The 2023 season for the Thunder Football team will mark the third full season for head coach Jesse Scott. Wheaton enters the upcoming season off a 2022 campaign that saw the program earn its second-consecutive NCAA Division III Playoff appearance under Scott as he led Wheaton into the postseason in each of his first two seasons at the helm. The Thunder finished the season 8-3 with losses to the No. 1 (North Central), No. 5 (Bethel) and No. 6 (Trinity) ranked teams in the final D3football.com Top-25 poll of 2022. Wheaton was ranked 17^th in the same poll, marking the 15th time in the 19-year history of the D3football.com Top-25 poll that the Thunder finished a full season in the ranking.

"We were in a lot of close games last season and our losses were to teams that finished in the top-six in the National rankings at the end of the season. We were close, but I think a huge thing for the 2023 team is acknowledging that close doesn't get you anything and that we needed to hit reset in some areas if we are going to accomplish what we want to accomplish," notes Scott. The theme for our team is to be 'Humble and Hungry' throughout the course of this year. We have talked a lot about trying to get one percent better every single day – and to have the discipline to just push daily in the offseason to achieve that." He concludes, "Part of the hard work in our reset was being honest in our evaluation as a team of who we were a year ago and looking at what our strengths were, but more importantly addressing areas of opportunity in our approach."

"Where we are programmatically is that 8-3 isn't good enough," mentions Scott. He adds, "It doesn't matter if we are losing to top-10 ranked teams in the nation or an unranked team – it doesn't matter. We want to take that step from being a really good program to being the best, and in order for that to happen, we have to beat the best. Last year there was a lot of learning and growth from playing teams that were among the best and we will lean into that in this upcoming season."

"It has been a long offseason, I mean that in an exciting way. Our guys have poured in a lot of work to prepare for the upcoming season." Scott adds, "We met as a program two weeks after the season ended last year to turn our sights to the 2023 season. In that meeting, we talked about what it was going to take to accomplish our goals."

Offensive coordinator Andrew Bowers says of the Thunder offense in 2023, "We are excited about this group. Returning is a core group of upperclassmen who understand the tremendous effort required to accomplish our goals this season. We will lean on their leadership as we seek to remain humble and hungry."

Scott says of the strength on offense heading into the upcoming campaign, "Offensively, we have a couple of talented guys in our box that are known entities at our level. We have some very talented running backs, one of whom is a household name and others that have the ability to break onto the scene this year."

He adds of Wheaton's quarterback battle in camp, "We will have a new quarterback this fall. We have guys that have ability in the QB room that we are very excited about. Evaluating what that group is doing well and who the best is in that group and what his strengths are is going to be huge for us this fall. We need to put him in positions to be successful in the hardest position in sports."

The offensive line will be headlined by three returning starters in Trevor Gabriele (PICTURED RIGHT), Paul Fay and Elijah Nitz.

Gabriele earned three All-America awards at guard in 2022. He was a First Team All-America selection from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), picked up a Second Team nod to the Associated Press All-America Team, and a Fourth Team selection to the D3football.com All-America Team. He is a Second Team 2023 D3football.com Preseason All-America selection.

Scott says of Gabriele, "Trevor is an incredibly gifted player and plays at a high level. He will be a team captain for us this season. He was practically unanimous as our "Most Respected Player" last year. He embodies what it means to be a Wheaton football player and such a huge part of it is how he goes about his work on the field." Scott concludes, "I expect Trevor to be stronger and even more stout at the point of attack, and he will potentially take some reps at center this fall."

Fay (PICTURED LEFT) earned Third Team All-Region honors at guard from D3football.com at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign. "Paul has been a staple of our offensive line for a couple of years now. He is a talented player who has been really motivated this offseason. He is a huge piece of why we are successful up front," mentions the Thunder head coach.

"Elijah Nitz (PICTURED RIGHT) returns for his second year as a starting tackle. He is really athletic." Scott continues, "If you look at where Elijah was playing at the home stretch of the 2022 season, it is entirely different than the way he was playing at the beginning of it, making a ton of progress a year ago. He was banged up a year ago, but is now healthy and ready to go."

"Nick Beard is a rising fourth-year senior who is in the mix to be a starter for us. Additionally, a couple of third-year players will be rounding out the mix in the offensive line competition," notes Scott of his O-line.

Giovanni Weeks is a two-time returning All-American poised for a record-setting season. Last year, Weeks broke his own Wheaton single-season record for touchdowns with 24. He carried the ball 191 times for 1,245 yards in 2022, as he averaged 6.5 yards per carry and 18 rushing touchdowns. Weeks recorded 29 receptions for 340 yards as he averaged 11.7 yards per catch, with six touchdown receptions. 

"With a good year this year, Giovanni Weeks (PICTURED LEFT) will likely finish his career as Wheaton's all-time leading rusher," notes Coach Scott. Weeks has 2,710 career rushing yards on 370 carries and enters the 2023 season just 484 yards short of Sola Olateju's (2014-2017) career rushing yards record (3,194). The fifth-year senior has 38 career rushing touchdowns and 45 career touchdowns in his Thunder tenure. He will open the year against UW-Oshkosh just seven rushing touchdowns shy of tying Chuck Schoenherr's (1946-49) 74-year-old school record for career rushing touchdowns. Weeks is just one touchdown away from tying receiver Mark Loeffler's (1993-96) school record for total touchdowns in a career that has stood for 27 years.

Scott says of another Thunder running back, "Cristian Carstens is a fifth-year senior that we think a lot of. With the limited opportunity that he had a year ago, he was impressive and has worked diligently through the course of our offseason. I know he is really motivated for the 2023 season and will be on the field a lot, playing in quite a few places for us." Carstens registered 44 carries in seven games last season and ran for 287 yards with an impressive 6.5 yards per carry average, and three touchdown runs.

Ben Juska had a breakout campaign as a sophomore in 2022, earning All-America accolades at tight end from the Associated Press. Juska caught 24 passes for 331 yards, averaging 13.8 yards per catch. He reached the end zone five times and provided considerable blocking at tight end. "Ben Juska had a successful season a year ago. If you look at the confidence and urgency he played with in the latter part of the 2022 season compared to the start of that season, there is a night-and-day difference. His confidence grew throughout the season and his ability showed up, and he will be a staple of what we are doing both from a run game and blocking perspective, but also what he can do with the football," notes Scott.

The Thunder head coach adds, "On the perimeter Ben Bonga (PICTURED LEFT) had a fantastic year for us as a sophomore. He dealt with some injuries in the second half of the season that impeded a little bit of his progress. Ben is a dedicated student of the game, and he has dedicated a lot of time into refining his craft as a wide receiver. I am excited for the impact he is going to have this fall. He will be at some different spots on the field besides just our boundary receiver." Bonga led the Thunder with a team-high 679 receiving yards last season on 51 receptions as he averaged 13.3 yards per catch, with five trips into the endzone.

"Will Eggleston is returning for his fifth year in our wide receiver position group. He will be playing meaningful snaps for us this fall". Eggleston (PICTURED RIGHT) played in all 11 games last season with an average of 9.8 yards per catch and two touchdown receptions. Scott adds, "There is a ton of competition in this position group, and they will benefit from that. It will be one of the most competitive position groups for us."

Scott says of the Thunder defense, ""From a defensive perspective we've got a veteran group of DB's and a veteran secondary coming back, and we will benefit from a high degree of continuity. A lot of that group has played significant football in really competitive games. That will be something we can lean on and feel confident in. That group looked really strong as we went through the course of the spring."

CJ Nightingale, the Thunder defensive coordinator, says of his unit, "We are excited for this year's defense!" He continues, "With a lot of guys that return with playing experience, they recognized areas that needed improvement while also mastering strengths throughout the off-season. They embrace competition and hard work and want to prove themselves every single day. That edge is important in developing a mentality of physicality and toughness on defense. We must continue to develop that every single day, and the better we do that, the better this group will be." He concludes, "The daily commitment to their best is what is most exciting about this defense."

Scott mentions, "Jaden Ferlita (PICTURED LEFT) was All-Conference a year ago. When we talk about hitting reset at the end of the 2022 season, Jaden would be a great example of what that has looked like. He has had an edge throughout the course of the offseason and been motivated for the work to take a huge step from where he has been to where he can go. We are excited for the fall that he is going to have." Ferlita was second on the Thunder defense with nine tackles for loss (-45 yards) last season, including 5-1/2 quarterback sacks (-34 yards). Ferlita, a defensive tackle, recorded 26 total tackles, playing in all 11 games for the Thunder.

"Christian Bonacquisti has quite a bit of experience as a returning fifth-year interior defensive lineman for us," mentions Scott. Bonacquisti played in all 11 games at defensive tackle last year. Scott concludes on the defensive line, "There are a host of guys that are rising second, third and fourth-year players in that position group that will be playing meaningful snaps for our defense this fall."

Moving into the defensive backfield Scott notes, "Clayton Reeves (PICTURED RIGHT) was voted by his peers as a captain for this team. I am really excited about the leadership role that Clayton has taken. Earlier we talked about players in our secondary gaining a lot of big-game experience last year and Clayton is someone that has benefited immensely from getting that season of experience under his belt. He is another guy that has taken big strides to prepare for this year." Reeves was second on the Thunder defense in total tackles last year with 52, including 40 solo stops.

"Virgil Cannon played a ton of football for us a year ago, and he returns for his sixth year. He brings a lot of energy for what we are doing from a defensive perspective. He plays hard and is a physical football player," states the Thunder head coach. Cannon (PICTURED LEFT) was among the leaders in tackles for loss on the Thunder defense with four (-18 yards) last season. He tallied 26 total tackles, with four pass break-ups and three quarterback hurries.

Scott concludes discussion of the linebacker position, "There are a lot of guys that will be competing for jobs and opportunity this season and we are excited about that. We are excited about this group and what they bring."

"Riley Schwartz (PICTURED LEFT) returns and will be a captain for us this season. Max Wilson is coming off of an All-Conference performance a year ago. These two represent a dynamic corner duo. When you watch the way they prepare and work, it is evident to all how important this team is to them," Scott mentions of the cornerback position. Schwartz and Wilson tied for second on the team with four interceptions apiece in 2022. Each player recorded 26 total tackles, with four passes broken up for Wilson and two by Schwartz.

"At safety there are couple of seniors in Clay Campbell, Jadin Watson and Max Smith that return and will play a key role. In addition to those three, there are several rising juniors for us that have worked extremely hard to be in the mix there." Watson registered 36 total tackles last year, Campbell tallied 28 total tackles with 21 solos, and Smith had 14 tackles with an interception.

The Thunder special teams unit will feature familiar faces and some new players to the program as well. "Josh Winnett returns for his second season with the program and will resume his kicking duties," mentions Scott. Mateo Jesch has transferred into the program from Anderson University and will add depth to the room.

Wheaton faces another difficult schedule in 2023. The Thunder are ranked 13^th in the D3football.com Preseason Top-25 poll and will open the season on September 9 at home against No. 21 UW-Oshkosh. Conference play opens up on the road at Illinois Wesleyan on September 16 and the home CCIW opener is September 23 against Augustana. The Thunder will entertain defending Division III Champion North Central for Homecoming and the Battle for the Little Brass Bell on September 30. In October, Wheaton travels to Elmhurst, Carroll and Millikin with a home matchup against Carthage under the lights at McCully Stadium. Wheaton hosts WashU for Senior Day on November 4 and the regular season concludes on November 11 at North Park.