Football 9/1/2023 8:00:00 AM Alan Babbitt

2023 Football Season Preview

A motivated Hope College football team is eager to pursue the opportunities the 2023 season has to offer.

The Flying Dutchmen are hungry and determined after an up-and-down 2022 season snapped their string of MIAA titles at two. Hope opened and ended the season with three-game winning streaks but suffered a four-game slide during the middle of the season.

Work the past nine months has been leading to taking the field again this fall, head coach Peter Stuursma said.

"I'm so proud of our guys, the way they showed up to fall camp. We had a lot of young guys step up and veteran guys build on the progress from spring practice," Stuursma said. "We saw strength gains of 15 to 20 % in certain areas. I like where we are right now. Last year we started off really fast and beat some really good football teams. In the middle, we had an unusual set of circumstances, we were making some mistakes, dropping the snaps and things of that nature, and then we finished strong.

"That, as much as anything, drove our offseason, to go back to some basic things we really believe in our program and our culture."

2023 Schedule

The Flying Dutchmen kick off the season on Saturday, Sept. 2, with a nonleague game at Aurora University (Ill.), the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion and NCAA Division III playoff qualifier last season. Hope beat Aurora in last year's opener at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium, giving the Spartans their lone regular-season loss before they made a run to the third round of NCAA playoffs.

Ray and Sue Smith Stadium will host six Flying Dutchmen home games this season — beginning on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m. against Loras College (Iowa).

MIAA play starts for Hope on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 3 p.m. at Adrian College.

Hope College's One Big Weekend will include a homecoming football game on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. against Alma College, last year's MIAA champion.

MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll

The Flying Dutchmen placed second in the 2023 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll with two first-place votes and 11 points. Coaches could not vote for their own teams. Hope received three fewer points than preseason favorite Alma College. The Scots, last season's MIAA champion, collected five first-place votes.

2023 Roster

Six captains will lead the Flying Dutchmen this fall: three on offense and three on defense.

On offense, all three captains are offensive linemen. Fifth-year senior and 6-3, 244-pound center Cole Harger (Muskegon, Michigan / Oakridge HS)) is a civil engineering major. Senior and 6-3, 293-pound left guard Dylan Clem (Stevensville, Michigan / Lakeshore) is also a civil engineering major. Senior and 6-5, 305-pound left tackle Luke Marsh (Montague, Michigan / Montague) is a special education major.

Both Clem and Marsh earned All-MIAA Second Team honors last season, as did senior receiver and 5-10, 175-pound elementary education major Terrell Harris (Whitehall, Michigan / Whitehall), who has nine career touchdown receptions.

Freshman Zach Trainor, a transfer from Eastern Illinois University and native of Milford, Michigan (Walled Lake Western), has earned the opportunity to start the opener at quarterback.

Trainor is joined in the backfield by senior running back and 5-9, 193-pound mechanical engineering major Elijah Smith as well as junior running back and 6-2, 225-pound Chance Strickland (Mason, Michigan / Mason), who played quarterback last season.

On defense, the three captains are fifth-year senior and 6-1, 209-pound safety Brady Howe (Holland, Michigan / Holland Christian), a special education major, junior and 6-0, 214-pound linebacker Cole Luhmann, a mathematics major, and injured junior Andrew Debri (DeWitt, Michigan / DeWitt), a biology major.

Howe, Luhmann, 5-11, 190-pound sophomore free safety Nick Flegler (DeWitt, Michigan / DeWitt) and 5-10, 159-pound sophomore cornerback Caleb Dean (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison) were among Hope's leading tacklers last season.

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Peter Stuursma '93, 7th season (46-15)
Offensive Coordinator: Andrew Hawken
Defensive Coordinators: Jacob Pardonnet '18
Offensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator: Hunter Thompson
Safeties Coach and Special Teams Coordinator: Jinks Arnold
Assistant Coaches: Matt Bird, Jim Caserta, Dave Gkekas, Dave Lidgard '83, Ted Manning, Zach Telfor '18, Jake Vanderveen '18

Coach's Outlook

"I love where we are from an offensive line standpoint. We have all of our returners back, a lot of experience there. This game is won up front. Terrell Harris is a dynamic player we have back at the slot. Flipping over to defense, when we looked at last year's film vs. Aurora, we started three freshmen and six sophomores, and a lot of those guys are back. We've sprinkled in some young guys back there. I like the way our guys practice. We have a good sense of energy and purpose. You have to practice every day with a purpose." — head coach Peter Stuursma.

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Players Mentioned

#45 Andrew Debri: LB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#70 Dylan Clem: OL; 6' 3"; Senior; Civil Engineering

#18 Caleb Dean: CB; 5' 10"; Sophomore; Sociology

#2 Nick Flegler: S; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#66 Cole Harger: OL; 6' 3"; Fifth Year; Civil Engineering

#6 Terrell Harris: WR; 5' 10"; Senior; Social Studies Group Elementary Education

#6 Brady Howe: FS; 6' 1"; Fifth Year; Special Education Emotional Impaired K-12

#50 Cole Luhmann: LB; 6' 0"; Junior; Mathematics

#73 Luke Marsh: OL; 6' 5"; Senior; Special Education

#25 Elijah Smith: RB; 5' 9"; Senior; Mechanical Engineering

#9 Chance Strickland: RB; 6' 2"; Junior; Business

#0 Zach Trainor: QB; 6' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#45 Andrew Debri
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: LB

#70 Dylan Clem
: 6' 3"; Senior; Civil Engineering
: OL

#18 Caleb Dean
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; Sociology
: CB

#2 Nick Flegler
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: S

#66 Cole Harger
: 6' 3"; Fifth Year; Civil Engineering
: OL

#6 Terrell Harris
: 5' 10"; Senior; Social Studies Group Elementary Education
: WR

#6 Brady Howe
: 6' 1"; Fifth Year; Special Education Emotional Impaired K-12
: FS

#50 Cole Luhmann
: 6' 0"; Junior; Mathematics
: LB

#73 Luke Marsh
: 6' 5"; Senior; Special Education
: OL

#25 Elijah Smith
: 5' 9"; Senior; Mechanical Engineering
: RB

#9 Chance Strickland
: 6' 2"; Junior; Business
: RB

#0 Zach Trainor
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: QB