Blake Stenstrom ’24 took the snap, dropped back two paces, looked around, and launched the ball out left to then-junior tight end Tyler Picinic.
Two Yalies swarmed the Princetonian and swatted the pass away. Just like that, the Tigers’ hopes of the 2023 Ivy League title disappeared as, in the fourth quarter and 8 in double overtime against Yale, Princeton simply couldn’t get it over the line.
This game followed a defeat the week prior against Dartmouth, and the Orange and Black went on to end the season in fourth place. It was a disappointing end to a challenging campaign for the Tigers, in spite of the star power on the roster.
Nevertheless, a new college year brings a new college football season, and the Tigers are excited to be back in action on Sept. 21 against Lehigh University.
“You have a blank slate, and it’s so much fun seeing the development of the players,” Head Coach Bob Surace ’90 told The Daily Princetonian. “We went from being a relatively inexperienced team … to being a team up there with the covid years — the most seniors.”
“Some of the errors you typically have in the spring — we made less of them. We were able to expand some of the concepts we have on offense and defense with a veteran group,” Surace continued.
The Tigers also struggled on offense during parts of last season, especially at the beginning. Princeton scored just 55 points across four games to begin their season, with three of these games coming against non-conference “preseason” opposition.
A change in offensive coordinator saw Mike Willis, former assistant coach and offensive coordinator (OC), join Marist College to be their head coach for the 2024–2025 season. The Tigers selected former Quarterbacks Coach Mark Rosenbaum to fill this role.
Although the Tigers are losing their OC, they will find comfort knowing that most of their key offensive weapons will return for the upcoming season. Senior wide receivers Luke Colella and AJ Barber, who both had star seasons last season, return for their final year alongside most of Princeton’s offensive line. Picinic returns as well, and the rushing yards leader, senior John Volker, will look for another strong season.
It was left tackle Jalen Travis ’24, transferring to Iowa State for his final year of eligibility following an injury which took him out of several games, and Stenstrom, a fifth year transfer from Colorado, who were integral parts of the Princeton offense that graduated this past spring.
“We have a lot of depth,” Surace said about the Princeton offense. “It’s really only one position on the offense [the quarterback] that doesn’t have starting experience; it’s created a great competition — the young guys are pushing the veteran guys.”
The quarterback position is indeed hotly contested, with the Tigers listing five different quarterbacks on their roster. Last season’s play, however, hinted at junior Blaine Hipa being in prime contention for this spot following his performance against Yale, which saw him not only throw a touchdown but score a rushing touchdown too. Senior QB Blaine McAllister also appeared in one game — against Brown — and he may have a shot for this starting spot.
“It will be exciting to see how it shapes up throughout camp, but I think they’re [the quarterbacks] all looking forward to the competition,” Surace told the ‘Prince.’ “They support each other — it’s a strong room — but until you play games, they’re untested and that’s great because they’ll have a chip on their shoulder.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Princeton has a big hole to fill in the linebacker department. Three key linebackers, Ozzie Nicholas ’24, Liam Johnson ’24, and Will Perez ’24, who shared most of the snaps last year, graduated. Nicholas transferred to Duke, while Johnson will attend UC Berkeley in the fall — the two were both 2023 First Team All-Ivy selections and went for 187 combined tackles in 10 games.
Surace is strategically keeping quiet on replacements for this particular position as fall training continues, but expect senior Carson Irons and junior Sekou Roland to pick up some of the slack at LB. Both of them had significant game time in this star-studded position, and that will only increase come fall. Junior Marco Scarano also had a sharp upturn in gametime as the season progressed after Perez’s injury and should similarly line up for many snaps.
“While replacing Liam [Johnson], Ozzie [Nicholas] and Will Perez are huge roles to fill, we have guys that have been working really hard from the moment the season ended,” senior defensive lineman Collin Taylor told the ‘Prince.’
“We also know that we have a lot back at our other positions on the defensive line and defensive backs,” Taylor continued. “It means we do have a lot of experience which will be very valuable for us.”
On the D-Line along with Taylor, expect fellow seniors Ryan Ives and Jack DelGarbino, who both started every game, to continue to play large roles for the Tigers. The three seniors ended the season with 30, 21, and 51 tackles respectively — numbers that are sure to increase as they enter their final year with Princeton.
In the secondary, Princeton has a packed roster with talented players across all positions within the group. Seniors Mason Armstead, Jackson Fischer, and Jalen Newman all saw significant gametime as they totalled 73 tackles playing in the safety and cornerback positions. Juniors Nasir Hill and Tahj Owens are two more to watch out for in the upcoming season. Owens racked up 46 tackles while Hill, Second Team All-Ivy last season and a future star, collected 62 — third highest in the team.
The Tigers also had several of their talented players recognized with Preseason All-Ivy Selections. Senior offensive lineman Tommy Matheson, Colella, and DelGarbino saw First-Team honors. Meanwhile, sophomore kicker Brady Clark, Barber, and Hill received Second Team picks — Clark was one of just two sophomores on the list.
Despite this talent, a preseason media poll placed the Tigers fourth for the upcoming Ivy League season — they received one first place vote out of 16, and ranked behind Yale, Harvard, and Penn respectively.
“I think we kind of focus on every season as an individual season and we want to be the best we can be as a team, so we’re highly motivated every single day, working hard to achieve our goals which is to win the Ivy league,” Taylor said to the ‘Prince’ about the preseason poll.
“We don’t necessarily think of this season as separate or together from other seasons,” Taylor continued. “We think of this as our own team, and we’re ready to work with this team to be the best that we can.”
Princeton faces a tough season ahead with the competition seemingly growing ever closer by the year: last season, six out of seven of their conference games were decided by one score or less, and one of them by just a single point. The Tigers, nevertheless, have an advantage with an experienced roster and coaching staff, and a change in offensive coordinator will hopefully be able to solve some of the struggles they had offensively last season.
A new QB and some less experienced defensive talents will be wildcards, but there are several key players that the Tigers will be relying on come the season start. On offense, look out for WR Colella #1 in particular — the six foot senior led the team in receiving yards last season and will be sure to keep up his strong form. Junior QB Hipa, if he gets the starting job, may also surprise many people in the League.
On defense, there are several talented players; in the secondary, however, junior defensive back Hill has stood out throughout all of his time at Princeton. Seeing action in every game his whole Princeton career is no small feat and he is sure to continue his upward trajectory in the fall — his tackle and interception stats will only improve.
The Tigers start the season at Lehigh University on Sept. 21. Following a poor opening game last season, Princeton will not want to repeat history. The Orange and Black are on a three-game winning streak against the Mountain Hawks dating back to 2018 and the Eastern Pennsylvania school should be put away by Princeton once again.
Alex Beverton-Smith is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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