SPRING SHOWCASE: Lafayette will wrap up its spring season on Saturday with the Maroon-White Spring Showcase at 11 a.m. at Fisher Stadium. The event will feature a situational format that includes a mixture of live scrimmaging and instructional periods. The offense will be clad in white game jerseys (QB's in black) while the defense will don maroon. 

START ME UP: Lafayette welcomes back 10 positional starters (five on each side of the ball) along with the team's kicker (Jack Simonetta), punter (Christian Bush), kick-off returner (Jakyre Henley) and punt returner (Mason Kuehner). On offense, senior Ethan Hosak returns as an All-Patriot League honoree at tight end after starting 10 games last season. He is joined up front by fellow second-team selection Sean Wilson who started all 12 games at left tackle in 2025 and returning starter Spencer Adams who returns for a fifth season via medical redshirt. 

THE 2026 SLATE: The Leopards jump right into conference play, traveling to Georgetown on Aug. 29. With the addition of three new schools to the Patriot League over the last two seasons, Lafayette will play nine Patriot League contests. Week two takes the Leopards to Connecticut for the second series meeting (1984). The home opener is slated for Sept. 12 vs. Marist, and the final non-league game comes a week later at Columbia. Eight-straight Patriot League games close out 2026, capped by the regular-season finale vs. Lehigh on Nov. 21 at Fisher Stadium.

ON THE SIDELINE: John Troxell '94 is in his fifth season as the Fred M. Kirby II '42 Head Football Coach. He is the 29th coach in the program's history, third who is an alum. In just his second season, Troxell pushed the Leopards to their eighth Patriot League title and the program's fourth NCAA FCS Playoff berth while being named the Patriot League Coach of the Year. Last season, the Leopards were 8-4 overall, 6-1 in PL play.
    Troxell came back to College Hill after a 16-year head coaching stint at Franklin and Marshall where he molded the program into a consistent winner and mentored 111 all-conference selections.

ON D: Soph. LB Beckham Dee is the team's top returning tackler (62 T, 7 TFL) and was an impact player in 2025. Junior SS Dhonte Jackson is a key returner in the secondary after 53 tackles in 2025. The front four will be led by seniors NT Ahmir Crawley, DL Michael Vaughn and DE Darien Riley, an experienced group. Crawley and Riley are both returning starters and Vaughn has seen significant action in his first three seasons. 

CATCHING UP: Wide receiver might be the deepest positional grouping for the Leopards, as four of five top pass catchers return to the fold in senior WR Carson Persing, junior WR Mason Kuehner, soph. WR Matthew Scerbo and senior TE Ethan Hosak (All-PL in 2025). Persing has been one of Lafayette's most consistent possession receivers, grabbing 60 balls for 724 yards and four TDs. Kuehner (52-572-1) and Scerbo (14-201-3) have shown the ability to stretch the field, and will have even more opportunities to contribute with the graduation of three-time All-Patriot League selection Elijah Steward. 

GET IN THE GAME: On April 30, Lafayette football will host "Get In The Game" a bone marrow registration drive that will connect donors with patients in need of live-saving cell therapy. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside of Farinon.