Patriot League Preview: Spiders Join A Wide-Open Patriot League Title Race

Even by the standards of the Patriot League, last season’s title race was one of the wildest in recent memory.

The first weekend in November, six out of the seven Patriot League teams had realistic designs on the title. Every week in November was a type of playoff, with some teams surviving and others falling to the wayside.

The eventual FCS Playoff autobid qualifier Lehigh was picked in the preseason to finish sixth out of seven teams, and ended up co-champions with perennial power Holy Cross after they upset the Crusaders in Worcester 10-7, watched Bucknell lose to the Crusaders the following week, then beat their arch-Rivals Lafayette to see the goalposts come down at Murray Goodman.

It was a fitting, crazy end to a wild season, where nothing was determined until the last weekend. And it’s into this environment that perennial power Richmond enters the Patriot League, themselves a FCS Playoff team last year as well.

More so than in any other season, this year’s version of the Patriot League feels like a step towards national contention, one of shifting expectations. Gone seem to be the hopes of just winning the league, and getting an autobid. The top teams are expected to have the strength and record to nab multiple bids to the FCS Playoffs – and maybe even win them eventually.

It promises to be year of building a national presence – and maybe also another crazy season that comes down to the wire.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Lehigh
2. Richmond
3. Holy Cross
4. Bucknell
5. Lafayette
6. Colgate
7. Fordham
8. Georgetown

Georgetown

2024 At A Glance: The first week in November, the Hoyas were 5-3, 2-1 in Patriot League play, and had a real shot to make a run at a Patriot League title. A humbling 43-6 defeat to Lehigh, however, set off a three game tailspin to end the season, having Georgetown crash out with a 5-6 (2-4) record.
Biggest Departure: S Zeraun Daniel had 5 interceptions for the Hoyas, but left this offseason in the transfer portal and is on UMass’ roster.
Name To Watch In 2025: Via Villanova, WR Luke Daly is a transfer redshirt junior who could establish himself at both wideout and special teams for the Hoyas.
Game Circled on the Calendar: Sept 13 vs. Lafayette. Last season, a dominating October 17-0 win over the Leopards established Georgetown as a team in the title race. Similar to last season, Georgetown has winnable games to start the year (Davidson, Wagner) before their tilt vs. Lafayette. If they can get a 3-0 start, they will again be in the title race.
Fearless Prediction: The good news is that Georgetown returns a lot of players with experience, including their QB from last season (QB Danny Lauter), their lead RB (RB Bryce Cox), their leading WR (WR Jimmy Kibble), and their entire offensive line. But the offense needs to improve from the 18 points per game they averaged last season if they hope to compete in an increasingly tough Patriot League.

Fordham

2024 At A Glance: Frankly, it was a season to forget in the Bronx as the Rams limped to a 2-10 record, not really recovering from an 0-5 out of league start. Still, the Rams battled, nearly upsetting both Lafayette and Holy Cross and winning two of their last four.
Biggest Departures: RB Julius Loughridge (1,044 yards rushing, 9 TDs) was a massive amount of Fordham’s offensive production last season, and his talent will be missed.
Name To Watch In 2025: There are going to be a lot of new names on this team, but fifth year LB James Conway‘s veteran presence will be the big constant in the middle of the defense. After seeing last season cut short in Week 4, his veteran leadership will be leaned on heavily.
Game Circled on the Calendar: Sept 6th see the Rams at home vs. the CAA title favorites Monmouth in the middle of a brutal stretch to start the season. An upset versus Monmouth or Stony Brook the following week would do wonders for this team and could point them in the right direction.
Fearless Prediction: Fordham looks like they are in the same situation Lehigh and Lafayette were a couple of years ago – the dreaded “R” word, rebuild. The good news is with Conway on defense and QB Jack Capaldi, the Rams have two very good veteran players around which to built. The question is how that talent will come together, because they’ll need to come together fast.

Colgate

2024 At A Glance: The first week of the season, Colgate appeared to be driving for the winning score against Maine, but couldn’t close the deal, falling 17-14 to the Black Bears. After that, despite a 41-24 win over their archrival Cornell, their rough 2-10 season meant a coaching change at the end of the season. New head coach Curt Fitzpatrick takes over in 2025.
Biggest Departures: LB Cole Kozlowski led the Raider defense in tackles (133) and tied for tackles for loss (8.0), but left via the portal to UCF.
Name To Watch In 2025: WR Treyvhon Saunders was one of the dominating possession receivers of the Patriot League last season (831 yards, 2 TDs) and he might be a big part of Fitzpatrick’s initial Raider offense.
Game Circled on the Calendar: It’s tempting to circle their home opener vs. Monmouth, but the more important league game September 20th vs. Fordham will be the league’s introduction to the new-look Colgate Raiders and will also show their fans what to expect in 2025 and beyond.
Fearless Prediction: At the FCS level, little is known about new coach Curt Fitzpatrick, but it seems pretty certain that sooner, rather than later, the Patriot League and wider FCS will take notice. A Division III national championship winner at SUNY Cortland, his high powered offenses and dominant teams meant the Red Dragons were in the championship hunt every season. With an early schedule of Monmouth, Villanova and Syracuse, it seems like early growing pains at Colgate are inevitable, but their development will be very, very interesting to watch.

Lafayette

2024 At A Glance: The preseason pick to repeat as Patriot League champions had a disappointing season by any measure, despite a miraculous 40-35 win over Monmouth that will be talked about for quite some time. Their 6-6 record was a bit deceiving, though, as two of their losses came in the final minute against Bucknell and Holy Cross.
Biggest Departures: It really hurts that young RB Jamar Curtis left via the transfer portal to be a part of the FCS rent-a-team out West with FBS dreams, Sacramento State. A multi-year 1,000 yard rusher, his emergence was a huge part of Lafayette’s 2023 championship-winning season, and he will be missed.
Name To Watch In 2025: DT Jaylon Joseph was a force in the middle of the defensive line last year with 7 tackles for loss and, for good measure, and interception returned for a touchdown vs. Marist. On a team which will be looking for its defensive identity, Joseph will be counted on to keep producing.
Game Circled on the Calendar: While Lafayette always circles their Rivalry game vs. Lehigh the final week of the regular season, the Leopards’ quirky schedule has the Leopards start the first three weeks on the road. The most important might be September 13th vs. Georgetown, a revenge game for the shock 17-0 upset last season that put Lafayette’s season in a spin. The Leopards absolutely need revenge in DC if they hope to return to the Patriot League title conversation.
Fearless Prediction: QB Dean DeNobile, WR Elijah Steward and the other upperclassmen will need to provide key leadership to bring a team with a fairly large incoming class to fill some key spots on offense and defense. That experience alone will be valuable in the second have of the season – the trick for the Leopards will be getting there, and how their defense will shake out before then.

Bucknell

2024 At A Glance: The Bison’s wild 6-6 season was a combination of the shock of a Patriot League title run after being picked last in the preseason, the tightrope of winning a slew of close games, including a double-overtime thriller against eventual title winner Lehigh, yet falling just short of the title, coming agonizingly close after losing a 40-38 heartbreaker to Holy Cross on November 18th. Bucknell only had two league losses by a grand total of 3 points – that’s how close we were to saying “Bucknell, Patriot League Champions”.
Biggest Departure: Quite a large contingent returns this fall for the Bison, but WR Eric Weatherly, Bucknell’s leading receiver last season, left via the transfer portal to Ball State.
Name To Watch In 2025: Folks around the country have started to notice what Patriot League fans have known for a couple years, that QB Ralph Rucker IV is the real deal (2.828 yards passing, 25 TDs, 7 INTs). The Patriot League preseason player of the year, the Lucas, Texas native will definitely cause defensive coordinators headaches around the league.
Game Circled on the Calendar: November 15th, Bucknell hosts Holy Cross at Christy Matthewson Stadium in Lewisburg, and there’s a decent chance that there will be title implications for that game – and revenge on the mind of the Bison. If Bucknell is to arrive, they will need to beat Holy Cross.
Fearless Prediction: Could this be the year that Bucknell ends their decades-long Patriot League title drought? With the preseason offensive player of the year, league games against Lehigh, Holy Cross and Richmond at home, and an experienced squad returning overall, it’s an intriguing prospect.

Holy Cross

2024 At A Glance: For the sixth straight season, the Crusaders can call themselves Patriot League Champions. For the second straight season, a heartbreaking loss to their co-champion (this year, a stunning 10-7 loss at home to Lehigh) caused Holy Cross to sit at home during the FCS Playoffs, agonizing at how close they were to returning to postseason play.
Biggest Departures: Last season, QB Joe Pesansky‘s time in the spotlight delivered Holy Cross another title, and his graduation both signifies the changing of the guard – Pesansky came in under former head coach Bob Chesney – meaning going forward, this will be second year head coach Dan Curran‘s team, completely.
Names To Watch In 2025: Who will be the Crusaders’ QB in 2025? Highly recruited QB Cal Swanson comes in from Illinois, but he and QB Braden Graham and he are locked in a battle for the season-opening start.
Game Circled on the Calendar: Holy Cross never likes to start easy, and hosting the defending CAA Champion Rhode Island Rams at home on September 13th certainly fits that bill. The matchup between two conference champions will seem like more than just a battle of northeastern FCS teams, though – it might be seen as a larger potential power shift.
Fearless Prediction: It doesn’t take much courage to pick Holy Cross to be in the title mix in 2025 – for the last six years, that’s just what they do. The question is whether a daunting offensive line, RB Jayden Clerveaux and the rest of the Holy Cross offense will gel into the amazing offense that Crusader fans have come to expect over the last six years. Given their recent history, it seems likely.

Richmond

2024 At A Glance: The Spiders’ time in the CAA concluded with an 10=2 record, a resounding win over their archrivals William & Mary (27-0) and an FCS Playoff appearance. But the sweet season was marred by their final game, bowing out of the playoffs after a 20-16 loss to Lehigh.
Biggest Departures: No Patriot League team was more affected by the transfer portal than Richmond, who saw their starting QB (Cam Coleman), RB (Zachary Palmer-Smith) and DB (Jabril Hayes) all transfer out of the program. While this will have an affect – how could it not – head coach Russ Huesman, more than any other Patriot League coach, knows a thing or two about getting in top transfer talent and recruiting. I don’t doubt the Spiders will be more than just fine.
Names To Watch In 2025: Two big names expected to step into big roles at Richmond are TE Sean Clarke, who scored a touchdown against Lehigh in the playoffs, and LB Carter Glassmeyer (87 tackles, 7 TFL). While it’s not totally clear who the starting QB will be, QB Kyle Wickersham, the 6’4, 260 lb QB out of Louisiana who started a few games last season, would seem to have the upper hand.
Game Circled on the Calendar: The Patriot League is a league of Rivalries and their Rivalry against William & Mary will still be paramount, but certainly erasing the memory of their playoff loss to Lehigh to open the season on August 30th has to be high on everyone’s minds.
Fearless Prediction: I hate season-opening conference games, but Richmond’s inaugural season in the Patriot League seems like it might be tied to the outcome of their first game against Lehigh. Win that game with a supremely talented rebuilt squad, and it’s easy to picture Richmond dominating their first season in the Patriot League with their massive talent and depth. Lose, and the Spiders may need to play catch-up all year. In any event, they should be in the title mix either way.

Lehigh

2024 At A Glance: Before the season, the Mountain Hawks were picked to finish sixth out of seven Patriot League teams. By the time their amazing historic season had concluded, they were co-champions of the Patriot League, and FCS Playoff winners against Richmond. No matter how you measure it, it was an incredible, quick turnaround.
Biggest Departures: Worryingly for the rest of the league, Lehigh is a very young team, but the leadership of last year’s team (OL George Padezanin, QB Dante Perri, and LB Mike DeNucci) all graduates.
Names To Watch In 2025: DL Matt Spatny broke out in 2024 with 11 1/2 sacks, leading the Patriot League, and he, along with DL T.J. Burke, highlight what may be the best defensive front of the Patriot League.
Game Circled on the Calendar: Lehigh’s countdown clock will always end on the last weekend of the regular season vs. their archrivals Lafayette, but the Mountain Hawks’ arrival could really be cemented by a league with vs. Richmond on August 30th. A season-opening win could really set things in motion for another title run.
Fearless Prediction: Head coach Kevin Cahill pulled off one of the best coaching jobs in FCS by turning around Lehigh from a two win team to a Championship team. But repeating in the Patriot League isn’t easy – all you need to do is ask Lafayette head coach John Troxell, who took a No. 1 preseason ranking last season and saw his team finish 6-6. If they can beat Richmond at home and get that early momentum, they might be hard to deny back-to-back championships.