A new season of Wabash football is set to descend on campus; the excitement and expectation of another action-packed and successful road to the 130th Monon Bell Classic run rampant. This year, these emotions run especially high. With a whole lot of new to look for on the field, new players in the starting lineup bring a breath of fresh air to this year’s football squad.
This new-look team comes as no surprise. As 5th-year eligibility for DIII college players wanes (a result of COVID-19), scores of veteran players have now left Wabash football for the world outside of college this offseason. As much as they will be missed, their departure realizes a dream of many current Wabash juniors and seniors, providing them the chance they’ve been waiting on for years: to finally play for the Scarlet and White on Saturday afternoons.
Chief among these Wabash hopefuls is new starting quarterback Blake White ’25. White, who waited behind Wabash legend Liam Thompson ’24 for three years is finally getting his chance to showcase his skills on the big stage.
“It’s hard to put into words the excitement and relief to finally be named the starting quarterback,” said White. “I’m very thankful for all I learned playing the backup role, but this year I plan to leave it all out on the field.”
White leads a strong cohort of players who patiently have waited their turn, itching for the opportunity they are now presented with. Offensive players such as running back Xavier Tyler ’26, tight end Connor Garrity ’25, and wide receivers TJ Alexander ’26, Connor Chase ’26 and Tim Miller ’27 have had some of Wabash’s best athletes ahead of them in the depth chart over the past several years. Armed with motivation, they are poised to carve their names into the Wabash annals.
“It’s fun to coach new guys,” said Head Football Coach Don Morel. “I love [the veterans]. They were incredible players, but now it’s time for these guys to leave their mark.
Along with new faces, this season of Wabash football is chocked full of newness. With the departure of former defensive coordinator Mike Ridings, Wabash made an interesting decision. They hired new Associate Head Coach Jake Gilbert ’98 to not one, but two positions. For the 2024 season, Gilbert will act as the team’s defensive coordinator. At the season’s conclusion, Don Morel will be stepping down as head coach of the Little Giants and Gilbert will assume the title.
This sort of hiring choice is unprecedented, but has created a sense of stability and continuity about the program’s future, with players and coaches alike excited about the future possibilities.
“We made a statement that this program is incredibly special,” said Morel. “I hired a defensive coordinator. There’s nothing weird about that whatsoever, who, when I’m done, will become the next head coach. I think Wabash got it completely right.”
But before he starts his tenure as the head coach, Gilbert has to address the conundrum of the Wabash defense. With two coordinators in three years and varying levels of success in that period, this unit has shown rays of promise. Gilbert plans to harness those rays and create a defensive force the NCAC will have to reckon with.
“We need more belief and confidence,” said Gilbert. “We don’t need to cross our fingers that we can get by with average performance. We need ownership and agreements on how we’re going to play…in terms of how we pursue assignments, doing our job and holding each other accountable.”
Despite some of the mental barriers this defense has to overcome, the foundation of this unit is strongly built in talent.
“The linebacker room is outstanding,” said Gilbert. “We’re really excited about the depth we have at that position. We’re also very deep at D-line. We’ve got size on the inside, and a plethora of defensive ends who have played well.”
With a new-look defense and an offense full of new starters ready to make their Wabash debut, most coaches might have adjusted expectations about their team’s performance early on. Morel, steadfast as ever, has one goal in mind: win back the Bell.
“I am tired of hearing about what and incredible overtime game [the last Bell Game] was,” said Morel. “ We lost. We want to win the Bell back.”
“It’s a tremendous rivalry,” Morel added. “DePauw has only won the Bell four of the last sixteen years. And the greatest predictor of the future is the past. So our plan is to win that football game.”
Implementing all these new changes, Wabash football prepares to finish training camp and to scrimmage Rose-Hulman. The Little Giants will then open their non-conference schedule on September 7 against St. Norbert College, with Homecomeing against Ohio Wesleyan not far behind on September 14.