Since its last Great Midwest Athletic Conference title in 2018, the Hillsdale College football team has been competitive, but unable to put it all together and claim another crown.

Slow starts and painfully close losses have kept Hillsdale from staying in the G-MAC title race to the end of the season, and resulted in six straight finishes at or near the .500 mark, including back-to-back seasons at 6-5.

Finding a way to change that dynamic and break through is the task ahead for the Chargers entering the 2025 campaign. Three close losses in conference play by a total of just 11 points were all that separated the Chargers from a G-MAC title in 2024, and making the plays necessary to turn those narrow defeats into wins while not giving up ground to other conference foes will be paramount for Hillsdale to achieve its goals in head coach Nate Shreffler's second season.

Avoiding a slow start is critical, as 0-4 records in September ended the Chargers' playoff and conference title hopes before they even began in 2023 and 2024. One advantage Hillsdale has over past seasons is continuity at the skill positions offensively, and they'll lean on that experience heavily to start the campaign.

Scouting the Offense

Hillsdale has an established starting quarterback in sophomore Colin McKernan, who seized the starting job for good in week four of the 2024 campaign as a redshirt freshman and gained confidence down the stretch, peaking in a 10 for 16 performance and three passing touchdowns in a 20-17 upset victory over Tiffin on Nov. 9. He'll benefit heavily from a veteran group of receivers to throw to, headlined by the dynamic Shea Ruddy, a junior who was top five in the country in all-purpose yards in 2024 and earned All-American honors thanks to his production as both a pass catcher and one of the nation's top kick returners. 

The Chargers also return dynamic sophomore tight end Andrew Konieczny, an All-G-MAC honoree as a redshirt freshman, and all seven of their top receivers from 2024, with senior Connor Pratt, junior Jonathan Metzger, and promising sophomores Ryan Skura and Tutt Carrico joining Ruddy as veteran options.

Hillsdale does have to replace dynamic tailback Logan VanEnkevort, who was the top rusher for the G-MAC's best rushing attack in 2024, but the Chargers have multiple veteran options at running back to replace him, including senior Kyle Riffel and sophomore Zach Tetler, both of whom got significant carries in 2024. That theme of replacing graduated stars with veteran depth carries over to the offensive line, which sees multiple All-Conference starters depart, including 2024 All-American Nick Affholter. Despite the heavy losses, Hillsdale is set to field a unit made up of fourth and fifth-year players who all have previous starting experience, led by third-year starter Carter Cushman at right tackle and veteran interior linemen Billy Collins and Jesse Mendoza inside.

Scouting the Defense

A huge key for the Chargers in 2025 is the performance of its defense. In 2024, Hillsdale got off to a rocky start on that side of the ball, but rounded into form by midseason and was arguably one of the G-MAC's best units in the back half of the campaign. In order to be a true title contender in 2025, the Chargers will have to build off that finish and start faster on the defensive side of the ball.

The Chargers should be able to lean on a strong front seven with several impact players, headlined by junior linebacker Jacob Vance, the Chargers' leading tackler the last two seasons and a preseason All-American to D2Football.com. Fellow linebackers Kaden Evans and Carson Ingram are veteran stalwarts with significant starting experience, and all three players will benefit from playing behind a strong defensive line, headlined by returning All-G-MAC defensive tackle Hunter Sperling and talented pass rusher Drake Badger, who each racked up double-digit tackles for loss last year. Two players who saw a lot of action up front in 2024, Evan Bienick and Neal Likens, should make big impacts as well.

Hillsdale was hit harder by graduation in the secondary, but still returns a number of veteran players ready for bigger roles. Safety Jack Trachet is a long-time contributor and team leader, while corners Ryan Niksa and Gavin Chenevey both played a major role in 2024 as well. The Chargers will benefit from the healthy return of safeties Colin Morrow and Jonah Jensen, both of whom battled injuries that limited their playing time in 2024.

Scouting Special Teams

The kicking game was a weakness for Hillsdale in 2024, but there's no shortage of options as the Chargers look to make a big improvement in 2025. Hillsdale will look for a step forward from incumbents Braeden Chiles and Evan Mick, and adds two promising freshman kickers in Northern Arizona transfer Jordan Westrich and Dylan DeDario. Jude Barton, who joined the team at midseason in 2024, will be in the mix as well. At punter, Ian Woodyard returns for a second season and gives Hillsdale an established veteran presence.

On returns, Hillsdale has arguably the top returning kick returner in Division II and one of the most dynamic players in the country in Ruddy, who returned multiple kicks for touchdowns in 2024 and was second in the nation in kickoff return yardage. The Chargers will look to get the ball in his hands as much as possible, while also taking advantage of opposing teams' respect for the threat he poses to create field position advantages.

The Schedule

Even for a talented team, the road to the top is never easy, and the Chargers will be challenged in 2025 as they look to take the next step as a program. Hillsdale opens on Sept. 6 on the road with a solid McKendree team known for its offensive prowess, then returns to Hillsdale for its home opener against Michigan Tech on Sept. 13 looking to snap a six game losing streak to the Huskies.

In conference play, Hillsdale will look to break into the three-way battle atop the G-MAC among defending champion Ashland, Findlay and Tiffin. Those three schools have produced the G-MAC champion in each of the last six seasons and will be favored to continue that run until someone else can seize the crown. The Chargers face all three of those teams on the road in 2025, and all in a four game stretch from Sept. 20 to Oct. 11 that will prove critical for Hillsdale's hopes of contending.

While the G-MAC has been top-heavy in recent years, the Chargers can't take the rest of the league for granted, either. Both Walsh and Northwood had their best seasons in several years in 2024 and look like programs on the rise as well. Thomas More, Ohio Dominican, Lake Erie and Kentucky Wesleyan all have stable coaching staffs and will look to take a step forward out of the bottom half of the league and toward contention as well.

You can see the full schedule for Hillsdale's 2025 campaign with ticket, streaming and live stat links here.