The Washington and Lee University football team fell 16-10 at Trinity University (Texas) on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Ryan

2025 Football Season Preview

Generals Receive 53 points, Picked to Finish Second in the ODAC

8/20/2025 2:00:00 PM

LEXINGTON, Va. -The Washington and Lee University football team was predicted to finish second in the annual Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) preseason poll which is voted upon by the leagues’ eight head coaches, the conference announced on Wednesday afternoon

Following a 7-4 record during their 2024 campaign and a third place finish in the conference, the Blue and White received 53 points in the poll to lock up the second spot. No. 21 Randolph-Macon was tabbed as the preseason favorite for the seventh-straight year, receiving eight of the nine first place votes and 64 points. Shenandoah picked up the final first-place vote and 49 points to sit in third while Bridgewater was picked fourth with 45 points and Hampden-Sydney rounded out the top five with 39 points.

Garrett LeRose '07

2025 ODAC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL

1. Randolph-Macon (8) | 64 pts.

2. Washington and Lee | 53 pts.

3. Shenandoah (1) | 49 pts.

4. Bridgewater | 45 pts.

5. Hampden-Sydney | 39 pts.

6. Roanoke | 22 pts.

T7. Averett | 21 pts.

T7. Guilford | 21 pts.

9. Gallaudet | 10 pts.

NATIONAL POLL

The first Division III national poll was released in late July by D3football.com. Defending National Champions, North Central College (Ill.) tops the preseason poll entering the 2025 season after receiving 24 of the 25 first place votes. National Runner-up, University of Mount Union was picked second in the opening poll after picking up the final first place vote. Johns Hopkins followed the Purple Raiders in third while Susquehanna was picked fourth after making it to the National Semifinals for the first time in program history. St. John's rounded out the top-five in the poll after an 11-1 campaign. Randolph-Macon is the only ODAC School represented in the top-25, checking in at No. 21 after posting a 10-2 record in 2024.

The entire D3football.com Preseason Top-25 can be found HERE.

The Washington and Lee University football team blanked Averett University, 35-0, in their ODAC Opener on Saturday Evening

SCHEDULE PREVIEW

The Washington and Lee University football team opens up the 2025 campaign at Wilson Field as they welcome No. 7 Salisbury University on Sept. 6 before taking a trip to Ohio to take on Wittenberg College on Sept. 13. The ODAC slate will kick off at home on Sept. 20 as they take on Guilford College before a pair of rivalry matchups on the road. The Blue and White will travel to Ashland to take on No. 21 Randolph-Macon College on Sept. 27 before heading to Farmville for a matchup against the Tigers of Hampden-Sydney on Oct. 4.

W&L heads back to Wilson Field on Oct. 11 as they welcome Gallaudet, new associate member of the ODAC , before heading into the bye week. Following the break, the Eagles of Bridgewater College come to Lexington on Oct. 25 before heading to Danville for a Nov. 1 matchup at Averett. The team will honor their seniors on Nov. 8 in their final home game as Roanoke College, who is set to play their first football season since

Beginning in 2025-26, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s five-year media rights agreement with FloSports ensures that all ODAC and W&L home contests will stream live on FloCollege with a subscription.

How to Watch

FloSports/FloCollege can be accessed through the FloSports app or on major streaming platforms, including Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast which provides access to FloSports’ full library of more than 40,000 events across 25 sports. Subscriptions can be purchased here and are available in two options HERE:

Monthly: $19.99/month
Annual: $107.88/year ($8.99/month)

Fans with an ODAC institution .edu email address are eligible for discounted pricing:

Monthly: $9.99/month
Annual: $71.88/year ($5.99/month)

For those who can’t watch live or do not want to subscribe to FloCollege, free replays will be available on Generalssports.com/live beginning two days after each game. For example, a Saturday contest will be available starting at midnight on Monday morning.

Admission to regular-season home games is free, while ODAC semifinal and championship games and any NCAA postseason contests will require paid admission regardless of host institution.

Fans planning to attend should review W&L’s tailgating and parking operations HERE.

KEY RETURNERS

The Blue and White return two of their starting offensive linemen from last season, with Tucker Jacobsen and Cailen Graham set to spearhead the unit. Together, they helped pave the way for the fourth-best rushing offense in Division III in 2024. The Generals’ multi-faceted, run-heavy attack scored 30 or more points five times last season, highlighted by a program-record 68–28 victory over the Newport News Apprentice School—the highest single-game scoring output in the modern era. The rushing offense averaged 293.5 yards per game, including 477 yards against Ferrum and 446 yards against Apprentice.

Junior quarterback Ty Collins returns to lead W&L’s high-powered triple-option offense. In his sophomore campaign, Collins completed 69 of 117 passes (59%) for 983 yards and 10 touchdowns—becoming the first W&L quarterback to throw double-digit touchdown passes since Charlie Westfal ’12 tallied 15 in 2011. Collins also added 401 rushing yards on 95 carries with four touchdowns.

Junior running back Anthony Crawford will handle the bulk of the carries for the Generals this season. In 22 career games, Crawford has rushed 216 times for 973 yards and 19 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he carried 106 times for 564 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and nine touchdowns, earning Third Team All-ODAC honors. He set career highs with 29 carries and 139 rushing yards in W&L’s Cape Henry Bowl win over Wilkes, and tied the second-most rushing touchdowns in a single game in program history with four against Averett.

On the defensive side, sophomore linebacker Brennan Stout and junior linebacker Mac Palmer are key returners. Stout ranked second on the team in tackles as a freshman with 72 total stops, including 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He recorded five double-digit tackle performances, highlighted by a career-high 15 tackles against Trinity (Texas) in September. Palmer looks to step into a larger role after registering 24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his sophomore season.

MEET THE CAPTAINS

The Washington and Lee University remained undefeated in conference play as they defeated Hampden-Sydney College 28-26 at Wilson Field.

Josh Garcia

Alan Haigler
Josh Garcia
Jack Johnson

On the Field: Senior Alan Haigler is one of four captains on the defensive side of the ball this season. Last season, Haigler only played in five games due to an injury but recorded 16 tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception during his junior season. In his sophomore campaign, he played in all 11 games, recording 35 total tackles (19 solo) with a tackle for loss. Over his career, Haigler has played in 26 games, registering 62 tackles, five pass breakups and one interception.

Off the Field: Haigler is a member of DCG, General Body Member and Student Association for Black Unity at W&L while serving as the President of the Black Male Initiative. He also serves as the Director of Bigger Better Business of the Beta Beta Nu Chapter while pursuing a double major in Accounting and Finance.

On the Field: Senior Josh Garcia is one of two captains on the offensive side of the ball. Garcia played in six games last season before being sidelined with an injury. He rushed 16 times for 123 yards and a touchdown while catching 11 passes for 143 yards and finding the end zone once. During his sophomore campaign, he touched the ball 31 times, collecting 144 yards on the ground with one touchdown. In addition, he hauled in nine catches for 86 yards. Over his career, Garcia has played in 20 games, rushing 47 times for 267 yards and two touchdowns while catching 20 passes for 229 yards and one touchdown.

Off the Field: Garcia spent the summer of 2025 conducting research at W&L under Dr. Gregg Whitworth and is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Atheltes, Engineering Community Design club and the Mechanical Design club. He also serves on the Generals Leadership Academy and is pursing a degree in Integrated Engineering.

On the Field: Senior Jack Johnson returns the Generals secondary as one of the top safeties in the league. Johnson played in ten games last season, recording 60 tackles and one tackle for loss with an interception. He registered a career-high 14 tackles against Randolph-Macon last season. During his sophomore campaign, he posted a career-high 67 tackles with 40 solo stops and two tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions and broke up six passes. In his career, Johnson has played in 24 career games, registering 132 tackles (61 solo) with three tackles for loss, one forced and recovered fumble and three interceptions. He was named to the First Team All-ODAC team last season while garnering Second Team laurels in 2023.

Off the Field: Johnson is a member of the Generals Sports Outreach and volunteers for Best Buddies. He spent the summer of 2025 working at BroadPoint Partners. He is pursing a degree in Business Administration.

Will Knight

Will Mahmud
Tucker Jacobsen
Will Knight

On the Field: Senior Will Mahmud returns as one of the top edge rushers in the ODAC. During the past two seasons, he was named to the All-ODAC First Team and earned D3football.com All-Region honors following an impressive junior campaign. Mahmud tallied a career-high 64 tackles last season with 21 solo stops while tying a career-high with 11 tackles for loss. He also registered a team- and career-high six sacks. In his sophomore season, Mahmud recorded 54 tackles, 11 tackles for loss while tallying 5.5 sacks. He has played in 29 career games, registering 127 tackles and 22 tackles for loss. He has broken up eight passes, forced three fumbles while recovering two fumbles with 11.5 sacks.

Off the Field: Mahmud is a member of the Best Buddies Program at W&L as well as being a member of Kappa Alpha Order and Kathekon Alumni Engagement. He has Interned as a summer analyst with Maguire Hayden Real Estate Company and spent the summer of 2025 as an intern at JLL Capital Markets in Atlanta, Ga.

On the Field: Senior Tucker Jacobsen is returning to the offensive line after starting 21 of the Generals 22 games over the past two seasons. Jacobsen along side the rest of the offensive line unit helped the Generals run to the fourth-best rushing unit in Division III last season, averaging 293.5 yards per game. Jacobsen earned First Team All-ODAC honors during his junior season while being selected to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Second Team All-State Team.

Off the Field: Jacobsen has interned in the House of Representatives for Congresswoman Stephanie Bice the past two summers in Washington D.C. . He is a four-time W&L Scholar Athlete and was named to the Academic All-ODAC team twice.

On the Field: Senior Will Knight is the final captain for the 2025 campaign, serving as a leader for the second-straight season. Last season, Knight played in all 11 games, registering 36 tackles and two tackles for loss. During his sophomore campaign, he posted a career-high 43 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Knight has played in 30 career games during his career with the Blue and White, registering 88 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and one sack while breaking up one pass.

Off the Field: Knight is the Social Chair for Pi Kappa Phi and a member of the Fly Fishing Club at W&L. He is a WIS Group Head and is the Co-Head of the Senior Gift Giving Committee. He has been named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District selection during his sophomore and junior seasons while being named Academic All-ODAC three times.

There’s a real buzz around this team as we head into the new season. The excitement in the locker room and on the field is contagious. Our guys have put in an incredible amount of hard work throughout the offseason, and it’s showing up in everyday. We’ve got a talented group—veterans who lead with confidence and young players who are ready to make their mark. I’m proud of the way this team has prepared, and we’re all eager to compete this fall.

Head Coach Garrett LeRose '07

Nick Kazandjian

NEW FACES ON STAFF

Nick Kazandjian joined the Generals staff in July following a departure. Kazandjian comes to W&L after spending the spring season at the University of Rhode Island, where he served as the Assistant Tight Ends Coach and Video Coordinator. In 2024, he spent time at Princeton University as an Assistant Offensive Line coach, leading a pair of All-Ivy League selections. He also spent time at the University of Mount Union and Kenyon College during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He lead three players to league honors and two to D3football.com All-Region honors. Kazandjian will lead the quarterbacks and wide receivers during his first season in Lexington.

Gavin Colliton returns to the Generals' coaching staff after a five-year hiatus and previously serving as a volunteer assistant. During his time on the coaching staff, Colliton had led the Blue and White to five ODAC titles and a consistent top-five rushing team in Division III. In 2015, the offensive unit led the national in rushing offense with 433.9 rushing yards per game while ranking second in 2013 (346.7 ypg) and 2017 (403.2 ypg).