Fall Preview: Football Ready for Journey as "Road Warriors"

9/4/2025 1:25:00 PM | By: JCUSID

Team picture by USA Foto

The #25 Blue Streaks, flush with returning and incoming talent, will open the season with two road games

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — Football season begins this Saturday for the John Carroll Blue Streaks as they travel to Southwestern Pennsylvania to take on the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets.

"We've had a really good preseason and a really good training camp, our guys have handled the schedule really well," Head Coach Jeff Behrman commented on the state of his team as the season approaches quickly.

After starting the season 0-2 last year with two losses to top five opponents on the road, the Blue Streaks rattled off eight consecutive victories in the regular season including a 49-35 victory over Marietta to push the Blue Streaks into the postseason. In the NCAA Tournament the Blue Streaks beat Mount St. Joseph 52-7 at home for their first tournament victory since 2018. The next week, JCU would fall to Mount Union in the second round, ending their season.

This year, a new challenge and mission as the Blue Streaks venture into the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

DePauw won the conference a year ago going 11-1, their only loss coming in the postseason, going a perfect 8-0 in NCAC play. The Tigers open this season ranked 14th in the preseason D3football.com rankings and the conference favorites. Wabash finished second going 8-3 overall and 7-1 in conference with their lone loss coming to DePauw.

With the addition of the new conference, the Blue Streaks will also have to face six different opponents on the road, including #3 ranked Johns Hopkins in non-conference play, #14 DePauw, and Denison, who finished third in the conference a year ago.

"The first day of training camp, we discussed having the mentality of being road warriors," Behrman stated on the challenges of playing a majority of their games on the road. "Whether you're at home or on the road, it is still a great opportunity to play the game of football and potentially win a game."

In order to conquer their difficult schedule, JCU will need some elite leadership to guide their team. Graduate student Nick Semptimphelter, fifth-year Chris Golson (two-time captain), seniors Joe Thimons, Tommy Wazinski and Grant Myers, and junior Troy Mrukowski were elected by their teammates to represent the team as captains.

"I could not be more excited about the guys that the team voted for," Behrman said about his teams' captains. "They have done a phenomenal job leading the team thus far."

OFFENSE

The 2025 Blue Streak offense returns plenty of familiar faces from a prolific 2024 group. Led by graduate student QB Nick Semptimphelter, JCU will look to have similar production in their first year of NCAC competition. Semptimphelter was recently named preseason third-team All-American by D3football.com following a 2024 campaign that saw him throw for 2,912 yards, 38 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions in his first year as a Blue Streak. His accuracy was a calling card, as he set the JCU single-season record for completion percentage. Following Semptimphelter on the depth chart will be junior Nikko Georgiou along with talented true freshman Keller Moten.

It would be a disservice to go any further without mentioning preseason first-team All-American wide receiver Tyren Montgomerey. The Woodlands, Texas native injected an explosive element into this Blue Streak offense in 2024, taking home the OAC's Ed Sherman award, given to the conference's most outstanding receiver. The award was well-deserved given his 1,071-yard, 17-touchdown campaign. Other weapons at the disposal of Semptimphelter include junior Ohio Dominican transfer Shane Lindstrom and first year players Nico McBride and Owen Ellison, who had excellent preseasons.

The returning running back room will see two of the three backs who made up JCU's three-headed monster in 2024. Senior Nemo Jenkins and junior Quincy Newsom will likely see an uptick in usage to replace the production of 2024 All-OAC RB Evan McVay. A returning name to watch at the position is sophomore Josh Styles, who made the most of his limited touches last season. A newcomer to keep an eye on is dynamic first year Cohen Klimak from Streetsboro.

A versatile tight end group highlighted by graduate student Kenneth Rawls enters the new season. Rawls earned First Team All-OAC honors in his first season as a Blue Streak. The Nashville, Tennessee native proved to be a big, athletic red-zone threat for QB Nick Semptimphelter, hauling in 6 touchdown grabs in 2024. Looking to contribute behind Rawls on the depth chart are sophomores Tommy Shondel and Nolan Tanner, who've shown offensive flashes in camp and can be stellar blockers in the run game.

The offensive line returns a talented tandem of bookend tackles to shelter Semptimphelter with captains Grant Myers and Troy Mrukowski. Myers, a 2024 First Team All-OAC selection, will protect Semptimphelter's blindside at left tackle, while the junior Mrukowski will play on the right side.

The inside of the O-line will rear some new faces, with decorated All-OAC center Matt Wrather graduating, among other moving pieces. Stepping up at center should be freshman Michael O'Rourke, who's thoroughly impressed in camp. Another new face is Gannon transfer George Prusock III, a legacy Blue Streak looking to make his own mark on JCU football. Ben Dehmer will also be called upon to contribute on the interior of the Blue Streak O-line. The junior is essentially a returning starter, having rotated in every game last year and serving as a starter in multiple personnel groupings. Developing youth at the position will be critical for the 2025 squad, with freshmen Jack McKinnon, Alexander Chuba, and Kaleb Cole being crucial depth pieces, along with sophomores Isiah Council and Johann Mendoza Suarez.

With the 2024 offense posting a remarkable 39 points per game, this year's iteration of the Blue Streaks will look to back up that production. With talent oozing from each position group, Coach Behrman's group looks poised to do so.

DEFENSE

The anchor for the Blue Streak defense will come from their back end in the secondary. Defensive Coordinator Dean Paul will return six guys who have seen significant playing time in their short tenures in the Blue & Gold.

Safety Lamar Thomas is the most experienced out of the group, appearing in 29 games across his three year career, registering 98 total tackles, 14 passes defended and two interceptions. His safety partner, JP Germano, a converted wide receiver, tallied 28 total tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack in his first year seeing consistent action.

On the outside, Jacob Hufnagel will get the start at CB1 for his third season with the Blue Streaks. Last season, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native tallied three interceptions and 13 passes defended on his way to a All-OAC Second Team nomination. A pair of sophomores who stood out in their first seasons will look to once again make an impact, Dylan Crasi and Josh Jones. The duo combined for 45 total tackles and four interceptions in their first season in collegiate action.

Another deep position group for their Blue Streaks is their linebacker corp. Returning experienced starters like Mason Rus, Kenny Grobelsek and Chris Golson are key. JCU also brought in Division 1 transfers in Connor Roman from Fordham (Connor is the son of Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman) and Gino Blasini from Miami (OH). Keep an eye out for graduate student Owen McClintock, a Texas State transfer.

Rus is statistically the best returner, racking up 37 total tackles, five and a half for loss, and four and half sacks. Grobelsek, a transfer from Robert Morris, tallied 25 total tackles and three quarterback hits a year ago. Golson is coming off an injury which sidelined the veteran for all of 2024, racked up 53 total tackles and an interception in 2023, his last fully healthy year.

In the trenches, JCU may be a little undersized in spots, but have multiple returning starters who will look to wreck games on the defensive line. The group is led in part by senior Joe Thimons, who racked up a team high five sacks a year ago, starting for his third consecutive season on the D-line. Captain Tommy Wasinski will anchor the middle of the defensive line from his nose tackle position, after a season which saw the Saint Ignatius product tally two sacks, an interception and five and a half tackles for loss.

Off the edge, Davon Badley and Ben Day will carry the load of working against opposing offensive tackles. Day was all over the field last season, totaling four and a half sacks, four pass breakups and four quarterback hits, enough to earn him All-OAC Second Team honors. Badley, a sophomore from Painesville, tallied 44 total tackles and a pick six in a victory over Heidelberg a year ago.

The Blue Streaks ranked second in rushing defense and total defense in the OAC a year ago, will look to carry that positive momentum from a year ago into this season in their new conference.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The special teams unit is also deep. AFCA Good Works Team nominee Owen Schuckert figures to handle the punting and kickoff duties, while the ever-accurate Colin Schuler will likely handle the kicking responsibilities. Long snapper Chad Harpster has been reliable as ever, back for his senior year at JCU.

The season begins on Saturday, with JCU traveling to Waynesburg. The Blue Streaks will be at home for the first time on Saturday, September 20 vs. Oberlin.

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