2026 Spring Football Roster  |  2026 Schedule
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University football team will wrap up its spring practice schedule Friday evening with the annual Green vs. White Spring Game at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
 
FREE ADMISSION
Parking and admission to the game are free for all fans.
 
GAME FORMAT
The game will be played as the offense vs. the defense with the offense wearing white jerseys and the defense wearing green jerseys. The offense will score points traditionally, while the defense will score points in these situations: 6 pts for a touchdown, 3 pts for a takeaway or forcing a three-and-out, 2 pts for a sack, 1 pt for a forced punt or a missed field goal.
 
Quarterbacks and specialists will wear black jerseys to indicate no-contact.
 
The game will feature four 10-minute quarters with a running clock in the second half. The clock will stop for timeouts, changes of possession, touchdowns and field goal attempts.
 
All punts will be fair caught and opening kickoff possessions will start at the offense's 35-yard line.
 
2025 QUICK RECAP
Slippery Rock finished the 2025 season with a 6-4 overall record with three one-possession losses. The Rock saw the second longest active streak of NCAA playoff appearances in the nation snapped at six years as SRU failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2017. SRU did, however, extend its streak of consecutive winning seasons to 16 straight years. A string of bad luck on the injury front derailed the team to the tune of more than 20 significant players missing games throughout the season. The Rock were ranked in the national poll in every week until the final week of the regular season and still earned votes in the final national poll, despite losing four games for the first time since 2016.
 
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
Slippery Rock welcomed three new coaches this offseason and shifted some responsibilities for the returning coaches as well. Two of the new coaches are familiar faces as SRU alumni Marcus Johnson and John Sabo Sr. will join the staff to coach the defensive line. Johnson, better known as Munchie, was an All-American defensive tackle that helped SRU to the national semifinals in 2024 and Sabo was an All-American defensive tackle that helped SRU to the national semifinals in 1998. The Rock will also welcome LaTraviaus Kingsland-Kennedy to serve as the defensive backs coach. Kingsland-Kennedy comes to SRU after playing and coaching with the Geelong Buccaneers in Australia over the last year. He was a standout defensive back at the NAIA level playing at Midland University. Other changes to the coaching staff include elevating former graduate assistant Corey Dinger to a full-time position on the staff. Dinger, who was also an undergraduate intern on the staff, will coach the linebackers and will serve as co-special teams coordinator along with running backs coach Ron Butschle.
 
OFFSEASON ADDITIONS
Slippery Rock welcomed the largest recruiting class in program history in February on National Signing Day with the addition of 10 mid-year transfers and 39 incoming high school players. The 10 mid-year transfers joined the program in January and have been participating in spring practices. Most of them will play in the spring game Friday night.
 
ONE ALL-AMERICAN RETURNING
Slippery Rock returns one of its three All-Americans from the 2025 roster in running back JayJay Jordan, who was named to first team All-America honors by the Associated Press and Don Hansen and second team All-America honors by the American Football Coaches Association and D2football.com. Jordan ranked in the top 10 nationally in nearly every rushing metric last year and finished the year with 1,375 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He also put up 1,858 all-purpose yards in just 10 games for the third-most in a single-season in program history. Jordan was named the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year in addition to garnering first team All-PSAC honors.
 
COOPER EYES NFL SHOT
Slippery Rock is hoping for good news this weekend with left tackle Joe Cooper expecting to get an NFL opportunity. Cooper's stock has been rising since closing the season and he has a good chance to sign with an NFL team as part of this weekend's NFL Draft festivities. Earlier this spring, Cooper was the only Division II player in the country to be invited to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl. Most NFL scouting services have Cooper graded as a free agent signing or possible late day three draft pick.
 
ALL-PSAC PLAYERS BACK
Slippery Rock will return just three of their nine All-PSAC honorees from a season ago, including only one first team selection in running back JayJay Jordan, who was named the PSAC West Offensive Athlete of the Year. The Rock will also welcome back second team linebacker Teddy Gregory Jr. and second team defensive lineman Trever Valenti. Gregory ranked second on the team in total tackles despite missing two games last year and finished with 61 stops to go along with two forced fumbles and one interception. Valenti was fourth on the team in total tackles with 58 to go along with 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.
 
OFFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING
Slippery Rock returns six offensive players that started at least four games last year, headlined by returning starting QB DaOne Owens and running back JayJay Jordan. The Rock will also welcome back receiver John Sabo, tight ends Carson Heckathorn and Lou Swartz and offensive lineman Luke Caldwell. Owens started 10 games as a redshirt freshman last year and became the first SRU freshman QB in more than a decade to make that many starts. He finished the year completing 55.0 percent of his passes (121-220) for 1,682 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 302 yards with seven TD. Jordan led the PSAC in rushing with 1,375 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 8.1 yards per carry and 137.5 yards per game on the ground. Sabo caught 24 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. Heckathorn and Swartz split time at tight end with Heckathorn starting the year before missing the back half of the season with an injury. Caldwell started every game last fall at the right tackle position.
 
NEW LOOK OFFENSIVE LINE
The most notable changes on offense will be a nearly entirely new starting offensive line with the graduations of Joe Cooper, Eli Podgorski, Matthew Prudhomme and Luke Pugliese. Cooper is hoping for an NFL shot this weekend after being a consensus All-American last year. Both Pugliese and Podgorski earned All-PSAC honors last fall. SRU also returns tackle Jake Jonassen, who was expected to be the starting right tackle last fall but was injured during the preseason and missed the season. The Rock also welcome back Mohamed Aly and Varrius Farrell, who both got reps last year, as well as Donovan Randle, Dom Clifford and Landon Carbaigh, who were all on the depth chart last fall.    
 
DEFENSIVE LINE IS ALL BACK
Slippery Rock returns seven of its primary starters from last year's defense, including the entire defensive line and both linebackers from the 4-2-5 system. The Rock also return five more players that earned multiple starts last season. The defensive line returners include ends Brian Young Jr. and Brett Kwoka and tackles Trever Valenti and Nick Frisco, who served as the primary starters most of the season. The line also welcomes back Elijah Halley and Jett Franz, who both started multiple games. Halley led the team in sacks and tackles for loss with 5.0 sacks and 8.5 TFL, with Young tallying 4.5 sacks and 7.5 TFL. Kwoka recovered three fumbles, Valenti racked up 58 total tackles and Frisco compiled 33 tackles with 4.5 TFL.
 
LINEBACKERS ARE BACK
Slippery Rock welcomes back both of its starters from last year in Jacob Snow and Teddy Gregory Jr., who both suffered injuries a year ago. Snow missed the last six games of the season and Gregory missed two games. Gregory was second on the team in tackles with 61 while Snow put up 20 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in less than four games. The Rock also return linebackers Spencer Barninger, Troy Lucas and John Frangos, who all saw action as true freshmen last year, as well as veteran Tyree Johnson, who missed the entire season last year with an injury.
 
SECONDARY CHANGES
Slippery Rock returns just one player in the secondary that started four or more games last year in safety Ben Lane, who compiled 40 tackles and five pass breakups last fall. The Rock also return safeties Carmen Metcalfe and Kwalil Shepperson, who both made limited starts and finished with at least 20 tackles on the year.
 
SPECIALISTS
Slippery Rock will have a new look in the kicking game in 2026 with none of the kickers or punters that played last year being on the roster anymore. The spring roster includes redshirt freshman Billy Lech and transfer kicker Connor Macek, who joined the program this spring from Whittenburg.
 
SEASON OPENS WITH NATIONALLY RANKED DULUTH
Slippery Rock will play a "week zero" game for the first time ever next fall and will open the year at home against nationally ranked University of Minnesota Duluth Thursday night, August 27. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs and SRU will reciprocate by traveling to Minnesota to open the 2027 season. Duluth is coming off a 10-2 overall record in 2025 that included a 10-1 mark in the regular season and a loss to Ashland in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
NO HOME GAMES IN SEPTEMBER
After SRU opens the season at home in week zero, The Rock will get their only "bye" week of the season during the traditional week one and will not play Labor Day weekend. SRU will then play each Saturday for the next 10 straight weeks to close the regular season. That includes a three-game road swing in September with trips to East Stroudsburg Sept. 12, Millersville Sept. 19 and California (Pa.) Sept. 26. The Rock will play no home games in September.
 
FIVE GAMES IN OCTOBER
After the three-game road swing in September, SRU returns home to host Gannon Oct. 3 and Seton Hill Oct. 10 for back-to-back home games. The Rock then travel to Indiana (Pa.) Oct. 17 before returning home to host Lock Haven Oct. 24 on Homecoming and closing out a five-game month Oct. 31 at Clarion.
 
LAST TWO AT HOME
Slippery Rock will close the regular season with back-to-back home games the first two weeks in November against Edinboro and incoming PSAC member Lackawanna College.
 
SPECIAL EVENTS *
Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. – Hall of Fame Game
Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. – Homecoming
* Other special event dates will be announced prior to the fall.
 
NO VILLAGEFEST HOME GAME THIS YEAR
Due to Slippery Rock's schedule with no home games in the month of September, the annual Slippery Rock VillageFest will take place while SRU is on the road for the first time in nearly two decades. VillageFest is set for Saturday, Sept. 12 while SRU is on the road at East Stroudsburg.
 
2026 TICKET AND PARKING INFO
Slippery Rock is currently finalizing ticketing and parking info for the 2026 season and will announce that information in the coming weeks.
 




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