SAINT PETER, Minn. - Boasting the largest roster in program history, the 2024 Gustavus football team is looking to take another step forward after falling just one game short of the NCAA tournament last season. The Gusties open the season Saturday afternoon at home against an unfamiliar opponent in Whitworth University out of Spokane, Wash.
 
"We have the opportunity to play a high caliber team right off the bat," said Head Coach Peter Haugen, who is in his 16th season at the helm of the program. "Whitworth had a terrific team last year and looking at their depth chart they have a lot of seniors across the board. They are similar to us in that way, returning a lot of starters. To play a top 25 team right out of the gate is a really good thing for our program and we can get a good look at where we are in week one."
 
This season's Gustavus roster includes 132 eligible players, marking the largest in the history of the program. Here's a look at the team by position groups:
 
Quarterbacks
 
Key losses: none
 
Player to watch: George Sandven
 
Notes:

• Sandven is the starter for the third straight season after earning All-Conference honors last year. Over 18 games the past two seasons, Sandven has completed 65 percent of his passes for 5,246 yards and 55 touchdowns.
• Dom Mathies and Andrew Gotziaman are the backups.

Coach Haugen's comment: "George is in his third year as the starter and he has a lot of confidence having played a lot of football. We feel good about the guys behind him and we brought in a really talented group of freshmen quarterbacks as well."
 
Running Backs
 
Key loss: Rohee Konde (All-Conference)
 
Players to watch: River Wood, Walker Britz
 
Notes:

• Wood and Britz look to fill the void left by Konde, who was an All-Conference selection that past two seasons. Last season, Wood and Britz combined for 647 yards and 10 touchdowns.
• Last season, the Gusties averaged 115.1 rushing yards per game, which ranked seventh in the MIAC.

Coach's comment: "Those guys have some experience. River has been a part of the program for four years now and Walker transferred in last year. They are both coming off really solid seasons. River has capacity in the return game as well. We are excited about them."
 
Tight Ends
 
Key losses: none
 
Players to watch: Charlie Barnick, Jordan Wold
 
Notes:

• Last season, Barnick and Wold were primarily used as blocking tight ends. The two combined for 10 catches for 110 yards and one touchdown.
• Wold caught the lone tight end touchdown last season in the MIAC championship game at Bethel.

Coach's comment: "They have been really good. Charlie is a captain now and has taken on that role. Those two are key guys with a lot of experience and then you bring in Owen Watson as the third guy who has worked incredibly hard and put himself in a position where we have three guys that we are really confident in right away."
 
Wide Receivers
 
Key loss: Matthew Carreon (All-Conference)
 
Players to watch: Jake Breitbach, Caden Kleinschmidt
 
Notes:

• Breitbach made headlines all season long last year, having the most decorated season by an individual in program history. The Golden Valley, Minn. native was selected the Bobby Bell Division III Impact Player of the Year, a top-five finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, earned All-America honors from three different organizations, and was a First Team CSC Academic All-American. He set two single season program records with 110 receptions and 1,599 receiving yards. Breitbach also hauled in 13 touchdowns.
• Kleinschmidt was third on the team last season with 20 catches for 399 yards and six touchdowns.

Coach's comment: "Jake is an example guy. He's out early working on his craft. You put Caden Kleinschmidt next to him and they have played a lot of football together. Those two are a lot to handle. Mix in some newer guys that have played some with Logan Carlson and Hamza Malim, those other guys have some talent, too."
 
Offensive Line
 
Key losses: Zachary Claassen (All-Conference), Sam Stafsholt (All-Conference)
 
Players to watch: Luke Rooker, Connor Scholten, Aaron Reichard, Will Pelto, Ritter Cook
 
Notes:

• The Gusties have to fill two voids left by All-Conference linemen Claassen and Stafsholt.
• Last season the offensive line pass blocked for one of the best offenses in NCAA Division III, ranking sixth in the country with 332.1 yards per game.

Coach's comment: "There is some new chemistry and our guys have handled it really well. Connor Schoelten jumps into one of those spots and Aaron Reichard at center, who has been with us for a while. Our tackles are good. Will Pelto is also a returner. We have 11 freshmen recruits at O-line and we needed it."
 
Defensive Line
 
Key losses: none
 
Players to watch: Javier Gratacos, Cody Bonk, Jack Swanson, Max Olson
 
Notes:

• Gratacos leads the defensive line after earning All-Conference honors the past two seasons. He tallied 29 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks last year.
• Bonk, Swanson, and Olson all return to their starting roles and are backed by four more linemen with varsity experience. Swanson was All-Conference honorable mention last year.

Coach's comment: "It is a solid two deep and they will all play. Eight guys will be in the rotation. There is a lot of experience and talent there."
 
Linebackers
 
Key losses: none
 
Players to watch: Carson DeKam, William Hawkins, Jack Klug
 
Notes:

• All three starters return in 2024, led by DeKam, who is a three-time All-Region selection and the reigning MIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Last season, he collected a career-high 93 tackles to lead the team. He also contributed eight tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. DeKam enters the season with 250 career tackles.
• Klug was second on the team with 61 tackles last year. He added 5.0 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries.

Coach's comment: "DeKam is just locked in right now and has been a leader on the team for a while. Again, there is a lot of experience and talent with this group."
 
Defensive Backs
 
Key losses: Isaiah Chambers (All-Conference), Andrey Denson
 
Players to watch: Darius Howard, Taylor Stroh, Eric Lyons Jr.
 
Notes:

• Stroh led the secondary last season with 43 tackles.
• Howard was selected All-Conference honorable mention after tallying 39 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and interception.
• Lyons Jr. was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week on Oct. 24 last year after making a number of key plays in a 38-35 upset win over No. 7 Saint John's. 

Coach's comment: Darius, Stroh, and Lyon Jr. are the anchors in the secondary. Landon Goebel will have a new opportunity and we're excited to see how that group evolves as well."
 
Specialists
 
Key loss: Andrew Abegglen (All-Conference)
 
Players to watch: Owen Forsythe, Jack Sieben, Chance Swansson, River Wood
 
Notes:

• Wood is back as an All-Conference kickoff returner after posting 17 returns for 355 yards. He averaged 28.8 yards per return, which ranked sixth in the MIAC.
• Sieben and Forsythe look to replace Abegglen in the kicking game. Forsythe will also handle the punting responsibilities.

Coach's comment: "Our specialist group is still a bit open and we will continue to evaluate as we move further into the season, but I'm confident in the guys we have."
 
Captains
 
Charlie Barnick, Braden Black, Cody Bonk, Jake Breitbach, Carson DeKam, George Sandven
 
Coach's comment: "They have been incredible. The connections they made with players over the summer and all the work behind the scenes. They have done an awesome job in the offseason connecting our players. They were a huge part of putting together our player handbook. They are really good guys." 
 
Notes:
 
Gusties Embark on 107th Season: The Gustavus football team is in its 107th season this year after posting a 6-4 record (5-3 MIAC) in 2023. Over the previous 106 seasons, the Gusties have compiled an overall record of 531-371-21, including a record of 245-133-8 in Saint Peter. With 22 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, Gustavus has claimed the second-most league titles in the 102-year history of the conference. Only Saint John's (36) has more MIAC championships.
 
Follow the Gusties on KNUJ: KNUJ AM 860 out of New Ulm, Minn. will once again broadcast all 10 Gustavus regular season games this year. The voice of the Golden Gusties, Tom Wheeler, handles the play-by-play duties for the 16th consecutive season. Wheeler will be joined by 1984 Gustavus graduate and former Gustie football player Ken Ericson on the live call of this year's games. Fans can listen to the KNUJ broadcasts through the MIAC Sports Network, which is paired with the live video stream of each home game.
 
Gustavus in Home Openers: The Gusties have compiled an all-time record of 64-38-4 in home openers over the past 106 years of the program. In 2023's home opener, Gustavus rolled to a 51-7 win over Buena Vista University. George Sandven connected with six different receivers for 382 passing yards, while Jake Breitbach recorded 235 receiving yards on 13 catches with four touchdowns. Gustavus claimed an 11-6 win over Mankato Normal in its first ever home game in 1902. That game was played on what is now the Nicollet County Fairgrounds on the north end of Saint Peter.
 
132: The 2024 Gustavus roster is the largest in the 107-year history of the program. This year's roster includes 132 eligible players, while a few more are sidelined for the season due to injury or are serving in a student coach/manager role. The 2024 Gusties are composed of 47 first-years, 29 sophomores, 26 juniors, 19 seniors, and 14 fifth-years.
 
Scouting the Pirates: Whitworth is coming off an impressive 2023 season where it went 10-1 overall, won the Northwest Conference championship at 7-0, and reached the second round of the NCAA playoffs. The Pirates rolled to a 42-28 win over Chapman in the first round before falling to Wartburg 42-20 in the second round.
 
The Pirates, who begin the season ranked No. 24 according to the D3football.com preseason poll, return eight starters on offense and nine on defense. All five starting offensive lineman return this season and will run block for All-NWC tailback Luis Salgado, who ran for 717 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Evan Liggett is the top returning receiver after hauling in 53 passes for 848 yards and seven touchdowns.
 
The Pirates will look to Ryan Blair behind center in his first season as the starting quarterback. Blair has a tough task to replicate last season's passing offense for Whitworth, which ranked 14th in Division III at 306.5 yards per game. The Pirates scoring offense was also potent last season, ranking 24th in the country at 40.8 points per game.
 
All-Conference defensive ends JT Muñoz and Dylan Owen, along with last season's leading tackler Zach Brooks, will anchor the defense. Daniel McKeirnan is set to patrol the secondary after leading the team with five interceptions last season.

The Series: Saturday's non-conference game is the first ever meeting between Gustavus and Whitworth on the gridiron. Whitworth is a member of the Northwest Conference, and Gustavus holds a 4-0 record against NWC teams. The Gusties beat Pacific Lutheran in 2008 (24-14 in Tacoma, Wash.) and 2009 (34-33 in Saint Peter), and defeated Willamette in 2006 (35-7 in Salem, Ore.) and 2007 (34-25 in Saint Peter).