SHERMAN, Texas - A new era begins for the Austin College football program in 2023, as head coach Tony Joe White enters his first season as the head coach of the 'Roos. White will be looking to improve on last season's 1-9 overall record as the 'Roos get ready to make the transition from the American Southwest Conference back to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2024.
The 'Roos will be returning plenty of top contributors from last season on both sides of the ball, with leading rusher Ben Meraz back after piling up 534 yards and six touchdowns to lead Austin College in both categories on the ground. Last season, Meraz was forced into duty as the team's starting quarterback due to injuries at the position, but this year he'll be back to focusing on running the ball full-time. Another returning face that was pushed into duty at the quarterback spot is Peyton Keily, who is back after throwing for a team-best 153 yards and two touchdowns.
The team's top receiver from 2022 is back as well, as dual-sport athlete Grant Yudizky, who also plays for the Austin College baseball team, returns after catching eight passes for 176 yards -- an average of 22.0 yards-per-catch. His receiving yards were more than half of the team's total in that statistical category. Colin Mushinski is also back, and the senior receiver and return man is coming off of a year in which he rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown while also averaging 16.3 yards-per-return on kickoffs.
Defensively, the 'Roos will be paced by a strong linebacker unit led by Colton Gerken and Brady Dygert, as well as Eliel Sandoval, who made an instant impact in his freshman campaign last year. Dygert led the team and was third in the ASC with 89 tackles last year, and was tabbed as one of the defensive players to watch in the conference in a preseason poll. Gerken was second on the squad with 81 tackles and a team-high 8.0 tackles-for-loss, and Sandoval made 44 stops during the 2022 campaign.
The defense will also be bolstered by a talented group of returning defensive backs, including Jarrett Pleasant and Texas Gordon at the safety positions. Both players are returning starters, with Pleasant ending the year third on the team with 51 tackles while Gordon made 30 stops and forced two fumbles. Tre Brewer and Jeremiah Contreras are the expected starters at cornerback, and both saw plenty of action last season. Contreras had 40 tackles and a pair of interceptions last year, while Brewer emerged as a contributor as the season went on and has high expectations ahead of him. Marques Williams will also be in the mix for a starting job in the secondary after making 42 tackles a year ago.
Austin College also brings back experience in the trenches both offensively and defensively, with Jason Miao back to anchor the offensive line while Hunter Fulton, Max Walstad, and Nick Chevalier return as starters on the defensive side of the ball. Walstad made 7.0 tackles-for-loss last year, while Fulton had 4.0 and Chevalier added 3.0 sacks. Austin College will be bolstered in special teams by the return of John Aldridge, who came back for his fifth year and will once again be the team's primary placekicker.
The 'Roos will also be looking for an instant impact from a small but strong recruiting class, including Birmingham-Southern transfer running back Grayson Stacey, as well as freshman signal caller Jaylon Talton. Both players will be in the mix on the offensive side of the ball this year, while defensively, first-year defensive linemen Cam Hammond and Ian Sharpshair have impressed early and should both get plenty of reps as the season progresses.
Austin College opens the season under the lights on September 2 when they host Nebraska Wesleyan at 7:00 p.m. at Jerry E. Apple Stadium.