- Nickname: Wildcats
- Location: Durham, N.H.
- Enrollment: 11,480
- Home field: Wildcat Stadium (Capacity: 11,015)
- Conference: Coastal Athletic Association
- 2023 record: 6-5, 4-4 CAA
- All-time series record vs. UCF: First meeting
Editor's note: This is the first installment in a 12-part series highlighting UCF's 2024 football opponents.
Once garnering a reputation as a giant killer, and still among the Football Championship Subdivision's regular postseason participants, New Hampshire will pose the first test for UCF in its second football season in the Big 12 Conference.
Though this is considered a 'buy game,' with UCF paying out a guaranteed $350,000 to the visitors according to FBSchedules.com, New Hampshire should not be considered a walkover. The Wildcats, who pushed Central Michigan to the brink last season, have reeled off six wins against FBS programs over the last two decades — highlighted by triumphs over Rutgers (2004) and Northwestern (2006).
New Hampshire went 6-5 in 2023 and was one of the highest-scoring programs among college football's second tier. The loss of two All-Americans — one to the NFL, and another to the transfer portal — is certainly a setback for a program just two seasons removed from an FCS playoff berth.
USA Today Sports Network predictions:Who will win the 2024 Big 12 football championship?
Kicking off The News-Journal's previews for each of UCF's opponents this fall, let's learn more about UNH.
Rick Santos, a record-setting QB for New Hampshire, runs the show
One of the most accomplished players in New Hampshire's football history, Rick Santos enters his third season as head coach. He succeeded Sean McDonnell, who retired in 2021 following a 23-year run in charge.
Santos threw for 13,212 career yards and 123 touchdowns, was named an Walter Camp All-American on three occasions and claimed the Walter Payton Award as the Football Championship Subdivision's most outstanding player in 2006.
New Hampshire's offense has remained formidable with Santos on the sidelines. The Wildcats ranked fifth in the country among FCS programs in scoring last season (37.5 points per game), and tied for 10th in total offense (434.4 yards per game).
In 2022, New Hampshire clinched a share of the Colonial Athletic Association title and advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs. As for last season, four of the Wildcats' five defeats were by single-digit margins — including overtime heartbreakers against Central Michigan and Towson.
Villanova, who UCF crushed 48-14 last September, was the only team to beat New Hampshire by multiple scores.
Dylan Laube drafted into NFL, but UNH's top 3 receivers return
Top Offensive Returners: WR Caleb Burke, WR Joey Corcoran, OL Mason Davis, OL Dylan Poirier, RB Myles Thomason, WR Logan Tomlinson
Top Defensive Returners: DL Dylan Ruiz, DL Josiah Silver, CB Noah Stansbury, LB Ryan Toscano
New Hampshire lost its two most important offensive pieces, one via the NFL draft and another in the transfer portal.
Running back Dylan Laube led the FCS in all-purpose yards (209.5 yards per game) and was second in touchdowns (18). The 5-foot-10, 208-pounder impressed at the Reese's Senior Bowl, so much so that the Las Vegas Raiders selected him in the sixth round of the NFL draft.
Meanwhile, three-year starting quarterback and FCS All-American Max Brosmer enrolled at Minnesota in January. He threw for 3,464 yards with 29 touchdowns, completing 64.1% of his attempts.
On the plus side, New Hampshire brings back its top three wide receivers, led by Logan Tomlinson (42 receptions, 618 yards, seven TDs), and tackles Dylan Poirier and Mason Davis, each of whom logged more than 500 snaps last year.
All-CAA second team selections Dylan Ruiz and Josiah Silver combined for nine sacks and 17½ tackles for loss, giving the Wildcats a pair of foundational pillars up front. Noah Stansbury snagged two interceptions, broke up seven passes and had the second-highest coverage grade (78.9) on the team according to Pro Football Focus.
D-II transfer Seth Morgan expected to take reins as New Hampshire QB1
Transfer Portal Additions: WR Casey McKinney (St. Francis), QB Seth Morgan (Shepherd), OL Tolu Olajide (Stonehill), DB Wande Owens (Yale), DB Zeroun Skinner (Florida Atlantic), LB Mateo Vandamia (Delaware)
Transfer Portal Losses: QB Max Brosmer (Minnesota), DL Nate Kapongo (Akron)
Brosmer is an enormous loss, even more so when factoring in New Hampshire's other rostered quarterbacks — Barry Kleinpeter and Matt Vezza — threw seven total passes ast season. To bridge the experience gap, New Hampshire plucked Seth Morgan from Shepherd University in West Virginia after a strong campaign in which he finished top-15 among Division II passers in yards (2,970), completion percentage (65.7) and completions per game (19.92).
Wande Owens, a first-team All-Ivy League pick, is a key addition on defense with 29 college games under his belt. The 5-foot-11, 211-pound cornerback earned strong PFF grades in coverage (81.9) and in tackling (85.8).
Orlando native Zeroun Skinner, a spring addition, becomes the ninth Florida native on the New Hampshire roster — including two players with Daytona Beach-area ties, linebacker Sam Rizzo (Spruce Creek) and wide receiver Noah Cundiff (Matanzas).
UNH signs pair of 3-star recruits in '24: Eric Lee, DaMontre Patterson
Top Incoming Freshmen: S Eric Lee (Irvington, N.J.), WR DaMontre Patterson (Sulphur, Okla.)
New Hampshire landed a pair of consensus three-star recruits in its 2024 signing class, safety Eric Lee and wide receiver DaMontre Patterson.
Santos said back in December that he believes Lee can play all three safety positions in the team's defensive scheme, while Patterson possesses "game-changing speed" — highlighted by his 10.56-second time in the 100-meter dash.
New Hampshire also replenished its offensive line with three sizable prospects: tackle Anthony Dimenna (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), Dillon Epperson (Warrenton, Va.) and Tyler Habersham-Agbemenu (Franklinville, N.J.).
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