The Wheaton Thunder football program will open the 2017 season ranked in the top-10 in every NCAA Division III preseason poll. In 2016, the Thunder posted an 11-2 record and won a pair of games in the NCAA Division III Playoffs to advance to the Quarterfinals for the third time in program history. Wheaton topped Huntingdon College 45-10 in the playoffs' first round and gained a 31-14 win at conference rival North Central in the second round. The Thunder bowed out of the playoffs in a hard-fought loss at Mary Hardin-Baylor, the 2016 NCAA Division III Champions, in the Quarterfinals.

"This is the largest group of seniors we have ever brought into a preseason camp," notes head coach Mike Swider. "We have 35 coming back. When you add the juniors into the mix we have 70 juniors and seniors returning." He continues, "I have said all along that you win with juniors and seniors. When the majority of the players on the field are juniors and seniors - the better you will be. They are more invested, it is more important to them and their passion for the program is greater. It is not that freshmen and sophomores are not valuable; it is just that there is no substitute for time and experience. When you have gone through it three or four times, you are different."

Swider mentions, "In the past three years we have had three 11-win seasons. These juniors and seniors know what it takes to win games because they have done it throughout their career. They have been a part of a winning program and they know what it takes to get it done. There is maturity and leadership on this team and the exponential effect of this is tremendous."

"Not only is the number of juniors and seniors large, but they are good players that have played. There are 19-20 players that have started football games for us on that list." Swider adds, "The biggest challenge for this group will be to remain humble and hungry. Just because you have been successful in the past and you know how it is done; that does not mean it will naturally happen. Our big message to this football team is that you have to make it happen again. What you did last year is great, but this year still has yet to be played." He concludes, "We will have a bullseye on our chest and these players have got to know that last year does nothing for us. They have an opportunity to be good again, but the reality is you have to lineup and play. The worst thing you can do is be complacent. Football is results oriented. Our experience, our talent, our coaches are all good, but without production it is irrelevant. We must produce."

Jesse Scott returns for his second season as the Thunder offensive coordinator. J.J. Clark assumes the defensive coordinator role for the Thunder for the upcoming season. "We are very excited about J.J. Clark as our defensive coordinator. He is tremendously innovative and is so prepared. He pays attention to detail as well as anyone I have been around," notes the Thunder head coach.

Swider mentions of additions to the Thunder coaching staff. "We have a couple of new additions to our staff and that is exciting. To have Andy Studebaker come back is great." Studebaker, an All-American defensive lineman for the Thunder, played at Wheaton from 2004-07. A sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2008 NFL Draft, Studebaker played eight seasons in the NFL – primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts." Swider notes, "Anytime someone that has played in the NFL for eight years and returns because he wants to give back to the program that is a shot in the arm. It is huge for our players to see that a former NFL player that played here wants to come back and give back." Swider adds, "We add Mark Jackson to staff. Mark spent 16 years as a defensive coordinator at Wheaton-Warrenville South, winning three State Championships in that time. His son Brett played at Wheaton and he understands what we do. He loves Wheaton and is going to come in and bring some experience to the staff." Swider concludes, "James Houck, a former player for us has come back and joins our staff this year. Cody Thornburg and Matt Snebold are former players that will join us as graduate assistants this year."

The Thunder defense returns a considerable amount of talent from the unit that led all of Division III with 52 total sacks in 2016.

Swider notes of Wheaton's defensive front, "We have a wealth of talent on the defensive line. We are very deep." He adds, "An already talented group has been bolstered by Dallas McRae. He can play." McRae is a transfer to Wheaton from Southern Utah University who showed Swider and the Thunder staff considerable talent in spring practice.

Senior Chase Greenlee led the Thunder with 14 sacks in 2016, a mark that ranked 17^th in Division III. Greenlee earned First Team All-North Region accolades from D3football.com and picked up honorable mention All-American recognition from the website as he registered 61 total tackles, including 19 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hurries last year.

Versatile sophomore Patrick O'Connell registered 12 tackles for loss (-57 yards) last year, including seven quarterback sacks (-43 yards). O'Connell garnered Second Team All-CCIW and All-North Region recognition in 2016 for his outstanding debut campaign with the Thunder.

Noah Spielman is another returning starter on the defensive line with considerable experience. Last fall, Spielman battled through injuries to register 41 total tackles, including 8-1/2 tackles for lost yardage (-19 yards). Senior Austin Hoover contributed six sacks (-38 yards) in his 25 total tackles last season.

Junior Jack Bates made several big plays in the NCAA Quarterfinal game at Mary Hardin-Baylor, registering six total tackles with 1-1/2 tackles for lost yardage against the Cru. Whit Wiggins, Dmarte Arafiles and Theo Selvaggio all return with considerable experience on the defensive line in their Thunder careers.

Caleb Ashby, an All-American and CCIW Defensive Player of the Year at linebacker in 2016, is now graduated. However, the linebacking corps still features a considerable amount of returning talent. Swider mentions, "At linebacker, we lose Ashby but we still have a lot returning."

Senior Luke Sahly returns after earning All-CCIW recognition with a consistent effort at linebacker in 2016. Sahly registered 82 tackles last year. His 16.5 tackles for loss (-80 yards) ranked second on the team and his 10 sacks (-67 yards) also was second on the squad. Junior Eric Stevenson led the Thunder defense with 100 total tackles, including 8-1/2 tackles for loss (-27 yards) in 2016. Stevenson registered four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.

Jacob Killeen and Daniel Herber will compete for playing time at the spot vacated by Ashby. Herber moves from safety to linebacker for the upcoming season. Both Herber and Killeen have considerable athleticism for the role.

Junior Logan Miller also moves from safety to linebacker, where he impressed the Thunder staff in spring practice. Sam Scheidt will be in the mix at linebacker as he returns to the field after an ACL injury in 2016.

The Wheaton secondary returns a tremendous amount of experienced players that have made big plays for the squad over the past few years.

Senior Tyler Sigler had an outstanding 2016 season, moving from safety to cornerback midway through the year. Swider notes, "Sigler at corner is outstanding. He is arguably one of the best cornerbacks in the country. It is a real luxury to have a guy who can cover the way he can." Sigler earned All-Conference recognition from the CCIW and All-Region accolades from D3football.com for his outstanding junior season. He recorded 46 total tackles with 11 passes broken up.

Marcus Smith is a returning starter at cornerback after earning All-CCIW and All-North Region recognition in 2016. Smith led the Thunder with 13 pass deflections in 2016 and contributed 58 total tackles, including 40 solo stops.

Kyle Fox and Nick Blazek are returning starters at safety. Fox, a senior with tremendous range, registered 44 total tackles last year with six pass deflections. Blazek tallied 38 total tackles in 2016 and recorded one interception.

Safety Corey Kennedy joins the Thunder after transferring to Wheaton from Northern Illinois. Kennedy played in 10 games as a freshman for the Huskies in 2016 and joined the Thunder roster in the second semester of the 2016-17 school year. Swider says of the newcomer, "The addition of Corey Kennedy to our secondary will have an immediate impact, both on special teams and at safety." Juniors Andrew Brady and Luke Smith saw playing time as sophomores in 2016 and will provide the Thunder secondary with considerable depth.

The Wheaton offense returns several experienced players, including four returning All-CCIW performers from the 2016 squad.

"Our offensive line is a deep position with guys that can play. There is tremendous talent, combined with size in that group," notes Swider. Ben Pettway, Kyler Kregel, Jon Callaway, Sam Ahlbrand, Braedon Parker, Drew Smith and Andrew Jones are returnees that have experienced time as a starter. Kregel earned All-CCIW recognition at center in 2016 and gained All-American accolades from D3football.com. Several juniors and sophomores should compete for playing time on the offensive line.

Sola Olateju and Stone Watson come back for the Thunder at running back. "At running back we return Sola, he is a proven commodity. People think he just runs fast, but he can run you over too. Sola is an impact guy," notes Swider. He adds, "Stone Watson is as smooth an athlete that you can put in the backfield. We are not only going to use him at tailback, but also as a slot tailback."

Olateju earned First Team All-CCIW recognition last year and was a Third Team All-North Region pick by D3football.com. He ran for 957 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, with nine touchdowns last season. Olateju had an outstanding effort in Wheaton's NCAA Playoff win at North Central as he ran for 160 yards with two touchdowns against the Cardinals. Watson carried the ball 71 times for 461 yards in 2016, as he averaged 6.5 yards per carry.

"Quarterback is going to be an open competition when we begin camp. We have to find a quarterback," states Swider. "We have four guys that can play. They are good football players and all bring different skill sets. We are not bankrupt at that position; we just have to find out who will be the guy." The four returnees vying for the job under center are Jesse Furrow, Curtis McWilliams, David Beamer and Spencer Peterson.

Swider mentions, "We return our three top producers at wide receiver from last year. Trey Hanley, Chase White and Phillip Nichols can flat out play; and Carter Roberts had a great spring." Hanley led the Thunder with 836 receiving yards in 2016 as he earned All-CCIW recognition. He averaged 17.4 yards per catch and reached the end zone nine times.

White tied Hanley for the team lead in receptions with 48. He totaled 598 receiving yards, with nine touchdown catches on the year. Nichols had an outstanding freshman season as he caught 29 passes for 504 yards to average 17.4 yards per catch. In addition to Roberts, three or four additional Thunder receivers may compete for playing time.

"Zach Lindquist returns as a fifth-year tight end. We know how good he is, but [Tyler] Pace and [Luke] Van Dyke will be pushing for playing time. Additionally, we will use Noah Frazier in specific sets because of his skills," mentions Swider. Lindquist picked up First Team All-America recognition from D3football.com in 2016. He caught 42 passes for 422 yards, with six touchdown receptions last fall. Pace averaged 9.8 yards per catch on his nine receptions last year, with two touchdowns. Van Dyke averaged 12.0 yards per catch with two touchdowns to his credit in 2016.

"Daniel Gray comes back as our kicker after being injured most of last year. Stefan Knoerr did a great job last year and he comes back, as does Griffin Bowes." Knoerr made eight of his nine field goal attempts last year. Gray has seven career field goals, including six in 2015 when he was the starter throughout the season.

"Zach Feddeler is back as our punter and John Vargyas, our long snapper last year also returns," notes Swider. Feddeler averaged 33.8 yards per punt on 54 attempts in 2016, as 17 of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line.

Nichols and Sigler both returned punts for Wheaton last year. Nichols and Watson returned the majority of the kickoffs on 2016 as all three players return for 2017. Nichols averaged 10.5 yards per punt return on 35 attempts, including one touchdown return last year. He averaged 19.6 yards per pickoff return. Kennedy also could see time as a returner in the upcoming season.