The 2025 FCS football season is fast approaching, so we’re going inside each conference race. With the title contenders a growing number, here’s our Patriot League football preview.
Oh, how Patriot League football is getting stronger.
Richmond has joined the league as an eighth program this season and it will be followed by Villanova and William & Mary out of CAA Football to make it 10 next year. Each of those three programs has won at least one league championship since 2022, which is also something Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh can claim in the Patriot League.
Holy Cross has done it the best, having shared or won an outright title in six consecutive seasons – the longest active run in FCS football. However, Lehigh represented the PL in the national playoffs last season, defeating Richmond 20-16 on the road before falling at Idaho in a second-round game.
Following is a preview of the upcoming Patriot League football season:
Predicted Order of Finish
*-FCS Playoff Qualifier; Ranking from Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll
Patriot League
1. *Lehigh (9-4, 5-1; No. 14) – Coach Kevin Cahill welcomes back 17 starters, and that number doesn’t even include season-ending quarterback Hayden Johnson or running back Jaden Green (777 yards, 10 touchdowns). Both lines are stout, including right guard Langton Jones and pass rushers Matt Spatny and TJ Burke, who combined for 18.5 of the Mountain Hawks’ PL-high 34.0 sacks. Linebacker Brycen Edwards (team-high 90 tackles) and defensive back Nick Peltekian also are standouts. In addition to Green, Johnson will get the ball to leading rusher Luke Yoder (1,014 yards, 10 TDs) and No. 1 receiver Geoffrey Jamiel (60 receptions in 2024, 156 in career).
Expected win-loss projections for Patriot League football teams in the 2025 regular season, according to Opta Analyst advanced data. (Graphic by Graham Bell)2. Richmond (10-3, 8-0 CAA; No. 25) – The Spiders departed CAA Football off their third straight and 14th overall playoff appearance. They’re replacing nearly half of the two-deep from last season’s playoff loss to Lehigh, but DL Camden Byrd and Matei Fitz and LB Carter Glassmyer are a strong trio in the defensive front seven, and QB Carter Wickersham (69.4% career passing) is highly experienced. Up front, OL Gabe Carbajal and Scott Hummel and tight end Sean Clarke were named to the PL preseason team, while coach Russ Huesman also dipped into the NCAA transfer portal for reinforcements.
3. Bucknell (6-6, 4-2) – Bucknell, which has never appeared in the FCS playoffs, handed Lehigh its only league loss and suffered its two defeats by a combined three points. Quarterback Ralph Rucker IV, the PL’s preseason offensive player of the year, is one of three returning FCS signal-callers with 2,500+ passing yards in each of the last two seasons (also Monmouth’s Derek Robertson and South Dakota’s Aidan Bouman). However, he was sacked 72 times over the two seasons. While the PL’s No. 1-ranked offense also brings back rookie of the year Tariq Thomas (783 rushing yards) and WRs Josh Gary and Nate Anderson, the defense was ranked at the bottom. Hybrid LB Nick Hoying (91 tackles) and DB Aaron Davis are key returnees.
4. Holy Cross (6-6, 5-1) – The defending co-champion Crusaders have defeated 32 of their last 35 PL opponents, so any low prediction comes (rightfully) with doubt. They had to overcome graduation losses in coach Dan Curran’s first season; this year, it’s more key transfer losses. Illinois QB transfer Cal Swanson will look downfield to wide receiver Max Mosey, but the Crusaders should think run first with Jayden Clerveaux (942 yards, 11 TDs). Defensive end Christian Ross and cornerback Cam Jones seek to keep the defense physical.
5. Lafayette (6-6, 2-4) – The Leopards were PL co-champs in 2023 but don’t have the same look in an improved league. Quarterback Dean DeNobile seeks to bounce back after going from 20 TD passes and five interceptions two years ago to 14 and 12, respectively, last year. He again works behind OL Brian Baucia and will target WR Elijah Steward, who’s been over 40 receptions in three straight seasons. Defensive lineman Phillip Peiffer started strong last season but was sidelined by injury after two games.
6. Colgate (2-10, 1-5) – New coach Curt Fitzpatrick has made the short move from Cortland State, where he posted a 45-5 record in four years and led a 2023 Division III national season. After a turnover-plagued season, QB Jake Stearney could get back on track due to the return of All-American Treyvhon Saunders (88 receptions, No. 3 in the FCS), Brady Hutchison and all of the top receivers. The defense will struggle to replace Cole Kozlowski’s production, but LB Dane Picariello was third on the team with 71 tackles. Luke Vogeler made 13 of 15 field-goal attempts.
7. Georgetown (5-6, 2-4) – The Hoyas last finished with a winning record in 2011, but they’ve gone 5-6 in four of their last six seasons. Quarterback Danny Lauter, who set the program record for single-game passing yards (428) in 2023, has a downfield threat in WR Jimmy Kibble (19.1 yards per catch on 86 career receptions). Leading rusher Bryce Cox (566 yards, four TDs) seeks to build off a breakout campaign. Linebacker GianCarlo Rufo fills the stats sheet and DE Cooper Blomstrom (12.5 TFLs, 7.5 sacks) gets into opposing backfields.
8. Fordham (2-10, 2-4) – After plummeting to their worst record since 2011, the usually strong Rams hope to be a surprise, although a strong non-league schedule precedes their PL games. The leader is LB James Conway, who after an injury-plagued 2024 campaign is utilizing a fifth season of eligibility to build on his PL-record 436 career tackles. Cornerback Alex Kemper is another key returnee. There’s been a preseason competition at quarterback, including Jack Capaldi off nine starts last season. Notably, the PL’s worst offense allowed 62 sacks last season, or 17 more than any other FCS team.
How the Patriot League Predicted the Race
The 2025 @PatriotLeague preseason poll. pic.twitter.com/wXZGxQvBKc
— FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) July 23, 2025Five Players to Watch
James Conway, LB, Fordham (2025 Buck Buchanan Award preseason nominee) – Conway is at 436 tackles through 38 career games. Since the NCAA began to chart defensive statistics in 2000, Illinois State’s Boomer Grigsby has the high of 550 tackles in 44 games from 2001-04. Carter Glassmyer, LB, Richmond – Glassmyer is in a different FCS league for the third consecutive season as he was a Stats Perform FCS Freshman All-American at Saint Francis (Northeast Conference) in 2023 and a second-team All-CAA selection last year. Ralph Rucker IV, QB, Bucknell (2025 Walter Payton Award preseason nominee) – Rucker is Bucknell’s all-time leader in TD passes (46) and is second with 5,363 passing yards. Treyvhon Saunders, WR, Colgate (2024 Walter Payton Award preseason nominee) – Fourth in Colgate history with 180 career receptions, Saunders could reach all-time leader Luke Graham (221 from 2001-04) by midseason. Matt Spatny, DE, Lehigh (2025 Buck Buchanan Award preseason nominee) – Home is where the sacks are: The PL’s preseason defensive player of the year collected 10.5 of his 11.5 sacks at Goodman Stadium last year.Must-See Matchups
Patriot: Richmond at Lehigh (Aug. 30) – Consider this the Daytona 500 matchup of the PL season. There have only been four previous meetings in the all-time series, but three have occurred since 2021. Nonconference: Rhode Island at Holy Cross (Sept. 13) – The Crusaders fell to URI last season on a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining. The visiting Rams are ranked No. 9 in the preseason. FBS: Richmond at North Carolina (Sept. 13) – The Spiders are going to Chapel Hill for the first time since 1978, and it comes against a certain first-time collegiate coach named Bill Belichick.Patriot League Football Fast Fact
Lafayette vs. Lehigh – “The Rivalry” – is college football’s most-played series. Lafayette has an 82-73-5 all-time lead heading into this season’s 161st meeting, or 14 more games than the No. 2 series of Princeton vs. Yale in the Ivy League.
(Here’s an index page to the 2025 FCS Conference Previews)
Graphic by Matt Sisneros.Top photo, from left, from Richmond, Lehigh and Bucknell Athletics.
For more FCS football coverage, follow on social media at X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
Patriot League Football Predictions: Lehigh Knows the Deep End Well as Richmond Jumps in to Make a Splash Opta Analyst.
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