Sports
Ohio Football hosts annual spring game ahead of uncertain 2026 season
By: Ty Carpenter
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Ohio football held its annual spring game Saturday morning as it prepares for the 2026 campaign.
The Bobcats are just months removed from a nine-win season and a sixth straight bowl game victory but now face a more uncertain reality ahead of the coming season.
Ohio is now on their third head coach in as many years, and while the program has maintained consistency in the win column, this offseason has brought significant roster turnover leaving many new starters without significant in-game experience.
First Thing’s First: Who’s the Quarterback?
“I don’t know that we know the order yet.” said Hauser. “As far as the depth chart, I think we’ve got three or four guys that are competing.”
At the forefront of the competition is grad student Nick Poulos who carries the most experience in Ohio’s system, having spent the last two seasons with the Bobcats after transferring in in 2024. Poulos has seen brief action on the field, notably starting against the Kentucky Wildcats in 2024 and relieving Parker Navarro briefly in the Bobcats’ 37-9 loss against Ohio State last season.
While he may have limited in-game experience, Poulos still received the largest number of snaps at Saturday’s spring game and received the first nod in full-contact drills, seemingly placing him in a strong position to be the starter. Hauser spoke to his confidence in Poulos and gave him the edge as the battle stands right now.
“I think Nick (Poulos) is ahead of some of them right now coming out of spring. … he’s carried himself really well,” said Hauser. “But he’s got some guys on his heels.”
Two new faces immediately come to mind: Matt Vezza and Levi Davis.
Vezza, the junior transfer from the University of New Hampshire, boasted an impressive 2,673 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns in 13 games with the Wildcats. His 601 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns should also draw comparisons to Parker Navarro’s success as a dual threat, should the Bobcats opt for that style of offense.
Now Davis perhaps comes in with a bit more excitement among Ohio fans, given his recent success on the high school level. Davis joins the Bobcats as a true freshman with a 2025 Ohio football state championship at Olentangy Orange under his belt, alongside placing as a finalist for Mr. Ohio Football.
While both potentially promising options as the primary signal caller, both have inexperience in Ohio’s offense, possibly placing a roadblock in their paths to starting.
“It’ll be fun to see as Matt Vezza and Levi Davis are in our system this summer just how much ground they can make up.” Hauser said.
Other quarterbacks in the room include Hype Grand, who saw a sizable number of reps in Saturday’s spring game, alongside Matthew Papas and Jacob Winters who were both present on Ohio’s 2024 MAC Championship team. The position battle will continue into the summer and the winner may have their hands full as the Bobcats try to find their offensive identity.
Retooling the Offense
An important note as the team searches for their starting quarterback is the turnover on offense. Ohio sees nine different starters recognized in the 2025 All-MAC teams depart, undoubtedly leaving questions about this unit.
Running Back
The strength of the Bobcat offense was in their rushing attack, and the departure of Sieh Bangura, who notched an impressive 3,374 rushing yards with 37 touchdowns in his Ohio career, leaves a tough hole to fill.
Running backs Duncan Brune and UConn grad transfer Victor Rosa immediately emerge as primary threats in the backfield. Brune totaled 585 rushing yards with eight touchdowns last season for the Bobcats, while Rosa had a combined 302 yards rushing and receiving with three touchdowns.
“Duncan’s been in the mix for a couple years now and then bringing in Victor Rosa, who has a ton of experience from UConn, … that’s a good one two.” said Hauser.
Hauser also mentioned redshirt freshman Mike Taylor Jr. as a standout this spring; this unit will likely be the star of the show for the Bobcat offense next season.
The Receiving Room
“You know we’ve had a number of guys step up. But we gotta keep pushing at that position.” said Hauser.
Hauser gave high praise to Kentucky transfer Preston Bowman, referring to him as “explosive”. He also noted that Riley Neer, the redshirt sophomore, has “had a great spring”.
Other receivers mentioned were Max Rodarte, Eian Pugh and Delaney Crawford, but Hauser is waiting for one to emerge as a true X-factor.
“We got a good pool of guys. But one of them’s gotta step up.”
Offensive Line
Rounding it out with the obvious: it’s back-to-back seasons for Ohio with major turnover on the offensive line. The unit helped propel the Bobcats to the best rushing attack and the second best offense overall in the MAC last season.
Significant losses include Davion Weatherspoon, Jordon Jones and Nick Marinaro, all of whom finished as All-MAC players. Other notable departures include Shedrick Rhodes Jr. and Trent Allen, leaving the new-look offensive line with lacking experience.
A few players who could step up next season include Jarian Shelby, Seth Anstead and Josh Waite, who each appeared in 10 or more games last season. Transfers Sandro Malicevic and CJ Dawson II are also sure to get a look on a unit that’ll need to step up this season.
The Bottom Line
With Hauser’s defensive background and a more familiar defensive side of the ball, the story for the Bobcats’ success next season comes down to finding their place on offense. They still have 140 days until kickoff against Nebraska and there’s still work to be done as Ohio solidifies the depth chart.