It comes as no surprise that Ithaca College was selected the unanimous preseason favorite in Liberty League football following a standout 2022 campaign in a vote by the league coaches. The Bombers went undefeated in the regular season (10-0), earned their first outright Liberty League title, and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2003 before falling to back-to-back DIII champion North Central College.
The Bombers received six first-place votes (coaches are not permitted to vote for their team) and totaled 36 points. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was selected second with a first-place vote and 29 votes. Hobart College (26) and Union College (23) round out the top four in third and fourth, respectively. They are followed by St. Lawrence University (15), the University of Rochester (12), and Buffalo State College (6).
Ithaca and RPI are both featured in the 2023 D3Football.com preseason poll, with the Bombers checking in at No. 9 while the Engineers are receiving votes.
Ithaca College
Ithaca finished last year at 12-1 and despite the graduation of some key players from last year’s squad, including linebacker Matt DeSimpliciis (Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year) and kicker Nicholas Bahamonde (Liberty League Special Teams Player of the Year), the Bombers are poised to continue their run of recent success thanks to the team’s depth. Quarterback A.J. Wingfield, a D3Football.com preseason third-team All-America honoree, returns after earning Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year and D3Football.com All-Region second-team honors last year. Wingfield started all 13 games for the Bombers in 2022, finishing the year ranked 15th in Division III in completion percentage (.685) and tied for 13th in fewest interceptions (7). He is a dual threat for the Bombers amassing a league-best 2,090 passing yards and producing 289 rushing yards. He recorded 19 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. Two of Ithaca’s top offensive weapons, running backs Jake Williams (All-Liberty League Second Team) and Jalen Leonard-Osbourne, are back after ranking second and third on the team in scoring last season with 90 and 42 points respectively. Williams paced the team in rushing with a team-high 825 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also recorded 22 receptions for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Leonard-Osbourne was second on the team in rushing (375 yards, 2 TDs) while also ranking third in receiving (305 yards, 5 TDs). Julien Deumaga (24 receptions, 342 yards, 4 TDs) is also a key offensive returnee for the Bombers.
A trio of All-Liberty League selections headlines the Bomber defense—Derek Slywka (First Team), Jason Haber (Honorable Mention), and Jordan Sosa (Honorable Mention). Slywka was fourth on the team in tackles with 54 (28 solo, 26 assisted) to go along with five tackles for loss, one interception, seven pass breakups, and one blocked kick. Haber totaled 59 tackles in 12 games (34 solo, 25 assisted) and tied for a team-best 11.5 tackles for loss for 50 yards, and Sosa finished the year with 24 total tackles (7 solo, 17 assisted).
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI eyes a return atop the league standings after finishing as the Liberty League runner-up last season with a 5-1 record against conference opponents (8-3 overall). The Engineers will look to build upon last season's momentum after winning six of its last seven games in 2022. They closed out the year with a 10-6 victory in the ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl against Morrisville State. Quarterback Jake Kazanowsky returns after seeing playing time in all 11 games last year. He made 130 completions in 225 attempts (.577) for 1,323 yards and ten touchdowns. Shane Allison earned All-Liberty League honorable mention honors after playing in all 11 games last season, where he made 21 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. He had at least one reception in every game last year. All-Liberty League second-team honoree Sterling Walker-Sutton, the team’s top return specialist, is back after averaging 18.8 yards per kickoff return and 9.8 yards per punt return. He will also be a boost to the offense; he had 19 receptions for 226 yards (11.89 yards per catch) while rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown in 2022. The Engineers boasted the league’s best defense last year, holding opponents to nine points per game and there will be some big shoes to fill with the graduation of All-American cornerback C.J. Lyons. Linebacker CJ Schumaker (All-Liberty League second team) and defensive lineman Nate Sicard (All-Liberty League honorable mention) will bolster the defensive corps. Schumaker made 31 total tackles (16 solo, 15 assisted) and was third on the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 for 42 yards. Sicard, in eight games, had 11 solo tackles and 14 assisted (25 total). He was second on the team in sacks with three.
Hobart College
Hobart looks to improve upon a 7-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in league play as the Statesmen closed out the regular season with four straight wins and a third straight bowl game appearance. They open the 2023 campaign with a veteran presence on defense with eight returning starters. All-Liberty League First-Team selections linebacker Anthony Romano and defensive lineman Alex Karpawich will anchor the squad. Last year, Romano led Hobart with 88 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss in 11 games while ranking second in sacks with 3.5. Among league leaders, he was second in solo tackles (46), fourth in total tackles, and fifth in tackles per game (8.0). Karpawich played in 10 games last season, recording 45 tackles, a team-high 11 tackles for loss, and four sacks. They will be joined in the backfield by teammates Jaimen Bliss (46 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles) and Peterson Monexant (66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4 sacks), who both played in all 11 games last season. Offensively, the Statesmen will be led by running backs Rayshawn Boswell (All-Liberty League First Team) and Tim Denham Jr. (All-Liberty League Second Team), the pair was tops on the team in scoring with a combined 21 touchdowns and 128 points. Boswell paced the team in the running game with 783 yards (71.2 per game), ranking him fifth in the conference, while Denham paced the team with 155 carries for 722 yards. He tied for a league-high 10 rushing touchdowns and his 12 total was ranked second in the league. Tobias Wefering (All-Liberty League Honorable Mention) is also a key returning player after finishing his sophomore campaign third on the team with 53 points. He was 35-of-38 in point after touchdowns and 6-of-12 in field goals.
Union College
A new era dawns in Schenectady as Union begins the 2023 campaign as the newly minted Garnet Chargers and with a new head coach at the helm. Jon Poppe was hired in January and the Williams College alum returns to his Division III roots. He started his coaching career in DIII with stops at Springfield College and King’s (Pa.) College before working at both Harvard and Columbia. Poppe will look to a core nucleus of returning players to kick off this season as the squad finished 2022 at 6-4 overall (3-3 Liberty League). A pair of All-Liberty League second-team honorees in quarterback Donovan Pacatte and offensive lineman Stan Koss highlight Union’s returnees. Pacatte played in nine games last season and averaged a league-high 206.4 passing yards per game. He also ranked second among Liberty League quarterbacks in passing touchdowns (16), and total yards (1,858 yards). He produced 71 rushes for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Koss played in all ten games last season where he was part of a line that allowed only eight sacks in 10 games and averaged a league-high of 415.6 total offensive yards per game as well as a league-high 212.2 rushing yards per game. Tommy Cavallo also returns after playing in nine games last season, where he recorded 15 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles (32 total). Another key return on defense is Jimaar Edwards, who returns to Union after missing the 2022 season. In 2021, he played in 10 games and totaled 50 tackles (27 solo, 23 assisted); he also recorded nine tackles for loss for 32 yards. Kevin Rabacs was the team’s top return specialist last year and is back as a senior. In 10 games, he made 17 kickoff returns for 359 yards (21.12 per game) and eight punt returns for 69 yards (8.63 per game).
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence aims to improve upon a 4-6 overall record this season. The Saints will be a seasoned team with a senior class of 32, highlighted by All-Liberty League selections safety Daniel George (second team) and Daniel Lawther (All-Liberty League honorable mention), who is entering his third year as starting quarterback.George headlines the defense after compiling a team-best 64 tackles (32 solo, 32 assisted) in 10 games. He also recorded two-and-a-half sacks, five pass breakups, and two interceptions. He will be joined by Ryan Watson and Ben Munn; they both totaled over 50 tackles apiece last year. Watson finished the year tied for third in tackles (58) while Munn was fourth with 53. Watson paced the Saints in tackles for loss (6) and Munn tied for second in sacks (2). In 10 games, Lawther went 141-for-244 (.578) for 1,472 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 57.8 completion percentage tied him third among league quarterbacks. He also took part in the Saints’ run game with 125 attempts for 497 yards and five touchdowns, ranking him 12th among league leaders. Lawther’s top offensive targets will be Cole Salyards and Cameron Giunta. In nine games, Salyards recorded eight receptions for 47 yards, and Giunta amassed 205 rushing yards on 61 attempts in 10 games. Kicker Clayton Fogler (All-Liberty League Second Team) is back after a strong rookie campaign. He led the team in scoring with 31 points, thanks to making 16-of-19 points after touchdowns and five-of-six field goals, including a season-long 48-yard kick. He also recorded 33 kickoffs for the Saints for 1,635 yards, averaging 49.5 yards per game.
University of Rochester
Rochester will be a veteran team heading into the 2023 season with nine returning starters on both sides of the ball. Daniel Papantonis has been an offensive standout for the Yellowjackets and returns for his senior campaign. Last year, he earned All-America Second Team and All-Liberty League First Team accolades. He appeared in nine games, compiling 1,272 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 195 carries. He was tops among league leaders and second nationally in rushing yards per game (141.3). Among league leaders, he was third in yards per game (6.5) and 13th in Division III, while ranking ninth in overall rushing yards. Papantonis was the team’s leading scorer (54 points) while ranking fifth in the conference in points per game (6.0). He also added seven receptions for 81 yards. Other key pieces to the offense include running back Will Varney, who produced 662 rushing yards on 126 attempts along with a pair of touchdowns last year, and wide receiver Trey Johnson. He made 35 catches for 370 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive lineman Brad Beckwith (All-Liberty League First Team) and defensive back Simon Weeren (All-Liberty League Second Team) shore up the Yellowjackets’ defense. Beckwith totaled 50 tackles (14 solo, 36 assisted), good for fourth on the team to go along with five tackles for loss and two sacks a year ago. Weeren finished last season second on the team in total tackles (69) with a team-high 33 solo tackles and 36 assists. Alex Wing, an All-Liberty League second-team honoree, also returns. In 10 games he had 37 punts for 1,448 yards. He averaged a league-best 39.1 yards per punt and totaled five kicks that went 50+ yards, including a long of 61.
Buffalo State College
Buffalo State opens 2023 as an experienced squad that will be led by wide receiver Tariq Nelson, offensive lineman Alex Westcott, safety Anderson Osei-Gyimah, defensive lineman Orlando Cabrera, and defensive back Ethan Biscaro, who all garnered All-Liberty League honors last year. Nelson closed out last year ranked second in the conference with 64 receptions and 756 yards. Westcott was part of an offensive line that totaled 2,333 yards on offense (514 rushing yards, 1,819 passing yards). In 10 games, Osei-Gyimah, Cabrera, and Biscaro were ranked among Buffalo State’s top-four tacklers. Osei-Gyimah was second on the team with 76 with 38 solo and a team-high 38 assisted tackles. He was also tops on the team in pass breakups with nine. Cabrera was ranked third with 57 tackles (32 solo, 25 assisted) on the year. He also posted six tackles for loss and two-and-a-half sacks. Biscaro was fourth on the team with 56 tackles (32 solo, 24 assisted) to go along with three interceptions and five pass breakups.
The 2023 season begins on Thursday, August 31, Buffalo State takes on SUNY Brockport. Hobart travels to Alfred, N.Y., the following night to face off against Alfred University, and the other five league teams—Ithaca, RPI, Rochester, St. Lawrence, and Union—have their season openers slated for Saturday, September 1.
2023 Liberty League FB Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points (First Place Votes)
- Ithaca, 36 (6)
- RPI, 29 (1)
- Hobart, 26
- Union, 23
- St. Lawrence, 15
- Rochester, 12
- Buffalo State, 6