The biggest change in Men’s Division I is the creation of the Atlantic Rugby Conference, which pulls together six elite programs from two different leagues. With four of the top-five teams in the preseason rankings, the Atlantic is arguably the best conference in college rugby. Cross-city rivals Queens and Belmont Abbey are now cross-conference foes, with Queens joining from Rugby East and Belmont from the Southern. Wheeling, briefly a member of the Rugby East starting in 2014, finds itself back in a league with Kutztown for the first time since well before COVID.
But the top ranking belongs to defending national champion Brown of the Liberty Conference. Winners in 2022 and 2024, the Bears are seeking a third title in four years. Repeating is going to take filling the shoes of several graduated playmakers, like No. 8 Antonio Esteves, fullback Raphael Lansonneur and flyhalf Isaac Frost.
Henrique Gabriel will captain the defending champs from prop, opposite Asa Rosenmeier. Cameron McAlpine is healthy, having just played for the USA Falcons at Rugbytown 7s, and could fill the void at No. 8. Charm Tuala is back at scrumhalf, as are Tito Edjua and Leo Clayburgh at center and Maro Lapierre at wing.
Among the four guys competing for flyhalf minutes is an interesting grad-transfer in Freddy Hughes, who’s played at a high level back home in Australia. Inigo Langford from Wellington College in New Zealand is someone worth watching at fullback, too.
Chasing Brown in the Liberty is longtime Ivy rival Dartmouth. The Big Green are returning most of a really strong forward pack, including All-American hooker Jamie Phillips, selected 12th-overall in the 2025 Major League Rugby Draft by Old Glory DC. Rejoining him in the front row is imposing prop Gjergji Bacuku, maintaining one of the better hooker/prop pairs in the country.
Gone are Luke Wilson and Abe Kamara, but there are plenty of talented newcomers. Maybe none more promising than Ethan Knight, who recently played for the Rambling Jesters at Rugbytown 7s. The grad-transfer from Durham University in England could slot in anywhere in the backline, including flyhalf.
Queens enters the second season of the Zach Colson era, and the first under Tyree Reed, the assistant-turned-head-coach. All-American No. 8 Chester Stanyon is gone, but All-American scrumhalf HIlton Olivier and speed merchant Everette Boyd are both back.
No. 3 St. Bonaventure returns a pair of All-Americans in lock Maseah Young and center Manu Taula, the 2025 Prusmack Award Winner. Suiting up for the Bonnies for the first time this fall will be former Iowa Central flyhalf Koen Webb. Look for him to make an impact immediately.
With some serious firepower back in the mix, Wheeling comes into the season ranked fourth. Albeit with a new coach, as Mike Geibel has moved into administration as the Dean of Students, making way for assistant Max Hamilton to take over the head coaching duties.
All-American center Alex Nyamunda is back, and he’ll be joined by fellow All-American Taku Musingwini, who transfers from Iowa Central. It’ll be hard to resist playing them side-by-side in the midfield, though Musingwini can certainly play fullback, as he did for the Zimbabwean national team this summer, helping the Sables qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Walsh enters its second season as a program at No. 5. The Cavaliers lost some serious firepower to graduation, including three Major League Rugby draftees. But the cupboard is far from bare, with imposing lock Fraser Leslie returning, alongside fellow yeoman Marcus Jansen van Vuuren.
No. 7 Kutztown will play Thomas More for the first time in program history next week. The Saints, led by returning forward Lorenzo Lelli, also test themselves out of conference with a trip to Queens in October.
The Golden Bears return the core of their backline, including center Archie Grayson, scrumhalf Lasha Asanidze and fullback Benedict Quinn. But All-American Aidan Smith has graduated, and star Henry Thomas will miss the first couple of months of the season to an injury sustained at the Collegiate Rugby Championship in April.
12 Americans buttress Kutztown’s recruiting class, but a pair of international newcomers could steal the show. Zander Le Roux is a promising lock from Namibia, and Zimbabwean flyhalf Tinotenda Chinyadza will likely turn some heads.
A pair of catholic schools in Indiana round out the top 10, with Marian coming in at No. 9 and Notre Dame at 10. The Knights return All-American flyhalf Tommaso Lorenzetti and the hulking Clay Peters. And Central Washington transfer Will Toohy and freshman, English center Joe Martindale will make big impacts.
Notre Dame will miss All-American prop Tom Bohman, who has stepped away from the game due to injuries, but there’s plenty left in the cupboard. If all goes to plan, former Springbok U20 lock Jack Waterhouse will be healthy enough to join them and ready to make a sizable impact. Irish-born lock Luke Ingle is another towering presence at 6’6”, having played in the Leinster age-grade system. And fellow countryman Jack Dunne, a scrumhalf, is another one with high-level experience back home, playing in the All Ireland League and for the Irish Universities.
