BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Washington & Jefferson College football team came in at No. 24 in the annual National 2023 College Football Preview Magazine Top 25 poll presented by Lindy's Sports.

W&J recorded its 39th consecutive winning season last fall when they completed the 2022 season with a strong 9-2 overall record. The Presidents capped the season with a convincing 35-18 win over Hobart College in the ECAC Asa S. Bushnell Bowl at Cameron Stadium on Nov. 19. The two losses in 2022 – at Case Western Reserve (14-10) and Carnegie Mellon (12-7) – came by a total of nine points.

The Red and Black returns seven starters on offense and six starters on defense from last fall's roster.

Lindy's has returning D3football.com First Team All-America selection Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) listed on their 2023 All-Division III First Team entering the campaign. Dietz put together a standout sophomore season last fall in his first full season as a starter along the defensive line. Dietz led the PAC and ranked seventh in NCAA Division III with 23.5 tackles for loss. Dietz finished the 2022 campaign with 83 tackles and 11.0 sacks, a total that ranks 17th in NCAA Division III.

Angelo Fratini (Burgettstown, Pa./Burgettstown) and Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) also return after earning First Team All-PAC honors last season. John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy), Anthony Rosati (Chadron, Ohio/Perry), Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson), Jaren Thimons (Valencia, Pa./North Catholic), Tanner Volpatti (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Ian Hansen (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) and Deven Wyandt (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) were all listed as All-PAC Honorable Mentions.  

Mount Union, North Central, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Wartburg and Wisconsin-La Crosse made up Lindy's Sports top five. Fellow Presidents' Athletic Conference rival Carnegie Mellon was slotted at No. 17 in the poll.

W&J, one of the top programs in the history of Division III football, enters the fall with an all-time record of 772-401-40. The Presidents will be under the direction of 21st year head coach Mike Sirianni, who has guided W&J to the postseason 17 times including 11 appearances in the NCAA Division III Playoffs.