Graham Stokes

2026 football preview

8/31/2026 11:30:00 AM

GAMBIER, Ohio – The 2026 Kenyon College football team is ready to restart improvements, take lessons learned from a season ago and head to the gridiron with a bulked up roster that will be spearheaded by a strong veteran presence, both among players and coaches. That high level of experience will be key, as the team will face one of the most difficult schedules it has seen in decades.

2025 Review
Kenyon posted a 1-9 record last fall, including a 1-7 record within the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Those marks moved the Owls to eighth place in the final standings. Those marks also followed a 2024 season in which the team was 5-5 overall and 4-4 in the NCAC. The 2025 campaign was plagued by turnover issues and struggles on offense, as the Owls averaged 2.8 turnovers and 14.3 points per game. The 2025 squad did improve its running game, compared to the previous season, and the defense led the conference in quarterback sacks.

Coaching Staff
Ian Good enters his tenth season at Kenyon and his fifth season as the Owls head coach. During his tenure as head coach, Good has logged 11 wins and has sent 19 players to the All-NCAC squad. Nate Wilson, now in his fourth season at Kenyon, will be the offensive coordinator, while Ken Delgado, promoted to associate head coach, will serve as the defensive coordinator for his third season.

"This season I am excited to see how our team has developed over the off-season and how we respond after last year," Good said. "We have a strong group of seniors on both sides of the ball and return a lot of experience across the board. We have the biggest roster in my tenure as head coach and one of the largest incoming groups as well. This will bring both excitement and challenges as we progress through fall camp and into the season. This year's focus will be on reinforcing the processes that lead to the behaviors we want to see on the field on a daily basis. We believe that will go a long way in helping produce the results we are looking for this season."

NCAC Preseason Poll
Kenyon's position in the 2026 NCAC preseason poll, as voted on by conference coaches, was a direct reflection of the 2025 team's results. The Owls, who placed eighth last year, totaled 22 points in the preseason poll, slotting eighth out of ten teams (Washington University in St. Louis is now a football affiliate member of the NCAC). Defending champion John Carroll University picked up six first-place votes in the poll and claimed the top spot with 95 points, narrowly edging DePauw University, which landed in the second spot after earning the other four first-place votes and 93 points. Nine-time NCAC champion Wabash College was third in the poll with 76 points while Washington University (68) and Denison University (57) rounded out the top five.

Returning All-Conference Honorees
The Owls had three players gain spots on the All-NCAC team last season, but only one of them returns for the 2026 schedule. Linebacker Jared Hancock was an all-conference second teamer, while linebacker Michael Kerr and offensive lineman Caleb Kirkpatrick picked up all-conference third-team honors. Of those three, Kerr is the lone returnee. Last season, Kerr racked up 52 tackles, the third-best output on the team. His six quarterback sacks were the best total on the team and ranked fourth best in the NCAC. Additionally, Kerr's 15 tackles-for-loss were tops on the team and tops in the conference.

Returning Statistical Leaders
Despite having just one returning all-conference player, the Owls do have an overload of veterans lined up for the 2026 season. Defensively, eight starters from 2025 are back and offensively, seven are back on the roster. Kerr, now a senior, is one of the team's top returners on defense after leading the Owls in sacks and tackles-for-loss. His classmate and defensive back, Dominic Simpson, a previous two-time All-NCAC performer, returns after leading the team in total tackles for each of the previous three seasons, including 72 tackles last season. On offense, Ryan Dean and Drew Morgan shared time at quarterback with Dean getting the better of the work and racking up 1,085 passing yards. Kenyon's top two rushers graduated, but the Owls return top receivers Tyler Gladden and Brendan Comerford, who posted 333 and 299 receiving yards, respectively. On special teams, Tyler Bell is back as the team's top punter and kicker, while both Gladden and Simpson are back as the Owls' top returners.

Schedule Overview

Season Opener: Saturday, September 5 at Kalamazoo College (1:00 p.m.)
Home Opener: Saturday, September 12 vs. The College of Wooster (1:00 p.m.)
Homecoming: Saturday, September 26 vs. DePauw University (1:00 p.m.)

How to Follow
Fans can follow Kenyon football throughout the season via the following links:

Live coverage (stats and video) - https://athletics.kenyon.edu/live
Instagram and X - @KenyonSports
YouTube - @KenyonAthletics

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