Tag Archives: OAC

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ATN Podcast 413: Going 5-for-5, Bethel’s big test, Thunder, helmets

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The discussion of 5-for-5, which is to say, a five-year window in which to play up to five years of sports, has been rampant at the Division III level in recent weeks, especially since Division II went in on the concept which was pioneered at the Division I level. Plus, we get you ready for Week 1 by talking with Mike McElroy and Cooper Drews at Bethel, and Jesse Scott at Wheaton. And we pay a visit to the Helmet Guy.

This edition of the D3football.com Podcast is sponsored by GameStrat, the most reliable & fastest in-game video replay system on the market. Find out more at GameStrat.com.

Division II jumped in quickly on adopting 5-for-5. Can Division III do the same? Should Division III do the same? And is 5-for-5 really what it sounds like? Patrick and Greg dive into the process, the survey of athletic directors and conference commissioners and whether such a concept aligns with the Division III mission and philosophy.

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We are also joined by McElroy and Drews, whose No. 2-ranked Bethel Royals have a bunch of attention on them this year. First off, they’re looking for a name for their offense — can it be as good as Top Gun at UW-River Falls last year? The circumstances are pretty different for Bethel in 2026 compared to 2025, as the offense is returning essentially everyone who ran the ball or caught a pass, so the Royals hope to hit the ground running, or passing, when facing D3football.com preseason No. 1 North Central.

Wheaton is hitting the field in Week 1 with a tough game once again, as the Thunder host Mount Union. Jesse Scott tells us how the game came about, what sort of extra lore could be added to the matchup, talks about quarterback Mark Forcucci and how to replace a tough defender in Peter Johanik, who graduated. Also, the Thunder program and alumni had a moment of tragedy this offseason, and Scott talks about the loss of Jalen Shaffer and Philip LoChirco over the summer.

Plus, who are the potential Week 1 upsets? Which conferences might be looking to join the HCAC and OAC and declare some sort of cooperative working agreement?

That and more in this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation podcast is a weekly conversation during the season, twice monthly in the offseason, about NCAA Division III football, and has been running since 2007.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

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Photos: Caleb Williams, d3photography.com; Patrick Coleman, D3sports.com; Kodiak Creative

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ATN Podcast 198: Trying to break through

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This is really the end of the offseason, right here. Kickoff is out in a week-plus and training camps open at the same time. Coaches are taking the last days off until November, and we’re talking with them about their plans for this season.

Our guests this month are from programs trying to break through into the upper echelons of really tough conferences. Matt Walker, coach of UW-River Falls, has seen the Falcons’ reboot take seven years so far, and he shares some pretty honest thoughts about how long it’s taken. He also talks about his sudden and unexplained departure from DePauw all those years ago.

We’re also joined by Joe Austin, the coach at Southwestern, whose program is entering its sixth season. The Pirates have moved from the SCAC to the American Southwest Conference, and hardly missed a beat last year. What’s it like recruiting in the shadow of Mary Hardin-Baylor? The answer isn’t what you’d expect.

That and more on the July 2018 podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football. 

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.
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[display_podcast]		 d3photography.com, Southwestern file photos
You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in iTunes. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

Mentioned in the podcast: New turf going in at Marietta, below.

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Around the Nation Podcast 147: Moving to the next level

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One of the questions we’ve focused on in our slate of offseason podcasts is to ask coaches what it would take for their school to get to the next level. And we don’t mean Division II. Earlier this offseason we asked what the distance is like between Wabash and the elite teams in Division III. Or this time, what separates Stevenson from reaching the level of Wesley, the power in Division III in the Mid-Atlantic? What would it take for St. Thomas to join the Mount Union/Whitewater tier?

Guests this month include St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso, Stevenson coach Ed Hottle and Howard Payne coach and athletic director Hunter Sims.

The Around the Nation Podcast is a weekly conversation (monthly in the offseason) between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan covering the wide range of Division III football. It drops on Monday morning weekly throughout the season.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device. [display_podcast] Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com
You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in iTunes. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download