{"id":2340,"date":"2026-09-04T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T10:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/2026\/09\/04\/2026-09-04-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T23:12:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T23:12:15","slug":"2026-09-04-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/2026\/09\/04\/2026-09-04-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Football to build on strong\u00a0foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Reagan Thomas<\/a> · Staff Writer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Wolverines take the field against Washington and Jefferson before the annual night game on Sept. 27, 2025. \u2014 LUKE PAGLIA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Grove City College football team enters the 2026 season with high expectations, experienced returners and a clear vision that extends well beyond wins and losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After continuing to establish itself as a contender in the Presidents\u2019 Athletic Conference (PAC), the Wolverines are focused on growth on and off the field as they prepare for another challenging campaign. Coach Andrew DiDonato emphasized that the program\u2019s goals are rooted in something bigger than football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo glorify God in the pursuit of earning a degree, building lasting relationships and competing for PAC & national championships. This is the vision for our program,\u201d DiDonato said. \u201cOur expectations each season are to continue laying bricks towards this vision as we build upon the solid foundation of those who\u2019ve built before us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That foundation includes a roster filled with returning talent and experience. One of the most noticeable areas of development has been on the offensive side of the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After replacing several starters in recent seasons, the Wolverines now return a larger core of experienced players who have spent significant time developing within the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe lost a lot of starters on offense from the 2024 season into last season,\u201d DiDonato said. \u201cHowever, this year, we have a lot of players returning. The growth of the offense has been exciting to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the offense continues to develop, the defense is expected to be a major strength for Grove City College. The Wolverines return a veteran secondary that established itself as one of the nation\u2019s most opportunistic units last season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur defensive secondary is a major strength for us,\u201d DiDonato said. \u201cWe return four starters from a unit that finished first in the country in interceptions a season ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wolverines also boast continuity in other key areas, including the offensive line and special teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur offensive line returns multiple starters with experience playing together,\u201d DiDonato added. \u201cFinally, we return our punter and kicker from a top special teams unit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond statistics and returning starters, Grove City College\u2019s program culture remains centered on faith, relationships and preparing student-athletes for life after graduation. A phrase frequently emphasized within the program is \u201c4-40-Forever,\u201d which reflects the long-term impact the coaching staff hopes to have on its players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFootball lasts four years, the degree and career will last 40 years and faith and relationships last forever,\u201d DiDonato said. \u201cWe want people to see a team that glorifies God by playing out of the overflow of our satisfaction in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Wolverines begin the 2026 season, they hope to combine experienced leadership, defensive playmaking ability and a growing offense with the faith-centered culture that has become a defining characteristic of the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With conference championship aspirations and a commitment to developing young men both on and off the field, Grove City College enters the fall looking to continue building toward its vision one brick at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Linebacker
Linebacker Caleb Brubaker finds the ball and runs with it. \u2014 DOUG NASHTOCK<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Grove City College football team enters the 2026 season with high expectations, experienced returners and a clear vision that extends well beyond wins and losses. After continuing to establish itself as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[195],"tags":[59,162,24],"class_list":["post-2340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-reagan-thomas","tag-issue-2026-09-04","tag-sports"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/2026-09-04-29-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation-1.jpg",2048,947,false],"thumbnail":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/2026-09-04-29-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation-1.jpg",150,69,false],"medium":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/2026-09-04-29-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation-1.jpg",300,139,false],"medium_large":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/2026-09-04-29-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation-1.jpg",768,355,false],"large":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/2026-09-04-29-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation-1.jpg",1024,474,false],"1536x1536":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/2026-09-04-29-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation-1.jpg",1536,710,false],"2048x2048":["\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/09\/2026-09-04-29-football-to-build-on-strong-foundation-1.jpg",2048,947,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Ian Schartner","author_link":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/author\/schartnerij23\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The Grove City College football team enters the 2026 season with high expectations, experienced returners and a clear vision that extends well beyond wins and losses. After continuing to establish itself as","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2641,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340\/revisions\/2641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}