2025 Football Season Preview
2024 Record: 4-6 (2-4 Heart North)
Notable returners:
Destynd Loring, Sr., Charleston, S.C.
(First-team all-Heart, 1041 rushing yards, 13 TDs)
Alexander Price, Sr., McKinney, Texas
(First-team all-Heart, 25 receptions, 271 receiving yards)
Brian Weatherspoon, Jr., West Memphis, Ark.
(First-team all-Heart, 66 tackles)
Sterling Ramsey II, Sr., Broken Arrow, Okla.
(Letterwinner, 1230 passing yards, 8 TDs)
Notable losses:
Mason Ford
(Second-team all-Heart)
Howard Huerta
(Second-team all-Heart)
Logan Myers
(Second-team all-Heart)
Notable newcomers:
Fabian Early III, Fr., Humble, Texas
Anthony Jones Jr., New Orleans, La.
The William Penn football team is looking to take a step forward in 2025.
WPU, which was 4-6 a year ago (2-4 Heart North), will be headed by Marc Benavidez in his third year at the helm. He has guided the navy and gold to 4-6 records in his first two campaigns, while the Statesmen placed fifth in the Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division in 2024.
Benavidez and his staff are looking to build on last year as they return a host of offensive firepower. The 2025 team includes a total of five all-Heart North performers, and a senior quarterback, who are looking to lead this team to a strong season.
The returning all-conference players are headed by first-teamers Destynd Loring (Sr., Charleston, S.C., Sports Management), Alexander Price (Sr., McKinney, Texas, Sports Management), and Brian Weatherspoon (Jr., West Memphis, Ark., Business Management).
Quarterback
Sterling Ramsey II (Sr., Broken Arrow, Okla., Business Management) returns for his senior season with the Statesmen after completing 81 of his 171 passes last season for 1,230 yards and eight touchdowns. Also battling for the starting job is Christian Benning (Fr., Streator, Ill., Business Management) who redshirted in 2024, and is looking to make a splash.
Running Back
Loring is back for his final season after a standout junior year where he carried the ball 179 times for 1,041 yards and 13 touchdowns. Loring has now eclipsed 2,100 yards in his career.
Tight End
Price, with 40 catches for 412 yards in 2024, had the most successful season of his career and is seeking to repeat and grow his high level of output. Price will be accompanied by promising newcomer Fabian Early III (Fr., Humble, Texas, Business Management).
Wide Receiver
The returning duo of Amir Everett (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Sports Management) and Branden Powell (So., Waco, Texas, Kinesiology) will be major assets to the receiving corps. Everett had 36 receptions for 638 yards and six touchdowns, while Powell had 14 catches for 245 yards and four scores. Newcomer to William Penn, Anthony Jones Jr. (Fr., New Orleans, La., Business Management) will also see significant play time.
Offensive Line
The offensive line sees the return of two strong seniors, Chris King (Sr., Culver City, Calif., Kinesiology) and Liam Bryant (Sr., Jackson, Mo., Physical Education). They are looking to be consistent in an offensive line that will see a lot of moving pieces.
Defensive Line
Matt Mehrhoff (Sr., Fenton, Mo., Business Management) and Lloydarius Garner (Sr., Houston, Texas, Sports Management) are projected for big seasons after posting 55 and 51 tackles, respectively, in 2024.
Linebacker
Weatherspoon and Kameron Cummings (So., Houston, Texas, Business Management) are the top returning linebackers this season. Weatherspoon tallied 66 tackles last season, while Cummings had 44 total stops.
Defensive Back
Jeremiah Dennard (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla., Business Management) will see a lot of time this season in the defensive backfield after a solid season last year, tallying 21 tackles and two interceptions. Playing opposite of him will be Marquis Harry (So., Pompano Beach, Fla., Business Management), who also had 21 total tackles.
Special Teams
Kicking duties will be between newcomers Aiden Gibbons (Fr., Apollo Beach, Fla., Sports Management) and Omar Abdulle (Fr., Houston, Texas, Sports Management).
Conference
William Penn's season begins on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Fulton, Mo. for the second annual Billy Bowl against William Woods. It opens a three-game road stint to start the season. William Penn will finally host its first game at Statesmen Community Stadium on September 20, when MidAmerica Nazarene travels to Oskaloosa.
North Division play begins on September 27 at Culver-Stockton, while William Penn will host Missouri Baptist for Homecoming on October 18.
Grand View is projected to win the Heart North, while WPU is picked to finish fourth in the division.
