TIFFIN -- Back for their 131st season on the gridiron, the Heidelberg University Football team enters the 2026 campaign looking to build off a strong finish to 2025.

Head Coach Scott Donaldson enters his 11th season at the helm after guiding the Student Princes to a 6-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in Ohio Athletic Conference play last fall. Donaldson enters the season with a 59-35 career record.

THE OFFENSE:

Graduate student Alex Arledge enters the season atop the depth chart at quarterback, with senior Lance Rickle providing an experienced option behind him. Arledge has four career starts, while Rickle has five.

In the backfield, senior All-American Drew Miller returns following a tremendous 2025 campaign. Miller led the OAC with 1,383 rushing yards on 248 carries, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt while scoring 12 touchdowns. He enters the season with 16 career starts and nine career 100-yard games. Sophomore Luke Blatnik will also see time at tailback.

Sophomore Justin Reiter and senior Shae Sparks headline the tight end position.

At receiver, senior Dmitry Peters returns after leading Heidelberg with 595 receiving yards on 31 catches with four touchdowns last season. Senior Tyreese Clerveau, junior Aiden Bradshaw, senior Mason Mossbarger, sophomore Leo Martin and sophomore Knolan Albert provide additional weapons on the perimeter. Bradshaw caught 16 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns last fall, while Martin added six catches for 84 yards and a score.

The offensive line features a mixture of veterans and newcomers. Junior Maximus Fortney and senior Zachery May bring the most starting experience to the unit. Sophomore Julian Welch, sophomore RJ Davies and junior Devon Story round out the projected starting five, with Briar Wendling, Brycen Dunlap, Bodie St. Amour, Alex Jenkins and Cameron Allen among those providing depth.

THE DEFENSE:

The Heidelberg defense returns significant experience at all three levels.

In the secondary, sophomore Tommie McDonald, junior Xavier Weaver, senior Deuce Caldwell and senior Tai Peterson are slated to start. Austin Niederkohr, Thomas Zacharko, Kevion Grant and Aaryion Manley give the Student Princes a veteran rotation on the back end.

McDonald and Weaver both recorded two interceptions last season, while Manley added an interception of his own.

Senior Nick Jacoby and senior Mason Villarreal anchor the linebacking corps. Villarreal finished second on the team with 69 tackles last season, while Jacoby was also a regular starter. Junior Nick Finn is slated to start at the WILL position, with Jalani Reams, Taleb Al-Zakwani and transfer Cyrus Finnen among the group expected to rotate in.

Up front, sophomore Daniel Goodson, junior Ahmir Britt, sophomore Brandon Munoz and senior Tyler Jackson are positioned atop the depth chart. Williams Betancourt, Tony Theodoropoulos, Jaiden Samuels and Trevor Robinson provide additional depth along the defensive front.

THE SPECIALISTS:

Freshman Fulton Krupp is listed atop the depth chart at place kicker, while sophomore Liam Kerr is slated to handle the punting duties. Kerr and junior Gage Stemen are listed as holders, while sophomore Justin Reiter and Mason Flicker will handle the snapping duties.

In the return game, Clerveau and Martin bring experience and explosiveness. Clerveau averaged 26.9 yards on 25 kickoff returns last season, including a 69-yard touchdown. Martin averaged 11.3 yards per punt return with a long of 42 yards.

COACHES CORNER:

Donaldson is once again joined by longtime coordinators Jason Lewis on offense and Branden Jakubcin on defense.

The 2026 Heidelberg staff also includes Jemar Lewis, Tate Schorr, Isaac Wilson, Andrew Munger, Gunner Lesher, Kingston Mabatah, Troy Miller and Kyle Fischer.

PRESEASON PICKS:

Coaches in the OAC selected Mount Union as the preseason favorite. The Purple Raiders received eight first-place votes and 64 points.

Heidelberg was selected fourth with 43 points, trailing Mount Union, Baldwin Wallace and Ohio Northern.

Mount Union - 64 (8)
Baldwin Wallace - 54
Ohio Northern - 53 (1)
Heidelberg - 43
Marietta - 32
Muskingum - 31
Capital - 21
Wilmington - 18
Otterbein - 8

THE SCHEDULE:

Heidelberg opens the season on Saturday, Sept. 5, welcoming Maryville College to Hoernemann Stadium for a noon kickoff. The meeting will be the first between the Student Princes and Scots.

The OAC slate opens one week later when Heidelberg travels to Otterbein on Sept. 12 for a 7 p.m. kickoff. A trip to Mount Union follows on Sept. 19 before the Student Princes return to Tiffin to host Muskingum on Sept. 26.

October begins under the lights with a 7 p.m. home game against Baldwin Wallace on Oct. 3. Following a bye week, Heidelberg travels to Rose-Hulman on Oct. 17 for the first meeting between the programs.

The Student Princes return home to face Ohio Northern on Oct. 24 and Marietta on Oct. 31. The season concludes with consecutive road games at Capital on Nov. 7 and Wilmington on Nov. 14.

In all, Heidelberg will play five games at Hoernemann Stadium and five on the road.

HOW TO WATCH:

The Ohio Athletic Conference continues its media partnership with FloSports. OAC contests will stream live on the FloCollege platform.

FloCollege is available on the web and for download on mobile devices, as well as smart TVs and streaming devices including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. FloSports offers yearly and monthly subscription options, with discounts available to users with a Heidelberg.edu email address. For more information and to subscribe, visit BergAthletics.com/flo.

HOW TO FOLLOW:

BergAthletics.com will have up-to-the-minute information on schedule cancellations and alterations throughout the season. Links for live stats and live video will be published as they become available.

Follow @BergAthletics on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Instagram: @bergfootball