's) don't want to hear the word "football" for at least 2-3 years...what that means is no out of conference games, no roster expansion, no modification of practice start dates, etc. About the only thing that could happen is the addition of a bye week in the schedule which would be considered in order to enhance player safety and health...