LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) – With practice beginning the day after, UW-L football held their media day on Tuesday to talk about what to expect going into the 2024 season.
The Eagles enter the preseason ranked 6th, which is their highest in more than 20 years. This after their first quarterfinals appearance since 1996.
Reporters were introduced to UW-L’s eight captains on Tuesday:
- Senior Linebacker Ryan Daines
- Senior Defensive Lineman Nate Hietpas
- Senior Offensive Lineman Levi Liedke
- Junior Running Back Gabe Lynch
- Senior Linebacker Tanner Newlin
- Junior Tight End Marko Rajokovich
- Senior Defensive Back Aaron Schmitz
- Senior Wide Receiver Jack Studer
Expectations are high for the Eagles, who welcome it in stride.
“You embrace it,” Head Coach Matt Janus said. “I told our guys, we’re going to embrace it. They should want that. They should want pressure. If there’s none, they’re not very good then. Or we’re not in a position to do some of the things that they want. The reality is these guys, especially those guys, they came here because of that. That’s part of the reason. They wanted to win football games because they wanted to compete for championships.”
“You want to have high expectations,” Liedke said. “So we kind of embrace that and put in the work. That’s the reason expectations are so high.”
“With pressure, you can’t be scared of the pressure,” Rajokovich said. “You have to welcome it. If you’re scared of the pressure, you’re going to fold. Inviting that pressure in is something that we’ll definitely do this year and embrace it.”
The captains cover almost every position on the field except quarterback.
Janus tells News 19 that returning backup Zach Weir enters fall camp as the starter, but Winona State transfer Kyle Haas will have every opportunity to win the job. Both will see playing time early on.
“Where Zach is very composed, he’s very smooth and Kyle is very driven,” Janus said. “Kyle’s going to make him fight for it. I think Kyle did some phenomenal things this spring. It’s Zach Weir’s job, but Kyle’s going to make him fight arm and tooth for that.”
Whoever is taking the snaps for UW-L will be filling really big shoes after Keyser Helterbrand moved on from the program, with some calling him the best signal caller the Eagles have ever had.
“I think the thing with Zach that gets forgotten sometimes is Zach played significant snaps for us last year in maybe our two biggest conference games,” Offensive Coordinator Michael McGuire said. “He’s not going to blink with any type of pressure. Kyle, with his demeanor that he showed up with in spring and his mentality. He just comes to work every day. He’s a really good leader. Very football smart and a very talented kid, too. That competition this fall camp is going to be really good. I’m really excited about our quarterback room. I think it’s going to be very talented and be a strength for us.”
UW-L will open the season against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on September 5 in Troy, New York. They will then play two Division II teams before hosting UW-Platteville on October 5 to open WIAC play.
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