CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — The Wabash College football team has been picked to finish second in the 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, released Friday afternoon.

The Little Giants earned 64 total points from conference coaches to secure the second spot in the nine-team poll, despite not receiving a first-place vote. Defending NCAC champion DePauw, winners of the past three NCAC titles, was selected to repeat, collecting 75 points and five first-place votes..

New NCAC member John Carroll, transitioning from the Ohio Athletic Conference, placed third with 63 points and three first-place votes. Denison was fourth with 53 points, followed by Wittenberg in fifth with 50 points and the remaining first-place vote.

Ohio Wesleyan (34 points), Kenyon (29), Wooster (23), and Oberlin (14) rounded out the preseason rankings.

Wabash returns to action after a strong 2024 campaign that included an 8-3 overall record and a 7-1 mark in conference play, good for second place in the final NCAC standings. The Little Giants capped the season with an appearance in the inaugural ForeverLawn Bowl — part of the Opendorse Bowl Series — where they dropped a close 13-10 contest to Hanover College at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Jake Gilbert begins his first full season as head coach of the Wabash football program. He and his staff will welcome 162 players to campus on Tuesday, August 12, for the start of training camp. The Little Giants open the 2025 season on the road at St. Norbert College on Saturday, September 6.