The Hobart football team begins the 2014 season with a target painted squarely on its back.

Hobart enters the new season ranked 12th in the nation by D3football.com and The Sporting News and 17th by Lindy's Sports Annuals. Following back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, the Liberty League coaches unanimously tabbed the Statesmen preseason favorites.

Over the past three seasons, the Statesmen have compiled a 29-4 overall record. They have dominated the Liberty League, winning 19 of their past 20 conference contests to capture three consecutive league titles.

The program's dominance is reflected in the postseason accolades. Hobart has collected 55 All-Liberty League awards, including three straight Defensive Players of the Year (Devin Worthington '14, 2011; Tyre Coleman '15, 2012-13). Additionally, 18 Statesmen have earned all-region recognition from D3football.com and 10 have earned All-America honors, including Coleman who was lauded by the AFCA, D3football.com and Beyond Sports Network last season.

To build on that momentum, the reigning Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year led by Head Coach Mike Cragg welcomes back 42 letter winners as well as six starters on defense and seven on offense.

Here's a position-by-position look at the Statesmen:

DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior defensive end Tyre Coleman has been a menace to opposing offenses. In just three season, he's compiled 66.0 tackles for loss and 38.0 sacks, both Hobart records. In fact, Coleman is ninth in career sacks and 18th in career tackles for loss in NCAA Division III history. He could break the NCAA record with a 16 sack season, no easy task under normal circumstances, but the two-time All-American is no secret and routinely draws double and triple teams.

Sophomore James Hedger is expected to line up at the other end. He registered 13 tackles in his first season and returned to campus bigger and stronger.
Junior Julian Jackson and first-years Patrick Sheppard and Brandon Ball will compete to fill out the two-deep.

The interior of the line with be anchored by returning starters senior Troy Johnson and junior Tucker Gumkowski. Johnson is a three-year starter coming off a 44 tackle season that earned him all-conference accolades. In his second season as a starter, Gumkowski logged 31 tackles.

Sophomore Jake Russell and red-shirt first-year Zackary Robak will rotate in the middle. Russell played in six games last season and is poised for a breakthrough this year. Robak got off to a good start in 2013, making five tackles through two games, but lost the rest of the campaign to an injury. Fully recovered, he's eager to return to form.

LINEBACKERS
The production of All-American outside linebacker Devin Worthington (217 tkls, 62.5 TFL, 30.5 sacks, 11 PD) will be difficult to replace, but the Statesmen have a stable of veteran and young talent eager to try. 

Slowed by nagging injuries last season, senior Nolan Toran is back at full strength for his third season as a starter at outside linebacker and poised to return to form that saw him record 55 tackles as a sophomore. He earned a spot on the D3football.com National Team of the Week following the Homecoming win over Utica thanks to five solo tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a 21-yard interception return. Sophomore Marcus Jemison is the leading candidate to step in for Worthington. Jemison is tough on receivers and brings speed to the pass rush. The team's Rookie of the Year last season, he played in every game and produced 33 tackles and three pass breakups.

Hobart is deep at outside linebacker thanks to returning Statesmen senior Matt McGriff and sophomore Michael Harper, as well as first-year Roddy Tierney. McGriff is a vocal leader and has been a sparkplug on special teams through his first three seasons on campus. Harper switched from free safety to linebacker in the spring and made a seamless transition. At 6-foot-1, 201 pounds, Tierney has the size and athleticism to excel but will need time to learn Hobart's system.

At inside linebacker, the Statesmen will have to replace Cory Davis who finished second on the team with 74 tackles last season. Fortunately, fellow starter, junior Trayvon Toney is back with his team-leading 77 tackles. The first team all-conference pick was in on seemingly every play.

The trio of senior Jacob Price, junior Jacob Stanley, and sophomore Zach Thornton will compete for the other starting job. Price is a team captain and aims to have a breakthrough impact like Davis did last season. Stanley moved from outside linebacker to inside this year to bolster Hobart's depth, and Thornton is coming off a 25-tackle debut season. All four are likely to see plenty of quality playing time, but expect Toney to take minimal breaks.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
The leadership and production (28 tkls, team-high 3 INT) of free safety Jolyon Davis will be a blow to the secondary, but Hobart has talent, if not experience returning at both corners and free safety that should allow the team to remain near the top of the league in pass defense.

The leader and most experienced member of this unit will be senior corner Fajri Jackson. He earned D3football.com third team All-East honors after logging 42 tackles and three pass breakups last year. 

Senior Jordan Smith and sophomore Todd Collier are the leading candidates to start at the other corner, but first-years Stephen Rogers and Daryl Scales are expected to challenge for a spot on the two-deep in the not-so-distant future.

Smith had a good spring and is likely to see quality playing time and Collier had nine tackles in five games last season. You can't teach tall, and that's what has the coaching staff so excited about the future for the 6-foot-2 Rogers and 6-foot-1 Scales. As they learn the Hobart system expect them to move into the rotation in the secondary and possibly challenge for a starting nod by the end of the season. 

At free safety, expect sophomore Matt Cragg to start. After missing four games due to injury, he made the switch from cornerback in the spring, and won the nod with his intelligence and speed (fastest 40 time in 2013 preseason testing). First-year Tommy D'Antonio has looked good in preseason camp and will start the year as the backup.

QUARTERBACKS
Hobart's passing game ranked in the middle of the league in yards per game in 2013, but no offense was more efficient. In his first season as a starter, Patrick Conlan was solid, completing 53.4 percent of his passes for 1,440 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns. His 137.0 pass efficiency rating was 20 points better than any other signal caller in the Liberty League. Conlan continued to progress in the offseason, expanding his knowledge of the playbook, improving his execution, and developing his leadership.

The preseason competition has been for the backup role. Senior Kyle Bayly has the most experience, junior Parker Thelander has made great strides during the spring and preseason camp, and first-year Adam Wallerstein has the physical traits (6-foot-3, 205 lbs), if not the knowledge of the playbook.

FULLBACKS
Fullbacks Dominique Ellis and Christopher Holoman give the Statesmen a potent 1-2 punch. Ellis missed a couple of games last year due to injury, but produced 6.2 yards per carry while opening holes for record-setting running back Steven Webb. He's a punishing blocker and capable of breaking off big runs himself. Holoman is very athletic, can block, run and catch the pass, giving Offensive Coordinator Kevin DeWall '00 plenty of options with him in the lineup.

Sophomore Sean Bright is moving from running back to fullback to give the Statesmen depth.

RUNNING BACKS
How do you replace 3,976 rushing yards, 492 receiving yards and a school record 57 touchdowns? You don't. Webb was a special talent that gave opposing defensive coordinator's nightmares. That said, the cupboard isn't bare.

Hobart is likely to look to a running back by committee approach to try to fill the void left by Webb's graduation. Junior Conner Hartigan is the projected starter. He's averaging 5.8 yards per carry for his career, but has ended each of the past two seasons on the sidelines with injuries. 

Juniors Alex Furtado and Justin Burke, sophomore Bradley Burns, and first-year Joe Letizia could all get carries in the rotation. Furtado is finally healthy after missing both of the past two seasons. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry in limited action as a first-year. A slasher, Burke was sixth on the team in carries last year, but has been hampered by injury in the preseason. Burns was fourth on the team with 230 rushing yards as a first-year. Letizia has impressed the coaches with his quickness in the preseason.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Hobart's top three receivers from last season, seniors Troy Robinson, John Fasano, and Elvin Souffrant, give Conlan a steady corps of receivers to target. Robinson had a team-high 24 receptions for a team-high 366 yards and four touchdowns in 2013. The third of three brothers to play for the Statesmen, Robinson has followed in his brothers' footsteps by earning All-Liberty League honors and serving as a team captain. Fasano averaged a team-best 17.0 yards per reception last year, pulling in 21 passes for 358 yards and two TDs. Souffrant, Hobart's top returning deep threat, made 21 catches for 347 yards and four touchdowns in 2013.

Add to that trio returning Statesmen junior Cooper Merrill (5 rec, 46 yds) and sophomore Sean Cunningham (1-12) and first-year Brandon Shed, who has all-star potential, and Hobart has an exciting group of receivers to work with.

TIGHT ENDS
Senior Mike Berkowitz leads a talented and deep group of tight ends. The co-captain is back for his second season as a starter after pulling in 10 passes for 94 yards and a team-high six receiving touchdowns last year. A good blocker and receiver, Berkowitz has continued to develop his game and will be a force to contend with.

Juniors Josh Britton and Nick Liverio both held the No. 2 spot at times last season and will vie for that role again this year. They'll be pushed by talented first-years Chris Cyr, Dylan Quay, and Zachary Withers.

OFFENSIVE LINE
The offensive line has been a strong point for the Statesmen over the past three seasons. Hobart has finished first or second in the Liberty League in total offense each year since 2011 while no conference opponent has allowed fewer than 26 sacks.

The Statesmen will have to rebuild that line following the graduation of All-American center Michael Green, all-conference guard Alex Bush, and all-conference tackle Trevor Schutte.

The cornerstone of the rebuilt line will be senior co-captain Ali Marpet. At 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, the D3football.com and Lindy's Sports Annuals preseason All-American will protect Conlan's blindside at left tackle. 

Senior right guard DeAndré Smith is the other returning starter. The two-time All-Liberty League selection has slimmed down to 305 pounds and is more nimble than ever.

The Statesmen entered preseason camp with question marks at the other three positions with a dozen players competing for the roles. By the end of camp, junior Brendan Casey (left guard), sophomores Nick Testani (center), and Patrick O'Connell III (right tackle) had won a spot in the starting lineup.

Junior Lou Testani and sophomore Matthew Mancuso will back up right and left tackle, respectively, junior Levi Boyer and first-year Alex Helm will back up right and left guard, respectively, and junior Emiliano Acosta will be the reserve center.

The o-line will get additional depth from junior TJ Scamurra and first-years Liam Murphy and Matt Sutliff.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Hobart led the Liberty League in kickoff coverage (40.1 yds. net avg.) and punt return (9.7 yds./ret.) and ranked second in kickoff returns (22.4 yds./ret.). With six blocked punts, the Statesmen were second in the nation in that category.

Robinson led the Liberty League in punt return average (8.9) on his way to first team all-conference honors as a return specialist. The trio of Hartigan, Fasano, and Burns were the top kick returners last season, averaging 37.0, 25.0, and 21.8 yds/ret.

Sophomore kicker Sean Kirshe was the top scoring first-year kicker in the Liberty League, ranking third overall among league kickers with 4.8 points per game. He was 3-of-5 on field goals, converting a season-long 35 yarder at Dickinson, and 44-of-49 on extra points. He'll be pushed for playing time by first-year Will McCool.

Punting duties will be up for grabs with Thelander, Kirshe, and McCool competing for the starting nod. Kirshe is the only one with collegiate punting experience (26.8 yds/p).

SCHEDULE
After playing nine regular season games a year ago, the Statesmen return to a 10-game slate in 2014. The coaches and returning players know it's very difficult to go undefeated and Hobart will be tested every week in and out of conference this season.

The Statesmen begin the year at home against traditional rival Dickinson on Sept. 6. Hobart's non-conference schedule will continue with road trips to Endicott and Curry. The Statesmen have never played the defending New England Football Conference champion Gulls before and haven't met the Colonels on the gridiron since the first round of the 2004 NCAA playoffs.

The Statesmen open Liberty League play at home against Merchant Marine on Sept. 27, and the coaching staff will support the national Coach to Cure MD campaign. A week later, Hobart will make its third trip to New England for a league game at WPI.

The Statesmen will raise money for Honor Flight Rochester when they host Springfield. Hobart produced a season-high 49 points against the Pride last season. After a week off, the Statesmen head to Rensselaer. The Engineers are the last Liberty League team to best Hobart, eking out a 29-28 win in Geneva on Nov. 5, 2011.

November will begin with a home game against Union. The contest will be televised and serve as the annual Touchdowns and Tackles for Happiness House.
The Statesmen make their final road trip of the regular season to Canton, New York, on Nov. 8, to face St. Lawrence.

Hobart ends the season on Boswell Field, hosting Rochester for the annual Centennial Cup game. The College will honor the program's seniors prior to the start of the game and recognize the Hobart Hall of Fame Class of 2014 at halftime.