LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall football team has recorded nine consecutive winning seasons entering 2025, featuring six bowl victories during the past seven years. Although the Diplomats have a new look coaching staff, expectations are still high for a team that returns 15 starters (eight on offense, seven on defense) from its Centennial-MAC Bowl Series win a season ago. Among these returning starters are five of last year's All-Centennial Conference selections in Gary Lewis (WR), Matt Wertz (DB), Aidan Toomey (OL), Quincy Long (DL), and Connor Hille (LB).
Michael Phelan will enter his first season as head coach after three years as the team's defensive coordinator where he built one of the top units in the country as F&M ranked fourth nationally in yards per game, while also posting top 10 marks in first downs and allowing and rushing yards against.
Offense
Quarterback
Senior Ty Tremba has been named one of three tri-captains on this year's team. Entering his fourth season as the starter, Tremba is the third-leading active passer in all of Division III with 6,717 career passing yards. He has thrown for 57 career touchdowns, with eight more rushing TDs. Tremba is already the school's all-time leader in pass efficiency (149.0), average yards per pass (8.5), passing yards per game (223.9), and total offense per game (243.2). By matching his previous season averages, Tremba is on pace to become the program's all-time leader in passing yards and total offensive yards, both of which are currently held by John Harrison '12.
Classmate Jake Fant is a veteran backup who has played in 17 career games and has 507 passing yards to go with seven touchdowns through the air. Sophomore Na'Rome Rayborn also saw time in the wildcat set during seven different games as a rookie where his only career pass went for a touchdown while averaging 3.2 yards per carry.
Running Back
Junior Seth Taylor is the most experienced option after waiting his turn behind two-time all-conference selection Aaron Rascoe. Taylor is averaging three yards per carry during his career with his heaviest workload coming when he ran for 43 yards on 10 carries during the 2023 season against TCNJ. Anthony Valdez and Aaron Shivas return for their sophomore seasons after seeing some time on the field as rookies. A young running back room will be bolstered by six first-years.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Two-time All-Centennial Conference selection Gary Lewis was named a team captain for the 2025 season after first-team All-CC honors in 2023 and second-team accolades last fall. He already ranks in the top 10 in school history in receptions per game (4.8), receiving touchdowns (22), and yards receiving (1,841). He is just 12 touchdown receptions shy of tying the school record of 35 that is held by Dale Amos '90. Lewis caught 17 touchdown passes to break the College's single-season record in 2023.
Michael Poruban and Jack Harrison also hauled in double-digit receptions last year with 322 and 279 receiving yards, respectively. Both juniors are coming off of career seasons where they nearly eclipsed 100 yards receiving in a game. The team graduated just its seventh 1,000-yard receiver in a single season in Jack O'Hearen last fall which gives Hudson Zawadzkas, Matt Eitner, and Michael Breheney a chance to step into a more prominent role in the offense. Sophomore Ben Shutt is the most experienced returner at tight end which is a spot the Diplomats' certainly used in their offense, highlighted by Brady Aselton catching nine touchdowns a season ago. Will Higson also graduated from that position group after appearing in every game at tight end during his career which will give some underclassmen a time to step into the starting lineup.
Offensive Line
A young offensive line will be led by Austin Sorokanych and Aidan Toomey. Sorokanych is the only senior of this group and he started 10 games at right tackle a season ago. Toomey, a junior, earned second-team All-Centennial Conference recognition last year after starting all 11 games between the center, left guard, and right guard positions. The sophomore class will be counted on to provide the protection for the upperclassmen at the skill positions with Liam Henry, Noah Trama, Logan Holland, Ben Ostroski, and Christopher Solecki as some of the options looking to sure up the line play. Offensive line has received a lot of recruiting attention as 15 of the 20 offensive linemen atr first-years or sophomores as they look to build an experienced unit.
Defense
Defensive Line
With nine sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss among his 45 tackles, junior Quincy Long earned second-team All-Centennial Conference honors last season. Classmate Austin Hadley also saw significant time on the defensive line and registered 19 tackles. Plugging up the middle was LT Kelley who made a career-high 33 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss as a junior. Senior Nick Keenan provides veteran leadership to that group in the trenches, with Jason Hill, Owen Banghart, and Connor Eustice as veteran options to help give opposing offenses a different look and keep the players fresh in the pass rush.
Linebackers
Junior Connor Hille led the team with 60 tackles last season on his way to earning honorable mention All-Centennial Conference accolades. He caused a lot of problems in the opponent's backfield with 5.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage while also forcing four fumbles. Graduation losses of other all-conference selections leaves plenty of chances for players to carry on that tradition of success. Chris Albero made 38 tackles in the secondary last season and will solidify the linebacker unit at one of the outside spots this season. Senior Sam Keenan has played in every game during the past two seasons and was named a team captain on this year's squad. He has improved his tackle total every year, while classmate Anthony Bonanno has done that very same thing while also seeing action in all 11 games during the 2024 season. Senior Nick Silverthorne is another experienced leader in the linebacker corps.
Defensive Backs
There will be plenty of experience at the back end of the defense as all four players with starting experience return. Senior Matt Wertz was a second-team All-CC pick as a rookie and earned honorable mention accolades in 2024. He has 20 pass break ups and four interceptions during his first three seasons with the Diplomats. Rafe Carner started at corner last year where he made 38 tackles (30 solo) and broke up eight passes. Kyle Evancho and Nico Medlar are veteran options to fill the safety spots. Medlar has also seen time at corner where he has 72 career tackles while picking off a pass during each of the past two years. Now a senior, Evancho stepped into the starting lineup last year and had a career-best 28 tackles.
Special Teams
Franklin & Marshall will be looking to replace All-American kicker Laurence Miller who is one of just two players in program history to connect on a 50-plus yard field goal. Michael Fleming and Ivan Harlamov are the lwo leading contenders to earn that spot. Sophomore Antonio Freund is another option to take over the specialist duties. Chris Albero has served as the team's primary punt returner over the past two seasons where he is averaging 7.3 yards per return. Matt Hanna handled the kickoff return duties last year and is averaging 19.1 yards per return during his career.
Coaching Staff
Michael Phelan was introduced as the program's 40th head coach after spending three seasons in Lancaster building some of the top defenses in the country. Adding to the consistency of the staff will be Matt Quattrone (Offensive Coordinator), Owen Walsh '24 (Linebackers), Mich Wagner '24 (Running Backs), Andy Loucks (Tight Ends), and Frank Fuller (Leadership). Phelan has added four new coaches to the staff in Mike Furlong (Defensive Coordinator), Seaon Moore (Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Line), Zach Handy (Offensive Line), and Chilamo Taylor '24 (Wide Receivers).
Schedule
The Diplomats open the season with Lebanon Valley for the 11th consecutive year. The non-conference game against Westminster (Pa.) will be the first ever meeting between the two programs. Catholic and F&M have played 10 times since 1930 with the most recent meeting coming in 2009. The major news in the Centennial Conference is the addition of Carnegie Mellon as an associate member in football. Home Centennial Conference games will see Muhlenberg, McDaniel, and Johns Hopkins come to Shadek Stadium. On the road, F&M will travel to Gettysburg, Dickinson, Ursinus, and Carnegie Mellon in league play.
In the Polls
Franklin & Marshall was picked to finish fourth in the Centennial Conference, but did receive one first-place vote in the coaches' preseason poll. Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, and Ursinus filled the top three spots. Muhlenberg, Dickinson, Gettysburg, and McDaniel took the fifth through eighth positions. The top four teams in the conference are guaranteed a postseason game whether in the NCAA Tournament or the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series. That number could increase depending on the at-large selections to the NCAA Tournament. The complete Centennial Conference preseason poll is available here.
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