Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last three seasons, the Wheeling University Football team has been on the rise, finishing at .500 or better. As they enter the 2025 season, the Cardinals are looking to take that success to the next level as they look to compete for the 2025 MEC Championships. With a mixed bag of veterans and newcomers, Wheeling will be looking for players to step up across the field.
2024 was a tale of two seasons for the Cardinals as they battled through their MEC schedule. They began the year with non-conference matchups with NCAA DI opponent Mercyhurst and regional opponent Walsh, splitting the two contests. After opening their MEC schedule with a 52-14 win over West Virginia Wesleyan, the Cardinals hit a three-game slide that had them sitting at 1-3 entering week six of the season. It would be a final second victory against West Virginia State that turned the tide and the Cardinals went on a run. Over their last six games, Wheeling would go 5-1 during that span and propelled themselves up the ladder. They entered the final week of the season sitting at .500 and needed a final win to get over the mark. They took down the Hilltoppers 40-16 to finish 6-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
Returning to lead the offense is redshirt junior Landon Lutz, who helped lead the Cardinals to the 5-1 stretch. He would set the program's single-season record with 19 touchdowns, while throwing for 1332 yards on 175 passing attempts. During each of the last two seasons, Lutz has had to take over in the second half and is looking to use that experience to his advantage. He appeared in 17 total games over the last two seasons and will get his first opportunity as QB 1 this season. Behind him in the offensive backfield will be a pair of veteran running backs in Steven Mitchell and Dawaun Green. The pair were a 1-2 punch for the Cardinals during the 2024 season, combining to run for 1,534 yards and 13 touchdowns. The pair played well off each other last season and will look to add some balance to the Cardinal offense.
Paving the way for the running backs will be a veteran offensive line that returns five players who all saw significant playing time in 2024. Anchoring the line will be center Angel Figueroa, who will be joined by Second Team All-MEC offensive lineman Alex Goodrick. The line opened the whole for the fifth most rushing yards (1761) in the conference, while tying for the fourth fewest sacks allowed (78). The newest unit on the offensive side of the ball is the wide receiver group, with a slew of transfers and freshmen looking to take their spots. The most veteran of the returners is Colin Oberdick, who set a new career-high with 23 catches for 223 yards. The Cardinals will also bring in a few transfers, including Hilton McClain, who transferred from Geneva College over the last four seasons.
On the defensive end, the Cardinals will once again be led by a strong defensive front with a veteran defensive line. Leading the group will be Marcell Chapman, who is coming off a career season that saw him finish with 39.0 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks. He is joined on the outside by Awwal Osinuga, who led the Cardinals with 3.0 sacks on the season, setting a new career high. The middle linebacking corps will take on a new look after the graduation of Jojo Holmes and Jack Parry. Carter Blake steps into the middle linebacker group after spending time as an outside linebacker this season. He finished with 24.0 total tackles during his first season with the Cardinals and looks to continue his success on the field.
The most veteran group for the defense comes in the defensive secondary, led by graduate student Keenan Johnson. Johnson has played a variety of positions for the Cardinals throughout his career, including nickle and bandit safety, and will once again fill that role this season. Johnson finished with 39.0 tackles a season ago and looks to continue to grow as a part of both the linebacking corps and the defensive backs. Leonard Sherrod III returns after a strong season defending the pass where he finished with four pass break-ups and two interceptions. He will be joined by Jalen Wheeler as the two look to be shutdown corners for the Cardinals.
Rounding out the 2025 Cardinals is the special teams unit, led by returning long snapper Alex Tappen. Tappen took the reigns from former Cardinal Shane Tomlin, and was efficient throughout the season. The Cardinal kicking duties will fall on Connor Fitzpatrick, who will be taking field goal duties for the first time in his career. Fitzpatrick handled the kicking duties for the Cardinal's JV team last season and handled some kick-off duties for the varsity team.
The Wheeling University Football team kicks off the 2025 season on Thursday, August 28th, when they travel to Clarion with kick-off at 6 PM.
