Back for his second year at the helm is Head Coach Aaron Krepps who took over last season after a year as the offensive coordinator. The Beavers went 3-5 in the Heartland Conference with three losses by single digits. Bluffton took advantage of its stout defensive line as the Beavers led the Heartland Conference with 124.9 rushing yards allowed per game. The 303.2 total yards allowed were second in the conference, while the 20.6 points Bluffton allowed per game were third in the HCAC.

Bluffton will be without the services of 2019 A.C Burcky Award Winner Isaac Zickafoose who was the first Bluffton athlete to earn American Football Coaches Association All-American status, garnering 2nd Team honors in 2018. He was a four-time First Team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference selection and a three-time All-North Region Selection. The defensive lineman was also twice named HCAC Defensive Most Valuable Player. He finished as the school's all-time leader in sacks with 35.5, sack yards with 228, tackles for loss with 60.5, tackle for loss yards with 308, quarterback hurries with 15 and fumble return yards with 80.

Although All-American defensive end Isaac Zickefoose is gone following graduation, the strength of the Beavers still resides up front with juniors Dana Shoulders II (Mansfield/Lexington) and John Boyd III (Muncie, Ind/Central) who combined for 50 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2018. Also back is leading tackler Dylan Shaffer (Shelby) who is a two-time All-Heartland Conference honoree. Shaffer tallied 72 tackles with 48 solos (6th in the HCAC).

A trio of starting defensive backs return for the Beavers in 2019 with two earning All-HCAC honors as sophomores. Antonio Crossty (Wooster) was in on 58 tackles (47 solos) which was third, behind Shaffer and Zickafoose, in 2018. Juniors Brian Coleman Jr. (Toledo/St. Francis DeSales) and Stephan Kosakowski (Cleveland/Benedictine) racked up over 45 tackles each with two and four pickoffs, respectively. Dylan Burkholder (Lima/Bath) tallied 24 tackles and three breakups while earning HCAC All-Academic honors as a junior.

Senior linemen Von Thomas (Dayton/Stebbins) and junior Cade McClellan (Edgerton) showed tremendous growth after making the move to the offensive side of the ball last year and they will now be under the tutelage of Christopher Mosely this season. Also back in 2019 are tight ends Kais Chiles (Wapakoneta) and Caleb Heilman (Tipp City/Tippecanoe) who combined for 26 catches while opening holes for the running game.

Zac Nobis (Bryan) took over the offensive late during his freshman year and led the Beavers to victories over Anderson and Defiance while nearly pulling off the upset at Franklin where the Grizzlies rallied for the 28-24 win. Transfers Ryan Markoff (Centerville/Kettering Alter) and Samuel Coleman (Troy) will battle with Nobis for playing time under center when the Beavers hit the gridiron this fall.

The swiss army knife for Bluffton, Adam Duncan (Northwood/Lake), led the 2018 Beavers with 32 receptions for 481 yards. He hauled in five touchdowns, threw for a score and ran for another touchdown. Duncan was 5-of-8 on field goals and he punted 52 times, placing 14 inside the 20-yard line. He and Nobis also showed off their talents on the baseball field during the spring, accounting for two-thirds of Bluffton's outfield.

Senior Drake Campbell (Trenton/Edgewood) led the Beavers with 512 yards and three touchdowns on 126 carries (4.1 AVG) last year. He will be joined by Darian Greeley (Belleville, Mich./Chippewa) who looks to return to his freshman form when he churned up 97.8 yards per game before injuries slowed him in 2018.

Bluffton kicks off the 2019 season with a trip to Wooster on Saturday, Sept. 7. The home opener is a week later when Trine University comes to Bluffton on September 14. A scheduling anomaly set in motion when Earlham nixed its football program following the 2018 season has Franklin at Alumni Field twice in 2019. The Grizzlies will battle Bluffton in a non-league contest on September 21 before the HCAC clash on November 9. The Beavers travel to rival Defiance College for the 2019 finale on Saturday, Nov. 16, with 'The Hammer' once again up for grabs.

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