The College of Wooster football team enters 2026 with plenty of momentum following a strong debut season under 2010 alumnus Austin Holter. Wooster's continuity within its coaching staff bodes well for the Fighting Scots this year, as relationships and culture are fully engrained throughout the program. Plus, a full recruiting cycle has enabled Wooster to build up the level of competition for playing time and depth at nearly every position.

"We are very excited for the season," shared Holter. "The opportunity to be here for a year and have that continuity within our coaching staff really enabled us to get to know our players, their character, and their strengths on the field. We made some incredible strides in the spring with our on-field strategy and in the weight room. I am excited about the returners and the recruiting class we have coming in."

While every position in football is important, the spotlight is certainly on the quarterback with the way the game has evolved. More teams run a hurry up, big-pass spread offense and fewer programs have that singular running back who averages over 100 yards per game on the ground. Wooster bucked part of that trend, finding its success in having an old traditional look, huddling on nearly every play to slow the game down for a good portion of last season. Senior Michael Boyle is back to quarterback the offense and he threw 24 touchdown passes last year.

"Michael does a great job forging relationships with the entire team and helping us develop great team continuity," said Holter, when highlighting the signal-caller who was voted by his teammates a captain as a junior. "Michael made great strides as a passer last year and with being able to extend plays with his feet in critical moments."

Sophomore Damon Hooks is the Scots other returnee at quarterback.

Wooster's wide receivers are the area to keep an eye on as the Scots graduated the two biggest playmakers at that position and see junior Cam Crago being able to make a bigger impact on overall team success at linebacker heading into the season. That leaves junior Chance Bennett as the lone returnee with over 25 receptions a season ago. Bennett showcased playmaking abilities in his own right, logging a pair of touchdown receptions and averaging 11.5 yards per catch in more of a slot position. Rising sophomore Brody Snyder came on late in the year at wideout and is the other leading returnee at the position. Among the returnees, the Scots will look for senior Will Harris II and sophomores Landon Medrano and Tyler Saul to compete for larger roles in 2026.

"This spring challenged our young receivers to grow," summed up Holter. "They did a great job of that and started to learn the more intricacies of what we are trying to do offensively."

Tight end is a position where Wooster has a history of excellence, with the starter at that spot regularly in the conversation for on-field accolades at the conference level and beyond. Senior David Parker earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference laurels as a junior and has the ability to impact the game as both a pass catcher and run blocker, something Holter appreciates as the Scots look to get the latter aspect more consistent this fall.

Junior Luke Snowbarger transitioned to tight end in the spring, with the staff looking to leverage his height and athleticism at the position.

Offensive line was the area to watch last fall as Wooster graduated its entire starting core. Two first-years, two sophomores, and a senior started last year, and that group quickly developed as the year progressed, leading to plenty of optimism and excitement heading into the 2026 season.

Juniors Henry Ringenbach and Zay Wilkins anchored down the left side as sophomores, while the then-first-year duo of Nate Chapman and Andrew Flesher were on the right side. As a unit, Wooster allowed just 1.6 sacks per game, a mark second within the NCAC, a conference which features a pair of national powerhouses. Senior Ivan Majestic is another returning lineman with starting experience.

"Our offensive line continues to grow together," summed up Holter. "We are very excited about where this group can take us and how they can lead us heading into the fall. They continue to make great physical strides and enhance their understanding of what we are doing as an offense."

Other returnees on the offensive line include senior Dillon Byars, senior Aswin Johnson, senior Derrick Jones, sophomore Travis Pappion, junior Wesley Seppala, and sophomore Sergio Villanueva.

Junior Manny Zelaya is the Scots' most experienced running back. He rushed for a career-high 87 yards in Wooster's win over Ohio Wesleyan University.

"Manny is one of those young men who speaks with his actions and work ethic," said Holter. "He continues to develop his understanding of our offense with each practice and has great vision in between the tackles."

Sophomore Curran Garrity is the other returning running back.

Wooster's defense was vastly improved last year, as the Scots allowed the fewest points and yards per game since 2019. Holter loves "the structure and expectation" the defensive staff holds the team to, and noted "the team plays up to that demeanor." Additionally, Holter feels the defense "really became a backbone of a lot of our success last fall."

Seniors Brock Sivon, Christian Kring, and Donovon Jackson anchor the defensive back, linebackers, and defensive line, respectively, providing proven experience at the forefront of the talent.

Sivon led Wooster with 93 tackles last fall, the second-most in the NCAC. Junior Damion Cunningham, sophomore Grady Harban, and junior Charlie Scoggin return as starters in the secondary and complement Sivon as a trio with game-changing interception capabilities.

"We always talk about how you do anything is how you do everything," said Holter. "Brock is that way on the field, in the classroom, in the weight room, and in meetings. We are very excited about him returning to lead our younger defense."

"We really like the secondary and the experience we are returning there," continued Holter. "Charlie is a very physical player for us against the run and I thought Grady continued to excel in the pass game with the interceptions late in the year. Damion is a terrific athlete and if he can continue to develop discipline with his play, he can do some really special things for us."

Other defensive backs returning to the team are senior Mo Bajinka, sophomore Brady Keller, and sophomore Hayes Roberts.

Kring's ability to get into the backfield led to him tying for the team lead in sacks as a junior. Crago has played both sides of the ball during his career, and projects to primarily play linebacker to further leverage his playmaking abilities and athleticism.

"Christian brings great intelligence to the game," shared Holter. "He plays extremely hard and will help us anchor down the interior of our defense. Letting Cam focus on just linebacker is what is best for our program."

Senior William Hicks Jr. showed promise last fall before a longterm injury. He is back fully healthy. Sophomore Ben Caprilla rounds out the returning linebackers.

Up front, Jackson was tops among defensive linemen with 28 tackles last fall and earned Wooster's nomination for the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team for the second straight season.

"Donovon has been a mainstay on the interior for us at defensive line," commented Holter. "He can do a great job controlling the middle of our defense and took great strides this spring in that area."

Senior Quan Russell, a transfer addition last fall, "did some great things for us in the spring," shared Holter, who is "expecting big things this fall" out of sophomore Cale DeLaney. Sophomore Joshua Anderson, sophomore Brady McElroy, and sophomore Stephen Shickluna also return on the line.

Sophomore Nolan Hendricks is Wooster's placekicker and punter. He was the NCAC's lone primary placekicker to not miss on an extra-point try last fall.

"We are excited for Nolan's continued development," shared Holter. "For a young man to come in and perform that way as a first-year with the pressure that was put on him was incredible."

Wooster will have a new long snapper with the graduation of Nicholas Bostic and will look to maximize the team's athleticism in the return game, with numerous players vying for opportunities in those key roles.

"We have guys who have some experience and can bring a strong element to the snapping game," said Holter. "We have numerous players in our program who can really take the ball and make big plays on returns. There is opportunity for our players to give us an explosive play and change the landscape of the game. It is going to be great competition to identify who those guys are."

Wooster welcomes over 40 first-years and four transfers to the program this fall.

"Our incoming class is excited and hungry," said Holter. "They understand the opportunities that are here to come in and compete. They know what we are working on building here at Wooster and they all play a pivotal part of that. Our incoming class really identified with our culture and philosophies during the recruiting process. Our staff did a wonder job identifying talent in all areas. We are still developing depth with a smaller roster within the NCAC so there is a lot of competition for playing time. Our coaches did a really good job getting players at each position who can really compete with the guys we have returning and help us move the needle of the program."

Wooster's season opens with a 7 p.m. Thursday night home game against Wilmington College on September 3. Conference play starts with a 1 p.m. game at Kenyon College on Saturday, September 12. Homecoming and Family Weekend takes place on Saturday, September 19, and Wooster hosts Denison University at 2 p.m. Other home dates include alumni day against Oberlin College at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, youth football day against Wittenberg University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, and senior day against DePauw University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 7.

"The NCAC is an incredible conference," wrapped up Holter. "Each week we are going to have to bring our very best and I am excited. We are going to continue to grow and get better as a program as we play great teams and our conference is full of those."

Holter is assisted this fall by Kaleb Jarrett (offensive coordinator and quarterbacks), Mason Tomblin (defensive coordinator and linebackers), Austin Anderson (offensive line), Keyshon Camp (defensive line), Keetrone Singleton (wide receivers and academic success), Jim Dobney (tight ends), Jake Russell (defensive backs), and Parker Smith (special teams and defensive backs).