As the calendar approaches mid-September, a new football season is suddenly about to begin, with the Wesleyan football team just days away from the season opener at Bates on Friday. Entering their 140th season of collegiate football, Wesleyan is coming off a 6-3 season that included a Little Three title and prolonged an active streak that is now at 10 straight seasons with a winning record.
The 2022 campaign featured a squad with a dynamic offense, as the Cardinals put up 30+ points four times and hit the 40+ point plateau twice including one-sided wins over Bates (41-10) and Hamilton (49-14). Wesleyan defeated Williams 35-21 at home to seal the Little Three title, the program’s fourth since 2013, one week following an OT thriller in Amherst won by the Cardinals – marking the third straight season that the Wesleyan-Amherst showdown required overtime to determine a winner.
Spearheading the offense is the return of QB Niko Candido ’25 who shined in split duty last season with All-NESCAC First Teamer David Estevez ’22, putting up 1,235 yards with 9 TD and a 67.2 completion percentage in seven games. He threw for 200+ yards three times including a career-high 295 against Trinity while ranking third in the NESCAC in completion percentage.
The running back position will feature plenty of new faces in 2023 as the team’s top four rushers from last season have graduated. Kellan Walker ’25 is the top returner at the position as the Cardinals will also feature several newcomers at the start of the season.
Returning targets for Candido in the passing game include WR Thomas Elkhoury ’24, WR Chase Wilson ’25, WR Luis Sanchez ’24, and TE Matt Luttenberger ’24. All four put up 100+ yard with double-digit catch totals in 2022. Elkhoury is the leading returner in terms of receiving yards as he posted 342 on 23 receptions and 3 TD in nine games last season. Wilson had a career game in the 49-14 drubbing at Hamilton last season, totaling seven catches for 108 yards and 2 TD.
A solid mix of talent returns along the offensive line including All-NESCAC First Team selection in Justin Lockwood ’24. Liam Reardon ’24 and Ryan Caserta ’25 started all nine games for the Cardinals last season, adding key experience for a unit that averaged 27.2 points and 435.4 yards per game, both of which ranked top 4 in the NESCAC last season.
On defense, the Cardinals bring back key players at every level but do lose top-end talent in back-to-back NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year DL Nick Helbig ’23 – who transferred to Wake Forest for his graduate season – as well as DB Danny Banks ’22 who was a two-time All-NESCAC First Team selection.
Wesleyan returns nine of their top 12 tacklers from last season including a standout linebacker duo in Jake Edwards ’24 and Ben Carbeau ’25. Edwards was an All-NESCAC selection in 2022 after leading the team with 58 tackles while Carbeau posted 47 tackles with 4 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 4 QB hurries.
Along the defensive front, Mike Rowan ’25 returns after a breakout season in 2022 that saw him earn All-NESCAC Second Team honors. In his first season as an every-game starter, Rowan put up 37 tackles, 9.5 TFL and 6 sacks in nine games. He ranked Top 10 in the NESCAC in sacks and tackles for loss. Another key returner is DL Colton Weier ’24, who is back from an injury suffered early in the 2022 season-opening home win over Bates.
The secondary features the return of cornerback Wesley Abraham ’25, who made 27 tackles with four pass breakups in nine games as the #2 corner behind Banks, while both starting safeties from 2022 are back in 2023 – Jack Nally ’24 and Chris Guttman ’23. Both Nally and Guttman finished 2022 with 28 tackles and one interception while Nally led the team with 10 pass breakups (tied for 3rd in the NESCAC).
At special teams, Wesleyan benefits from the return of 2021 All-NESCAC selection K/P Daniel Yoon ’24, who was injured early in the 2022 season. Yoon went 3-of-5 on his field goal attempts and a perfect 8-for-8 on extra points last season before his injury.
Head Coach Dan DiCenzo is back for his ninth season at the helm for Wesleyan. He sports a record of 42-19, posting a winning season in all seven competitive seasons with three outright Little Three titles to his name. Returning to the sidelines are coordinators Eric Ludwig (offensive) and Adam Chicoine (defensive) as well as Dave Benoit, Quentin Jones, Ben Dortman, and John Capodice alongside new hires Dario Highsmith ’20 and Pete Ladas.