Wittenberg was picked to finish fifth behind DePauw, Wabash, new NCAC member John Carroll and Denison in the preseason poll this year.
The Tigers start the season at 2 p.m. Saturday against former Ohio Athletic Conference rival Baldwin Wallace at Edwards-Maurer Field in Springfield. Wittenberg lost 24-14 at Baldwin Wallace in the opener last season.
“We’ve had a preseason where we’ve worked really hard,” Collins said Monday. “I like the way we’ve come together from a chemistry standpoint. It’s been really good. We’ve got a lot of new guys that I think are fitting in really well with our veteran players. At the end of the day, we’re going to be relying on some of these young, new faces as much as we are the older guys. We’re excited to get rolling.”
Collins talked about the newcomers and top returners Monday:
Quarterback: Sophomore Jayden Miller, who earned the starting job in the fifth game last season, will start this season. He threw 16 touchdown passes in the last four games.
“I think he’s had a really good preseason camp,” Collins said, “and by no means was he complacent in any way over the fact that he was the returning starter.”
Running back: Sophomore T.J. Meeks, a Shawnee graduate, and junior Omar Holloway, a Stebbins graduate, will get carries. Holloway is Wittenberg’s leading returning rusher (76 carries for 247 yards).
Keed Kpoto, a transfer from Lake Erie College, and Wilhelm Lord, who previously played at Quincy University, are in the mix, as is freshman Jaheim Hudson.
“I feel good about our depth at running back,” Collins said.
Wide receiver: The top returner is Kade Ray, who had 22 catches for 380 yards.
Other players in the mix are: sophomores Pierce Ayers and Nikhai Daniel; senior Lucas Swierk, who was Wittenberg’s placekicker last season; and Brody Graham, a freshman from Florida.
Tight end: Wittenberg is “a little banged up” at this position, Collins said, but Oakwood graduate Adam Polacko, a senior who played his freshman season at Mount Union, “has had a really good camp” and will be a team captain.
“We’re really high on him at tight end,” Collins said.
Offensive line: Wittenberg had to replace most of its line, including two All-NCAC second-team selections: Wyatt Osterhage; and Angel Bravo. Among the expected starters this year are: sophomore Logan Crabs; and juniors Zach Chambers, Scott Arnold and Cameron Casto.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Defensive line: Junior Dalton Allen returns after leading the team with 9½ sacks. He made the All-NCAC first team.
Other contributors will be junior Austin Woods; senior Mahlon Spangler; and senior Trenton Carter.
Linebacker: Junior Tyre Smith led the team with 81 tackles last season. He made the All-NCAC third team. He entered the transfer portal in December but decided to return to Wittenberg.
“Having him back at linebacker is really important,” Collins said.
Sophomore Will Dix Jr. and senior Andrew Stamp are also competing for time at linebacker.
Secondary: Senior Quatrell Black and Javon McClain, a Hamilton graduate, will start at cornerback.
Senior Luke Jackson, a three-year starter, will take one spot at safety. He ranked third on the team with 71 tackles.
The other spot was still up for grabs heading into the final days of preseason practices.
Wittenberg scrimmaged Ohio Northern last week in Springfield. It was the first time in a long time the preseason opponent wasn’t Muskingum.
“We got a lot of good work in and saw some good things,” Collins said. “I think for the most part we got it sorted out where we did have competition for positions. We thought our guys competed and played well. We made mistakes — stuff that we need to get corrected. But it was a really good experience. We did it under the lights. This was their first chance to compete against another team on a big stage. Hopefully, that carries over to this week.”
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