GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The 2026 Davenport football season gets underway this Saturday at noon, when the Panthers host Gannon University at Richard J. Pappas Stadium at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.

In the current landscape of college football, you can expect a new crop of student-athletes each year. This year is no exception for the Davenport University football team. They saw 44 letterwinners exit the program and leave some holes that will need to be filled. The good news is that 40 letterwinners will suit up again for the Panthers. Add to that an influx of newcomers that will fight for playing time in what should be another challenging 11-game schedule for 10th-year head coach Sparky McEwen.

The strength of the returning crop of players on offense starts with the running game. The Panthers are blessed to see Cephus Harris in the backfield after a record-breaking 2025 campaign. Harris broke the single-season school record with 1,096 rushing yards and became the first Panther to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a season. He carried the ball 158 times and posted an impressive 6.9 yards per carry with an astounding 19 rushing touchdowns. Quite simply, he was one of the best running back in NCAA Division II and earned First Team All-GLIAC and Second Team All-Region by D2CCA. His running mate of Kayden Collins is also returning after carrying the ball 61 times for 334 yards and three touchdowns when Harris needed a break. Both guys also made their mark in the receiving game as Harris had 19 catches for 144 yards and Collins hauled in 11 passes for 71 yards.

The Panthers were able to rush for a total of 1,973 yards because of the consistency and health of last year's offensive line. The unit saw four players start in all 10 games. Adam Sarjo and Zach Slapnicker anchored the exterior of the line and will be solely missed. The emergence of Armony Baskin and Chad Thompson proved to be critical. They both started all 10 games with Thompson at center and Baskin at left tackle. Slapnicker and Baskin both earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors for their superior work in the trenches. D'Arren Vilsaint (5) and Javontae Yarbrough (1) did have a few starts under their belt and will have the opportunity to increase their production. Michael Medawis, Carter Scholten, and James Varnesdeel are expected to add depth and saw some reserve playing time in 2025. Payton Pyle and Breon Key are also names that will be an important part of the offensive line.

The quarterback room will be without D'Wan Mathis for the first time in a couple of years. He started seven games last season and threw for 1,328 yards and nine touchdowns. Mac VandenHout returns after playing in seven games and making two starts under center. He got the nod in the season opener at Gannon and also took the first snap against Michigan Tech. He rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown and also threw for 64 yards on the season. Jonathan Palmer, a transfer from Tennessee State (D1 FCS), has been competing for the starting job in the spring and preseason. Palmer comes from a strong lineage as the nephew of fomer NFL quarterbacks Carson and Jordan Palmer. Carson starred at USC winning the 2002 Heisman Trophy and was then selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 NFL Draft. Palmer played in eight games last season at TSU and completed 47-of-89 passes for 420 yards and a score.

On defense, the Panthers are solid up the middle with Latrell Scott making tackles all over the place at his inside linebacker position. Scott was a Honorable Mention All-GLIAC pick in 2025 leading the team with 70 tackles (seventh in the GLIAC). He enters this season with 129 career tackles, which ranks 10th at Davenport. D'Angelo Bellamy was the team's fourth-leading tackler in his first season with the program and finished with 52, including 31 solo stops. Christian Cramer, a transfer from Ferris State, brings a national championship pedigree to the team and saw action in five games with the Bulldogs a year ago with six tackles. 

The defensive line production either graduated or hit the transfer portal. Kennedy Nelson led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Austin Stief recorded 35 total tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He is now enrolled at Ball State University. The team will get back the services of Jaremey McQueen in the interior of the line. He missed last season, but the 335-pounder plugs up holes and brings 26 career games of experience to the unproven group. A few candidates to step up their production include Jake Fetrow, Jaxson Engelberg, Tyson Watson, and Fadio Diawara.

The secondary has Markell Gilford roaming as a ball hawk and solid tackler. Gilford set a school record with a 100-yard interception return in last season's opening road win at Gannon and finished the season with 35 tackles and three interceptions. Vincent Cooley was named First Team All-GLIAC in 2025 with 12 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. Cam Williams, a transfer from Benedict College, played in 12 games last season and finished with 18 tackles, 14 pass breakups, and three interceptions. Caleb Aungst, a transfer from Quincy University, is slotted as a starting safety and played in 11 games for the Hawks in 2025 with 55 tackles, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions.

Davenport has always prided itself with having excellent special teams and how that can change the outcome of games. Ian Jenkins had a strong freshman season with four field goals and went 35-of-36 in extra points. He made the second-most PAT's in a season at DU and scored 47 points to crack the top-10 in a season. Alec Wojahn now has two years at punter for DU and last season averaged 40.1 yards per attempt with nine inside the 20-yard line. Asher Gregory proved to be dangerous in the return game with 18 punt returns for an average of 14.7 yards and had an 81-yarder to the house against Roosevelt.

Davenport holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series against Gannon. The first two meetings took place as the only games played during the COVID-era in 2020. The teams met in Erie, Pa. on March 20 with DU winning 30-22 and then the Golden Knights came to Caledonia on April 9 with the Panthers winning 37-22. The teams met in the 2025 season opener in Erie, Pa. on August 30. Davenport prevailed 21-12, highlighted by a Markell Gilford 100-yard interception return in the late stages of the second quarter which gave DU a 14-6 lead. Cephus Harris rushed for two touchdowns, a 15-yard scamper in the first quarter and a 2-yard plunge in the third quarter. He finished with 110 yards on 14 carries. Harris also led the team with four catches for 53 yards. DU had a trio of defenders with 10 tackles including Latrell Scott, Jamar Mills, and Daion Johnson. The Golden Knights recorded 25 first downs and 422 yards of total offense. Turnovers was key for the Panthers with one interception and two fumble recoveries. Anthony Harris threw for 269 yards and two scores for Gannon, but was sacked three times.

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