INDIANA, Pa. – After claiming the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division title in 2025, IUP enters the 2026 football season with a blend of veteran leadership, new faces and championship expectations under ninth-year head coach Paul Tortorella.
Tortorella has compiled a 68-23 (.747) record since taking over the Crimson Hawks in 2017, leading the program to four NCAA Division II playoff appearances, including a first-round berth last season. IUP finished 7-4 overall in 2025, captured the PSAC West title with a 5-1 divisional record and advanced to the NCAA playoffs before falling to Assumption, 23-20.
The Crimson Hawks enter the season as the preseason favorite in the PSAC West after receiving five of eight first-place votes in the conference's preseason coaches poll. Slippery Rock earned the remaining three first-place votes.
Unlike last season, when IUP did not travel more than an hour from campus until its final regular-season game, the Crimson Hawks will face a much more demanding opening stretch in 2026. IUP opens the season with three consecutive road games, including a Thursday night opener at Ashland before back-to-back crossover contests against PSAC East opponents.
The Crimson Hawks will make their home debut Sept. 26 against Seton Hill in the annual Hall of Fame Game, which also marks their first PSAC West contest of the season. Homecoming is set for Oct. 10 against Lock Haven before IUP hosts rival Slippery Rock on Oct. 17 at Frank Cignetti Field. The annual Coal Bowl against California will be played Oct. 24 in California.
With the PSAC Championship Game once again hosted by the West Division champion, IUP will have an opportunity to earn home-field advantage on Nov. 14 by repeating as division champions.
New-look offense
IUP returns seven offensive starters while welcoming back former Crimson Hawk Marco Pecora as offensive coordinator. Pecora returns to Indiana after serving as offensive coordinator at Saint Francis, where he helped guide the Red Flash to the program's first and only victory over an FBS opponent with a win over Kent State.
The Crimson Hawks will look to establish a more consistent running game behind sophomore Leon Parson, who led the team with 390 rushing yards and six touchdowns last season.
At tight end, All-PSAC selection Connor Shamany returns after finishing fourth on the team with 437 receiving yards in 2025. The receiving corps will also lean on sophomore Jeremiah Coleman, who finished third on the team with 464 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions during his freshman campaign.
Defense remains a strength
Defense has long been the identity of IUP under longtime defensive coordinator Jim Smith, and the Crimson Hawks return five starters from a unit that ranked second in the PSAC in total defense and led the West Division in the category last season.
Redshirt senior Noah Johnston anchors the secondary following the graduation of All-American defensive back Kalen Frazier.
At linebacker, second-team All-PSAC performer Tai'Don Strickland returns after recording 71 tackles in 2025. Johnston and Strickland are among four returning defensive starters who earned All-PSAC recognition last season.
Replacing specialists
The Crimson Hawks will replace both specialists following the graduations of kicker Nick Andrasi and punter Aiden Spitler.
With those departures, IUP will look to revamp a consistent kicking game, one that finished third in the PSAC in field-goal percentage last season, converting 9 of 11 attempts.
With experienced returners on both sides of the ball, a new offensive coordinator familiar with the program and another strong defensive unit, IUP will look to capture its second consecutive PSAC West championship—the program's first back-to-back division titles since winning five straight from 2000-04—and its first PSAC championship since 2022.
2026 PSAC Football Preseason Poll
Eastern Division
- Kutztown (6)
- East Stroudsburg
- Shepherd (1)
- West Chester
- Bloomsburg
- Shippensburg
- Millersville
Western Division
- IUP (5)
- Slippery Rock (3)
- California
- Edinboro
- Clarion
- Seton Hill
- Lock Haven
- Gannon
