Preview: Football returns to action for 2026 season

Princeton football will begin its season on Saturday, Sept. 19, after a long offseason and several weeks of training. They face the Bryant Bulldogs (2–1 overall, 1–0 Coastal Athletic Association) in their first matchup away in Rhode Island. Ahead of that game, we preview the team overall and who to look out for on either side of the ball.

The team is overwhelmingly dominated by returning starters who are mostly gearing up for their senior season, making starting spots less contentious this year, barring any injuries or training camp mishaps. As always, there will be opportunities for underclassmen to impress and work their way into the team as the season progresses and more snaps become available.

Offensive prowess

The quarterback position is always one of intrigue at Princeton. If head coach Bob Surace ’90 stays consistent, he will pick senior West Smith to lead the team. Given there are no other upperclassmen quarterbacks on the roster, West seems to be the obvious choice. 

Former four-star Utah Utes quarterback and first-year Wyatt Becker, who garnered a lot of intrigue after transferring to Princeton without ever seeing the field in Utah, remains a potential surprise pick, however. He announced his commitment to Princeton back in July via X and, talent-wise, is one of the most exciting players on the roster. Despite this talent, Surace has never named a first-year as a starting quarterback and has not named an underclassman to the role since 2012.

At running back, senior Ethan Clark is widely expected to reprise the No. 1 role after two prior seasons of regular game time and a Second Team All-Ivy selection in 2025. Behind him, junior Kai Honda should also be taking some snaps after a season which included a 100 all-purpose yard game.

Princeton’s receiving corps has a lot of depth and expects to see several different players as the season progresses. No one could catch sophomore Josh Robinson last year, however, as he won Ivy Rookie of the Year honors and Honorable Mention All-Ivy recognition with 569 yards and two touchdowns. Behind Robinson, look out in particular for seniors Roman Laurio and Aidan Besselman who saw action in every game last year as well as dual-sport athlete Jackson Green.

The Tigers’ receiving-block dual threats at tight end will be led by senior captain Joey Wassler. Senior Jack Comeau and junior Asher Weiner — who is officially listed as a tight end now as opposed to quarterback — should also feature regularly.

In the trenches on the offensive line, Princeton should have a very strong starting lineup. Three players return from formal starting roles last year: senior captain Oyintare Porbeni at right tackle, senior Justin Selbert at right guard and senior Barrett Eddlemon at left guard. Filling out the rest of the o-line will be senior center Phil Eichelzer who was in close competition for the starting role against Scott Becker ’26 last year before his injury, and junior Andrew Pedersen at left tackle, who was backup to starter Cooper Koers ’26 but appeared in eight games last year.

The biggest question for Princeton on the offense remains — as ever — the quarterback. Beyond that, every single expected starter this year either started or played in at least half of the Tigers’ games last year with significant snaps. This bodes extremely well for the rest of the offense and places even larger weight on Surace’s quarterback choice.

Defensive Stand

Princeton’s defense has been historically strong. With a change in defensive coordinator this year after Mike Weick was promoted to the role alongside E. J. Henderson, the Orange and Black will be hoping to replicate the success of years past.

Depending on the scheme that Weick decides to adopt — and even whether he has much control over it — will change the outlook for the defense. On the defensive line, however, Princeton has the chance to bring all of their starters back as senior defensive tackles London Robinson and Rocco Marcelino play on the inside of outside linemen seniors Caden Wright and Robert Sanders. Look out for sophomore Nate Stohl, who appeared in nine games and had a standout first year on the d-line.

At inside linebacker, the story is similar, with senior Chase Christopher, junior Connor Cronin, and junior Stephen Ordille all returning from last year. Christopher led the charge with 79 tackles and Second Team All-Ivy honors whilst Cronin and Ordille had 17 and 29 tackles respectively. Junior AJ Pigford is also gearing up for another impressive season after he ended his sophomore campaign with 25 tackles, two sacks, and an interception.

In the secondary, expect to see a lot of rotation amongst the players and plenty of snaps to go around. Several key starters will return, however, with senior captains Torian Roberts and Evan Haynie the centerpiece of the defense. Last season, the two won Second Team and Honorable Mention All-Ivy awards. In addition to the captains, seniors Kavon Miller and Kyler Ronquillo appeared in every game last season whilst senior Glenie Cross III was a starter before an injury ended his season early. 

Special Teams

Perhaps the most solidified positions of them all come from special teams where we will see senior punter Brady Clark who was a unanimous First Team All-Ivy selection last year start again after being named to the FCS Preseason Punter of the Year Watchlist. At kicker, senior Esteban Nunez Perez should retain his spot kicking field goals after going 9-for-11 last year. Junior Will Cluskey should remain as kickoff specialist.

The Tigers’ experience across the board will be their biggest asset this season as they look to improve vastly upon their 3–7 record in 2025. There is every opportunity for a lot of success and even a chance at the FCS Playoffs this year if Princeton plays up to their potential, but with lingering questions over quarterback and coaching decisions, that remains a very big “if.” 

Alex Beverton-Smith is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’

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