MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's football program made significant offseason strides in preparation for a promising Year 2 under head coach Curt Ritchie.
 
The staff hit the recruiting trail and bolstered the roster to 90 players, highlighted by a large class of 45 freshmen. Ritchie is also pleased with the progress of his returning players since last November, when the Rams wrapped up a 4-6 season with a road win over Grinnell.
 
"We needed to bring in a big class to get caught up. We needed more depth, and we got good quality in the class too," said Ritchie, who also added four new assistant coaches in Jake Olsen (offensive coordinator), Keegan Sturdy (wide receivers), Frank Haege (defensive assistant) and Wes Wilson (wide receivers).
 
"We're happy with the guys we have here," Ritchie said. "There's a good comfort level with the staff and leadership from our veteran players. The guys know what the expectations are and how to do things. In building a football team, players need to be dedicated to doing the work. They have shown great offseason improvements."
 
The Rams bring back 12 starters from last year's team that placed sixth in the Midwest Conference with a 4-5 mark. Cornell went 4-1 in road games, the lone blemish coming at regular-season champion Monmouth.
 
Cornell is projected sixth in the 2026 MWC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The league has expanded to 11 teams this fall with the addition of Luther. All teams will play eight conference games.
 
"We will try to get over the hump and join that next group in the conference," Ritchie said. "I know we've made good gains from Year 1 to Year 2. I believe we're prepared to win. We need to be able to say that we played hard for all 60 minutes every Saturday."
 
The Rams open the season Sept. 5 with a 1 p.m. kickoff at 22nd-ranked Coe for the 135th edition of the oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi.
 
Cornell will christen its newly-installed home turf Sept. 12 with a 1 p.m. nonconference game against Beloit at Van Metre Field at Ash Park. The Rams also have home contests Sept. 19 (Monmouth), Oct. 3 (Ripon, Homecoming), Oct. 17 (Knox) and Oct. 31 (Lawrence).
 
The Rams bring back an experienced group on the defensive side with the return of seven starters. The unit is led by a pair of 2025 all-MWC performers in senior end Julius Jenkins (first team) and senior safety Joshua Martin (second team). Jenkins posted 9.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last year, both team-highs. Martin enters his final campaign with six career interceptions.
 
Senior Jamal Thompson is Cornell's top returning tackler (58 stops in 2025), heading the linebacking corps. The team returns junior starting cornerback Zavion Jordan, along with three more starters on the defensive line in senior Dakota Ambush, junior Hunter Kollasch and sophomore Mark Ortiz.
 
"Defensively, we have good leaders at all three levels," Ritchie said.
 
The offensive will revolve around junior quarterback Mason Dew, who started the final seven games last season. He completed 52.8 percent of his passes for 1,134 yards and seven touchdowns.
 
Dew will target an experienced group of receivers, led by fifth-year Cole Reed who has accumulated 116 career receptions for 1,111 yards and eight TDs. Chase Kennedy (16 receptions for 128 yards), Kaleb Skeffington (13 for 124) and Darnell Boyd (16 for 118) topped double-digit receptions last year. Senior Kelby Thomas is back at tight end.
 
Senior Trey Anderson (58 rushes for 181 yards) and sophomore Justin Bender (30 for 157) head a talented room of running backs.
 
William Fairbanks started all 10 games at right tackle as a freshman. The youthful offensive line also welcomes the return of junior Braden Conroy, sidelined last year to injury.
 
"We have a lot of young guys on the offensive line," Ritchie said. "We'll see how quickly we can get up to speed."
 
Senior Mitchell Frahm will be an asset in the kicking game. He has booted 71 career PATs and totaled 98 points through three seasons. Frahm also punted 37 times for a 34.8-yard average last season.
 
With a roster loaded with youth, Ritchie expects to see growth with each and every game this fall.
 
"We need to be great teammates and care about each other," Ritchie said. "We need to prepare for how we respond to adversity. That's the best part about this game, and same as in life, is having the ability to overcome things."