The 2026 University of Mount Union football roster is more than just another listing of players who are vying to win the program's 37th Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championship and its 14th NCAA Division III national championship.

Those statements are just as prevalent on the UMU campus as the color purple. It's been that way for more than 30 years.

But another adjective can be used to describe the roster that will open the season on September 5th in Illinois against Wheaton College.

The 2026 roster also is a study in testament.

QUESTION: Is there any other Division III program on the planet that can survive a similar massive exodus of super-talented players—players who were an integral part of a 50-4 record over the previous four seasons, including two Stagg Bowl appearances, and helped extend the program's regular-season winning streak to 84 games—and still be regarded as one of the best teams in the nation?

Arguably, yes. Probably, no. It is an ambiguous topic but fun to debate.

What is not debatable is that UMU lost 32 lettermen—including 15 starters—from the team that clinched the program's NCAA Division III record 36th playoff appearance in 2025 and extended the program's OAC record to a remarkable 345-9-3 since 1985—the year the Raiders won their first OAC title. Mount's last conference loss came on November 12, 2016. Or when many of today's players were 10 years old.

Coach Geoff Dartt, whose six-year record is 67-5 overall and 48-0 in the OAC, never fails to mention Mount's ongoing stamina. He has been associated with the program for nearly 25 years, both as a player (as part of three national championship teams) and serving as an assistant coach for seven seasons—winning the 2015 national championship as the offensive coordinator—before taking over for Vince Kehres for the covid-ridden 2020 season. Talk about bleeding purple.

"Yes, I think it is a testament to our program," he said of the program's ongoing success. "We have been able to find a great number of talented kids who want to attend Mount Union."

Dartt has added an important cog to the coaching staff for 2026.

Chris Kappas '08, the 2015 National Coordinator of the Year, has returned as defensive coordinator after three successful seasons as head coach at Louisville High School, and Kevin Burke '15, the first player to win back-to-back Gagliardi Trophies as the top player in Division III when he played QB for the Raiders, returns as offensive coordinator after four seasons as an assistant at UC-Davis.

The 2026 season marks the 129th year for a program that has won 873 games, lost 395, and tied 37, with the ultimate—and perpetual—goal of winning a national championship.

Mount has a mix of some very talented and experienced players backed by a huge contingent of talented and younger players looking to establish themselves.

As they say, the cupboard is not bare. Certainly not with over 160 players in the program.

It seems that this Purple Raiders team will be one of the youngest in recent memory.

"We were actually talking about that the other day," said Dartt. "If I had to compare it to a roster, maybe 2013, just in terms of younger guys stepping up into bigger roles. We had a great spring. We saw a lot of young guys—sophomores to-be and juniors to-be—who haven't had the opportunities thus far, but they are thriving, and that's good."

On the other hand, replacing such a successful group is not easy.

"I mean, how do you replace a Kaleb Brown, somebody like that, for instance?" Dartt asked rhetorically. "We've always had the 'next man up' mentality, so maybe it's not one, but maybe a few people depending on our personnel and how we use it—and we've always been creative in how we use our personnel on offense, defense, and special teams—that we can still be high with our standards and expectations."

High expectations start with quarterback Mikey Maloney. The 6-foot, 196-pound sophomore from Concord Township and Riverside High School completed 197 of 278 passes for 2,769 yards and 31 touchdowns against three interceptions, to go along with 452 yards and 11 scores on the ground. Impressive numbers for a freshman. He has earned pre-season, second-team All-American status from D3football.com and has been included on multiple Gagliardi Trophy watch lists.

Maloney (2025 All-OAC First Team and the reigning OAC Back of the Year) joins starting senior tackles Fred Fevrier (Lehigh Acres, Fla.) and Mitch Coffee (Salem) as the returning All-OAC players.

Also returning on the offensive line with experience includes starting center Patrick Lavelle (Cleveland), along with junior Isaiah Walter (Concord Township) and sophomores Parker Jenks (Hudson) and Tyler Brown (Toledo).

Junior Kayden Minner (New Madrid, Mo.) rushed for 580 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games last season. Sophomore Lucas Weaver (Barberton) and freshman Bo Bokman (Lakeville, Minn.) will also look to make an impact in the backfield.

Wide receivers with experience include senior Omari Allen (Miami, Fla.), juniors Mikey Reilly (Holbrook, N.Y.), Mason Ashby (North Canton Hoover), Eli Craig (Livonia, Mich.), Preston Smith (South Lebanon), and sophomore DeAndre Caldwell (St. John's, Fla.).

Experienced tight ends returning are juniors Grant Anderson (Naples, Fla.) and Brandon Bell (Chagrin Falls).
 
The defensive line is another spot that has depth. That group is headlined by returning starters defensive tackles senior Jackson Harris (Medford, N.J.) (a starter in 2024) and junior Gabe Gannelli (Allen Park, Pa.). Also adding experience on the defensive line are senior Jeremiah Tillman (Ray City, Ga.), juniors Jahaad Williams (Montclair, N.J.), Keymaurie Henderson (Trotwood-Madison), and Zavion Roberts (Palm Harbor, Fla.), and sophomores Yahir Dominquez (Galloway Central Crossing), Edmund Wisseh (Upper Darby, Pa.), Josh Bowen (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), and Noah Robinson (Tallmadge).  

The secondary is led by returning starters senior safety Davis Nye (Wadsworth) and junior cornerback Zack Liebler (Massillon). Other experienced returners include seniors Connor Adelman (Louisville), Mitchell Kelly (Buffalo, N.Y.), juniors Ricky Levak (Nordonia), Cale Snyder (Grove City), and Evan Liette (Tipp City), and sophomores Rickie Williams (Montgomery, Ala.) and Jaeson Anderson (Akron).

Highly regarded sophomore Gavin Ehrhardt (Avon) is expected to lead the linebacking corps of graduate student Colson Conrad (Bryon Center, Mich.), senior Corey Gibson (Akron), juniors Jerry Merchant (Columbus), Cael Liette (Tipp City), and Dagan Meyers, from Dartt's hometown (and alma mater) of Port Clinton, as well as sophomores Amir Thomas (Sharon Hill, Pa.) and Dallas Richardson (Ocala, Fla.).

Sophomore Connell Rafferty (Macedonia/Nordonia) will be asked to handle both the punting and place-kicking duties. Senior veteran long snapper Jared Pasco (Wadsworth) adds experience to the special teams unit.

The Raiders are ranked third by D3football.com and second by Lindy's Sports Magazine. None of that matters to anyone within the program. The only thing that matters is what takes place on the field.

The Raiders will face a challenging non-conference schedule. They open at fifth-ranked Wheaton on September 5 and play host to Grove City, who is receiving national votes, for their home opener the following week.