When you are building something -- be it a backyard shed, a house, a skyscraper or a football team -- it's a must to have a solid foundation.

The University of Mount Union football team, which begins its 127^th season with the usual high expectations on September 7 at Ferrum College (Ferrum, Va.), seldom – if ever -- must build, at least in the football sense.

At Mount Union, wholesale changes and extensive rebuilds are for everyone else as the Purple Raiders seek to win its 35^th Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship and its 14^th NCAA national championship.

Gone are such skilled offensive talents as wide receivers, record-setting Wayne Ruby and Rayshaun Williams, record-setting quarterback Braxton Plunk, running back DeAndre Parker, tight end Chase Lawson and place-kicker Deaglan Camron. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Mason McMillen, tackle Duke Hill, cornerback Josh Jones and spur Ian Sexton are now alumni.

However, leading the returners are All-Americans Rossy Moore and Ben Lilly - two of 17 returning impact players. Both are two highly-skilled players that have helped secure a 38-3 record over the last three seasons.

"To be a good football team you have to be good along the offensive and defensive lines," fifth-year head coach Geoff Dartt said. "Both Ben and Rossy have been starters for multiple years. Both have grown in leadership roles. Both are having a good camp."

Additionally, both are coming off All-American and All-OAC seasons and have been named pre-season All-Americans by D3football.com.

They are the foundations every organization would love to have.

Lilly, a senior offensive tackle from Wadsworth, and Moore, a 'bandit' (a hybrid defensive end/linebacker) from Lima, are two of 13 returning players who started in the 2023 NCAA Second Round game.

Lilly, 6-4, 295, will start at right tackle after helping Mount Union's offense produce 6,113 yards and score more than 48 points a game. A three-year starter, Lilly was the OAC offensive Lineman of the Year at left tackle.

Moore, 6-2, 225, was Mount Union's second-leading tackler behind All-American McMillen but led the team in tackles for loss (23) and sacks (11.5). He was the OAC Defensive Lineman of the Year and helped the Raiders hold opponents to 8.25 points a game.

Both players understand that all those stats are just numbers from a bygone year, meaningless heading into a new season.

"I really don't pay too much mind to the pre-season, which is something I learned from Mason (McMillen)," Moore said regarding the pre-season accolades. "He told me that pre-season is just a bunch of hoo-rah stuff. You have to go out and show them again. I'm excited to go out and do it again. It was an honor and I really appreciated being an All-American last year. You have to take a step back and realize you had a good season. But, pre-season stuff I don't pay too much mind to."

Lilly, who weighed 340 pounds coming out of high school and lost as much as 75 pounds before stabilizing at 295, called his All-American honors "something really awesome and special" and rightfully so. He has played in 38 games and has made himself a significant cog in the Raider machine. He is one of five returning starters at that position, perhaps the deepest position in the program.

"I wasn't anything super crazy coming out of high school," he said. "The biggest honor I ever got was honorable mention all-conference my senior year. I walked into Mount Union very heavy and lost a lot of weight. So, being an All-American is something I am very proud of."

But that means little as far as 2024 is concerned.

"I feel great about the season but it is one of those situations where you can't look too far ahead," he said. "You have to take everything game by game, week by week. You have to take each opponent and give them the same amount of respect, take each person and give them the same amount of respect regardless of who they are and what records they have. You have to go week by week, game by game. It's not about looking for the national championship. It's about looking to go 1-and-0, 1-and-0 every single week."

While acknowledging the loss of personnel, Moore feels the Raiders are on the right track.

"We had so many talented guys graduate and move on all in the same year that we will have to create a new identity, and I think we are doing that," said Moore after an early practice. "We are finding the right guys to lead us in the right direction and carry us into the fall and be ready to go."

Moore is so highly thought of he was voted as one of three team captains, along with inside linebacker Marcus Jackson and running back Tyler Echeverry, both seniors.

As always, expectations are high at Mount Union. The Raiders are nationally-ranked second by Lindy's Sports Magazine and fifth by D3football.com.

"We know we have the pressure of the entire campus on us every week," said Moore. "We don't shy away from it. We take it on the chin. We know what we have to do. Pressure is a privilege."