Tag Archives: UW-River Falls

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ATN Podcast 412: Early look at 1 vs. 2

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The wait is almost over, and the 2026 Division III football season is kicking off with an absolute bang. On this episode of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast, we are breaking down our newly released Preseason Top 25 poll and looking ahead to a schedule that is already shaping up to be, well, we used the term “gobsmacking.”

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.

For the very first time in the 23-year history of the poll, the season opens with a monumental clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country. It’s an unprecedented Week 1 blockbuster that breaks the mold of the usual Mount Union, Whitewater, or Mary Hardin-Baylor early-season math. We dive into what this historic matchup, between North Central and Bethel, means for the landscape of D-III football, how the poll numbers set up the early schedule, and highlight the games you absolutely cannot miss.

Plus, we are bringing you newsmakers directly from the sidelines to get you ready for the fall:

Coach Brad Spencer and senior safety Brayden Garrigan from North Central join us. Spencer chats about the mindset in Naperville heading into 2026, how the coaching staff is managing the continued sky-high expectations, and the benefits of playing Bethel once again. We also get Garrigan’s perspective on his busy offseason and what it actually feels like in the North Central locker room in terms of bringing new starters and freshmen into the mix.

Mary Hardin-Baylor head coach Larry Harmon drops in to discuss how the Cru are hoping to improve on offense in their second year since the return of offensive coordinator Steven Lee. While the quarterback situation is a little up in the air, we hear a little about the position, plus what UMHB needs to do to elevate the offense. We also talk about the Cru’s schedule, especially key games against Endicott and Rowan which are sure to help the NPI of the winner.

Plus we answer mailbag questions about the preseason Top 25, share our sleeper picks for the 2026 season, talk about how we go about making our preseason votes, and give a brief prediction for the game between No. 1 North Central and No. 2 Bethel. And … what of UW-River Falls? The Falcons lost key personnel to graduation, more to the transfer portal, and their head coach and offensive coordinator. We know, not everyone has heard. Patrick and Greg do not agree as to where UW-River Falls should be ranked in the preseason, but we’ll offer hope for where they might find success in 2026.

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: Mathieu Starke, d3photography.com; Mary Hardin-Baylor athletics; Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com

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ATN Podcast 407: Headed to the Titans; New sounds for Bison

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The biggest news for Division III football coming out of the NFL draft was, as usual, not about a player getting drafted. We are accustomed to that by now, sadly, and no amount of tweeting is going to convince the NFL to draft D-III players.

But for Tyren Montgomery, the contract offer came. And for four additional players so far, the rookie minicamp invite arrived. And on this podcast, we talk to Montgomery, the former John Carroll wide receiver, now a member of the Tennessee Titans, about his route to the NFL. If you read our feature on Montgomery last September, you already know the back story. He talks about what he’s been working on since the season ended, how many calls his agent got on his behalf, what he likes about the Titans and why he chose them out of the number of offers he received.

We also chat with Bethany coach David Blake, who joins the Bison this year and brings a number of new ideas to the sideline after a wide variety of past experiences, including flying jets in the Navy and then working for the Judge Advocate General’s office. How that experience plays out as a first-time head coach is really fascinating, and is worth a listen. This includes some interesting uses of music during practice and workouts, and a really unique title for one of his assistant coaches.

Other topics of discussion include, of course, the demise of Anna Maria College and the Anna Maria football program, the future arrival of St. Anselm from NCAA Division II, the St. Francis schedule, the new WIAC commissioner and the intriguing Week 1 matchup between UW-River Falls and Southern Virginia.

In addition, we take your questions on the following topics: What is our opinion on D-III schools scheduling teams? Who has set themselves up for a playoff bid? And how many games and teams are we able to watch per week?

Links: Tyren Montgomery feature, September 2025, Trading in his high tops

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 about NCAA Division III football, and has been running since 2007.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. 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

Here’s how to find us on some of the major podcasting apps:

Photos: John Carroll athletics; Bethany athletics; Saint Anselm athletics

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ATN Podcast 404: The aftermath, the return, the revival

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The UW-River Falls postseason media campaign continued through the end of January, all the way through a parade through town and yes, one last interview with the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast about the 2025 season.

Our guests on this podcast: UW-River Falls coach Matt Walker, John Carroll coach Brian Polian, and Whittier coach Cory White. It’s the first episode of our 20th season, here on the longest running Division III football podcast.

Is the next Falcons’ quarterback on campus already, or is there a chance for a transfer for the fall? What did it feel like to lose some key players shortly after the championship into the portal? Which does Walker have more of, beers or championship hats? Those hard-hitting questions and more in this conversation with Matt Walker.

Polian is brand-new to the job, but not new to college football head coaching, as the athletic director at John Carroll and the former head coach at Nevada. First off, we have to get his take on Ty Montgomery, who had a huge week in front of pro scouts at the Senior Bowl at the end of January, and we’ll also hear how Polian plans to juggle both the head coaching and athletic director job, whose idea it was for him to apply in the first place, and what he told people who had interviewed for the role when he told them he was taking the job himself.

Cory White is the new head coach at Whittier. It’s a new day at Whittier, which is returning to the field after three years off. White says he would not have taken the job as the head coach of the Poets if not for assurances from the administration that they would do things better this time around. Hear about how many players the Poets have already (it’s a big number) and where they expect to be in the fall, all with the team going through a strength and conditioning practice in the background on a beautiful January day in Southern California.

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 about NCAA Division III football, and has been running since 2007.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. 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

Here’s how to find us on some of the major podcasting apps:

Photos: D3sports.com; Berry sports information; UW-River Falls athletics