Talking Hillsdale College football with head coach Nate Shreffler; 2025 season preview

HILLSDALE — Hillsdale College football – led by coach Nate Shreffler – enters 2025 off a strong close.

More: Hillsdale College Football 2025: Five critical matchups, key returners and schedule preview

The Chargers won five straight games to finish 6-1 over their final seven in 2024, finishing 6-5 overall. That surge still frames the program’s mindset before the start of the 2025 season.

“We had a rough start,” head coach Nate Shreffler said. “For me, the game that showed things were starting to gel was really the Findlay game. From a physicality standpoint, we got after them pretty good. It just took a little while to get into the win column, but we were definitely playing our best football there at the end of the season.”

That included a massive win over Tiffin, 20-17. The Dragons entered the game with the top offense and defense in the G-MAC (on paper), but the Charger defense held Tiffin to just 248 total yards. The game was won off a 4th-down touchdown pass from quarterback Colin McKernan to senior Connor Pratt.

“We remind them of that every day they walk into the weight room,” he added. “We lost three league games by a total of 11 points. If a handful of plays went the other way, it might have been a different outcome.”

More: Week 1 Top Performers: John Milks, James Johnson make big impacts for their teams

Offensive Outlook

Sophomore quarterback Colin McKernan returns after taking over midseason.

“He didn’t start the year, but he kept working,” Shreffler said. “By week four, we went with him the rest of the way… His leadership and command of the offense… it’s going to be a huge bonus for us.”

Playmaking targets include All-American Shea Ruddy at receiver, senior Connar Pratt and Andrew Konieczny at tight end.

“He’s going to line up at wide receiver, he’ll be a slot, he’ll be in the backfield,” Shreffler said of Ruddy. “He had a monster year last year on kick returns. We’ll try to get him the ball as much as we possibly can.”

Ruddy dominated headlines in the G-MAC and the country as one of the nation’s top kick returners. The former Ottawa Lake Whiteford state champion is one of the reasons the Chargers are ranked fourth in the G-MAC Coaches Poll heading into 2025.

Dynamic sophomore tight end Andrew Konieczny looks to be one of the key break out players in the G-MAC this season.

“He’s a big target with wide receiver skills,” Shreffler said. “He’s going to be a matchup problem.”

Up front, Hillsdale leans on experience.

“We have all fourth-and-fifth-year seniors up front,” Shreffler said. “That’s usually a good thing. I would expect a big year out of that group.”

The departure of 2024 All-American Nick Affholter will be tough to replace, but third-year starter Carter Cushman at right tackle —alongside fellow vets Billy Collins and Jesse Mendoza — will anchor the Charger rushing attack that lost tailback Logan VanEnkevort. Keep an eye out for Ethan Jozsa, who got injured after a couple of games last season, and Ryan Strasser — starting inside at left guard.

Enkevort was responsible for the 178 yards on the ground in the big win against Tiffin. This year, Kyle Riffel and Zach Tetler headline a committee with depth that includes newcomer Ben Ngishu from Texas.

“VanEnkevort was one of our captains, and was a guy that maybe didn’t look as physically imposing as he played,” Shreffler said. “He was a smaller guy in stature, but had a huge heart and was a tough guy. I’m confident that the room will be able to fill his shoes, though.”

Also keep an eye out for local tailback Stephen Petersen: a former Hornet and also club wrestler for Hillsdale College. Shreffler says Petersen and Connor Vermeulen from Caddilac both had standout preseasons.

“It’s a good group of guys, and they’re going to get their opportunities because we’re going to run the ball.”

Defensive Stability

The defense is built and anchored around Jacob Vance at linebacker. Vance had a team-high 57 tackles in 2024 and earned multiple G-MAC honors. The preseason All-American might just be the best defensive player in the conference.

“In my opinion, he’s the best defensive player in the league. He’s physical, and when he hits you, you’re going to feel it.”

All-GMAC defensive tackle Hunter Sperling and pass rusher Drake Badger each racked up double digit tackles for losses last year.

“Both of those guys will have monster years for us.”

A veteran secondary of Ryan Niksa, Gavin Chenevey, Jack Trachet and Jonah Jensen adds continuity to a group that was hit hard by graduation.

“Gavin and Ryan are two physical corners that typically you don’t see at this level.”

Special Teams Edge

Special teams remain a pillar, especially with Ruddy in the return game.

“The guys on that kick return team take a lot of pride in it,”Shreffle said. “The goal every time we return something is to score a touchdown.”

The kicking room was retooled with a pair of freshman, including a transfer from Northern Arizona.

“We brought in Jordan Westrich and Dylan DeDario — that room looks entirely different than a year ago,” Shreffler said.

Punter Ian Woodyard returns to handle punt duties.

“We spend a lot of time on the coverage teams and the return game. Last year, we (were second in) the country in kick return (yardage). That’s a pretty fun unit to watch.”

The GMAC Challenge

The league landscape hasn’t softened.

“Traditionally the top end has been Findlay, Tiffin, Ashland and us,” Shreffler said. “We’ve beaten each of those teams over the years, but not consistently. Getting into that upper echelon, where week in and week out you can beat those teams, that’s what we’re striving for.”

All three of those schools have produced a G-MAC champion in each of the last six seasons. Every one of those games last year were the toughest games the Chargers played last fall. Not only will all three teams be retooled with talent — the Chargers will face each of them on the road during a four game stretch of the season from Sept. 20 to Oct. 11.

Week 1: McKendree

Hillsdale opens Saturday, Sept. 6 on the road at McKendree. It will be just the second meeting between the two programs in their histories. McKendree will bring back most of their skill players offensively after a 5-6 record in 2024.

“They’re a solid team… most of their firepower is back on offense, and they’ve got some dudes on defense,” Shreffler said. “It’s about a seven-hour trip… but our guys are preparing for it.”

Coach Nate Shreffler heads into his second season at the helm of Charger football.

A Coach Settling Into the Big Chair

In his second year as head coach after succeeding Keith Otterbein, Shreffler is candid about the learning curve.

“Stepping across the hallway and filling Coach Otterbein’s shoes has been a welcome challenge,” Shreffler said. “I’m trying to make my staff’s jobs as easy as possible and balance everything. I’m figuring it out.”

The season is a challenge for every coach in the country — not just for them but their entire family. Coach Shreffler says that having the family atmosphere at Hillsdale College helps make the challenges of each season of football worth it.

“This time of year, my wife always says the other woman just showed up, so she calls football the other woman,” he said with a laugh. “But football’s a family event… It’s a family function for us. The community support’s been outstanding over the years, too. We love filling up the stadium as much as we can, and I’d encourage folks to come out on a Saturday afternoon. We’re pretty entertaining. I know that any Charger fan is going to be proud of our effort. Our guys work extremely hard at this. It means a lot to them, and theyre’ goign to lay i tall out there on the field.”

For more sports or story suggestions, follow reporter Joe Flaherty on X

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Talking Hillsdale College football with head coach Nate Shreffler

Source link