2025 Austin College Football Season Preview

SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College football program enters year three under head coach Tony Joe White, and the 'Roos look poised to make a move up the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings this season after finishing 2-8 overall last season. Austin College returns a big chunk of its production on both sides of the ball as they prepare for their September 6 opener against Kalamazoo College.

The 'Roos will be forced to replace several important players, particularly on the defensive side with the losses of SCAC Defensive Player of the Year Brady Dygert, as well as All-SCAC performers like Jeremiah Contreras, Colton Gerken, and Nick Chevalier, but defensive coordinator George Love has plenty of options to turn to with some experienced returners and talented newcomers.

Leading the charge on defense will be linebacker Pablo Cantu, who finished third on the team in tackles last year with 56 stops, as well as sophomore defensive back Kennth Alexander, who made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season and ended the year with 39 tackles, good for fifth on the team. Love will also be looking to experienced leadership and playmaking from Cam Hammond, Eliel Sandoval, Tre Brewer, and Evan Dennis, who have each racked up plenty of playing time during their years at Austin College.

The defense also features the return of impact players like defensive lineman Daniel Terry, who is poised to step into a starting spot this season, as well as linebacker Josh Eckert and defensive back Eazy Robertson, who should be able to help fill the void left by Contreras, who proved himself to be one of the top corners in the SCAC. Seth Rodriguez and Brenden Baker are two more names to watch defensively, as are Matthias Martinez, Kaden McFarland, and Fernando Delgado.

Offensively, White and offensive coordinator Chad O'Melia welcome back SCAC Newcomer of the Year Barrett Hudson, who earned first team All-Conference recognition in his first collegiate season after leading the SCAC with 959 rushing yards. Zyan Stewart also returns to help bolster the backfield after adding 446 yards on the ground in what was also his first year of college football. 

Hudson, Stewart, and the rest of the ground attack will be helped by a talented quarterback room including two-year starter Jaylon Talton, who returns for his junior campaign after throwing for 1,654 yards with 15 touchdowns against seven interceptions last year, as well as transfer Leyton Riviere, who joined the program in the spring and should push Talton for snaps throughout the year. The 'Roo quarterbacks have several experienced targets returning for 2025, led by Michael Cress, who finished second on the team with 25 catches and had a team-high 455 receiving yards while hauling in four touchdowns. Dakota Lowery is back after missing last season due to injury, after catching 28 passes for 466 yards in his first collegiate season in 2023. Jermiah Johnson and Kai Simpson should both have plenty of opportunities to make a big leap as pass-catchers this season and will be looked to early and often.

The quarterbacks and running backs will be behind an experienced offensive line heading into 2025, with Felix Florez III, Art Clayton, Jack Nelson, Jaivyn McGowan, and Trevor Timmerman all back to help clear the road, while Austin College should feature one of the best kicking games in the SCAC thanks to the return of Caleb Balderas, who drilled 9-of-11 field goals with a long of 49 yards, as well as 23-of-24 point-after-attempts last season on his way to earning All-Conference recognition. For his career, Balderas is 13-of-15 on field goal attempts.

Austin College opens the season on Saturday, when they host Kalamazoo under the lights of Apple Stadium with kickoff set for 6:00 p.m.