LEHIGH FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW: Mountain Hawks Are a Lot More Than Luke Yoder

BETHLEHEM, PA – I think outside the Lehigh Valley many casual observers think Lehigh is just RB Luke Yoder and ten other guys on offense.  

Nothing could be further from the truth, of course.  

Sure, Yoder deserves all sorts of preseason accolades after continuing to deliver on the ground during his incredibly productive junior year. He was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2025, finishing 11th in the final balloting, and was a Stats Perform third team All-American and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American.

He rushed for 1,409 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025, the second-highest single-season yardage total in Lehigh football history, and was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. His performance in the Lehigh/Lafayette game – 234 yards and 4 TDs – is something that will be discussed in Lehigh football circles for years to come.

But this 2026 Lehigh team is a lot more than Yoder and the other twenty-one starters.

While it would be foolish to ignore some of the big departures, the truth is the 2026 Lehigh offense returns not only their experienced quarterback, junior QB Hayden Johnson, they also return four/fifths of the offensive line that did so well last season – OL Charles Soska, OL Aidan Palmer, OL Colby Reph, and OL Sammy Ayache.  OL Jacob Messina slots in perfectly at right guard to fill out the first unit. 

The Lehigh offense gained 230 yards rushing on average per game last season and scored an eye-popping 35 rushing touchdowns, 15 of them from Yoder, 4 of them from Johnson.   

The physical offensive line was the bread and butter of everything Lehigh accomplished last season on offense, including a surprisingly efficient passing game.  Johnson threw for 2,510 yards, completing passes at a 62% clip with only 6 interceptions, which sometimes gets lost around Yoder’s rushing production. 

The backup for Johnson was a very wide-open race.  QB Matt Machalik left the program in the offseason, meaning Johnson’s backup won’t have completed a Division I pass in his career. Stepping into that expected role is sophomore QB Derek Morgan, who played in the same role briefly last season as a freshman.

While losing RB Jaden Green to the portal is a disappointment, hopes are high that his spot in a 1-2 rushing attack will be replaced by RB Aaron Crossley, a physical runner who rushed for 129 yards and 3 TDs as a depth piece last season. It looks like he’ll be expected to step into a bigger role this season.

The question marks come at wideout, where the graduation of WR Geoffrey Jamiel and the transfer of WR Mason Humphrey mean the Mountain Hawks will need to replace that production.  WR Matt D’Avino (257 yards, 2 TDs) will look to step into the breach, as well as WR Nick Palumbo, one of Hayden Johnson’s receiving teammates at Manheim Township, as well as a host of other receivers.

Lehigh didn’t go overboard in the portal – it really looks like they were able to get important complementary pieces to the offense that is already here.  It remains to be seen whether they can replicate that success again, but the number of returning starters and prolific production bodes well.

QB: Hayden Johnson, Derek Morgan
RB: Luke Yoder, Aaron Crossley
WR1: Matt D’Avino, Landon Kennel
WR2: Nick Palumbo, Brady Fisher
WR3: Anthony Feaster, Jamaire Harden
TE: Joe Marranca, Garrett Guess
OL: Charles Soska, Tolu Akinyelu
OL: Aidan Palmer, Spencer Dow
C: Colby Reph, Austin Huff
OL: Jacob Messina, Garrison McKinney
OL: Sammy Ayache, Giacomo Macce

Defense

Not only did Lehigh have one of the best defenses in the country last season – they only allowed a paltry 70 yards rushing per game, and were literally the No.1 ranked FCS rushing defense in the country.

The unit, featuring DE Matt Spatny, NT T.J. Burke, LB Tyler Ochojski, LB Brycen Edwards, DB Mekhai Smith and others, was the stuff of all-time greatest defenses in Lehigh history.  I’ve seen a lot of Lehigh football teams, and I think it was the best Lehigh defense I’ve seen ever.

The bad news is although the guys I just mentioned have graduated or moved on, the good news is there’s still a lot of players returning that have game experience that look well poised to step into their large shoes.  

Start with LB William Parton (63 tackles, 5 TFL) and LB Cole Hughes (27 tackles, 2 TFL)..  Parton has been a starter since his sophomore year and Hughes, a junior, came on late and played  tremendously well versus Lafayette and Villanova to close out the year.  I feel both guys are clutch players who have made specific solo plays that have won football games.

And then there’s larger-than-life DT Jadin Nelson (31 tackles, 6 1/2 TFL) a monster in the middle who was a huge part of the defensive line rotation and a big part of Lehigh’s top rushing defense.  DT Preston Davis (9 tackles, 2 TFL) was another key member of Lehigh’s defensive line rotation and on my roster slots in nicely in the 1st team in the 2026 rotation. DE Andrew Sharga and ST Aidan Williams round out the starting defensive line, both guys who have gotten a lot more reps on the defensive line than one might initiially think.

The secondary, too, sees people returning with loads of playing experience.

DB Nick Peltekian (28 tackles, 1 1/2 TFL, 1 INT), DB Jackson Dowd (30 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT) and DB Davis Rice (25 tackles, 1 1/2 TFL, 1 INT), all return, three guys who have played a lot of football for Lehigh in the defensive backfield.  

CB DJ Brown (44 tackles, 11 pass breakups) also returns, along with two guys who got a lot of time in with Lehigh’s defensive back rotation in CB Ignatious Williams (10 tackles) and DB Luke Denny (20 tackles, 2 TFL).

Overall, that represents ten out of eleven starters that have significant experience on Lehigh’s defense returning.

The questions regard who will be next up in the rotation after them.  Transfer DB TJ Hill (Arkansas St.) looks like he could step into the rotation in the defensive backfield, and promising DE Kingsley Acho is an intriguing guy returning on the defensive line after missing the last two seasons with injuries.

DE: Andrew Sharga, Lucas Manderbach
NT: Preston Davis, Luke Reilly
DT: Jadin Nelson, Lorenzo Portella
HAWK: Aidan Williams, Kingsley Acho
LB: William Parton, Broc Bender
LB: Cole Hughes, Talan Dudley
ROV: Jackson Dowd, Davis Rice
SS: Luke Denny, Tre Meadows
FS: Nick Peltekian, TJ Hill
CB: Ignatious Williams, Jarrod Penright Jr.
CB: DJ Brown, Joshua Jones

Special Teams

It’s no exaggeration to say that P/K Connor Poole was a huge punting weapon for the Mountain Hawks last season (42 yards per kick, 9 puints greater than 50 yards), and when PK Nick Garrido was lost to a season-ending injury, Connor stepped right in and kept the kicking game solid through the end of the year.  Poole’s junior year will bear watching as you wonder if he might get a look at the next level at some point.

P/K John Zipf kicked off for Lehigh and backed Poole up at both positions last year and returns this year, ready to step in if necessary.  

Peltekian’s return for his graduate years solidifies the punt return game, as it seems likely he will return punts again at least.  For kcikoff returns, it’s more of a mystery as Jamiel and Green are no longer at Lehigh.  

In Lehigh’s preseason preview video, coach Nagy highlighted LS Ridgely Ritter as “one of the best long snappers in the league”.

PK: Connor Poole, John Zipf
P: Connor Pools, John Zipf
PR: Nick Peltekian, Anthony Feaster
KR: Jamaire Harden, Nick Peltekian
LS: Ridgely Ritter, Connor Ludwig

Source: Lehigh Football Game Notes, Week 1, vs. Holy Cross