(WILMINGTON, Ohio) – The Wilmington College football team begins their 2025 campaign next Saturday at home against The College of Wooster at 6:00 P.M. in Williams Stadium. They look to avenge their season opening loss to the Fighting Scots in 2024 on the road.

A Look Back
Wilmington finished their 2024 season with a 1-9 overall record, with their lone victory coming at home against Otterbein University, 31-21. They look to improve on their record in year two under Head Coach Kevin Burke.

Key Pieces Lost
The Quakers lose three All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) players from last year's team in receiver Lathan Jones, defensive back Quentin Davis, and kicker Connor Bucksath.

Jones concluded his Wilmington career as one of the best receivers in the history of the program. He finished fourth in program history in both receiving yards with 2,315 and receiving touchdowns with 22. He was also ninth in receptions with 124. He finished 2024 as a Second Team player who finished with 482 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Bucksath had a great senior season, he made nine field goals, including going 7-7 from 20-29 yards and had a season best boot of 40 yards against the University of Mount Union. He was named OAC Special Teams Player of the Week once during the season and earned Second Team All-OAC honors.

Davis led the Quakers last season with five pass breakups and had two tackles for loss, one interception, one sack, one forced fumble, and 56 total tackles. He was named Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Also graduating was wide receiver Saa'lih Muhammed with 21 catches for 241 yards and offensive lineman Max Ansteatt.

Defensively, Jake Sheriff (team leading 65 tackles), Na'Zere Neal (44 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery), and Sam Harding (18 tackles, two pass break ups), will be missed.

Offensive Line
OAC Honorable Mention left tackle Dylan Alltop is back for Wilmington on the offensive line, blocking for Quakers senior quarterback Isaac Ross.

Other key returning pieces on the offensive line are Levi Houser, Andrew Thompson, Tyler Tolson and Parker Love, who all appeared in every game for the Quakers last season. Austin Shaw and Jackson Combs will also be on the line for Wilmington after not playing in 2024.

Quarterback
Senior Isaac Ross, sophomore Isaiah Henderson, and sophomore Miles Hostetler all played in at least six games last season for the Quakers and are all back. Ross returns as the starter after appearing in seven games and throwing for 1,328 yards, with 110 completions.

Hostetler had nine appearances as a freshman and completed 29 passes, while Henderson played in six games and threw three touchdowns and completed 25 passes for the Quakers.

The most successful games through the air last season for Wilmington was Ross throwing for 400 yards and completing 29 passes in game one at Wooster and Henderson going for 290 on 13 completions in the final game of the season at Capital.

Running Backs and Full Backs
The two returners with the most experience for Wilmington this season are sophomore Kai Smith and senior Demarco Owens. Smith ran the ball 74 times for 426 yards and three touchdowns, while Owens had 20 carries for Wilmington.

Another player who came in and learned the system last year for the Quakers was Bryce Stout, as he looks for increased playing time in year number two.

Other players to look out for are sophomore converted linebacker Demetrius Allen Jr. and freshman Will Evans.

Smith looks to lead this group after an impressive freshman campaign, but there is plenty of depth behind him to make this a solid group for the Quakers.

The Quakers return junior Tyler Barth with experience at the full back position, appearing in all 10 games, and bring in freshman Alex Cade.

Tight Ends
Senior Logan Lovins makes the move from the defensive line to tight end for Wilmington and looks to play a big part in the offense.

Another player who returns at the position this season is sophomore Brody Whitaker.

Wide Receivers
The two biggest returners for Wilmington are senior De'Anta Sanon and junior Joseph Spann, as the position has a lot of depth. Sanon was the second leading receiver for the Quakers last season with 415 yards on 22 catches, with his best game being 143 yards on three catches in the finale at Capital. He will also be on special teams as a returner for Wilmington, after taking 24 kickoff returns for 505 yards in 2025 with a long return of 45 yards.

Spann caught 11 passes for 159 yards and looks to make a jump in his junior campaign. Other players to keep an eye on are Darryl Story, Amare Middleton, Mackenzie Tillman, and transfer Sammy Amnah.

"We are excited about the offense" said Coach Burke. "A year into the system, the guys have a much better grasp of what we are asking them to do."

Defensive Line
Major returners to the defensive line this season are Luke Wroten, Michael Williams Jr, and Bryce Hodapp. These three combined for 106 tackles last season and 10.5 tackles for loss. Their tackles for loss total was over a quarter of what the Quakers put together as a team in 2024.

Linebackers
Gavan Hunter, Jack Sandberg, and Ethan Williams lead the linebacker crew for Wilmington, with Hunter earning OAC Defensive Player of the Week honors last year, putting together a huge week in their win over Otterbein. He was sixth on the team with 43 tackles, while Sandberg and Williams will play big roles on the defense.

Secondary
Samuel Brooks had a big year for Wilmington in 2024 and returns after 55 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble. Nathan Nemeth and Tyler Gregory will also be on the field for the Quakers after combining for 47 tackles last season.

From Coach Burke
"We are really excited about the progress we are making each day in fall camp" exuded Burke. "We are excited to see how our guys handle the competition, it has been great to see how well we have been coming together as a team and we are looking to come alive in 25!" 

What to Watch For
The Quakers open with a night game against Wooster on September 6th at 6:00 P.M. before hitting the road for a pair of games at Baldwin Wallace and Muskingum University.

They return for their homecoming game against Ohio Northern University on September 27th and play their final game of the season at Williams Stadium on November 15th against the Capital University Comets.