The Wilkes University Colonels football team will have a mix of familiar faces and a lot of new ones heading into the 2025 season. Head Coach David Biever is in his second year after a successful first season at the helm.
Wilkes finished 7-4 overall and 2nd in the Landmark Conference (5-1) behind nationally ranked Susquehanna. The Colonels graduated 28 seniors last season and many positions will have new faces. However, lack of experience is definitely not an issue with this squad. Many players who will be starting or in rotations saw significant time last season.
Beginning with the offense, the expected starter at quarterback is senior Cooper King with junior Anthony Torres also in competition for the job. The receiving core sees the most returning starters, fifth year Justin Moore is back along with junior Juju Fears and seniors Brayden Shaffer and Janas Simms.
Graduate Student Shawn McCullough will see the field more this season along with Rahmel Terry and Danny Pigga. The follow-up to running back Elijah Jules will be between senior Ben Contella and sophomore Chibugo Chigozie-Nwosu.
Nigel Linton and Leo Egbe are also in the mix of running backs as well. The tight end position is a competition between sophomore Massimo DePaola and junior Brandon Sloan, along with a mix of many first year players.
On the offensive line, the Colonels return junior Luke Baker at left guard and senior Anthony Messina at right tackle. Sophomores Denzel Felder and Kaiden Palmer will fill the left tackle and center positions respectively.
Junior transfer Dan Horgan is in competition to fill the right guard position. Justin Joseph, Joe Russo and Anthony Faraone are also in competition for spots on the offensive line
Defensively the Colonels return both linebackers in junior Tyler Wetzel and senior Tallen Murray. Junior Safety Rob Barbieri returns in the secondary along with junior J’vier Johnson at corner.
Seniors Michael Cornick and Braden Merrill will fill the remaining positions. Ryan Opperman and Dante Hamilton along with Tyler Whary are also competing for spots.
On the defensive line, senior Michael Golay is the only returning starter coming back at one of the defensive end positions; however, the remaining spots will be filled by some experienced players.
Sophomores Cohen Creswell and Rajan Stevens will fill the other end and one of the tackle spots while sophomore transfer Nathan Reuther will fill the other tackle position. Frederick Mweu, Trevor Gitski and Michael Fluck are also in the rotation.
On special teams, senior place-kicker Nick Volpone returns for his 4th year at the helm while junior Brayden Snyder will be doing the kickoff duties. Senior long snapper Nick Davidson returns while sophomore Peter Zarafonitis will take over as punter.
With some experience returning and a talented group of underclassmen, the Colonels should have another strong season despite the graduation hit. The Colonels are projected to finish 3rd this season in the Landmark Conference, according to the coaches poll.
The season begins on Sept 4, when the Colonels take on cross-town rivals, King’s College in the Mayor’s Cup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Schmidt Stadium.
