Offensive Line
Up front, Ithaca returns eight linemen with experience, something Maguire said any team would “love to have.” Juniors Andrew Ohnegian, Dan Pauletti, and Zachary Gagner are among several players Maguire said he expects to take a step forward in 2026.
Defensive Line
Maguire believes that to win the conference, the Bombers will need to stop the run, and that starts with the defensive line, anchored by seniors Aidan Perry—whom Maguire described as a “tank”—and Carson Ciancuielli, who was named a 2025 preseason All-American by d3football.com but was limited to just four games due to injury.
Linebacker
Senior Henry Tackas ’27, who led the team with eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025, anchors a unit that also boasts strong athletes such as Jack O’Connor ’27.
Defensive Backs
The back end of the Ithaca defense is led by Joe Spirra ’28, who was named a preseason first-team All-American by d3football.com. Senior Marven Simeus is expected to cover the nickel role after posting 47 tackles last season. Fellow seniors Andrew Swierbut, Cam Paquette, and Marcus Boyle also return with experience.
Specialists
While the Bombers need to find a new long snapper, they return Caleb Wandell ’28, who was the primary kicker and punter last season, and kickoff specialist Luke Savino ’27. Mestre and Boyle were the team’s primary kick and punt returners last season, and Maguire believes that the returning experience means “special teams will be a weapon for us.”
The Schedule
Maguire didn’t mince words when laying out his expectations for the season.
“All of us in the program expect to be in the playoffs and competing on a national stage,” he said.
A challenging 2026 schedule will ensure the Bombers are battle-tested by season’s end. It starts right away with a season-opening road trip to Baltimore, Maryland, to visit the fourth-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, who appeared in the national semifinals last season, on September 5.
“Having a game like that early is going to be a barometer for us,” Maguire said. “And the team is hungry for that opportunity.”
The Bombers then return to Butterfield Stadium for three consecutive weeks, a stretch that includes the first-ever night game in program history against Alfred University on September 12 at 6 p.m. That historic first will also mark the debut of the new Ithaca College Pep Band, bringing a longtime game-day tradition back to Butterfield Stadium.
Open to students from all majors, the new pep band will perform at every home football game and at Cortaca at Yankee Stadium on November 14.
“I’m super excited for the home opener,” Maguire said. “We’re going to have a lot of recruits at that game, and having the lights, the sights, and the sounds of the band, it’s going to feel like community. It’s everything you want in a college football experience.”
Ithaca will also host conference opponents Hilbert College (September 19), St. Lawrence University (September 26), University of Rochester (October 10), and RPI (November 7). One week after closing out their home schedule, the Bombers will head to Yankee Stadium for the Cortaca Jug presented by Visions Federal Credit Union.
It’s the third time that the game will be played at a neutral site, following the 2023 showdown at Yankee Stadium and the 2019 matchup at MetLife Stadium that drew a Division III-record 45,161 fans. And though it will be Maguire’s first time experiencing Cortaca in a professional stadium, its significance is not lost on him.
Maguire said bringing Cortaca back to Yankee Stadium reflects the enduring support of Ithaca’s alumni and football community.
“I’m just going to enjoy the show, because hopefully by that point, we as coaches have done our jobs and we can just watch our guys go out there and make plays.”
