ITHACA, N.Y. -- As the leaves begin their shift from green to Carnellian with the change of seasons, so too does Cornell football enter a new season. Beyond the typical "new season, fresh slate" that each fall brings, this year will look different to fans of the Big Red. Between new coaches, new personnel, and a fresh outlook on football, the team is eager to jump head-first into the new era.

Dan Swanstrom, the Roger J. Weiss '61 Head Coach of Cornell Football, enters his first season with the Big Red, but it marks his sixth season in Ithaca. Swanstrom spent five seasons on South Hill, where he served as the Head Football Coach at Ithaca College. He posted a 32-11 record with the Bombers, winning at least eight games in all four years of football (the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Under his command, Ithaca won three Liberty League titles, claimed the ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl title in his first season, and won the Cortaca game three times in four seasons. In his most recent two years, Swanstrom served as the offensive coordinator at Ivy for Penn. He took the Quakers from the bottom of the league in total offense in 2022, to the number one spot in 2023. Now, he brings a new perspective to Cornell football, focusing on the details and forming a new and exciting playbook along the way.

Carrying out Swanstrom's vision of the offense are co-offensive coordinators Sean Reeder and Mike Hatcher. Reeder, a former player under Swanstrom at Johns Hopkins and now long-time assistant to him, joined Swanstrom as an assistant at Ithaca College and at Penn. In 2023, the duo took Penn's offense from the bottom three in the league to the top of the Ancient Eight, leading the conference in total yards (4,013). Hatcher and Swanstrom coached together on South Hill, where the pair guided IC to an 8-2 record in 2021 including three wins over nationally ranked opponents.

Swanstrom's specialty is quarterbacks. A finalist for the Gagliardi Award as one of the 10 Division III football players for national player of the year as a senior quarterback at Rhodes College, he takes the reins of a loaded room, headlined by senior Jameson Wang. Wang was named the Phil Steele Ivy League Preseason first team coming off the heels of a season where he ranked atop the Ivy (and 21st nationally) in completion percentage, connecting on 64.8 percent of his throws. In his junior season, Wang threw for over 2400 yards, good for third-most in the conference. The El Segundo, Calif. native has etched his name in the Cornell record books in nearly every major passing category, including passing attempts (677, 6th), pass completions (419, 6th), passing yards (4426, 6th), passing touchdowns (27, 5th), pass completion percentage (61.9%, 2nd), pass efficiency (123.9, 5th), passing yards per game (163.9, 7th). He also ranks top-20 in rushing attempts (315, 20th) and rushing touchdowns (20, 7th).

Wang is the lone true starter to return on the offensive side of the ball, but he is not without some familiar faces. Preseason All-Ivy second-teamer Davon Kiser makes his return after grabbing 31 catches for 458 yards in 2023, good for top-three in the team in both categories despite missing two games due to injury. Now sophomores Ean Pope and Samuel Musungu return to action this fall after the 2023 season where the pair became the first freshman duo to score touchdowns for Cornell since the 2012 season. As a true freshman, Musungu caught 25 passes for 207 yards in 2023, while Pope rushed for 89 yards as a part of a three-running back system. Musungu has traded in his #83 jersey for #3, and Pope shelved the #35 for #4. Junior Doryn Smith is back for more this fall as the No. 2 receiver from the 2023 season. He totaled 38 grabs for 398 yards and two touchdowns. Adding to Wang's weaponry is the tight ends room. Senior Matthew Pilc and sophomore Ryder Kurtz add both protection and reception ability for the Big Red, giving the position group new depth through training camp. Pilc was even nominated for the 2024 NFF Campbell Trophy leading up to this season.

On the defensive side of things, Cornell only returns five true starters. Training camp has offered the opportunity for new faces to rise to the challenge, and rise they have. While Brendan Chestnut could make his 11th consecutive start at Colgate this weekend, junior Muhammad-Ali Kobo and seniors Max Van Fleet and Hunter Sloan have all become regulars on the defensive line. At linebacker, Luke Banbury and Damon Barnes are back after totaling the third- and eighth-most tackles on the team in 2023, respectively. Joining the core returners in Ben Sahakian, who primarily took special teams snaps last season. Fans may remember his brother, Micah Sahakian '24, who was a two-time All-Ivy honoree in his time with the Big Red. The secondary returns Trey Harris, who led the Big Red in pass breakups in 2023. Alongside him at safety comes junior Jeremiah Lewis, younger brother to Paul Lewis III '24 who was named a first-team All-Ivy defensive back in 2023. J. Lewis totaled four pass breakups and an interception in 2023, backing up Harris and Brody Kidwell '24. Rick Coleman Jr. and Braylon Howard are looking to make an impact as defensive backs after backing up P. Lewis and Anthony Chideme-Alfaro '24 in 2023.

Special teams has also seen turnover. The graduation of one player left three vacancies when All-Ivy kicker, punter, and placekicker Jackson Kennedy graduated last spring. In his place, Alan Zhao, who appeared in four games last season as a placekicker, will take over kickoff, field goal, and extra point duties. Ayden McCarter, who served as the holder for Kennedy, is back as the Big Red's punter after a year's hiatus.

While so much new can bring much wonder and anticipation, one thing is certain. It all kicks off this Saturday, September 21 when the Big Red travels to Colgate. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.

A new season also means a new year of content. Cornell football fans can expect Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays to look the same with notable stat recaps, Know Your Foe, and the game notes release, but Thursdays and Fridays will explore new content and give fans an insight into the program they may not normally receive. Each day, the team has a "word of the day", meant to tie into their lives, both on and off the field. Every Thursday throughout the season, we will explore one of the words of the week, diving into the etymology of the word and tying it back to what it means to the players in their lives with interviews.

While last year's Friday content leaned into the realm of telling stories about those around the program and what makes Cornell Football special, this year will take a different approach. On Friday, a new weekly series is set to launch titled Table Talk with Cornell Football. Each episode will have a pair of Cornell Football student-athletes talking about a new topic each week as suggested by fans, that will give viewers a direct look inside the program to learn more about the personality of the athletes in an informal setting. In week one, we sat down with Alan Zhao and Ayden McCarter and had a discussion of their favorite G.O.A.T.s (Greatest of all time) from sports to food combinations.