BLOOMINGTON, Ill - The Illinois Wesleyan University football team begins a new era of Titan football this Saturday, Sept. 6, as the Green and White begins the 2025 season as host to Central College. Kickoff, of IWU's first game under Jared Williamson's direction, is set for 1 p.m. at Tucci Stadium.
    Illinois Wesleyan enters the season opener, which will also serve as Senior Day, coming off a 5-5 record a season ago. The Titans will honor their 11 seniors prior to Saturday's showdown with the Dutch. Central went 8-2 a year ago and is currently receiving votes in national polls.
    Fans can tune into a radio broadcast with Eric Stock calling the action on the field alongside Joel Swanson, while live stats and a broadcast will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.

BEGIN AGAIN: Coaching changes are few and far between for IWU football as Jared Williamson will be just the third person to lead the program since 1954. He follows Norm Eash, who put together a storied career during his 38 years as the Titans' lead man, while Don Larson held the role for the 33 years prior.

THE BEST DAY: Titan football returns to Tucci Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 6, for the first time in 294 days. The highly anticipated season opener will also serve as the Green and White's Senior Day. IWU will recognize its 11 seniors pregame, with recognitions to begin at approximately 12:40 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan's veteran class includes Danny Kent, Jahari Scott, Jack Nevins, Tre Campbell, Luke Zunkel, Mo Khalil, Mihailo Jovanovic, Brady Kornak, Justin Arya, Matthew Gordon, and Andrew London.

THE LAST TIME: Saturday will mark the third all-time meeting between Illinois Wesleyan and Central, with the Dutch holding a 2-0 edge in the series. IWU dropped last year's season opener, 49-14, in Pella. Dermot Smyth threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns with Jimmy Deacy hauling in seven catches for 70 yards. Cole Pradel made a team-high 17 tackles and added an interception, while John Gavin tallied 14 stops.

DEJA VU: Illinois Wesleyan fans will see a familiar face roaming the Central sideline Saturday, as former IWU assistant coach Jeff McMartin leads the Dutch into Tucci Stadium. McMartin served as IWU's defensive line coach for the 1992 and 1993 seasons alongside defensive coordinator Mike Murray. He was also the interim head track and field coach for IWU in 1994.
    McMartin is not the only common bond between the two institutions, as two members of the Titan athletic department are former Dutch student-athletes. Asisstant director of athletic communications Meredith Mahoney was a four-year member of the Central softball team, while IWU men's basketball assistant coach Bobby Wheet was a kicker on the Dutch football team.

TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE: Illinois Wesleyan returns two All-CCIW selections from a season ago in Matt Hansen and Jahari Scott. A total of seven Titans received league accolades in 2024, the most since 2019. The duo went on to earn D3football.com All-Region status, with Hansen named to the second team and Scott voted third team.
    A weapon on offense and on special teams, Scott was named to the All-CCIW Second Team as a returner. He was the CCIW's top return man with an average kickoff return of 26.9 yards, good for 19th-best nationally. His 88-yard kickoff return at Elmhurst, Sept. 21, was the second-longest in the conference last season, while he was one of two returners with kickoffs taken for touchdowns in the league. Scott added 568 rushing yards on 98 attempts, including four rushing touchdowns. He also recorded three TD catches, while finishing with 167 yards receiving on 24 receptions.
    Hansen was named Second Team All-CCIW on the defensive line. In his first season as a starter, Hansen made 29 tackles, recorded 8.5 tackles for loss, and notched 4.5 sacks. He tied for the team lead with seven quarterback hurries, while also tallying a pass breakup and one forced fumble. Hansen was credited with two blocked kicks, tying for the CCIW lead as well as 19th-most nationally. He ranked tied for eighth in the league in TFLs and tied for seventh in sacks.

HOLY GROUND: The Green and White welcome back its top-two running backs from last year in senior co-captains Jahari Scott and Danny Kent. Scott rushed for 568 yards with four touchdowns, while Kent tallied six rushing TDs on 375 yards. Dermot Smyth tacked on a team-best nine touchdowns on the ground and 373 rushing yards. In all, IWU returns 90 percent of its run-game production from 2024.

BRAND NEW WORLD: Replacing mainstays and All-CCIW picks Josh Hlavacek and Zach McNees on the defensive line is a tall task, but there is plenty to be excited about when it comes to IWU's outlook in the trenches. Matt Hansen, a Second Team All-CCIW selection from 2024, headlines the group that also includes Marcheon Griffin, Alexander Jackson, and Nathan Schmidt. Hansen notched 29 tackles, including 8.5 TFLs, and tied for the team lead with seven QB hurries. Jackson tallied nine stops with two hurries. Schmidt added 15 tackles, while Griffin tacked on a few of his own.

MASTERMIND: Junior quarterback Dermot Smyth is back for his second season as the Titans' starting QB, coming off a strong season in 2024. Starting all 10 games a year ago, Smyth threw for a career-high 2009 yards with 18 touchdowns. He completed 58 percent of his passes and became the first Titan to throw for 2000+ yards in a season since 2021.

SEPTEMBER: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 34-14 record in the month of September since 2010. IWU went 2-1 in the month last season, with the Titans' lone loss during the stretch coming at Central to begin the year.

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED: Very little remains the same when it comes to Titan football in 2025, as IWU enters its first season in nearly four decades without Norm Eash at the helm. With Eash's retirement following an illustrious career, Jared Williamson has taken the reins and brought in a nearly entirely new staff. Andres Mestre, now in his second year as a graduate assistant, and Robbie Pulliam are the two returners on the staff. Back at his alma mater, Mike Murray will lead the defense in his third stint on the Titan football staff. Eli Kosanovich, Tyler Holte, Tom Flood, Jacob Viccari, Kyle Koelblinger, and Adrian Robbins round out the staff.
    The change extends past the coaching staff, with IWU looking to replace the contributions of last season's 32-man senior class.

COME BACK...BE HERE: Mike Murray, a 1984 Ilinois Wesleyan graduate, is in his third stint on the Titan football staff in 2025. Serving as Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator on Jared Williamson's staff, Murray bleeds Titan green and found his way back home shortly after the announcement of Williamson's hiring.
Murray brings more than 40 years of coaching experience, including head coaching stops at Elmhurst University, University of Dubuque, and Benedictine University (Ill.). Most recently, he spent two seasons at College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Elmhurst, where he reinvigorated the Bluejay football program. Inheriting a program that had won just two games over a 30-game span, Murray guided Elmhurst to its most wins since 2016 last season.
He previously worked with Williamson at Robert Morris/Roosevelt, while Murray was on staff at IWU when Williamson got his coaching start back in 2007. Murray had previously spent 10 seasons as IWU's defensive coordinator from 1987-96, helping IWU to three CCIW Championships during the span. He played a pivotal role in two more league titles during his next stint (2003-10).

RIDE ON: The 2025 season continues following a bye week as Illinois Wesleyan hosts Elmhurst University at Tucci Stadium Saturday, Sept. 20, for the first day of College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. and will see Tropical Smoothie Cafe offering $5 smoothies in the northeast corner of the stadium.