Ohio Wesleyan University ushered in the Tom Watts era with 9 wins and a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship, the Battling Bishops' first conference title since 1989.

Watts and the Bishops return 9 starters on offense and 6 on defense who will look to build on that success.

Senior quarterback Mason Espinosa (Cookeville, Tenn.), who threw for a school-record 3371 yards on the way to NCAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, returns to lead the offense.  Freshmen Cheyne Lacanaria (Farmington, Mich./Brother Rice) and Dominick Orsini (Massillon/Archbishop Hoban) are vying for the backup spot.

Two of Espinosa's top targets in 2012 are back in junior tight end Calvin Cagney (Indialantic, Fla./Melbourne), whose team- and league-leading 66 catches helped him receive All-America honors from D3football.com, and senior wide receiver Dave Mogilnicki (Middleburg Heights/Midpark), who ranked fifth in the league in receptions and receiving yards.  Both were second-team all-conference choices last year.

Also returning are junior wide receiver Steven Uhler (Brunswick), who averaged nearly 6 catches a game last season, and senior tight end Erik Wall (Delaware/Buckeye Valley), who missed the 2012 season with a knee injury.

Junior Graham Lucas (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) moves to tight end to further bolster that positison, while freshmen wide receivers Ross Hickenbottom (West Liberty/West Liberty-Salem), Brandon Lewis (Navarre/Fairless), Austin Sanders (Englewood/Northmont), and Tim Shadoan (Dublin/Scioto) each look to make an impact.

Junior running back Kevin Herman (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls), who caught 53 passes to tie for seventh among NCAC receivers, also returns.  Herman led the Bishops with 511 rushing yards last year, averaging over 5 yards per carry.  He was an honorable mention All-NCAC pick in 2012.

Versatile senior Scott Jenkins (Cuyahoga Falls), who led the Bishops with 6 rushing TDs and had 36 receptions last season, can line up at either tailback or wide receiver.

Paving the way for the Bishop offense is a veteran line.

On the left side, senior Bryan Bowling (Grove City/Westfall) is back at tackle after receiving second-team All-NCAC laurels.

Senior Chris Badenhop (West Liberty/Bellefontaine) moves into the left guard spot, and junior Joey Reinhardt (Wheelersburg) returns at center.

The right side returns intact with junior Vincent Marquez (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's) at guard and senior Jake Eckard (Canton/Central Catholic) at tackle.

Senior guard Jake Stang (Chardon/Lake Catholic), senior tackle Jon Milbourn (McLean, Va./Churchill (Md.)), freshman center Zach Croftcheck (Creston/Norwayne), freshman tackle Brooks Gilmore (Worthington/Thomas Worthington), and freshman tackle Chris Grissom (Loveland) also will contribute.

On defense, senior end Jonathan Valentine (Franklin) is back after ranking second in the NCAC in sacks and winning second-team all-conference honors last season.

Junior Chase Workman (Wheelersburg) and sophomore Cameron Pappa (Gilroy, Calif./Kings Academy) return at the other defensive end spot.  Junior Brok Gould (Dayton, Tenn/Rhea County) and freshman Gary Brodek (Parma/Valley Forge) will provide additional depth.

Senior George Newcomb (Chardon) and junior Will McNamara (Easton, Conn./Barlow) return at defensive tackle.

At nose tackle, sophomore Dominic Wilson (Houston, Texas/Cypress Woods) returns, and classmate Aaron Viscounte (Canton/North Canton Hoover), a transfer from Mount Union, will be heard from.

Senior Justin Segal (West Harrison, N.Y./Harrison), an honorable mention All-NCAC choice last year, returns at one outside linebacker spot, along with junior Sean Miliner (Dayton/Wayne).

Junior Chris Mondon (Mansfield/Lexington) looks to take over the other outside spot, with senior Colton Ponscak (Bryan) and freshman Brad Dotson (Piqua) also in the picture.

Juniors Morgan McBride (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X) and DaVaughn DuBose (Shaker Heights) are back at middle linebacker.  Freshman Keaton Leppla (Millersburg/West Holmes) will contribute as well.

Seniors Leonard Gleaves (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) and J.J. Masley (Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland) return at the cornerback spots.  Gleaves ranked third in the league with 5 interceptions in 2012.

Freshman Eric Beale (Delaware/Hayes) will challenge for a starting berth, with junior Josh Townsend (Fort Worth, Texas/Azle), sophomore Roemello Cook (Akron/Buchtel), and freshman Mitch Knieriem (Creston/Norwayne) also in the mix.

Senior Seth Swary (Pandora/Pandora-Gilboa) won the strong safety spot last season and intercepted 3 passes to rank second on the team.  Senior Dan Rohrer (Springfield/Shawnee) also returns.

At free safety, senior Rayce Risser (Columbus Grove) is back.  Freshmen Andrew Dennis (Bowling Green) and Collin Grothaus (Columbus Grove) look to see playing time as well.

On special teams, junior Miles MacKenzie (Denver, Colo./East) returns at placekicker.  He led NCAA Division III players in field goals last season, booting 18 to set Ohio Wesleyan and NCAC season records.  MacKenzie ranked third in the nation in kick scoring with 83 points.  He will once again handle the Bishops' punting duties.  Risser ranked among the league leaders in kick returns, and Herman was the team's top punt returner last year.