FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW: DC Football gets back to work, eyes program’s 400th win

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College football returns to the gridiron on Saturday, Aug. 30 with the program looking to turn heads in its first year as a full member of the Mid-States Football Association. The Yellow Jackets enter their fourth season under head coach Bill Nickell, who inherited a one-win football team ahead of the 2022 season and led them to 11 victories in the last three years. Nearly the entire team on the field this fall has been brought to campus by Coach Nickell and his staff. Aside from a handful of fifth-year players, this year's true seniors were freshmen at Nickell's arrival.

"We have high expectations for our crew this year," Nickell said. "We have a great senior class that's been part of building this program throughout. I'm excited for these guys to have the parts around them to go out and be successful and competitive."

Offense
The Jackets will have a new look on offense under new coordinator Dave Taynor, a veteran coach and former head coach at Urbana who mentored Nickell early in his career. The philosophy shift is toward being "multiple, aggressive, physical and sound," with an emphasis on getting the ball to playmakers.

Quarterback Jehlani Warren projects to return for a second season as the starter, supported by strong depth at the position, including sophomore Garret Bogart, who appeared in five games last fall. His top targets include twin brother Jalen Warren, along with Tawann Rome, Caleb Johnson and Deveon Williams.

The backfield is led by sophomores Tristan Thomas and Cameron Turner, but newcomers Dylan Armentrout, an Army transfer, and Trent Barraza from Columbus Grove have impressed in camp. Nickell stressed the importance of the offensive line in making the scheme go.

"We build the offense from the front first," Nickell said. "Our offensive line has to be able to attack multiple different ways. They have got to be good in order for our offense to roll."

Defense
Defiance faces turnover on defense, with as many as seven starters needing to be replaced. However, Nickell believes the front line is the foundation for the whole unit. The line returns experience in Dominic Harris, Darrell Owens, Davidson Leconte Jr. and Fernando Sanabria Nieves. At linebacker, senior Brayden Birkholz is joined by sophomores Tyshawn Woodson and Antonio Rosser, while newcomers CJ Jackson and Hunter Coltrain are expected to bolster the unit. The secondary lost several key players, but former wideout Traves Hoyle transitions to defensive back as the group looks to gel quickly.

Special Teams
Special teams will feature kicker Carson Marroquin, a record-setting product of Napoleon, who will handle field goals and kickoffs. Punting duties will be split between Marroquin and sophomore transfer Damon McCracken from Walsh. Nickell said depth across the roster should provide a boost on coverage and return units.

Conference Outlook
Defiance was picked fifth in the MSFA Mideast League preseason coaches poll, two points behind Lawrence Tech for fourth. Indiana Wesleyan, ranked No. 6 nationally after reaching the NAIA quarterfinals, is the favorite to win a fourth straight league title.

"This is a very tough conference," Nickell said. "Over the last 34 years, there have been at least 13 national champions and a bunch of others who have played for national championships. I think we're young, but we have talent to compete. We showed we could compete last year, and now adding another scholarship class is going to have a big impact."

The Road Ahead
Defiance finished 4-7 last season, capped by a rivalry win over Bluffton to claim The Hammer in the 100th meeting of the series. That matchup is absent from the schedule for the first time since 1999, but the Yellow Jackets will open a new Ohio rivalry against Rio Grande, which is restarting football for the first time since 1949. As a program, DC football enters the 2025 season with 399 all-time victories.

Nickell said he likes the energy his group has shown throughout camp.

"Our passion is unlike what it's been over the last couple of years that I've been here," Nickell said. "It's been a growing process but the guys that are seniors are bought in. They had a great offseason, and now we're ready to go compete."

-JACKETS-