University of St. Thomas Athletics
Tommies picked to finish second in PFL preseason poll
7/30/2024 2:02:00 PM | Football
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ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas football team is once again expected to be one of the best in the Pioneer Football League (PFL). The Tommies were picked to finish second in the conference Preseason Poll, receiving 87 total points and one first place vote from the PFL head coaches.
St. Thomas took the PFL by storm when it joined the conference in 2022, earning top-3 finishes in the PFL in each of its first three seasons. After winning their first conference title in 2022, the Tommies finished second in the PFL standings in 2023 and were in the hunt for a conference title entering the final weekend of the regular season. In its toughest schedule in Division I play, St. Thomas concluded the 2023 season with an overall record of 8-3, including a 7-1 mark in PFL play.
The Tommies have only suffered three losses since joining the PFL in 2022, posting a conference record of 21-3 over the last three seasons. The Drake Bulldogs, one of the few teams to beat St. Thomas in PFL play, was selected to win the conference in 2024, receiving eight first place votes and 98 total points. Davidson was picked to finish third and, like the Tommies, picked up a first place vote, while San Diego received the final first place tally despite being picked to finish fifth in the conference standings. Head coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams to win a conference title.
St. Thomas will once again be a strong contender for the PFL title thanks to a core group of returners from the 2022 and 2023 teams. The 2023 Phill Steele PFL Offensive Lineman of the Year Alec Rasmussen (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) returns for his final season with the purple and will anchor an offensive line that returns five All-Conference honorees from either 2022 or 2023. Hope Adebayo (Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Simley) and Gabe Abel (Trenton, N.J. / Salisbury) provide stability in the run game, while Jacob Wildermuth (Plymouth, Minn. / Wayzata) and Colin Chase (Orange County, Calif. / St. John Bosco) will be top targets for Tommie quarterbacks throughout 2024.
St. Thomas' defense also looks to be as strong as ever despite losing its top tacklers from the 2023 squad. Luke Herzog (Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy), CJ Warren (Cirlce Pines, Minn. / Centennial) and Noah Friedt (Lakeville, Minn. / Apple Valley) return after All-Conference seasons for the Tommies, and Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska) is back to provide speed and experience for the St. Thomas secondary. Branden Smith (Las Vegas, Minn. / Cimarron-Memorial) is also back after missing the majority of 2023 due to injury.
St. Thomas will officially kick off the 2024 season on Thursday, August 29 when the team hosts Sioux Falls in the first night game of the DI era. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at O'Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota, and single game tickets are now on sale at www.tommiesports.com/tickets.
