LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates football team brings back multiple All-Region and All-NESCAC performers and tons of experience up front as they enter a new era in NESCAC play starting this Saturday when they visit Amherst for a 1 p.m. kick to start the 2026 season. For the first time in the 55-year history of the conference, the winner will be allowed to accept an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament.
"There's a level of respect that has to be earned," head coach Matt Coyne said. "But I think people don't understand how talented this league is top to bottom across the board. It's properly resourced at the Division III level and it's properly staffed and it's very well coached. You don't see a lot of just unsound offense, defense, or special teams. You really have to execute to win a game. It's always a battle every given week and anybody can win."
THE PARTICULARS:
What: Bates (0-0) vs. Amherst (0-0)
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 1 p.m.
Where: Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium (Amherst, Mass.)
Live Coverage: Video | Stats
All-Time Series: Amherst leads 30-6-2
Previous Meeting: Bates 26, Amherst 23 (2 OT) (Sept. 13, 2025 in Lewiston, Maine)
Offense
Quarterbacks
The Bobcats are breaking in a new quarterback this season, as sophomore Jack Gilmore (North Arlington, N.J.) takes the reins of the offense following a rookie year that ended before it began due to an injury. Gilmore initially impressed the coaches as a first-year during camp and he picked up where he left off this fall.
"He won the job and he's going to take the lead on Saturday," Coyne said. "He's a super confident kid. I'm excited to see him go out there and execute our offense and be able to manage our run game and our pass game."
While Gilmore will be making his first career start on Saturday, the Bobcats boast experience with back-up QB sophomore Connor Hennessey (Newton, Mass.), who impressed in his first collegiate start last year against Hamilton. He passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 10 rushes for 72 yards against the Continentals.
"It's not always the easiest thing to hear that you're not the guy right away, but Connor is a consummate leader and he's all about the team and he understands his role," Coyne said. "He'll be ready and obviously he's an important part of our program."
Running backs
Senior captain and second team All-NESCAC running back Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) is healthy and ready to lead the Bates offense this year. He only played in five full games last year due to injury but made a big impact, finishing with 564 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the season.
"We know we're going to get him touches and the other team knows we're going to try to get touches to him as well," Coyne said. "Obviously he's an unbelievable athlete. He's had a great preseason and just grown as a leader too. He's a two-time captain now and the sky's the limit for what we want to do with him on offense."
While Lynskey is the bell cow, the Bobcats do have a stable of six running backs available who are working hard in practice. Sophomore Michael Seward (New Haven, Conn.) has stood out in camp after filling in late last season when Lynskey was hurt.
"It's hard, especially in that room having discussions with different individuals," Coyne said. "Lynskey's our guy and everybody knows that and they get that, but they're still competing. They want touches as they should. We have five talented individuals back there that we feel we could throw in the game and they can execute what we're trying to do in our run game."
Wide receivers and Tight ends
Junior Quinn Carver (Boston) was the team's leading receiver a year ago, tallying 24 catches for 424 yards and three touchdowns. Classmate Jeff Vidou (Cornish, N.H.) added 20 catches for 296 yards and a touchdown. Both players are versatile athletes, with Carver carrying the ball 16 times for 132 yards and a touchdown and Vidou notching 20 carries for 120 yards and a score.
"They're just so multiple," Coyne said. "You can put them outside and throw it. You can put them in motion and get them into the pitch phase. And once they get the ball in space, that's when they're dangerous. Quinn was also a very good returner last year. He had multiple games where he popped a return past the 40 to midfield. So we're just trying to get him the ball in space and it's going to be something that's paramount to success for our offense."
Senior Ryan Gleason (Millbury, Mass.) is a burner on the outside who caught 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns last year.
Coyne is excited about the depth at receiver, as sophomore Riley Provencher (Old Orchard Beach, Maine), sophomore Cole Piaseczynski (Rowley, Mass.), and senior Jake Walters (West Lafayette, Ind.) provide Gilmore more options. Walters is a tight end / receiver hybrid who caught a touchdown pass against Amherst last year but saw his season cut short due to injury. Sophomore Bryce Carberry (Dover, N.H.) and first-year Jackson Kolomer (Montebello, N.Y.) crack the two-deep at tight end for Bates.
Offensive line
The hogs up front are a strength for the Bates offense, as all five boast plentiful starting experience. Senior captain John Antolik (Phoenix, Ariz.) enters his fourth year as a starter for the Bobcats, having played center as a first-year before moving to guard for the past two seasons.
"John's work ethic and just the way he brings people together stands out," Coyne said. "While he's a very talented player, it's not always about just that piece of it. You need guys that can keep the room sound and keep everybody engaged and keep everybody focused and straining through adversity."
The return of junior center Matthew Pierotti (Hanover, Mass.) is a huge boost for the line, as he missed all of last year due to injury after starting all nine games as a rookie for a line that twice got named to the D3football.com Team of the Week. Meanwhile, junior guard Ryder Smith (Castle Rock, Colo.) was named the team's Offensive Lineman of the Year last season.
On the edge, senior tackle Kevin McDonald (Atlanta) enters his fourth season starting on the offensive line and senior Zach Louvat (West Paris, Maine) moves to tackle after starting all nine games last year at center.
Add in seniors Andrew Finn (Foxborough, Mass.) and Pat Dever (Marblehead, Mass.) and the Bobcats have one of their most experienced offensive lines in recent memory
"It's wild, we watched some of the tape from a few years back and it's like, wow four of these guys played as freshmen." Coyne said. "It's great to see their development. And obviously, they're much better players as seniors as we would expect, but they've developed so nicely and it's a really good advantage for us to have an experienced offensive line."
Defense
Defensive line
The defensive line is the deepest it's been in Coyne's tenure as head coach at Bates. Seniors Ryan Kimmel (Jeannette, Pa.), Camden Zambrowicz (Sandown, N.H.), and Josh Ezerioha (Lagos, Nigeria) have played a lot of football up front, with Kimmel having sacked the quarterback three times off the edge last year. Sophomore Colton Brisard (Lee, N.H.) is another key returnee up front.
Talented first-years Emmanuel Lizardo (Haverhill, Mass.), Shawn Baumann (Oak Ridge, N.J.), and Nathan Engdahl (Basking Ridge, N.J.) should make an immediate impact. And 300-pound junior Tomas Ziemiecki (Mason, N.H.) is another impact player on the two-deep.
"The defensive line has been a point of emphasis in recruiting," Coyne said. "As we look at it, we feel we have about 15 D linemen that are working their tails off and are doing everything right. It's good. It's part of that progression of building a program and it takes time to build the right amount of depth."
Linebackers
Senior captain Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) is the Bates nominee for the William V. Campbell Trophy, known as the "Academic Heisman."
In 2025, Rozich became the first Bobcat in program history to be named first team All-Region by D3football.com. He was named to the Division II/III All-New England Team by the New England Football Writers and was first team All-NESCAC at linebacker. He ranked first in the NESCAC and sixth in all of NCAA Division III with 12.1 tackles per game. Rozich also tied for the team lead with 5.5 tackles for loss. Rozich was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week and also named the NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he stepped in at long snapper (a position he hadn't played since high school) and recovered a fumble against Tufts. He also tallied 12 total tackles, with four solo stops in the 35-28 win over the Jumbos.
"Rozich is one of the finest leaders and players I have had the privilege of coaching," Coyne said. "As a two-year captain and multi-year All-Conference player, Ryan has consistently demonstrated what it means to lead by example. His work ethic in the classroom, on the field, and within the community is truly outstanding. He approaches every aspect of his life with dedication, discipline, and a commitment to excellence. Ryan's impact extends far beyond his accomplishments as an athlete—he is the type of person teammates look up to, coaches can depend on, and communities are better because of. He is not only one of the best players I have had the pleasure to coach, but also one of the best leaders I have been around."
Rozich is the leader of the defense, but junior Carmel Crunk (Lancaster, Calif.) is a budding star in his own right. Crunk ranked second on the team and fourth in the NESCAC in total tackles with 76 in 2025. The Bobcats promote versatility on defense with players such as sophomore Liam Keaney (Swampscott, Mass.) and classmate Drake Brunelle (Belgrade, Maine) able to move up and away from the line of scrimmage as needed.
Keaney was a revelation as a first-year, tallying 36 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five QB hurries, and two pass break-ups on the season.
"Carmel is an unbelievable leader, an unbelievable individual, just a bright young man that's going to have a very bright future, but also a heck of a football player," Coyne said. "Obviously Keaney started every game last year as a true freshman. He did the work in the off-season. He's a special player and the game's going to slow down year-by-year. Freshman year, it's always like a million flies flying around buzzing. Now sophomore year, it's only a hundred of them. And then he starts to slow it down a bit. So for him, we're fortunate with his length and range that we have that at the second level."
Defensive backs
Second team All-Region and first team All-NESCAC senior safety Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas) leads the Bates secondary into the 2026 season. Spencer recorded 50 total tackles and finished tied for second in the NESCAC with nine pass break-ups last year. He is flanked by long-time "partner-in-crime" senior Jack Morrison (Manchester, Vt.), who has also been a key part of the Bates defense since the day he stepped on campus as a first-year.
Junior Samuel Christopher (Los Angeles) and senior Payton Francis (Foxborough, Mass.) patrol the edges at cornerback along with juniors Marquez Narvaez-Estrada (Montgomery Village, Md.) and Tomas Diaz (Brooklyn, N.Y.) providing the Bobcats more depth in pass coverage.
Junior Major Spencer III (Mansfield, Texas) also cracks the two-deep in the secondary and the Bobcats have some very talented first-year defensive backs competing for playing time as well.
"Across the board, it just feels like the talent level is different this year and that makes practice a lot more competitive," Coyne said. "You can also look at guys like sophomore Billy Bates (Williston, Vt.) and senior Ayden Brusa (Lynn, Mass.) in the secondary and they are really pushing guys in practice and making everyone better."
Special teams
Senior Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) enters his fourth straight season as the starting placekicker for the Bobcats. He made 7-9 field goal attempts and 14-18 PAT attempts a year ago. He was named the NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week after he made both his field goal attempts, including the game-winner, in a 26-23 victory over Amherst in last year's season-opener at Garcelon Field. For his career, Ruiz has made 14-17 field goals, with a long of 41 yards and 47-53 PATs.
Sophomore Alex Kvaratskhelia (Greenwich, Conn.) made his debut handling kickoffs last year against Middlebury. He should be the Bates punter this year but Ruiz also has punting experience if needed for the Bobcats.
"They both are capable guys," Coyne said. "It's nice to have Marcos as a placekicker, another guy that has a ton of experience with big kicks and big games and big moments. We're excited about everything there."
Coaches
The Bobcats return almost their entire coaching staff from a year ago, with the addition of Rourke Colligan as the defensive line coach.
"Continuity is not that common these days in college football," Coyne said. "For us, it's about keeping that same language. When you have the same voices, you get better within the same system over the years. We understand this is an important season for us. We feel we have a lot of talent and we don't want to get in the way of it. And that's the biggest piece for us is just to understand that we have really good players in really good positions that are confident human beings right now. Let them go play. Let's not get in the way of these guys. So they've done a great job of structuring what we want to do, getting these kids confident and ready."
