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Doug Beigie

Blue Streaks Sneak into D3football.com Top 25 Preseason Poll at #25

| By: JCUSID

John Carroll opens the season on September 6

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – For a third straight season, John Carroll Football has garnered a spot in the D3football.com Top 25 preseason poll.

The Blue Streaks snuck into the rankings, checking in at #25 in the initial poll of the 2025 campaign.

Following a second round exit from the NCAA Playoffs, JCU finished just outside the top 25 in the final rankings of the 2024 poll.

Last season, the Blue Streaks finished with a 9-3 record. In the second season under Jeff Behrman '95, JCU reached the postseason for the first time since 2018. JCU did particularly well at home with a 6-0 record at Don Shula Stadium.

This season marks the start of a new era. The North Coast Athletic Conference beckons to the Blue Streaks, as JCU bids the Ohio Athletic Conference farewell. Last season, the NCAC boasted four teams in the top 110 of the NCAA Power Index (NPI), the same as the OAC, so the level of competition should be consistent.

The Blue Streaks return the nucleus of the offense, with quarterback Nick Semptimphelter returning to lead the way. Many of his weapons are back, including fellow graduate students Tyren Montgomery at wideout and Kenneth Rawls at tight end, along with the dynamic duo of Quincy Newsom and Nemo Jenkins at running back. 

Plenty of playmakers return on the defensive side of the ball, such as safety Lamar Thomas (who finished third in tackles), linebacker Joe Thimons (who led the team in sacks and tackles for loss), and defensive end Ben Day (just behind Thimons in both sacks and TFLs).

Two of JCU's opponents check into the Top 25. JCU's second non-conference foe, Johns Hopkins, enters at #3. JCU heads to Baltimore to face the Blue Jays on September 13. Reigning NCAC champ DePauw University is heralded at #14. The Blue Streaks head to Indiana to face the Tigers on October 18. 

Practice opens three weeks away from today. JCU opens the season on September 6 at Waynesburg. The home opener is set for September 20 vs. Oberlin. 
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