MEDFORD, MA (September 15, 2026) -- The Tufts University football team opens its 2026 campaign Saturday, September 19 at Ellis Oval against Hamilton College for Homecoming 2026, as the Jumbos come into this season with the ultimate goal having changed from previous seasons.
For the first time in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) history, the conference will allow selected teams to participate in the NCAA Division III Football Tournament, with the chance to play for a national championship. That possibility has changed the landscape, but also the view of that larger picture hasn't affected the team's attention to detail on the little things that help win football games. "We've been saying telescope versus microscope," said head coach
Jay Civetti, who's entering his 16th season in charge of the Jumbos. "The telescope view is that we've got a chance to go compete for a national championship, and go to the playoffs...that's a really important change of pace and conversation with the team. With that said, we've spent a lot of time on the microscopic things, and what does winning football look like. That's what we're focused on."
Over the last five years or so, the Jumbos have been one of the better teams in the NESCAC as they have consistently sat near the top of the standings. The 23 wins over the last four years is one of the best four-year stretches in program history, but the team is still looking for consistency on both sides of the ball for an entire season. Last year, Tufts was fifth in the NESCAC in offense but the defense allowed the second-most points per game in the league at 26.4. In prior seasons, Tufts defensive unit especially through the air was one of the stingiest to get through, allowing only 183 yards of passing against in 2025. That number ranked third in the conference, but Tufts allowed 159 yards rushing per game which was ninth in the league. On the offensive side of the ball, it's about continuing to rush the ball effectively, limiting turnovers and scoring touchdowns in the red zone.
"We want to score touchdowns on 70 percent of chances in the red zone," said Civetti. "On offense, we can't turn the ball over, it's an intentionally mindset...we turned the ball over too much early last season so we're trying to continue to enhance our ball security. The statistical analysis says that when you are efficient in the red zone, you take care of the football when you have it and take it away on defense and win the line of scrimmage you've got a great chance to win."
The good thing for the Jumbos is that when you look at the roster and initial two-deep, you see a lot of familiar faces especially in the skill positions on offense and on the back end of the defense. Tufts returns three of its top four wide receivers, as well as starting running back
Christian Shapiro. Defensively, six starters are back including all three linebackers and All-NESCAC defensive back
Cameron Pineda. The leadership from the older players has been apparent, as captains
Christian Shapiro,
Johnny Ferrelli,
Ryan Horigan and
Justin Keller have all been in big games and big moments in their careers.
But the question now is can the Jumbos take that experienced roster and turn it into results. A position-by-position breakdown is below:
QUARTERBACK
One of the biggest developments of the 2025 season was the emergence of now-junior quarterback
Hudson Weidman, who took control of the starting job mid-way though the campaign. Weidman completed 104 of his 171 passes for 1,482 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He also completed 60.8 percent of his passes, rushing for 247 yards. The greater challenge will be finding consistency though, as the Jumbos converted 43.1 percent of third downs with Weidman under center. With a full season of college football behind him, look for Weidman to continue to grow under center.
The quarterback room is a little smaller this season, but sophomore
Nate Johnson and first-year
Dylan Keenan look to be strong options as well. Johnson played in one game as a first-year in 2025 at Trinity, but his maturation and development over the last year along with ball placement, IQ and athleticism make him a great option as well. Keenan has great size and had a strong prep career at Taunton, and the increased reps in preseason have allowed him to get up to speed faster.
RUNNING BACK
The Jumbos return one of the top running backs in the NESCAC this season in senior
Christian Shapiro, who rushed for 617 yards and nine scores as a junior while adding 29 catches and two receiving touchdowns as well. Shapiro comes into the season having scored in eight straight games on the ground, as he has rushed for over 600 yards in each of his two seasons as the starting tailback. His physical style of play, ability to catch the ball and steady production make him a true work horse back.
The primary back-ups to Shapiro from a season ago have graduated, but the Jumbos will look to a rotation of backs including juniors
Caden McCallum and
Reed Ramirez to spell Shapiro. The Jumbos rushed for the fourth-most yards per game last season with 138.4, ranking fifth in rushing touchdowns with 12.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Jumbos graduated one of their steady and reliable targets in
Henry Fleckner, but do have a great mix back on the field in 2026. Senior
Matt Rios returns after averaging 13.78 yards per catch last season on his 23 grabs, scoring three times for the Jumbos as a junior. Rios has all of the tools to be one of the big playmakers in the conference, but has been hampered by injuries during his time.
Matt Greco had a strong season as a slot possession receiver last season, as he pulled in 26 balls for 218 yards.
The big play threat was always there for junior
Keller Rogers last season, as he led the conference in yards per catch with 45.71 on his six grabs. Rogers was an All-NESCAC kick return specialist as a sophomore, but also scored on four of his seven catches. Look for the Jumbos to try to get Rogers involved as much as possible this season. Junior
Granville Anderson II has an uptick in production later in the season, and is primed for a breakout in 2026. Anderson made 10 catches last season for 165 yards, but had five catches for 54 yards in the season finale at Middlebury.
Sophomore
Michael Dietrich has looked solid in preseason, and could be a factor as well while a young and talented mix of first-years will look to make their mark as well.
TIGHT END
After a few seasons of having
Jack Elliott serve as the pass catching tight end, the Jumbos will look for someone else to serve that role. Tufts will lean on the duo of
Ned Righellis and
Johnny Getman to pick up some of the slack left by Elliott's departure, as both are big and physical targets around the line of scrimmage. Both are also very good blockers, as Righellis had a pair of catches for 35 yards last season. Elli McElwaney and
Clay Hinsdale also have experience in the role and should provide strong depth at the position.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Tufts offensive line has consistently churned out All-NESCAC performers year in and year out over the last six years, and that looks to continue as All-NESCAC performer
Brad Abbott is back to help anchor the trenches for the Jumbos in 2026.
Charlie Kremin also played the majority of the 2025 season at center, and returns as a senior to help solidify the unit in the middle. The Jumbos will need to break in at least three new starters on the line, as junior
Benner Miller and senior
James Thom bring experience at guard. Sophomore
Maddox Braxton also looks in the mix at tackle, as Tufts looks to replace graduations of starters
Jack Lynch,
Yann Silva and
Speros Grapsas.
Junior
Carter Campbell appeared in four games last season but is vying for a starting spot right now on the interior of the line, and senior
Ian Miller has experience at tackle for Tufts as well. Sophomore
Jarrod Cofrancesco is a physical interior lineman, while first-years
Miles Macosko and
Matt Oswitt have had solid camps as well.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Tufts defensive line may be one of the youngest and most inexperienced on the team, but that doesn't mean that there won't be playmakers at the positions. Tufts graduated All-NESCAC performer
Vince Gilchrist along with Suliman Abuaqel, but
Parker Scott returns after playing an expanded role as a junior. Now senior
Will Astorino will play a larger role as a senior, and sophomore
Patrick Keeley also has looked strong in camp and will be an anchor in the middle for the Jumbos.
Sophomores
Zahir Orozco,
Jason Richardson and
Denver Elliott both grew into larger roles during their first seasons, and will look for a breakout in 2026, while junior
Brandon Rosenthal also bolster the unit.
LINEBACKERS
There's an argument to be had that the linebacker spot for the Jumbos is its most experienced and deepest spot on the team, as Tufts has five players with tons of snaps under their belt back this season including three starters. Senior captain
Johnny Ferrelli is the heartbeat of the unit, as his ability to make plays at and behind the line of scrimmage earned him a spot os the team's leading tackler in 2025. Fellow captain and junior
Ryan Horigan was second on the team in tackles with 43, adding a pair of TFLs and a sack.
Senior
Riley Yaker dealt with a few injuries last season, but the physical player was second on the squad in assisted stops last season with 25. Junior
Dazer van Leeuwen played in all nine games for the Jumbos, and made 25 tackles as he stepped into a starting role later in the year. Sophomore
Connor Simkiss got more time throughout his first-year campaign, and could be in for a larger role this season. Fellow sophomore
Josh Riley played in five games as a sophomore on special teams and linebacker, and will add great depth for Tufts in the middle for the Jumbos.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The Jumbos graduated a pair of seniors in
Nate Sousa and
Ryan Saccu, but three starters are back including All-NESCAC performer
Cameron Pineda. The sophomore picked off three passes as a sophomore, including one of the biggest plays of the year against Wesleyan, a pick-six against the eventual league champions. Pineda has played both safety and corner, but is a talented ball hawk that will once again look to make a big impact after finishing with 36 stops last season.
Junior
Amari Watson played all nine games as a sophomore and picked off one pass while breaking up two more plays. Watson is a strong cover corner on the edge, while sophomore
Lucas Gonzalez, juniors
James Brunson and
Henry Kaiden as well as senior
Ben Frisoli all look like they will be part of of the defensive backfield at corner for the Jumbos.
At safety, converted quarterback
Justin Keller has acclimated himself well to the safety spot and will be a big leader at the position for the Jumbos. Junior
Brayden Beyer has had a strong camp for Tufts in his first season with the Jumbos football team, while
AJ Lysko played in seven games at defensive back as a junior. Sophomore
Grant Righellis and first-year
Drew Reed are also some names to be on the look out for early for Tufts in the secondary.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Tufts will be looking to replace one of the best kickers in program history this season, as
Vaughn Seelicke graduated as the program's all-time leading scorer. Tufts will look to
Caden Lawlor to handle the place kicking duties in his senior season, as he has served as the kick-off specialist for the last two seasons. Lawlor posted six touch backs last season as a junior. Senior
Andrew Leigh has been the primary punter for the last two years, but first-year
Ted Gialanella has a strong leg and will vy for opportunities in his opening campaign at Tufts.
--JUMBOS--
