Ohio Wesleyan and head coach Tom Watts will look to veteran units on both sides of the line of scrimmage to return the Battling Bishops to championship contention in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

"We have a good number of returning guys, but we do have to fill some key positions," Watts said.  "We have a very close team with very good chemistry, and we're very excited about the new faces we've added to the team.  Our focus is solely on the game at hand, to be 1-0 every week."

Defensively, senior tackle David Praul (Sunbury/Buckeye Valley) and senior nose guard Chicho Rodriguez (San Clemente, Calif.) return in the interior line.  At the ends, junior Kyle Hogan (Centerburg) and sophomore Kor'Darius Melton (Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County) each won D3football.com Team of the Week honors last season.

Sophomores Alec Varteressian (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon) and Daniel Gowans (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) also return at the ends, senior Joe Yurik (Parma/Valley Forge), junior Nate Lee (Oxford, Mass./Saint John's), sophomore Makael Khaaliq (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) are returning lettermen at the interior positions, and junior Danny Woodruff (Cincinnati/Mariemont) also returns.

At linebacker, seniors Jordan King (Littlerock, Calif.), Cameron Smith (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial), Michael Smosny (Elyria), and Colten Harvey (Shelby) and sophomores Cody Streit (Griffin, Ga.) and Lucas Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va.) are back.  Streit is the Bishops' top returning tackler with 72 last year, ranking in the top 15 in the NCAC, while Smith and King each ranked among the league's top 30 in tackles a year ago.

Senior Natrone Barnes (Deerfield Beach, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) and senior Sterling O'Hara (New Canaan, Conn.) are back at the cornerback spots.  Barnes was a second-team All-NCAC choice last year, while O'Hara ranked in the league's top 10 in interceptions and passes defended.

Junior Nick Heidel (Cincinnati/Indian Hill), a newcomer to the Bishop football team, and freshman Nicholas Canitia (Chesterland/Hawken School) also will see time at cornerback.

Junior Ryan Rubel (Toledo/St. John's) takes over at strong safety, with sophomore Shane Quin (Chardon) also back, while junior Mario DeJoy (North Olmsted) moves into the free safety spot, with sophomore Cole Nixon (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial) also ready to contribute.

Offensively, 3 of the Bishops' top receivers are back in senior Deji Adebiyi (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) and juniors Mher Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) and Sasoun Tcholakian (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington).  Adebiyi ranked 10th in the NCAC in receptions per game last season, while Mher Tcholakian caught 37 passes and Sasoun Tcholakian had 32 receptions.

Sophomore Gabe Miller (Delaware/Buckeye Valley) joins Adebiyi at one outside spot, along with sophomore Aaron Fields II (Dayton/Vandalia Butler) and freshman Kenny Streb (Willowick/Eastlake North).  Returning at the inside positions are junior Jonah Markovits (Cape Coral, Fla./Mariner) and sophomore Nick Soika (Seville/Lodi Cloverleaf).

Junior Darius Randolph (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis), senior Eric Davis Jr. (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian), and sophomore Michael Craider (Parma/Padua Franciscan) are back at tight end, giving the Bishops experience and the ability to line up in 1-, 2-, and 3-tight end sets.

Senior running back Jesse Beachy (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) opened 2017 as a starter, junior Curtis Duren (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty) averaged more than 5 yards per carry last season, and sophomore Trey Dixon (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) also returns.

At quarterback, senior Jordan Leach (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central) and junior Jax Harville (Marion/River Valley) will vie for the starting nod.

Up front, sophomore Bailey McCoy (Gahanna/Lincoln) moves to left tackle and senior Austen Kimbro (Delaware/Hayes) returns at right tackle.  Sophomore William Little (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) and freshman Caiden Rieger (Sylvania/Southview), an all-league selection in high school, also will see time at tackle.

Junior Alex Chrustic (Sagamore Hills/Nordonia) is back at one of the guard spots, with sophomore Nick Azusenis (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) looking to take over the other.  Junior Riley Martin (Moravia, N.Y./Central) and freshman Brock Beier (Bellevue), an honorable mention All-Ohio pick in high school, will contribute as well.

Sophomore Nick Cooper (Delray Beach, Fla./Atlantic) and Logan Whalen-Henik (Port St. Lucie, Fla./St. Lucie West) will split the center duties.

Junior Anthony Sanfillipo (Delaware/Hayes) led the league in field goals last year, but will have to hold off a challenge from freshman Gabe Philhower (Reynoldsburg), an all-conference pick in high school, for the placekicking spot.

Miller led the NCAC in kick return average a year ago and will handle both kick and punt returns this season.

Heidel and Hogan will vie for the punting duties.

Ohio Wesleyan opens the season by visiting nearby rival Otterbein.  After a bye week, the Bishops' home and NCAC opener is against Wooster.  Road games at Allegheny and DePauw follow, then home games against Kenyon and Wabash.  The Bishops visit Denison and Oberlin before closing out the season with home contests against Wittenberg and Hiram.