Denison University Men's Football

Denison University football is enjoying a renaissance, and the artist behind it is Jack Hatem, who is currently in his 16th season as head coach in 2025.  Hatem ranks second all-time in wins at Denison and boasts a career record of 92-50 (.648). He’s produced winning seasons in 12 consecutive years, including two North Coast Athletic Conference titles (2018, 2019), and an NCAA playoff appearance (2018). The Big Red finished the 2024 season with a 6-4 record, going 6-2 in conference play for a third-place finish. Three of the four losses came to ranked opponents, including a 38-30 defeat to Alma College in the home opener. Denison's season was highlighted by road victories over Wittenberg, Wooster, and Ohio Wesleyan in conference play. Denison had a pair of players earn major recognition from the NCAC as first-year quarterback Tyler Green was named Newcomer of the Year and senior kicker/punter Daniel Cunningham garnered Special Teams Player of the Year recognition. Meanwhile, running back Trey Fabrocini became a four-time All-NCAC honoree. Fabrocini finished his career with 4,475 rushing yards and 59 rushing touchdowns – both are program records. During a Senior Day win over Oberlin, Fabrocini surpassed Chris Spriggs as Denison's all-time leading rusher. Spriggs’ total of 4,248 yards had stood since 1986.  In 2023, the Big Red won their final four games to finish the season 7-3 overall and tie for second place in the NCAC standings (6-2) for a second straight year. Denison had 15 players named all-conference with four earning all-region honors. The Big Red were driven by a prolific offense that tallied 35-plus points five times and saw Fabrocini lead the conference in rushing (1,402 yards) and scoring (120 points). Receiver Josh Aiello scored at least one receiving touchdown in each of the first nine games and broke the Denison record with 15 receiving touchdowns in a single season – tying him for the fourth-most receiving TDs in NCAC history. On the other side of the ball, Denison ranked second in the conference in total defense. The Big Red finished their 2022 season 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the NCAC, marking the third time in the previous four full seasons Denison reached the eight-win plateau. Thirteen players were named All-NCAC, including five on the first-team. The Big Red also placed a program-record five players on the D3football.com All-Region 4 Team. Fabrocini finished the year ranked second among all Division III players in rushing touchdowns (20), and total touchdowns (22), and was sixth in total rushing yards (1,303). Hatem moved into second place all-time in wins at Denison with 79, surpassing the mark of 76 wins by Walter Livingston (1911-1926). Only Keith Piper (200 wins from 1954-1992) has more Denison victories, and no other coach at Denison has reached the 50-win milestone faster. In 2021, Denison finished 6-4 overall and 6-3 in the NCAC, which was tied for fourth place. The Big Red had 14 all-conference players, led by six first-teamers. Three players earned all-region selection. The 2020 fall season was canceled due to the pandemic. The Big Red were able to play two football games in the spring of 2021. They defeated rival Ohio Wesleyan, 38-37, as senior Pat Kramer kicked a game-winning field goal with seconds left on the clock. They closed out the spring with an exhibition game against Case Western Reserve University.  Hatem’s promotion to head coach prior to the 2010 season ushered in a new era of success for Denison football. From 2015 to 2019, the Big Red had five straight seasons with at least seven victories, and went 38-13 overall with two NCAC championships and an NCAA playoff appearance in 2018. In 2019, the Big Red finished with an overall record of 8-2, marking the program's third eight-win season since 2016. Denison also captured a share of the conference championship for the second year in a row. It boasted 16 All-NCAC selections, including NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, All-American, and Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, Alex Minton. Minton broke the single-season rushing record with 1,550 yards. He also ended the regular season ranked fourth in the nation in rushing yards, seventh in rushing touchdowns (18) and third in total touchdowns (21).  In 2018 the Big Red enjoyed a breakthrough campaign that saw them go 8-2 in the regular season and win the program's first NCAC championship since 1986. The Big Red received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs, marking Denison's first postseason berth in 33 years. The 2018 season was highlighted by a 34-10 victory over No. 22 Wabash and six straight wins to close out the schedule. Senior quarterback Canaan Gebele was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, which is presented annually to the top player in Division III football. The offense set new program marks for points (437), points per game (39.7), touchdowns (60), first downs (262), total offense (5,000), all-purpose yards (5,974), and total plays (805).  In 2016, the Big Red went 8-2, highlighted by the program's first win over Wittenberg since 1989. Hatem was named the NCAC Coach of the Year. Prior to becoming head coach in 2010, Hatem spent five seasons at Denison as an assistant, serving as defensive coordinator for the final three seasons of that stint. In 2012, Hatem and his staff were asked to coach in the Ohio Army National Guard Senior Bowl in Columbus, Ohio. His South squad defeated the North, 21-7. The Lancaster, Ohio native spent 13 years as a high school football head coach, twice earning Ohio High School Football Coach of the Year honors.  Hatem graduated from the University of Rio Grande in 1982, earning his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He also holds a master’s degree in physical education from Ohio University (1992). In addition to his accomplishments on the football field, Hatem also had considerable success on the baseball diamond. A former baseball standout at Fisher Catholic High in Lancaster, Hatem served as head baseball coach at Rio Grande for three seasons, shortly after graduation. In 1991, he led Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus to its second state baseball championship. Promoted to associate professor of Physical Education in 2023, Hatem resides in the nearby Buckeye Lake region. He has two grown sons, A.J. and Ryan. For a complete list of all the conference, regional and national honors earned by Jack Hatem’s players, please visit the Denison football record book. Hatem at Denison Year Year at Denison Overall Record Conference Finish/Accolades 2010 1st 4-6 6th 2011 2nd 5-5 3rd 2012 3rd 4-6 6th 2013 4th 7-3 4th 2014 5th 6-4 4th 2015 6th 7-3 4th 2016 7th 8-2 T-2nd NCAC Coach of the Year 2017 8th 7-3 4th 2018 9th 8-3 1st 2019 10th 8-2 T-1st 2020 11th 1-0* *Fall Season Canceled due to COVID-19 2021 12th 6-4 T-4th 2022 13th 8-2 T-2nd 2023 14th 7-3 T-2nd 2024 15th 6-4 3rd Overall 92-50(0.648)

John Young enters his 12th season on the Denison University football coaching staff in 2024 as the Big Red's cornerbacks coach. The Big Red have had a winning season and have finished in the top-four of the North Coast Athletic Conference in each of Coach Young's years in Granville, Ohio. From 2015 to 2019, Denison had five straight seasons with at least seven victories, and went 38-13 overall with two NCAC Championships and one NCAA Division III playoff appearance in 2018. In 2023, the Big Red won their final four games to finish the season 7-3 overall and tie for second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings (6-2) for the second year in a row. Jaylin Epps (junior corner back) was named First-Team All-NCAC after recording a career-high 15 pass breakups and two interceptions to go along with 15 total tackles and 10 solo tackles. Epps had at least one pass breakup in all but two games for the Big Red and was ranked first in the NCAC and tied for second nationally in passes defended (1.70 per game). On the defensive side of the ball, Denison had the No. 2-rated overall defense in the NCAC (44th nationally), the top passing defense in the NCAC (181.8 yards per game), the second-best rushing defense in the NCAC, and the No. 2-ranked third-down conversion percentage defense in the NCAC (20th nationally). Denison finished its 2022 season 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, which was good for a tie for second place, while junior cornerback Roshaune Downie was named First-Team All-NCAC and D3football.com Third-Team All-Region after leading the Big Red with four interceptions and 18 pass breakups. Downie led the NCAC in interceptions, pass breakups and total passed defended (22), and was the only player in the conference to average over two passes defended per game. He was also ranked second in all of NCAA Division III in pass breakups, total passes defended and passed defended per game, and was tied for 39th in interceptions per game (0.4). In 2021, Denison finished 6-4 overall and 6-3 in the conference, which was tied for fourth place, while Young helped coach fifth-year cornerback Cory Swartzmiller to First-Team All-NCAC and D3football.com Third-Team All-Region honors. In 2019, the Big Red finished with an overall record of 8-2, marking the program's third, eight-win season since 2016. The Big Red also captured a share of the conference championship for the second year in a row. The 2018 season was a breakthrough campaign for the Big Red. After finishing the regular season with an 8-2 record, Denison captured a share of its first North Coast Athletic Conference championship since 1986. Denison earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, marking the program's first playoff appearance in 33 years. Young came to Denison with 18 years of coaching experience at the high school level. He received his B.A. from West Liberty State in 1998 and earned a masters degree from Salem International in 2008. Young spent the first two years of his undergraduate career at Mount Union where he was a member of the Purple Raiders' first national championship in 1993. Young and his wife, Shelly, live in Heath, Ohio. He is a math teacher at Lakewood Middle School in Hebron, Ohio.

Jovon Johnson joined Denison University in April 2024 as the team's Defensive Coordinator and is in his second season with the Big Red. In his first season at Denison, Johnson helped lead a defense that ranked third in the conference in points per game (21.0) and in rushing (97.2). The team would record three different shutout wins against Kenyon, Hiram, and Oberlin, the first time having three shutouts in a season since 1986. The Big Red finished the season with 10 interceptions, 24 sacks, and five forced fumbles. Denison had four defensive players land on All-NCAC teams, with seniors Michael Ballenger and Collin Murphy receiving first team honors, Jaylin Epps receiving second team, and Nick Pellicciotta landing on third team. Murphy was also selected for the D3football.com first team All-Region. Coach Johnson joins the Big Red coaching staff via NCAC rival Wittenberg University, where he was the Special Teams Coordinator, Linebacker Coach and Head JV Coach. Coach Johnson has spent time on staff with Northeastern State University of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and NCAA Division I West Virginia University and Ohio University. While with the Mountaineers and Bobcats, Coach Johnson served as a Defensive Graduate Assistant, working primarily with the linebacker position group. During his time at Ohio, Coach Johnson helped guide a defense that led the nation in takeaways in 2018 with 30. During that 2018 season, the Bobcats earned a trip to the DXL Frisco Bowl. Before joining the collegiate coaching ranks, Coach Johnson began his journey at Solon High School as a Linebackers coach in 2016. Coach Johnson played collegiately at Ohio University under legendary Head Coach Frank Solich. While playing for the Bobcats, Johnson was named team captain in 2015 after obtaining Third-Team All-MAC honors in 2013. Coach Johnson graduated from Ohio University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Health. He would later go on to obtain a Master’s in Coaching Education in 2019 from OU.  

Jed Quackenbush enters his fourth year as an assistant football coach at Denison University in 2025, where he works as the Special Teams Coordinator (Kicking/Punting). In the 2024 season, Denison went 6-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play to finish third in the NCAC standings, their third-consecutive top three finish. Quackenbush helped coach kicker/punter Daniel Cunningham to NCAC Special Team Player of the Year, earning First Team honors in kicking and Second Team in punting, and D3football.com First Team All-Region. In the kicking game, Cunningham went 7-7 on field goal attempts, with a long of 48 coming against Wooster (10/12). He went 38-41 on extra points, and was second in scoring on the Big Red with 59 points. In punting, Cunningham was phenomenal in flipping the field, punting 34 times for 1,389 yards for a 40.9 average which ranked first in the NCAC. He pinned 15 of his kicks inside the 20 and had two of 50+, one being a long of 60. In kickoffs, he had an average of 61.9 yards and 28 touchbacks. In 2023, the Big Red won their final four games to finish the season 7-3 overall and tie for second place in the North Coast Athletic Conference standings (6-2) for the second year in a row. Quackenbush helped coach senior punter Michael Mead to all-confernece honors in his first full season as the team's starting punter. Mead was named Second-Team All-NCAC after punting 38 times for 1,545 yards and tying for the lead in the NCAC and ranking 18th nationally at 40.7 yards per punt. In addition to a career-long 65-yard punt in Denison's 28-24 win at home over Wabash College (Oct. 14), Mead had five punts over 50 yards, led the conference with nine touchbacks, and put seven punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Quackenbush was a four-time All-American at Ohio Dominican University (Columbus, Ohio), earning the honor twice as a kicker and twice as a punter. He played for five seasons and won a Great Midwest Athletic Conference title as a freshman in 2017. Quackenbush broke several school records as a punter for ODU since taking over that role at the start of the 2020 spring season. In 2021, Quackenbush ranked second nationally with a school-record 46.7-yard punt average. In 41 punts, Quackenbush had 14 of 50-plus yards, including a career-long 69 yard attempt, as well as 21 punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. In his final season with the Black & Gold, Quackenbush also connected on a career-high 13 field goals in 19 attempts. He made at least one field goal in 7-of-11 games, including three makes in the season opener against nationally ranked Shepherd. Quackenbush earned two D2football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week awards this fall for his performances versus Shepherd and William Jewell. For his career, Quackenbush made 24-of-34 field goals and 160-of-169 point-after attempts, resulting in 232 career points. All three marks rank in the top three in program history. As a punter, Quackenbush recorded 74 attempts over 17 games, averaging 44.1 yards per attempt, a career school record. He had just seven touchbacks compared to 39 punts placed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.   Quackenbush was named a first team all-Great Midwest Athletic Conference honoree in each of his final two seasons and ended his career as a member of the D2football.com Elite 100 Team. He was also the 2021 Spring Season G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Year and named to the 2021 Fall D2CCA All-Super Region One team.