OFFENSE
An All-New England, two-time All-Patriot League and Preseason All-America honoree, offensive lineman and captain Cam Nolan headlines the Crusader returners in 2026. He has started 20 consecutive games at right guard for the Crusaders, and has appeared in 33 games during his Holy Cross career; he will move into a role as the team's starting center in 2026.
Along the line, the Crusaders are boosted by two returning starters: senior left tackle Bradford Blattner, who returns after starting 10 games as a junior a season ago and five games the year prior, and senior right tackle Bennett Nunnally, who started seven games during the 2025 campaign.
Transfer guards Kuba Tyszka (North Dakota) and Theo Bachelder (Old Dominion) help round out the veteran Crusader O-line, and are expected to make an instant impact. That position features versatility and depth under new offensive line coach and run game coordinator Joe Kreinsen, with key contributors including junior Liam Lynch, who appeared in all 12 games a season ago, starting 10, while senior center Sean Woods made eight starts at center last year. Other notable reserves include senior Will Janis and emerging sophomores Dominic Sorrentino, Patrick Enright and Lucas Catoggio.
The Crusader quarterbacks room features three student-athletes who have recorded playing time at the Division I level: senior Cal Swanson, sophomore Dominic Campanile and Pitt transfer David Lynch.
Swanson started the first six games of Holy Cross’ 2025 slate prior to a season-ending injury, with six passing touchdowns and a total of 1,021 yards in the air. Campanile’s first collegiate action as a freshman in 2025 came in the Crusaders’ win over Richmond — and his first collegiate snap resulted in his first collegiate touchdown on a four-yard keeper. He would go on to make six total appearances on the year, starting the final three games of the season and leading the Crusaders to convincing Patriot League victories over Bucknell and Georgetown.
Lynch, meanwhile, returns closer to his native East Greenwich, R.I., after spending the previous two seasons at Pittsburgh. He saw action in three games during the 2024 season for the Panthers, including against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
Sophomore running back Joseph Williams, who was named to Bruce Feldman's "Freaks List" as one of the strongest and most athletic collegiate football players this season, is the Crusaders' leading returning rusher (121 yards) and ranks second among Holy Cross' returners with 217 receiving yards. He stepped up against stiff competition, leading the team in receiving yards vs. eventual FCS playoff qualifiers Yale and Lehigh, and scoring a touchdown against then-No. 25 Harvard.
A pair of transfer running backs, Jake Croce (Saint Anselm) and Datrell Jones (Boston College), will also see significant playing time. Croce appeared in 20 total contests for the Hawks, totaling 10 touchdowns and nearly 1,200 career yards. Jones played in five games for the Eagles as a redshirt freshman in 2024, carrying the ball eight times for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Junior receiver Ty Curran has the most receiving yards (254) among all returning Crusaders, with 10 starts in 2025, and was the Crusaders’ leading receiver in conference matchups against Richmond and Colgate. Sophomore Lincoln Fisher led the team with three touchdown receptions during his rookie campaign a year ago, and had a breakout campaign against playoff qualifier Yale. Juniors RJ Newton and SirCharles Gordon, along with sophomore Lucas Weir, look to have a breakout campaign in 2026, and transfer Myles Abernathy (Georgia State) joins a talented Crusader receiver corps.
A duo of veteran tight ends, senior Luke Petitta and junior Mason McSweeney, have made a combined 45 appearances in their careers; McSweeney has appeared in every game since his freshman season and scored a touchdown against Fordham last year. Sophomore Drae Tyme will also be a key reserve within the tight end room.
