Even after winning seven games and narrowly missing out on a conference championship in 2022, the Wabash College football team is already looking ahead to next season. With 18 starters returning, the Little Giants will go into 2023 a far more experienced and motivated team.
 
The Little Giants won seven or more games for the 15th consecutive season, including wins against three teams that defeated them in 2021. Along the way, Wabash boasted a high-powered offense, leading all NCA Division III teams in passing offense (363.5 yards per game) while ranking third in nationally in total offense (535.5 ypg) and 14th in scoring offense (42.5 points per game).
 
Losing the Bell game may have been a great disappointment, but it was also a learning opportunity for next season.
 
"We failed Saturday," said Head Football Coach Don Morel. "So, you can either stick your head in the in the bath water and hold your breath for a long time, or you can grow from it. I think Fs at times are really good things, because in that game it's pass or fail. It's a great opportunity for the guys to learn from."
 
One man determined to keep impressing next season will be quarterback Liam Thompson. Thompson, the two-time North Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, cemented himself this year as one of the finest quarterbacks in NCAA Division III football and will be looking for more of the same in 2023. This season, Thompson led DIII in total passing yards (3,588), passing yards per game (358.8) and total offense (393.7 ypg). His efforts will almost certainly be enough to earn him a Gagliardi Trophy nomination, the award presented to the most outstanding player in DIII football.
 
But Thompson is not the only key player returning in 2023. Wide receivers Cooper Sullivan and Derek Allen Jr., both currently juniors, will also return for their final year at Wabash. Combined this season, they amassed 1,701 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Other junior returners on offense include wide receiver Jacob Riddle, tight end Penn Stoller and running back Donovan Snyder. Sullivan, Stoller, and Snyder each earned all-NCAC honors in 2022.
 
"We came up short at DePauw, but that doesn't define our season," said Allen. "We had a really talented team and will still have most of that talent next year. For me personally, this was a really good season, but next year will be even better."
 
Also returning to the offense in 2023 will be all five starters on the Wabash offensive line, including three first-team all-conference selections. Seniors Joe Mullin and Mark Caster are both taking an extra year of eligibility to continue playing into next year. Freshman Quinn Sholar and sophomore Kanon Kelley return to left and right tackle respectively while sophomore guard Cameron Ford will look to continue his thus-far solid form.
 
Wabash struggled at times defensively this year, but the unit heads into 2023 markedly more experienced. Eight defensive starters return next year led by freshman Gavin Ruppert, who exploded onto the scene in 2022 with 95 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. Other returners include sophomore cornerback Avery Epstein, freshman safety Sam Ringer and junior linebacker Joe Rios, all of whom will be looking to make a further impact in 2023.

"Obviously there have been some growing pains this season with lots of young guys and a new system under Coach Ridings," said Ruppert, a third-team all-NCAC pick. "But the defense is very excited to get back to work and develop into an elite defense through the off-season. We want a chance to get the Monon Bell back and win a conference championship a year from now."
 
In the intervening time between now and the beginning of the 2023 season, Wabash will graduate 16 seniors. Among them will be fifth-year senior Jose Franco, one of Wabash's finest defensive players. Across 40 games in a Wabash jersey, Franco has made 201 total tackles, 139 solo tackles and six interceptions. It will be imperative going forward to find an equally adept cornerback to fill the all-conference honoree's shoes, and right now sophomore Garrett Mroz seems the likely favorite to take over in that position.
 
With such an experienced squad of returners, as well as the new talent Morel and his team recruit, there is plenty to be optimistic about in the Wabash football office.
 
"Of course, after the loss in the Bell game, the team has a lot of work to do," said Ruppert. "But with that being said, we did a lot of good things this season. We are very motivated as a team to focus on the areas we need to improve."
 
 
Bullock, a senior history major from Stourbridge, England, is Sports Editor for The Bachelor.