CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the results of the Football preseason poll, with the Mount St. Joseph University Lions picked to take first place in a vote amongst league coaches.
The Lions from Mount St. Joseph took the first-place slot with 36 points and all six possible first-place votes. The Panthers from Hanover College claimed the number two slot with 31 points and the remaining first-place vote. The Fightin' Engineers from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology claimed third place with 26 points. The Franklin College Grizzlies rounded out the top-half of the poll with 19 points.
Listed below is the full 2025 HCAC Football Preseason Poll, returners from the 2024 HCAC All-Conference team, and some additional 2025 HCAC Players to Watch.
For more information on HCAC Football, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the Internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on X and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.
2025 HCAC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes
| 1. |
Mount St. Joseph University (6) |
36 |
| 2. |
Hanover College (1) |
31 |
| 3. |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
26 |
| 4. |
Franklin College |
19 |
| 5. |
Anderson University |
15 |
| 6. |
Bluffton University |
14 |
| 7. |
Manchester University |
6 |
HCAC All-Conference Returners from last season:
Anderson
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Jacob Simpson |
Senior |
Hobart, Ind. |
Linebacker |
| Gavin Reners |
Senior |
Sheridan, Ind. |
Linebacker |
| Zaire Prioleau |
Senior |
Atlanta, Ga. |
Defensive Back |
Bluffton
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Niegel Payne |
Senior |
Detroit, Mich. |
Wide Receiver |
| Travion Curry |
Junior |
Thomson, Ga. |
Linebacker |
| Drew Michael |
Junior |
Eaton, Ohio |
Kicker |
| Nolan Whobrey |
Senior |
Louisville, Ky. |
Defensive Back |
| Maxwell Moore |
Senior |
Chargin Falls, Ohio |
Defensive Line |
Franklin
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Owen Wright |
Junior |
Greenwood, Ind. |
Wide Receiver |
| Devonte Brown |
Senior |
Bloomington, Ind. |
Defensive End |
| Brayden Wilkins |
Sophomore |
New Palestine, Ind. |
Kick Returner |
Hanover
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Brian Wall |
Sophomore |
Sellersburg, Ind. |
Free Safety |
| Eian Roudebush |
Junior |
New Palestine, Ind. |
Quarterback |
| Bryce Shepherd |
Senior |
Beechwood, Ky. |
Left Tackle |
| Garron Jenkins |
Senior |
Greenville, Ind. |
Defensive End |
| Saadiq Pasha |
Junior |
Hephzibah, Ga. |
Defensive Back |
Manchester
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Angel Estrada |
Junior |
Bremen, Ind. |
Punter |
| Levi Campbell |
Sophomore |
Clewiston, Fla. |
Wide Receiver |
| Landon Hicks |
Sophomore |
Monroeville, Ind. |
Defensive Back |
| Blake Haiflich |
Senior |
Ossian, Ind. |
Linebacker |
Mount St. Joseph
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Eli Aston |
Sophomore (Redshirt) |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Wide Receiver |
| Luke Fortkamp |
Sophomore |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Nickleback |
| Luke Paff |
Junior |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Linebacker |
| Brock Harris |
Senior |
Miamisburg, Ohio |
Defensive Line |
Rose-Hulman
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Jay Smith |
Senior |
Evansville, Ind. |
Running Back |
| Ben Klein |
Senior |
El Paso, Ill. |
Tight End |
| Marshall Koch |
Senior |
Omro, Wis. |
Linebacker |
| Wyatt Bell |
Junior |
River Falls, Wis. |
Defensive Back |
| Antonio Barnes |
Junior |
Highland, Ind. |
Defensive Back |
2025 Athletes to Watch
Anderson
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Jacob Simpson |
Senior |
Hobart, Ind. |
Linebacker |
| Gavin Reners |
Senior |
Sheridan, Ind. |
Linebacker |
| Zaire Prioleau |
Senior |
Atlanta, Ga. |
Defensive Back |
| Jackson Elder |
Senior |
Port St. Lucie, Fla. |
Offensive Line |
Franklin
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Trevor Winkles |
Senior |
Lebanon, Ind. |
Running Back |
| Haden Durnil |
Senior |
Grandview, Ind. |
Linebacker |
| Carter Edney |
Senior |
Cayuga, Ind. |
Defensive End |
| Isaak Fischer |
Junior |
Greenwood, Ind. |
Offensive Line |
Hanover
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Jack Pennington |
Sophomore |
Seymour, Ind. |
Wide Receiver |
| David Holloway |
Sophomore |
Louisville, Ky. |
Offensive Line |
| Ben Purciful |
Junior |
New Palestine, Ind. |
Offensive Line |
| Ashton Schuetter |
Senior |
Jasper, Ind. |
Linebacker |
Manchester
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| James Lewis |
Sophomore |
Bloomfield, Ind. |
Running Back |
| Kameron Landrum |
Sophomore |
Huntington, Ind. |
Linebacker |
| Luke Martin |
Senior |
Sharpsville, Ind. |
Offensive Line |
| Culvin Gilbert |
Sophomore |
Monroeville, Ind. |
Defensive Line |
Mount St. Joseph
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Brady Pierce |
Junior |
Thompson Station, Tenn. |
Defensive Back |
| Donnie Lewis |
Junior |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Offensive Tackle |
| Jaxon Schreiber |
Junior |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Quarterback |
| Carter Lindemann |
Senior |
Burlington, Ky. |
Linebacker |
Rose-Hulman
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Jay Smith |
Senior |
Evansville, Ind. |
Running Back |
| Ben Klein |
Senior |
El Paso, Ill. |
Tight End |
| Marshall Koch |
Senior |
Omro, Wis. |
Linebacker |
| Wyatt Bell |
Junior |
River Falls, Wis. |
Defensive Back |