LIVONIA, Mich. - The start of a new school year also means a new season of Crusader football. With first-year head coach Brett Guminsky at the helm of this Crusader team, Crusader Nation is gearing up for possibly the most anticipated season in the franchise's short history. 

Jumping right into the deep end, the Crusaders are scheduled to take on the No. 6 ranked Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats at home on Saturday, August 31st. For th 2024 season, all Crusaders home football games will be played at Livonia Franklin High School. 

Scouting Indiana Wesleyan: 

The Wildcats went 10-2 a season ago with three wins against Top 15 opponents, and a win over NCAA DI Valparaiso University. They reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA Football Championship Series, where they were eventually knocked off by the No. 4 Georgetown University Tigers. 

The Wildcats have won back-to-back MSFA Mideast Conference Championships in 2022 and 2023 and are predicted to go for the three-peat in the first Coach's Poll of 2024. They have only lost one conference game since 2022. 

Last season the Wildcats offense averaged 33 points per game, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 15 points per game. They averaged 417.9 yards of total offense per game and 6.1 yards per play. Their incredible efficiency led to 52 offensive touchdowns. 

In addition, their defense held opponents to an average of only 309.5 yards per game and forced 35 turnovers. 

The Brand New Crusaders: 

While the task of taking on a team as historically dominant as the Wildcats in your season opener may seem like a daunting task, this 2024 Crusader football team is set to be a much higher caliber than previous years. 

First year head coach Brett Guminsky brings his air-raid offense from Pikeville University to a revamped Crusader roster. 

As the Co-Offensive Coordinator of the Pikeville University Bears in 2023, Guminsky led the team to their best record since 2005. Pikeville scored a total of 383 points which tied the school record for most points scored in a single season. They averaged 38.3 points per game which was the 12th best in the country for the NAIA and most in school history. They were also second in the country for passing yards per game (321.7), they were 12th in the country for total yards per game (434.5) and all season, only punted a total of three times.  

In addition to this, the Tigers set multiple conference records including passing touchdowns in a game (7) and passing yards in a game (614). 

Assisting Guminsky on the attack is Co-Offensive Coordinator Philip Guel. Guel played at Iowa Wesleyan University from 2018-21, before moving into a role as a Graduate Assistant Coach in 2022. Just two years later, he has already flown up the ranks, making his debut as Co-Offensive Coordinator for Guminsky's brand-new Crusaders. 

On the defensive side of the ball, former First-Team All-American linebacker Ruzell McCoy will be the signal caller as the Defensive Coordinator. McCoy played at Southwest Oklahoma State from 2005-08, where he finished his career top-3 in tackles and tackles-for-loss at the NCAA DII program. Following his graduation, McCoy proved his fortitude for coaching at the collegiate level, before returning to coach his alma-mater, SWOSU, in 2021. McCoy quickly moved up from Defensive Line Coach, to Defensive Coordinator, and most-recently, interim head coach at his alma-mater in 2023. 

Other new faces on Guminsky's staff include David Adams (Special Teams Coordinator / Defensive Line Coach) and Len Morawa (Linebackers Coach). Returning from last year's coaching staff is Gerald McCants, who has now moved into a new role as the Crusaders' Quarterbacks Coach. 

It is not just the coaching staff for the Crusaders that has been revamped, as their roster will see many new faces ready to make an immediate impact for the Crusaders. 

Junior wide receiver Taurean Singletary joins the Crusaders from NCAA DI South Carolina State University. The South Carolina native is expected to be the Crusaders' top-target going into Sunday's matchup against the Wildcats. 

Singletary is not the only new deep-threat in Guminsky's offense, as sophomore wide receiver Imarion Kelly also joins the roster from Southern Oregon University. Kelly was one of the top-rated transfers in the NAIA Transfer Portal this offseason per AthLinkd Portal 

On the ground, Crusader Nation will also quickly become familiar with running back James Bohls, transferring from NCAA Division I University of Arizona. Bohls will not see action this Saturday, but is expected to be an integral part of the Crusaders' offense this season. 

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, sophomore corner Jonathan Jordan will look to make an immediate impact. 

True freshman Johnte Nichols is expected to start for the Crusaders at safety after a stellar camp performance. 

Familiar Faces: 

It is not all fresh faces in Livonia this fall, as many returning players from the 2023 season will be stepping on the field of Franklin High School this Saturday, including 2023 MSFA All-Conference Honorable Mention edge Tommy Larson, who recorded 7.5 sacks during the 2023 campaign.  

On the other end of the defensive line is graduate student Bobby Martin, who has recorded 92 total tackles and 13.5 tackles-for-loss in his Crusader career. 

Anchoring the defense is senior linebacker Nick Miller, who will be taking over for Dante Cardinali as the Mike linebacker. Next to him in the middle of the field is true sophomore linebacker Colin Tola, stepping up as the Crusaders Will linebacker. 

Other familiar faces set to take the field on defense for the Crusaders include defensive tackles Colton Oyvldez and Zach Sergent, linebacker Justin Smith, cornerback Tabari Triplett, and safety Paul McLeod. 

The facilitator of Guminsky's high-powered offense is Keel Watson IV, the sophomore from Detroit, Mich. Watson showed flashes last year after transferring from Gordon State, however was not given a chance to shine until camp this summer. Watson's stellar performance in training camp rocketed him up the depth-charts to the position of "QB1" heading into the Crusaders' first game under Guminsky. 

Protecting Watson is an incredibly experienced offensive line that averages over 300 lbs across the board. Leading the way is their left guard Luke Crocker, who has been a staple of the Crusaders' line since their first-ever game in 2021. 

Expected to be a top target of Watson is receiver Emerson Combs, who caught three touchdowns in 2023 and averaged 14.4 yards per reception. 

In the backfield for Week One is Davenport transfer Troy Jordan, who played wide receiver in his first season as a Crusader in 2023 before making the transition to running back.  

Captains for the Crusaders this fall are Keel Watson IV, Luke Crocker, Tommy Larson, Bobby Martin, Nick Miller, Justin Smith, Emerson Combs, and LeShaun Bennett. 

UP NEXT: 

The Crusaders' 2024 season kicks off this Saturday, August 31st, at noon from Franklin High School in Livonia, Mich. 

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