The Tiffin University Dragons have been picked to finish 7th of 10 teams in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 37 points, one point shy of 6th place.
The Dragons, finishing 8-3 overall last season and 7-3 in GLIAC play, fell one point short of 6th place Michigan Tech in the poll. Grand Valley State took the top spot with 77 points and six first place votes. The Bulldogs of Ferris State University received 75 points and four first place votes for second place. Ashland is in 3rd with 67 points, Wayne State is 4th with 54 points, and 5th place belongs to the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals.
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Coming off their best season in a decade, the Tiffin University football team will have to replace one of the most decorated players in program history in signal caller Antonio Pipkin. Tiffin, posting an 8-3 mark in 2016, returns a large contingent of players on the offensive side of the ball, including a pair of running backs that combined for 1,079 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The offensive line remains intact for Tiffin, needing to replace only one man up front. The offensive line, plagued by injuries last season allowed 10 less sacks than in 2015.
At receiver, the Dragons are loaded with talent and experience. Don Hansen All-American, Charles Holland, returns for his final season after hauling in 77 balls for 1,129 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago. Davon Johnson, Jordan Nobles, Jalen Santoro, and Tyler Denton accompany Holland on the outside, a group that accounted for 19 of Tiffin's 25 receiving touchdowns last year.
The quarterback competition is one to keep an eye on. Senior Jihad Vercher and redshirt freshman Nick Watson are the two contenders for the spot. Vercher was the second string quarterback last year, with Watson learning from the sidelines.
On the defensive side, the Dragons will have to replace some talent up front. With the departure of Willie Mays III and Jalen Randolph, Tiffin will have to replace a combined 88 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks from last season. Tiffin brings back a combination of youth and experience in the trenches, leaning heavily on seniors Vinny Jones, Austin Jasper, and Victor Cave. Tiffin's main focus on the recruiting trail was depth in the defensive trenches, and they believe they've got it.
The Dragons have some work to do at linebacker, returning only one player that registered 20 or more tackles. Jacob Mertus is that one player, leading Tiffin with 85 stops. Mertus, a sophomore, registered 3.0 tackles for loss, broke up and defended three passes, and forced a fumble on his way to an All-GLIAC recognition.
In the defensive secondary, Tiffin lost a combined 51 tackles and five interceptions in the form of Stefan Willis and Shawn Scott. The Dragons have ample amounts of depth to recoup what graduated. Carrington Contee is a ball hawk for the Dragons, hauling in a team high three interception last year. Ross Moore is an interesting piece to the puzzle for Tiffin, playing a hybrid linebacker and defensive back position. Moore logged 26 tackles, 2.5 TFL's, 2.0 sacks, and intercepted two passes, and Jawan Nelson recorded 45 tackles and an interception.
The season begins for Tiffin with a non-conference matchup on Thursday, August 31, at home against the University of Findlay at 7:00 pm. Tiffin will remain out of conference in week two, traveling to Lake Erie on September 9. Tiffin's first GLIAC game will be on the road against new GLIAC member Davenport University on September 16.