ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul football team will open the season as part of NCAA Division II's week zero this Thursday, August 28 with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff in the lone non-conference game at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. This marks the third and final installment of a three-part season preview series to be released this week leading up to the season opener.
 
The opener will be Quincy's Military Appreciation Night game at QU Stadium and available to watch online on the GLVC Sports Network for a $15.75 pay-per-view fee. Fans can also follow the game online by viewing live in-game statistics, courtesy Quincy University.
 
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs, with Concordia coming off of a 2-9 overall finish and 2-8 NSIC season for an 11^th-place finish in the 13-team NSIC, while Quincy went 6-4 overall with a 5-3 GLVC record to finish fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
CSP has been picked 11^th overall in the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll in the new-look Northern Sun with the University of Jamestown (N.D.) becoming the NSIC's 14^th football-playing member. CSP is picked sixth in the seven-team NSIC South Division. Quincy was tabbed fourth in the GLVC Preseason Poll following the winning 2024 season under Jason Killday, who enters his second season as the head coach of the Hawks.

WEATHER OUTLOOK
Opening kickoff for the 2025 season is expected to feature a temperature of 80 degrees, cooling to the upper 60's after 9 p.m., with a clear sky and calm wind of less than 5mph, slowing to 1mph as the game progresses. 

WEEK 1 GAME CAPTAINS
CSP head coach Shannon Currier and the coaching staff are continuing the program's tradition of selecting rotating weekly game captains, the seventh year in a row in 2025. Captains are selected by the coaching staff based on performance on the field and as a leader in practices, meetings and day-to-day activities. 

The season opening game captains for the Golden Bears are seventh-year senior offensive lineman CJ Picazo and senior running back Daniel Hornacek on offense, with junior linebacker Ben Rehl and sophomore defensive lineman Isaiah Wray on defense. 

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PETERSON SELECTED TO WEAR #26 IN MEMORY OF BILLY BROWN, JR
Junior defensive back Emmitt Peterson has been selected to represent the football program's cherished jersey number 26 to honor the memory of Billy Brown, Jr., a linebacker who graduated from CSP in May of 2018. Billy passed away in 2018 shortly after graduating while working out near his home in the Twin Cities that summer. Head coach Shannon Currier has opted to honor Brown by selecting a player who fits Billy's work ethic and commitment to the program to wear the number each season.
 
Peterson, formerly #37, is athletically a junior and originally from Wausau, Wisconsin. The defensive back is in his fourth season in the program, and in his first two years in the program secured five CSP Scout Team Player of the Week honors between the defense and special teams. As a sophomore in 2024, he earned NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence honors, and he's seen action in six games as a Golden Bear entering the 2025 campaign.
 
"The #26 jersey is a symbol of selflessness and love, honoring the legacy of the late Billy Brown, Jr. – a Golden Bear who gave himself fully for the betterment of the team and left an enormous impact on all who knew him. This season, that same standard will be carried by Emmitt Peterson. Emmitt has consistently proven himself to be a servant-leader, a great teammate, and someone who lifts others through his acts of love and commitment. His selection to wear #26 is a reflection of the teammate he is, and the legacy he continues."
 
Peterson is originally from St. Louis, Missouri working towards a business major with minors in sociology and marketing. He is interested in pursuing a career in crimes against children in law enforcement with either Homeland Security or the FBI. He is a Dean's List student, and his older brother is a former member of the CSP track & field and football teams.

Past players selected to wear Brown's #26:
2018: Brandon Russell (23 to 26)
2019: Jackson Dobbs (98 to 26)
2020: season cancellation
2021: Dalton Smerchek (32 to 26)
2022: Davaris Cheeks (14 to 26)
2023: Davaris Cheeks
2024: Richard Wauer (9 to 26)
2025: Emmitt Peterson (37 to 26)
 
SEASON PREVIEW PART 3: OFFENSE
Head coach Shannon Currier introduced a new wrinkle to the program this fall with the addition of offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Boomer Roepke. He'll have his work cut out for him on offense as the team looks to replace All-American running back Jaylin Richardson, who rushed for 1,157 yards and scored 14 total touchdowns. In four years, he ran for 2,920 yards, had 80 catches for 699 yards and scored 28 touchdowns in 38 games.
 
"We are similar in our offensive philosophy, but last year we aimed on getting Jaylin Richardson the ball 30 times in an All-American season. We expect to be more balanced this year, our passing game is improved with more backside progressions, and we'll look for more RPOs but overall we'll have a similar philosophy with our run/pass balance," said Coach Currier.
 
He continued, "We expect to be complimentary in our approach, and most importantly when we have a look in our run game we need to have a similar look when we are throwing the ball, make it challenging for the defense to know what we're doing. We will be moving people around a lot, but nothing vastly different or unique with formations – we'll have a lot of ways to line up and we'll give those different looks while running similar concepts."
 
MEET THE BEARS: OFFENSIVE LINE
While Roepke has been brought into the program as the offensive coordinator and play caller, he'll also direct the offensive line position group. The projected starting five up front are comprised of three seniors – the two tackles and center, while the two guards will be juniors.
 
The group is anchored in the middle by senior center Caydon Christensen with 33 games of playing experience entering his senior year. He's coming off of his best season, grading out at 90-percent or higher in all 11 games while earning All-NSIC Second Team honors and paving the way for Richardson's 1,000-yard season.
 
"Caydon is one of the best football players in the league, a tremendous center and we're excited to have him back," said Currier.
 
On his left is junior Evan Scott and his right is junior Sam Yager.
 
"Sam Yager has stepped up into the right guard position, and Evan has been one of the top leaders in the program since last spring, he's maturing into a tackle and can play all five positions across the line. He's intelligent, a tremendous leader and really cares about the team."
 
The team's opening two-team features a pair of familiar faces at the tackle positions, with multi-year starter Austin Carrillo on the right side, and long-time veteran CSP offensive lineman CJ Picazo on the left side.
 
"CJ Picazo has had his best fall camp in his seven years on campus – I'm excited about him, and Austin is trending forward at right tackle," said Currier.
 
Picazo has played in 30 games across the previous four seasons including a medical redshirt season in 2023, and Carrillo has played in 23 games the previous three seasons – all 11 games last season. Picazo came to Concordia in 2019, redshirting in his first year as a Golden Bear before the 2020 season was cancelled. He added the medical redshirt season in 2023 including a pair of starts early in the year before a season-ending injury giving him access to compete in his seventh season in 2025.
 
"We have great competition behind our starting group, too," Currier noted. "Peyton Nawrocki has plenty of game experience, we also have Brandon Morales, Owen Kalonihea, Luke Wolfe, Brendan Conklin and a shot in the arm from Gavin Layton."
 
He continued about Layton, "He's a 6-foot, 6-inch, 330-pound tackle who was 54-0 as a prep wrestler. He's a relentless player and as time goes on, he will help us more and more."
 
Breaking into the two-deep as a reserve guard is freshman Ryan Brinkman, too. "He leads a strong group of freshmen with a bright future including Nathan Dobbs, Brady Andersen, Logan Carlson, Elias Jourdain, Kai Porter and Isaiah Leitner – this can be a tremendous group going forward."

MEET THE BEARS: TIGHT ENDS
Junior EJ Stoffel is poised to step into the lead role at the tight end position, having played all 22 games over the past two seasons including 10 receptions for 97 yards.
 
"This group starts with EJ Stoffel, and he's one of the better athletes on the team. He's big, strong, fast, playing faster and has had a big fall camp. He's also a squad leader and we are looking forward to utilizing him more," said Currier.
 
Making a charge into the position group is freshman Anthony Hickman, a Las Vegas native. "We've been impressed with incoming freshman Anthony Hickman from Bishop Gorman – one of the top high school programs in the country. His dad played with the (Detroit) Lions, Anthony projects to play right away for us."
 
Senior James Wade, in his second year after transferring from West Georgia, brings experience to the position and is also the team's long snapper. "James has had a strong camp, and in addition to his role as a tight end, he's a big producer on special teams."
 
A pair of juniors on their way back from injuries are Jared Barden and Skylar Sanders, with Currier noting that they'll expect to help at the position when healthy.
 
Joining Hickman as an incoming freshmean tight end is Mike Harris, who was praised as being a freshman leader by Coach Currier. 
 
"All of our tight ends are instrumental to our success on special teams because of their big frames and athleticism," Currier concluded of the position group.
 
MEET THE BEARS: WIDE RECEIVERS
In 2024, the Golden Bears had a pair of wide receivers with 20-plus receptions, Drew Enke (38) and Peter Udoibok (21), both seniors who have graduated from the program.
 
Enke had his best season as a Golden Bear, compiling 550 yards which was nearly three times more than any other pass catcher on the roster, and he hauled in half of the team's passing touchdowns.
 
But as Currier noted at the top of the preview, the offense relies on balance and being complimentary, and seven different players topped 100 receiving yards last season and 12 different players had at least four catches.
 
The team heads into the season confident in a number of its options at the position.
 
"We have a competitive receiver group. From top to bottom, we are deeper and it's providing a challenge to us as coaches coming up with our top 7-8 guys."
 
The team's two-deep features a three wide receiver base formation with senior Troy Ellison, junior transfer Carter Zezulka and sophomore Jay Hardy topping the position, while redshirt freshmen EJ Previlma and Timothy Davis along with true freshman Charlie Snoreck listed as the twos.
 
Ellison has compiled yards in every way imaginable as a Golden Bear, seeing action in 26 games over the past three years. He's three receptions shy of 100, with 97 catches for 1,040 yards, while adding 6.2 yards per carry (24-148) and has over 500 return yards (8-82 PR, 26-422 KR). Lastly, he can throw it, too, completing 3-5 for 52 yards and a touchdown as a passer and has scored 10 times with the ball: seven times as a receiver and three more as a rusher, with one 2-point conversion.
 
"EJ Previlma had a big camp this fall, he came up with a lot of catches, while Jay Hardy is one of our most improved at the position and had a great summer. Timothy Davis is quick and shifty, we have transfers Carter Zezulka and Tony Edwards, while freshmen Charlie Snoreck and Vinny Churchwell are great players, too," said Currier about the group at-large.
 
Originally from Esko, Minnesota, Zezulka comes to CSP from UW-Stout where he hauled in 31 catches for 450 yards last season for a winning Blue Devils team in the WIAC, while Edwards was a Division II starter in 2023 at Lake Erie College (43-477) before becoming an All-Region wide receiver at RCTC in 2024 (49-839) as one of the top receivers in the nation.
 
"Carter is back after injury and close to where he was, Edwards was a great junior college player and has Division II experience, and Ellison is back for his senior year and one of our most explosive players."
 
The position also features returning veterans Julius Reynolds, Carter Ryan, Randy Moore and Jake Weigel while Ty Williams is expected to miss the season due to injury.
 
Reynolds (11-126) and Ryan (9-106) are the team's second and third leading returners at the position in terms of receptions and yards.
 
"Julius is a top blocking wide receiver among the position group, and Carter is a tough, smart football player who had a big special teams performance late in fall camp."
 
Newcomers to the wide receiver room include Terrance Kamara and Elijah Mead transferring in from St. Thomas, while Emmanuel Gnadji and Bryan Butler are true freshmen, "Gnadji has immense upside with his 6-foot, 5-inch frame and Butler is a young freshman with talent," Currier concluded.
 
MEET THE BEARS: RUNNING BACKS
Replacing a running back who produced nearly 1,200 rushing yards last season and nearly 3,000 for his career in Jaylin Richardson is a daunting task for the CSP offense.
 
But Currier doesn't intend to cede Richardson's workload to any singular player on the offense.
 
"We have a nice stable of backs who will share in the replacement of Jaylin. Our backs bring different strengths and running styles that can keep our offense dynamic and unpredictable," Coach Currier stated.
 
The group is led by the most experienced player at the position, senior Daniel Hornacek, who has averaged 6.4 yards per carry in 26 games the past three seasons. He's rushed for 526 yards on 82 attempts and added 18-154 as a receiver, bringing 680 scrimmage yards and six total touchdowns, and has a 100-yard game under his belt, as well.
 
"Danny has a high career rushing average, he's shifty, quick, unassuming, catches the ball well out of the backfield, is willing to block and is a dependable player."
 
Three other second-year players in the program are also expected to share the workload with Hornacek, led by sophomore Parkees Harris who made an impact as a true freshman and was the team's third-leading rusher with 20 carries for 99 yards, nearly 5.0 yards per carry as a rookie. He's joined by Nasir McKenzie who had a 6-yard run in his first game action and preserved his redshirt season, and Joel Lacy who was a first-year transfer last year and will make his debut in 2025.
 
"Parkees had a great freshman season until his injury. He's explosive, runs hard and has packed on 15 pounds. Joel Lacy is a tremendous athlete who can run. He's the cousin of (former Green Bay Packer) Eddie Lacy and Joel resembles his hard-nosed running style with huge size who runs well. Nasir is an explosive rusher, as well, and those four round out the top spots who we expect to account for the lion's share of work."
 
The team also features versatile veteran backs Camden Ludeman and James Evans IV, a pair of juniors.
 
"Camden and James are savvy veterans who can run and also help us on special teams," added Currier.
 
True freshmen Marquel Keten and BJ Davis also join the group. "They are explosive backs who can catch the ball, they are three-dimensional running backs and that's what we look for in the group: guys who do multiple things, we use these guys in multiple ways."
 
MEET THE BEARS: QUARTERBACKS
"This is a big group, the biggest we've had, and it's not by design – it just worked out that way," commented Currier. "Coming out of spring, we had a lot of parity at the position. We had a recruit coming in from our February signing class, and then added a transfer over the summer before two more freshmen came into the program over the summer."
 
Junior Jackson Compton is the top statistical returner at the quarterback position, completing 110-197 for 1,173 yards, five touchdowns and just four interceptions while playing in eight games including multiple starts. He also had 93 rushing yards with a long run of 26.
 
Junior Reed Styer also earned significant time under center, playing in six games with multiple starts, completing 38-67 for a team-best 56.7 percent completion percentage, adding a touchdown.
 
"Last year, we played JC and Reed significant reps, and we had transfer Luke Gombert as part of the position group, as well."
 
Currier was able to add to the position over the summer with former North Carolina A&T State starter and Howard University transfer Zachary Yeager, a local prep standout from Minneapolis North.
 
He gained 11 games of playing experience at NC A&T State, passing for 487 yards and a touchdown while adding 33-101 as a rusher at the Division I level.
 
Yeager tops the opening day depth chart and is expected to start the opener at Quincy.
 
They weren't done adding, either, as Texas prep quarterback Noah Carrizales and Wisconsin native MJ Mitchell each came to campus.
 
"After we secured Noah's addition to the program, we were able to add MJ during fall camp. We had recruited MJ hard last year and after he decided to attend Iowa Western Community College, we were fortunate that he had a change of heart and found his way back to us during camp."
 
Mitchell wasn't the only quarterback the staff went after during the winter recruitment process, using a connection to land Lincoln Graf from Boca Raton, Florida.
 
"We heavily recruited Lincoln out of high school, he played for one of our former standout cornerbacks Preston Piltoff at Atlantic High School, and we were excited about his commitment. MJ Mitchell, who we also recruited, is an explosive athlete and is very fast."
 
"In our last scrimmage of fall camp, we were impressed with Lincoln and MJ for how they were able to move the ball and make plays, and our three veteran quarterbacks at the top of the depth chart, Yeager, Compton and Styer, are solid."
 
Currier added, "It's the best group, we have a lot of good players at this position. How do you know who the top guy is? You don't always have the answer, but we are staying true to what we're looking for at the position: consistency, moving the offense, protecting the ball and leading the team. We're always evaluating, it is a fluid situation. Through fall camp, it seemed that someone would step up and have a big day, and the next day it would be somebody different."