Sports
GLIAC Media Day: Ferris State football aims to reload, while GVSU must regroup
GRAND RAPIDS – Tony Annese is the head coach of the most successful Division II football program in decades and maybe ever.
Yet he still can’t believe his Ferris State University team has won four of the past five national championships.
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“It’s hard to win even once,” Annese said. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing to win the national championship, and we’ve been able to do it four times. Everyone here wants to win the national championship. Sometimes I look back and I pinch myself because I’m shocked that we even did it once, let alone four times.”
Not surprisingly, Ferris State was named as the No. 1 team in the Preseason Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coaches Poll. They are followed by Grand Valley State, Michigan Tech University, Davenport University and Saginaw Valley State University.
More: Grand Valley State releases 2026 football schedule with home Ferris State showdown
More: GVSU Sports School Year in Review: Top 5 stories of 2025-26
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The results were announced on Friday, July 24, at the annual GLIAC football media day in Grand Rapids.
“Quite a few of these coaches are friends,” Annese said. “So it’s always good to see them. But this (media day) is always a reminder that the season is almost upon us and we’ve got to get ready to go.”
The Bulldogs ran the table last year, with a 16-0 record and beat Harding to win their second national title in a row.
Scenes from the GLIAC football media day on Friday, July 24, in Grand Rapids.
For GVSU, the season was considered a disappointment.
The Lakers were 7-3 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
“There’s no question it burns,” GVSU coach Scott Wooster said. “There aren’t many days where you don’t think about it. You come to Grand Valley to be the best.”
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Wooster, who enters his fourth season as head coach, said he wants to return the Lakers to prominence.
“We just had our golf outing last Friday,” Wooster said. “Coach (Brian) Kelly was back, coach (Chuck) Martin was back. So was (former GVSU greats) David Kircus, Brent Lesniak and Curt Anes There’s a (sense of pride) for them that they built this place. This is their legacy. We’ll get this program back.”
Jimmy Downs, a sixth-year senior from Schoolcraft, is linebacker and team’s co-captain. He said last year was rough.
“It motivates me a lot,” Downs said. “You lose three games by 11 points … it comes down to one or two plays. We won’t let it come down to that year.”
Scenes from the GLIAC football media day on Friday, July 24, in Grand Rapids.
Annese said he’s happy to have his top two quarterbacks returning this year in Wyatt Bower and Chase Carter. They combined for 2,952 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. Bower is a redshirt sophomore from Corunna and Carter is a junior from Orlando, Fla.
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“We’ve gotten enough back from last year that we’ll have a good continuity,” Annese said. “Our top two quarterbacks are returning. Last year, we didn’t know who our starting quarterback was a year ago. I feel like we’ve got the right guys in place.”
Annese, who enters his 14th season at Ferris, said the team’s recent success makes recruiting easier.
“There’s different factors that appeal to young people,” he said. “First, it’s academic programs. Do we have the program that a certain individual wants? We’ve got over 180 majors (at Ferris State), so that helps. Also, how much scholarship money you can give a player? It’s certainly a selling point for me. I’d be lying if I didn’t go into a high school with four national championship rings to show them. Hopefully that’s a selling point.”
One of the biggest selling points is name dropping Trinidad Chambliss. The former Ferris State quarterback transferred to the University of Mississippi a year ago. He was on a national stage as Ole Miss went 13-2 and reached the semifinals of the Division 1 playoffs.
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“Trinidad, obviously, has done great at Ole Miss,” Annese said. “He’s a very visible success story. So yeah, that helps. It also helps some kids wonder ‘should we go into the portal, too?’ So it works both ways. But it’s been a blessing for us and I’m very proud of Trinidad.”
The Bulldogs begin the season at Pittsburg State on Aug. 27 and play rival Grand Valley State in Allendale on Oct. 17.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GLIAC Media Day: Ferris State football aims to reload, while GVSU must regroup
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