Coach: Joe Austin (11th season). Starters returning O/D: 11/5. 2023: 3-7, 3-5 SAA

Every coach will tell you that injuries are a part of football. Joe Austin isn’t about to make excuses for Southwestern’s 2023 campaign, but the Pirates had over 30 players miss time with injuries, including six of their top eight offensive linemen.

“It was a very different year for us. It was a bummer that we didn’t get to roll the team out that we had hoped, but that’s football,” Austin said. “There’s a silver lining to it because we played so many freshmen that it sped up their learning curve, which we hope pays dividends when their juniors and seniors.”

Austin said the young players better understood what the coaches wanted to accomplish during spring practice due to the reps from last year. All signs point to the Pirates reaping the benefits of that experience in 2024.