LEXINGTON, Va. – The Washington and Lee football team was picked to finish second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference after claiming 43 points and two first-place votes in the annual ODAC Football Preseason Poll announced by the conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Coming off an 8-3 2021 season, Head Coach Garrett LeRose was voted ODAC Coach of the Year after leading the Blue and White to their third ODAC Trophy since 2015 and seventh trophy overall. The title chase came down to a head-to-head 25-24 result over Randolph-Macon in late September, sending Washington and Lee to the NCAA Tournament in LeRose's fourth season. 

The Generals trailed Randolph-Macon College by five points in the poll results. Hampden-Sydney College claimed 36 points to round out the top-3. Averett University, in its first year of ODAC membership, collected 15 points and is predicted to finish seventh. The Cougars become the 15th member of the league and bring the football alignment back to a seven-game conference schedule. 

2022 FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL

1. Randolph-Macon College (6)  48 pts.
2. Washington and Lee University (2)    43 pts.
3. Hampden-Sydney College      36 pts.
4. Shenandoah University          29 pts.
5. Ferrum College           26 pts.
6. Bridgewater College   20 pts.
7. Averett University       15 pts.
8. Guilford College          7 pts.

NATIONAL POLL

The Blue and White earned one vote on the D3football.com annual Preseason Top 25 Poll. W&L was one of two ODAC teams to be mentioned by the association; Randolph-Macon tallied 121 points following the 9-1 2021 campaign. The Yellow Jackets were voted 21st in the poll released in July. Mary Hardin-Baylor, reigning National Champions, sits atop the poll with 619 points and Mount Union (577), who ended the Generals' post-season run last year, rounds out the top-3. 

The American Football Coaches Association released their preseason poll on September 25, the Generals were one of 21 teams to receive votes outside of the top-25 programs. Washington and Lee collected eight votes with Mary Hardin-Baylor claiming the top spot in the AVCA poll. The 9-1 Yellow Jackets dropped to No. 20 after finishing last year in the 18-spot with 206 points. 

Methodist, the week three opponent for the Blue and White, was one of three teams to tally a vote in the preseason poll. 

SCHEDULE PREVIEW

The Generals open up at home under the lights on September 3, a rare night-game for the Blue and White. W&L will host Christopher Newport University for a 6 p.m. contest and will look to even up the score against the Captains after a 26-24 season-opening defeat in Newport News last year. 

The Blue and White faithful will have to travel across state lines the next two Saturdays to Sewanee, Tenn. and Methodist University in Fayettville, N.C., respectively. Both road contests are slated for 1 p.m. (ET) kickoff. A week-four bye means the Generals won't return to Wilson Field until October 1. 

Parents Weekend features ODAC newcomers, Averett University, for a 3 p.m. start. The two teams have not met since 2015, when Blue and White came out on top in a 63-35 victory despite splitting the all-time series 3-3.

Week six and seven are on the road against Guilford and Ferrum in ODAC contests while the back end of the schedule will be a true test for the Generals. 

Coming off a 32-30 victory at Hampden-Sydney in last year's campaign, W&L will host the predicted number three on October 22 at 1 p.m. Washington and Lee proved victorious the past two meetings, both away games, and own a slight 21-19-2 advantage at home over the Tigers in the all-time series.

Randolph-Macon travels to Lexington on October 29 to square off in a Young Alumni Weekend contest, the most anticipated game of the 2022 slate for the W&L faithful. The Generals upset the ‘Jackets, 25-24, in a comeback win last year after marching 99 yards in 17 plays with just 7:38 left on the clock over then 16th-ranked Randolph-Macon. Stephen Murrin (Fort Worth, Texas / Fort Worth Country Day) punched in a one yard run with one second on the clock while Josh Breece '22 (Lorton, Va. / Stone Bridge) optioned into the endzone, untouched, for a successful two-point conversion. That victory was the first over a ranked opponent since a 20-17 win over No. 23 Guilford in 2015. 

The month of November is a battle of Interstate 81; Bridgewater will host the Blue and White on November 5 and the final regular season contest features Shenandoah on Wilson Field to celebrate the football seniors. W&L will look to avenge a 14-6 upset in Winchester, a game that snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Generals last year. 

KEY RETURNERS

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference returns 36 all-conference players to the gridiron this fall. Washington & Lee makes up seven of those names, four on the defensive end and three on the other side of the ball. 

A pair of first-teamers, and team co-captains, are back on Wilson Field in lineman Robert Poindexter (Atlanta, Ga./ Lovett) and David Onyejekwe (Falls Church, Va./ McLean). Poindexter led the ODAC in sacks last year with 5.5 and he was second in tackles for loss (11.5). Robert Harvey, also a team co-captain, trailed Poindexter in both categories with five sacks and 11 TFL and was honored with Second Team All-ODAC laurels.

Onyejekwe, a senior linebacker, recorded 5.5 TFL resulting in 22 yards, 11 of those yards are from his two sacks. He notched 58 tackles, 28 solo tackles, during his junior campaign and sought out one interception, returned for 71 yards at CNU in the season opener. 

Mustafa Alkhatib (Lawrenceville, Ga./ Discovery) was voted Third Team All-ODAC by the league coaches. A mainstay on the line, Alkhatib notched 27 total tackles, three for a loss and one sack, and he was credited with two quarterback hits and one pass breakup. 

Junior lineman Nathan Unger (Virginia Beach, Va./ Cox) made a splash in the ODAC despite not earning all-conference accolades in his first year on the field. Unger recorded four sacks, third best in the league, with 31 total tackles, 4.5 TFL and two pass breakups. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the 2021 reigning ODAC champs return First Team offensive lineman Logan Moyer (Germantown, Md./ Quince Orchard) who will be tasked with protecting QB Stephen Murrin (Fort Worth, Texas/ Fort Worth Country Day), an All-ODAC Third Team honoree, who helped lift W&L over R-MC in the waning moments of last season's thriller. 

Murrin recorded 28 completions for 359 yards, three touchdowns and he rushed for 728 yards, scoring five touchdowns on the ground in limited action his sophomore year. 

Senior all-purpose back Alex Wertz (Sterling, Va./ Dominion) recorded a conference-best 1,040 all-purpose yards. Dynamic from the back field and in the return game, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, he notched 548 yards and four touchdowns. Including breaking loose for a league-best 96-yard kickoff return touchdown. He totaled 478 return yards and averaged 29.9 yards per return.   

Special teams standouts Arturo Ramirez (Providence Village, Texas/ Braswell) and Charlie Flemming (Atlanta, Ga. / Marist) return in the Blue and White and sit amongst the league's best at their respective positions. Ramirez was a perfect 36-of-36 in points after touchdown. Flemming amassed 1,170 total yards on his punt attempts, booming three for 50+ yards and 10 inside the 20-yard line, third most in the league last year. 

Jacob Romero (Fredericksburg, Va./ Massaponax) led the ODAC in punt return yards with 68 total in his first year of competition.

Romero and Fleming's classmate, first-year linebacker Jalen Todd (Louisville, Ky. / Kentucky Country Day), was tabbed as the VaSID Defensive Rookie of the Year.  Todd played in 10 games during his rookie campaign and finished third on the team in tackles with 55 total stops.  He added 2.5 tackles for a loss (-6) and had one sack (-3).  Todd also posted one pass breakup and he forced one fumble.  He had two games with double-digit tackle totals, including a team-high 14 tackles (10 solo) against Mount Union in the NCAA playoffs. 

MEET THE CAPTAINS

NEW FACES ON STAFF

Coach LeRose welcomed two new members on to his staff this off-season and positions were realigned due to departures. Tony Collins II and Mat Rapoza ‘03 can be found on the sideline this fall for the Blue and White. The newcomers have been charged with anchoring the offensive and defensive linemen, respectively. 

Rapoza, an All-American for the Generals in 2001 and 2002 as an offensive lineman, didn't have to travel too far to assume his role at Washington and Lee, spending the past 13 seasons at Rockbridge County High School. Collins was a four-year member of the Davidson College Wildcats, the All-Pioneer defensive lineman wrapped up 205 tackles and 10 TFL during his playing career. Collins obtained a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia and several advanced graduate certificates prior to arriving in Lexington this summer. 

The two have been tasked with recruiting, developing game plans, schemes, and complete student-athlete development from the trenches. 

During the offseason, Bobby Jones was promoted to Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. Vaughn Johnson will serve as the Defensive Coordinator and Jimmie Johnson will assume the Special Teams Coordinator designation for the 2022 season.

Jones works primarily with quarterbacks and wide receivers; Vaughn Johnson will oversee linebackers and Jimmie Johnson will lead the running backs' room. Coach LeRose will continue to oversee the defensive back development.