Over the last three seasons, the Valparaiso University football program has notched its highest Pioneer Football League win total in a three-year period in program history.

The list of 2022 accomplishments is a long one – the program’s first win at Morehead State since 2006, the team’s first-ever win at Marist, a victory over an Indiana Wesleyan team that went undefeated for the remainder of the regular season and appeared in a national semifinal and the closest game in program history against a full-scholarship Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent. And that’s just to name a few.

While those successes helped lay a foundation to build upon, the players and coaches have turned the page from 2022 and are focused on taking another step forward in 2023 – something the team has done successfully in each season during the Landon Fox head coaching regime.

From the moment the charter flight landed in Northwest Indiana after the program’s first-ever contest against an FBS opponent on Dec. 3 at New Mexico State, Valpo football has focused on building toward this moment. From winter conditioning to spring ball to summer workouts to fall camp, everything has built toward this – the opportunity to take the field in a game situation. The 2023 season opener is less than a week away with a Thursday night tilt at Youngstown State on the docket for the final evening of August.

Quarterbacks

After bursting onto the scene as the starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman, Michael Appel Jr. (Springboro, Ohio / Springboro) sits atop the signal caller depth chart as he returns for his sophomore season. After throwing for 1,878 yards and tossing 10 touchdown passes a year ago, Appel will start under center for the season opener in Youngstown, Ohio.

Veteran Jeffrey Jackson (San Diego, Calif. / Bishop’s [San Diego]) is back for his sixth season of college football and his third at Valpo. He will back up Appel. Other QBs on the roster include freshman Caron Tyler (Temecula, Calif. / Chaparral), redshirt freshman Rowan Keefe (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) and freshman Michael Martin (Los Angeles, Calif. / Maranatha).

“I’m excited about Mikey being back,” Fox said. “He has experience and is very efficient running our offense. His knowledge has improved; he has a great arm and an ability to make all the throws. Jeffrey provides us with someone who has played college football for a long time as a backup.” 

Running Backs

It’s no secret that Valpo has big shoes to fill at the running back position with the departure of Aaron Dawson, who had the second-most rushing yards in a single season in program history a year ago. However, the cupboard is far from bare in the RB room.

“This position will be running back by committee,” Fox said. “There’s a lot of talent in this position group. You’ll see a number of people play and they will each be used in a variety of roles.”

Redshirt sophomore Ryan Mann (Vernon Hills, Ill. / Vernon Hills [Northern Illinois]) is atop the two-deep and is described as a “complete back.” Transfer Jashon Butler (Lynwood, Wash. / Meadowdale [Arizona]) is a change-of-pace back and Barret Labus (Wadsworth, Ohio / Wadsworth) is a versatile utility man. Freshman Brian Thomas (Apopka, Fla. / Orlando Christian Prep) has enjoyed an impressive fall camp, while sophomore Jeffery Vercher (Nashville, Tenn. / Franklin Road Academy) will see action and veteran Darius Lane (Stephens City, Va. / Sherando) is also a factor in a deep position group.

Wide Receivers

Preseason All-Pioneer Football League choice Solomon Davis (Brighton, Tenn. / Brighton) leads the way in the receiving corps as he enters his fifth year in Valpo’s program. He earned All-PFL First Team accolades a season ago, when he boasted 43 receptions for 748 yards and four touchdowns.

Transfer Brandon Jimenez (Suffern, N.Y. / Don Bosco Prep [Albany]) enters Week 1 as the other projected starter at wide receiver. Transfer Moise Tezzo (Houston, Texas / Fort Bend Austin [Millsaps]) and redshirt junior Tytus Ragle (New Castle, Ind. / New Castle) will split time in the slot. Freshman Micah Mackay (Zionsville, Ind. / Lutheran), redshirt freshman Devin Yeats (Hampshire, Ill. / Hampshire) and senior Cam Livingston (Leo, Ind. / Leo) are among the other players who are expected to make contributions to the position group.

“Solomon is a guy who had a big year last year,” Fox said. “He has an ability to stretch the field. Moise is elusive in the slot and has the ability to find holes quickly. Tytus has been in the program for four years and will be on the field 50 percent of the time on Thursday. Brandon is a really good route runner with good ball skills. Livingston is a trustworthy guy who will be in the right places. Yeats and McKay are young guys who have shown promise.”

Offensive Line

Three starters return to this position group with redshirt sophomore Brett Gray (Vancouver, Wash. / Skyview), senior Carter Woody (Fort Mill, S.C. / Charlotte Catholic) and senior Tyler Eberhart (Barberton, Ohio / Barberton) all poised to retain their starting roles. Redshirt freshman Mason Smith (Hershey, Pa. / Martin County) has tremendous ability and has earned a starting job, while redshirt freshman Niko Paic (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point) rounds out the starting offensive line after switching from defense to offense.

“Carter had a great camp and is playing at a high level,” Fox said. “Tyler is a mechanical engineering student who runs the show as our center and is a great leader. Brett has improved tremendously in both the running game and the passing game. Mason is a great athlete and a natural pass setter. Nico came in as a defensive lineman. As coaches, we asked him if he would be willing to make a move, and now that decision has paid off for him and he’s going to be starting Game 1.”

Tight Ends

A pair of familiar faces are featured on the tight end depth chart as redshirt junior Jake Vickers (Canton, Mich. / Canton) and redshirt sophomore Evan Jernegan (Altadena, Calif. / St. Francis) both return after seeing substantial playing time last season. Jernegan was named to the Preseason All-PFL squad.

“Jake is a good on-the-ball blocker with good hands,” Fox said. “Evan has the ability to catch the ball down field and create matchups against linebackers. He’s a big-body target for the QB.”

Defensive Line

Speaking of familiar faces, there’s no shortage of those in Valpo’s defensive line position group. Sam Hafner (Green Bay, Wis. / De Pere), Kurt Kessen (Shelby Township, Mich. / Utica), Logan Chastain (Clackamas, Ore. / Clackamas) and Kevin Spelman (New Lenox, Ill. / Providence Catholic) are the projected starters at one of Valpo’s most experienced positions.

“Sam is an all-league player who understands our defense,” Fox said. “He’s going to be in the right spots and play hard. Kurt is a multi-year starter who plays his part. He’s a very successful student as a mechanical engineering major. Logan is a guy we’re very high on who is powerful and good at the point of attack. We’re expecting a big year out of Kevin. He can play both the run and the pass.”

George Trojanek (Carpentersville, Ill. / IMG Academy), Trent Miller (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine-Richland), Matt Molnar (Avon Lake, Ohio / Saint Edward) and Onye Nowasi (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cardinal Ridge [Muskingum]) are among other players who will see action on the defensive line.

Linebackers

Transfer Mohamed Kamara (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Kalamazoo Central [Hope]) sits atop the depth chart at nickelback after a tight battle with fellow newcomer Jimmy Pouba (Chicago, Ill. / Lyons [College of Sequoias]) in camp. The middle linebacker spot is also a close battle with Evan Annis (Hilliard, Ohio / Hilliard Davidson) and Jake Birmingham (River Forest, Ill. / Oak Park and River Forest) both in the mix. Birmingham earned a starting job during the second half of last season, while Annis was a two-time All-PFL honoree prior to missing last season with an injury. Wade Abrams (Fox River Grove, Ill. / Cary-Grove) will start at “Will” linebacker in Week 1.

“Mohamed is very athletic and will play the run and pass,” Fox said. “Jimmy will have a lot of playing time as well. Evan is a great leader and motivator. Jake is a tough, prototypical middle linebacker. Wade has good size and runs well with good versatility.”

Defensive Backs

Caleb Rao (Liberty Township, Ohio / Lakota West), Tyler Geiman (Zion, Ill. / Zion-Benton Township [Dubuque]) and Max Franco (La Habra, Calif. / La Habra) will all see significant time at cornerback. Ousmane Dabo (Columbus, Ohio / Westland [Eastern Kentucky]) is a veteran leader who will also see playing time and will be a part of the mix on special teams. Colin Graves (Seattle, Wash. / Bishop Blanchet) and Austin Chilton (Westermere, Fla. / West Orange) are returning starters at safety, while transfer Kalil Brown (Novi, Mich. / Walled Lake Western [Albion]) will also rotate in and see snaps.

“Caleb continues to improve,” Fox said. “Last year was his first year playing corner after he was converted from wide receiver. He’s continuing to learn the fundamentals and techniques for the position and has gotten better through the spring and fall. Tyler Geiman is a lengthy corner who has played a lot of college football before joining our program as a transfer. Franco is very active and can also rotate to nickel for us if necessary like he did last year. Colin has grown tremendously in terms of his knowledge of the defense. Chilton has length and range.”

Specialists

There was no question in camp regarding the punting duties, as Evan Matthes (Reston, Va. / South Lakes [West Virginia]) returns after finishing second in the league with 41.38 yards per punt last season. The reigning All-PFL Second Team honoree was tabbed to the Preseason FCS Punter of the Year Watch List this season.

However, there was a tight competition for kicking duties in camp. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Hawk (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Hartley) will handle kickoffs, while redshirt senior Patrick Oliva (South Bend, Ind. / Saint Joseph) and Hawk are both in the mix for PAT and field goal duties.

Graves and Tezzo will return punts, while Labus and Vercher will return kicks.

“Evan is a guy who we have a lot of faith in who had a good season last year,” Fox said. “Hawk provides us with a strong leg on kickoffs and Pat and Ryan are battling it out for extra points and field goals.”

Valpo Football Welcomes Coaching Staff Additions

The Valpo football program has finalized a quartet of additions to the coaching staff. This group joined the program prior to the start of fall camp. Bryan Parker has taken over as wide receivers coach, while Curtis Harper joins the Beacons as assistant defensive line coach. Cam Burnette is handling quality control, and Nathan Richards has been named Director of Football Operations.

Parker previously served as assistant wide receivers coach at Austin Peay State University this spring after a stint as a graduate assistant at Kent State University. His coaching career also includes stops at Michigan Tech, Briar Cliff University and Elkhorn High School. Parker started his collegiate playing career at the College of DuPage before the Walworth, Wis. native played at the FBS level in the Big Ten Conference for Indiana University.

“Bryan understands Indiana football,” Fox said. “He played at a high level after starting out as a junior college player. He understands the academic part of college football as well as the talent you need to be successful. He played the wide receiver position and understands the fundamentals and techniques.”

Harper was a defensive lineman at Syracuse, where he was a four-time honor roll member. After playing in 33 games over his final three seasons, Harper closed out his collegiate playing career with a season at Akron.

“I decided to join the Valpo football program because I want to be a part of something great,” Harper said. “That ties into what I’m most excited about when it comes to Valpo football. We can do some special things this year.”

Harper completed a student-athlete tutor internship and an Akron football internship during his time in Ohio. The McKeesport, Pa. native earned degrees in communications & rhetorical studies (December 2020) and instructional design development & evaluation (December 2021) from Syracuse before going on to earn another degree in educational administration from Akron (December 2022).

“Curtis recently finished his playing career and played the defensive tackle position at a high level,” Fox said. “He understands the academic piece with multiple degrees. He has respect from our players because he’s played at a high level, and he understands taking advantage of academic opportunities while playing football.”

Burnette started his collegiate playing career at Furman before going on to play at East Carolina University as a wide receiver. The Summer, S.C. native served as a communications assistant at ECU in 2021. Valpo offensive coordinator Matthew Symmes knows Burnette from his time on staff at ECU.

“The family atmosphere was one of the biggest attractions to Valpo for me,” Burnette said. “The way the team interacts with each other from the coaches to the players and everyone involved in the program is special and helps create an environment that I’m proud to be part of. Our team is made up of a lot of high-character guys and I’m excited to watch us compete this season.”

Burnette was a two-time honor roll member and earned his degree in interpersonal communication in May 2022. He also has experience as a social media manager and coach for LimitLifters – Elite Training and Mentorship.

“Cam can contribute to our staff in terms of his experience playing the wide receiver position while also helping us in a variety of ways by handling quality control,” Fox said. “His age and ability to relate to our players is a huge plus.”

Richards handled football operations and recruiting at Kennesaw State University during the 2022-2023 academic year. He served as an operations and recruiting assistant at New Mexico State University from 2017-2020 after getting his start as a student assistant for the North Greenville University football program in 2016.

“I decided to come to Valpo to be the Director of Football Operations because I have seen the steady improvement of the program and I wanted the opportunity to be a part of it,” Richards said. “The vision of the program resonated with me and I am excited to see Valpo Football continue to grow.”

Richards earned a bachelor’s degree in business and sport professions from North Greenville in 2017 before achieving his master’s in sport administration from Georgia State University in 2022.

“Nathan has done a nice job after being thrown into the fire when he arrived in July,” Fox said. “He is figuring out the operations role at our University. He comes to us from a program that has had success in Kennesaw State.”