ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 20 Ithaca College football team is on the cusp of another season as the Bombers open their 2024 schedule at home this Saturday, September 7. Ithaca is coming off a 9-3 season in 2023, which featured the Bombers' second consecutive Liberty League title and a trip to the NCAA Division III Second Round.

IC, in a vote by the Liberty League head coaches, was recognized as the unanimous preseason favorite in Liberty League football in the 2024 Liberty League Football Preseason Poll. 

The Bombers will welcome Johns Hopkins University to South Hill to begin the season. Hopkins enters the home opener ranked No. 8 by D3football.com after going 12-1 last year and defeated the Bombers, 27-17, in the first-ever meeting. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium.

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Head coach Michael Toerper, now in his third season at the helm, has guided the program to a 21-4 overall record since returning to South Hill. The look of this year's team is a bit different compared to the past two seasons, as IC will rely heavily on a younger group of student-athletes, but still possesses an experienced unit of juniors and seniors.

"Our team's leadership is still anchored by a core nucleus of upper classmen, but the younger players in our program have shown throughout spring ball and training camp that they are ready to take a leap in their roles on the field and off," said Toerper. "We've got a lot of buy in to our culture right now and we're looking forward to watching what many of our players do with their earned opportunities."

"We are encouraged with how our team has come together as one unit and the progress we've made matching our fundamentals with what we are trying to accomplish schematically in all three phases of the game," Toerper stated. "It's always important for us to teach our players the situational side of the game so that we have an edge when those moments appear, but with the amount of youth in the program right now, I believe our staff has done a great job doubling down on our team's situational awareness."

This year's roster consists of 23 seniors, 13 juniors, 40 sophomores and 31 freshmen. The captains for the 2024 season are Jake Connolly, Joshua Miles, Ben Marinaccio, Sam Tourangeau and Jake Williams.

Along with those five captains who will produce on and off the field, IC will also look to Jalen Leonard-Osbourne to build off his All-American season last year. Leonard-Osbourne was also named to the D3football.com Preseason All-American Third Team after he accounted for more than 1400 yards of offense and 14 touchdowns.

Other key contributors and starters from a season ago on offense are Colin Schumm, Sam Kline, Nicholas Lang, Nicholas Matos, JC Witchko, Alexander Rice, Connor Schmitt, Jimmy Mullevey, Drew Miller and Harry Zielinski.

On defense, IC returns Isaiah Couser, Carson Ciancuielli, Jon Ramsey, Owen O'Neill, Darren Brunner, Danny Portas, Tommy Moran, Aidan Parry, Cam Paquette and Ryan Burns.

On special teams, Brunner, Derek Baldin and Will Richardson are also back on the roster.

Following the game with Hopkins, IC remains at home the following Saturday as Endicott College, ranked No. 18, makes the trip to Upstate New York for another 1 p.m. contest on September 14.

After a bye week, the Bombers will travel to Massachusetts to battle Curry College at 12 p.m. on September 28. Ithaca and Curry have met once all-time – a 26-21 win for the Colonels in the NCAA Tournament in 2008.

"Playing tough opponents out of the gate is imperative to finding out what your team is made of, where your strengths lie, and where we as coaches may need to do a better job schematically or personnel-wise," said Toerper. "The challenges throughout our first few weeks give us the preparation we need for a challenging in-league schedule and for our last game of the regular season as well."

The next six games on the slate will be Liberty League foes, beginning with Hobart on October 5 in Geneva. IC will return home for contests against Rochester on October 12 and RPI on the 19th.

Two road trips are in store as Ithaca heads to Buffalo State on October 26 and Union on November 2.

Ithaca's final home game of the season is set for November 9 against St. Lawrence and the regular season concludes at Cortland, the No. 2 team in the nation and defending national champions, for the 65th Cortaca Jug on November 16.

Should the Bombers finish the season atop the Liberty League standings once again, IC will earn another automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. New this season, the NCAA expanded the championship field from 32 teams to 40.

"We are looking for our team to play smart, sound, and inspired football. The standard of our approach to each week, each practice, and each lift will never change and we've challenged our players to consistently show up and do what is asked of them to the absolute best of their ability. If we are great teammates, give total effort, and enjoy the journey along the way, I believe the results we are striving for will follow," Toerper concluded.