FOREST, Va. – Featuring a familiar, yet different, look on the roster and on the sidelines, the Guilford College football team heads into the 2025 campaign with their eyes on a breakthrough after being ranked tied for seventh in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference offices on Wednesday.

"The start of the 2025 season has been filled with a lot of excitement and energy on both sides of the ball," Football Head Coach, Brad Davis '08 said. "Coach KJ (Khalid Jones) has these guys believing and flying around. It will be the fourth year of running this defense, so I am hoping for a breakout year. Coach Baker has the offense believing in him as well as the offensive system he is putting in place. The guys are competing at a high level and the character of this group is through the roof."

There is plenty of reason for optimism surrounding the 2025 Quakers, and like the past handful of seasons much of that stems from the defensive side of the ball under the direction of Defensive Coordinator Khalid Jones. GC returns a pair of starters from their vaunted 2024 secondary with arguably the conference's top cover corner, Tristan Bailey (Statesville, N.C.), whose 1.6 passes defended per game last year ranked 12^th nationally, as well as safety Jaylen Moore (Durham, N.C.), not to mention Ben Finkelstein (Southern Pines, N.C.) who came on strong down the stretch. The defensive line does not have a ton of experience although Jaiden Clinton (Havelock, N.C.) and C.J. Shepherd (Raleigh, N.C.) have rotated in pretty consistently the last two years and Zy'Quan Williams (Stantonsburg, N.C.) had a really solid junior season. That is okay though, because they should get plenty of help from a potentially dynamic linebacking corps. The return of former All-ODAC selection, Nick Iannone (Wellington, Fla.) after missing all but approximately seven minutes of game time is huge, as Guilford gets their defensive anchor back. That said, Avery Garner (Denton, N.C.) filled in admirably in his place, giving the team two experienced men in the middle. Meanwhile, off the edge, Travis Burton (Pikeville, N.C.) is a game-wrecker after pacing the team and ranking fourth in the league with 4.0 sacks as a freshman, and Ayden Carpenter (Albermarle, N.C.) looks to build off a breakout 2024.

Caleb Robles (Wilmington, N.C.) returns as the projected starter under center after a freshman season during which he looked like, well, a freshman, showing some brilliant flashes but lacking consistency. Who he will throw to is a bit of a question as the Quakers retain just two of the eight receivers who had 25-or-more receiving yards last year, but Shane Shapiro (Jacksonville, N.C.) appears to be the headliner with tight end Drew Winkler (North Wilkesboro, N.C.) also back in the mix. Evan Sullivan (McBee, S.C.) and Josh Campbell (Reidsville, N.C.) will be featured in the backfield after they both averaged north of 4.0 yards per carry last fall, but look out for Hampden-Sydney transfer M'kel Bellamy (Wilmington, N.C.) who looks to play himself into the mix. Quite possibly the biggest Guilford add this year may be on the sidelines, however, as offensive coordinator Josh Baker brings a fresh voice and fresh ideas to the offense.

On special teams, coached by Jamel Warren, GC returns their entire place-kicking group in long snapper Rod Hedrick (Thomasville, N.C.), holder Zack Oakley (Elon, N.C.), and kicker Adriano De Castro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), but will feature a new primary punter.

Guilford opens the season hosting the 24^th Annual Soup Bowl against Greensboro College on Saturday, September 6^th at 7:00 PM before visiting Washington & Lee University for the conference opener two weeks later, and welcoming Hampton-Sydney College for their Homecoming game and ODAC home opener on September 27^th at 1:00 PM. Tickets, parking passes, and other paid services can be purchased using the Box Office tab or using this LINK. Full spectator policies are available using this LINK  or in the Spectator Central (LINK).
 

Rk.	School (First-Place Votes)	Pts.
1.	Randolph-Macon College (8)	64 pts.
2.	Washington & Lee University	53 pts.
3.	Shenandoah University (1)	49 pts.
4.	Bridgewater College	45 pts.
5.	Hampden-Sydney College	39 pts.
6.	Roanoke College	22 pts.
T-7.	Guilford College	21 pts.
T-7.	Averett University	21 pts.
9.	Gallaudet University	10 pts.

 
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