Excitement High as Scots Poised for Big Fall

An increased level of excitement surrounds The College of Wooster football program heading into the 2024 season. Wooster's starting offense is fully intact with all 11 starters back, plus a hard-playing, attacking, aggressive defense has its goals set on causing even more takeaways than last year's unit did. Those two combined have Wooster poised to contend within the challenging North Coast Athletic Conference.

"Our outlook is enthusiastic and excited," shared head coach Frank Colaprete, who starts year 12 leading the Fighting Scots. "We have numerous returnees at just about every position and are coming off a really good spring."

On offense, Colaprete feels strongly that "having the line come back and your quarterback back" is a significant leg up, because it helps "stabilize and figure out where you are at and what goals you can set to be at for those positions." The continuity the offense makes things "easier to work through in preseason" and "it is even more significant with having the offensive line back," according to the Scots' head coach.

Seniors Tyler Ellsworth, Jacob Johnston, Bryce Kamphues, Logan Pugh and Seth Robinson have a combined 11 years of starting experience, giving Wooster one of the most game-tested units in all of college football. Senior Roman LaBrosse is a sixth member of the class who possesses starting experience, while sophomore Dillon Byars, sophomore Aswin Johnson, sophomore Derrick Jones, junior Michael Kennedy, sophomore Ivan Majestic, senior Adam Noonkester, and sophomore Chance Riggenbach round out the returnees on the line.

"Our line is not content and consistently strives to be better," added Colaprete. "They worked very hard throughout the spring."

Chanden Lee earned the starting quarterback job last fall. The first-time collegiate starter totaled nearly three touchdowns per game played and over 2,000 yards of total offense. Now fully recovered from a late-season injury, Colaprete is excited for the junior's outlook this fall.

"I could not be more proud of the effort he put into earning the starting role," shared Colaprete. "Chanden still has that hunger that he did trying to earn that spot. That excites you as a coach. We are throwing some more different kinds of opportunities his way to continue to elevate his overall play at the position."

Sophomore Michael Boyle is the other returning quarterback.

Wooster returns nearly every skill player on offense and that will give the unit an immediate leg up with chemistry. Colaprete noted the plethora of returnees "allows you to know going in where you are at and what you need to improve on."

Senior Brazos Gadler is one of the NCAC's top playmakers at both receiver and returner. He is someone very "dynamic" at the position, per Colaprete, and someone that "really knows what it takes athletically and mentally with running routes and getting to where he needs to be." Gadler projects to factor in heavily on special teams as an electric returner as well.

Overall, receiver is a very "dynamic group" with a "lot of game experience," according to Colaprete. Other returnees include senior starter Andrew Hammer, sophomore Will Harris II, two-way junior standout Tate Journell, junior Jordan Lewis, junior Michael O'Brien, and junior Mike Spadaro. Senior Carter Warstler rejoins the team this fall and is an electric playmaker at both receiver and returner.

With Wooster consistently in 11 personnel, the tight end position is of utmost importance for the offense's overall success. Throughout Colaprete's tenure, the offensive coaching staff has done a superb job maximizing the usage of tight ends, and those playing the position have reaped the rewards with numerous prestigious honors. Senior Sebestyen Balassy is the latest to star in that role and he enters year two in the starting role.

"Tight end is definitely a focal point of the offense," confirmed Colaprete. "That position has to be the jackknife and be able to do everything, which Sebestyen showed he can do and improved at."

Sophomores Daniel Long and David Parker provide two capable backups among the returnees behind Balassy.

Led by junior returning starter Jarvis Mims Jr., Wooster's running backs are eager to be a more critical part of the offense's overall success. The veteran line should bode well for opening up more running lanes, and Colaprete is excited about "the potential of this room."

Junior Shakir Perkins is another talented returner and was the No. 2 running back last year. Rising sophomore Jace Austin capitalized on his speed and athleticism and projects to be a key factor at the position this fall. Plenty of youth complements Wooster's experience.

"An explosive play-making defense," is how Colaprete describes that side's identity. He is looking for the defense to make strides in being able to force turnovers, which is something the returnees showed signs of being able to do last year.

"The experience is there," followed up Colaprete. "Brock Sivon is our leader out there. He has done a much better job of being more vocal this spring, especially since he was selected by his peers as a captain. He has taken on that responsibility with a lot of pride."

Overall, Colaprete likes the talented group coming back in the secondary. Journell is one of the other top playmakers in the back end, and his dynamic skillset lends itself to being able to provide a jolt to the offense when needed at receiver. Rising junior Louie Lindsay is another starter back for the Scots and he has anchored down a corner position in the past. Senior Vincent Baioni, sophomore Mo Bajinka, senior captain Tyler Miller, senior Vell Robinson, and sophomore Wyatt Wilkie are the other veterans back in the defensive backfield.

Junior Braydon Hudson earned a starting role last year and is someone who really took on a leadership role among the linebackers, per Colaprete. Hudson provides a "strong connection" between the linebackers and defensive line, per Colaprete, and overall, he is looking for the position group to play with a lot of speed.

Senior Max Guorgui, junior Wyatt Harris, sophomore William Hicks Jr., sophomore Christian Kring, senior Greysen Meyer, senior Liam Regan, sophomore Jayden Taylor, and sophomore Brandon Torres provide a wealth of experienced options at linebacker for the Scots. The good majority of Wooster's returnees at linebacker have earned regular playing time previously, making this one of the more experienced parts of Wooster's defense.

Defensive line is always a strength of the program, and that is in part due to consistently rotating in a number of players throughout the game to keep starters fresh and build the overall experience of the unit. This approach has enabled Wooster's defensive line to have a more reload feel on an annual basis. Senior standout Neil Clayton is back for a fifth year to lead the line and brings a lot of passion and fire to the interior of the Scots' defense.

"We will have some younger players in there," admitted Colaprete, who also noted "we moved a few returnees in there to shore up the game experience. This group has worked hard at progressing their skills at the position and are looking to be mainstays there and wreak havoc."

Senior Jacob Dugas, junior Nick Bostic, sophomore Carson Causby, junior Paul Ehenger, junior DT Franklin, sophomore Donovon Jackson, and sophomore Isaac LaFay. round out the returnees on the defensive line.

Colaprete's looking for Wooster to continue to be strong on special teams. Explosive playmaking led by Gadler and Journell headline the return game, while the team is looking to continue its success in the kicking department following the graduation of NCAC Don Hunsinger Award winner (NCAC Male Athlete of the Year) Lake Barrett.

Twenty-one first-years round on Wooster's roster. Colaprete is high on the talent level they bring to the program and is looking for them to successfully be able to take on the "mental challenges of college athletics."

When it comes to the NCAC, Colaprete continues to preach playing the way Wooster is capable of both mentally and physically. That approach yields great success and the Scots' head coach is looking for the team to be able to play that way more consistently to be able to regularly challenge each and every one of the talented programs within the league.

Wooster's season opens with a 2 p.m. home game against Wilmington College on Saturday, September 7.

photo by Samanatha Harris '26