Ohio Wesleyan University begins the Tom Watts era with the potential to make a leap in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings.

“We have high expectations,” Watts said.  “The players are in the right frame of mind — they want to compete for a conference championship.”

Junior quarterback Mason Espinosa (Cookeville, Tenn.), who fueled the Bishops’ season-ending, 3-game winning streak by throwing for 10 touchdowns and nearly 1000 yards during those contests, returns to lead the offense.  Espinosa finished the 2011 campaign with a school-record 2388 passing yards, ranking second in the conference, and was an honorable mention All-NCAC selection.

Two of Espinosa’s top targets in 2011 are back in sophomore running back Kevin Herman (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls), who caught 54 passes and ranked third among NCAC receivers; and junior wide receiver Dave Mogilnicki (Middleburg Heights/Midpark), who ranked ninth in the league in receiving yards.  Junior tight end Erik Wall (Delaware/Buckeye Valley), who had 4 TD catches during the final 3 games of 2011, also returns.

Also back at wide receiver are senior Nick Ziegenbusch (Sugarcreek/Garaway) and sophomores Scott Jenkins (Cuyahoga Falls) and Steven Uhler (Brunswick).

Herman also led the team in rushing last year.  Sophomore Kevin Mulumba (Fairfax, Va./Falls Church), who was second on the team in rushing in 2011, and classmate Garrison Davis (Middletown, Del./Charter of Wilmington), who averaged 5.6 yards per carry last year, are back as well.

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

On the left side, junior Bryan Bowling (Grove City/Westfall) is back at tackle, pairing with senior Jon Harnett (Greenwich, Conn.) at guard to give the Bishops excellent protection on Espinosa’s blind side.

Sophomore Joey Reinhardt (Wheelersburg), a transfer from Heidelberg, should take over at center.

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

Junior guard Chris Badenhop (West Liberty/Bellefontaine), junior guard Jake Stang (Chardon/Lake Catholic), and senior center Ben Steele (Delaware/Hayes) will provide additional experience.

On defense, senior end James Huddleston (Pontiac, Mich./Saint Marys Preparatory) headlines the returnees.  Huddleston led the nation with 23½ tackles for loss, ranked second in the league with 9 sacks, and was a first-team All-NCAC selection for the second straight season.

Junior Jonathan Valentine (Franklin) and senior Clint Saunders (Gallipolis/Gallia Academy) are back at the other defensive end spot.  Valentine ranked among the league leaders in fumbles caused and recovered last season.

Senior Tyler Swary (Pandora/Pandora-Gilboa) returns at defensive tackle after compiling 6½ tackles for loss a year ago, junior George Newcomb (Chardon) also returns, and freshman Dominic Wilson (Houston, Texas/Cypress Woods) looks to make an impact.

At linebacker, senior Tyler Sheetz (Eighty Four, Pa./Peters Township) led the NCAC with 113 tackles and added 10 tackles for loss on the way to second-team all-conference honors in 2011.

Sophomore DaVaughn DuBose (Shaker Heights), who ranked 22nd in the conference with an average of 6.9 stops per game, and junior Justin Segal (West Harrison, N.Y./Harrison), who had 58 tackles, with 5 for loss, also are returning starters.  Sophomore Morgan McBride (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X) will contribute, as will classmates Chris Mondon (Mansfield/Lexington) and Brok Gould (Dayton, Tenn./Rhea County).

Juniors Leonard Gleaves (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) and J.J. Masley (Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland) return at the cornerback spots.  Gleaves tied for second in the league with 3 interceptions in 2011, while Masley broke up 3 passes last year.

Sophomores Getner Fabe (Miami, Fla./North Miami Beach) and Quinten Wright (Columbus/Whetstone) also will see action.

At safety, junior Rayce Risser (Columbus Grove) moves to free safety on a full-time basis after starting at both halfback and cornerback last season.

Junior Seth Swary (Pandora/Pandora-Gilboa) and sophomore Colton Ponscak (Bryan), a newcomer to the Bishop football team, are vying for the strong safety spot.

On special teams, sophomore Miles MacKenzie (Denver, Colo./East) returns at placekicker.  He ranked third in the NCAC in field goals last season, booting 9 to tie Ohio Wesleyan season record.

Gleaves ranked among the league leaders in kick returns, and Herman was the team’s top punt returner last year.