It’s that time of year again. The lights at Franklin Field are almost ready to be illuminated for the first home football game of the season.
As Penn football approaches its 150th season and the start of the Rick Santos era, here’s what current and former editors of The Daily Pennsylvanian forecast for the upcoming season.
Bryan Harris — Sports Editor, 98th Board
With a new coach, a new quarterback, several new starters, and All-Everything wide receiver Jared Richardson graduated and using his final year of eligibility at Duke, it’s easy to settle on the Ivy League’s official preseason prediction of fourth place for the Quakers in year one of the Rick Santos era — especially with co-defending champions Yale and Harvard primed to again battle for the top spot.
Sure, the Quakers look like a talented team in transition that may need a year or two to build a championship-level roster. But why take the easy route? That’s boring.
I was sports editor of the DP when Penn stunned the Ivies by capturing a share of the title in 1982 under then-second-year coach Jerry Berndt. It was the beginning of a decades-long campaign of gridiron dominance by Penn, and it made me eternally (well, almost) hopeful and optimistic about the Quakers’ odds of contending for a title.
So with Santos now at the helm after a successful run at New Hampshire, I’m picking Penn to finish 5-2 in league play, tied for second with Harvard and behind Yale, who look to repeat under a new coach of their own.
Stefan Fatsis — News Editor, 99th Board
I have no idea how the Quakers will do this year! But they seem to be stockpiling Power Four quarterback recruits (one this year and one in the high school Class of 2028), which is cool, and the kicker’s first field-goal attempt was a game-winning 45-yarder, which warms my ex-kicker heart (not at Penn, in the NFL — really).
Old-guy memory: Would you believe we tore down the goalposts and threw them into the Schuylkill after a miracle win over Harvard a billion years ago? Everyone should just go to a game. Franklin Field is a national treasure.
Nick Buchta — Sports Editor, 132nd Board
Penn football was ready for a reset.
The Quakers have had only one truly contending team in 10 years, and the program has felt stale. Penn’s last two head coaches each had an Ivy title within their first two years — Ray Priore had two of them.
Rick Santos comes to University City with less experience than any new Penn coach since Gary Steele — an era that brought few lasting memories to Franklin Field. But Santos also brings change that Penn football has been in real need of.
I’m cautiously optimistic that Rick Santos can inject some new energy into the program but skeptical that it will happen right away. Unlike the last two go-rounds, Quakers fans might be waiting a bit before this program becomes competitive.
Walker Carnathan — Sports Editor, 140th Board
For the first time since 1986, Penn football will kick off its season without Ray Priore on the sideline. The Quakers’ on-field makeover reflects that stark transition.
In their first season under new coach Rick Santos, the Red and Blue will trot out a lineup that looks much different from a campaign ago. Six of Penn’s top contributors transferred to FBS schools, and overall attrition decimated the offense — the Quakers will be forced to replace their starting quarterback, two of their top three rushers, and their top four receivers from a season ago.
That said, Santos has been active in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail, and his most critical commitment came at the most critical position: Freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki, who shirked multiple Power Four offers to join the Red and Blue, is a rare talent in the Ivy League.
Freshman starters are rare in the Ancient Eight at any position, so Santos’ decision to hand the keys to a freshman signal-caller is an even greater endorsement of Teodecki’s potential. Expect growing pains, but with a coach of Santos’ experience and a field general of Teodecki’s pedigree, I expect a solid season in West Philadelphia with more to come in future years.
Emilie Chi — Sports Editor, 142nd Board
Penn is far from the star-studded squad they were last year.
With standouts like 2026 Wharton graduate Liam O’Brien and 2026 College graduate Jared Richardson transferring out, the roster turnover this past offseason is certainly cause for concern — especially the hole left by former coach Ray Priore, who stepped down after 39 years with the program.
But don’t fret. Although it’s a tumultuous period of transition for the team, I’m not worried with freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki and Coastal Athletic Association title-winning coach Rick Santos at the helm.
Sure, it’s difficult to say whether or not we’ll secure an Ivy League title, but it won’t take away the riveting matchups we will be able to see in the fall. And who knows what Teodecki is going bring to the field? We might get another “Liamsanity.”
It’s intuitive to assume that Penn will place fourth again in the Ivy League standings. But my optimism gets the best of me, and I’ll put Penn at third for this season with a 5-2 record in Ivy play.
Ellie Clark — Sports Editor, 142nd Board
Rick Santos stands at a crossroads in Penn football history.
He’s the first external hire since Al Bagnoli took the reins in 1992. The Quakers just became eligible for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last season. The NCAA eligibility model shifted to allow all athletes five years of collegiate competition, which I argued allows better player retention and the chance for the Ivy League to become a more cutthroat conference.
Although I would love to watch the Quakers hoist the Ivy League crown for the first time in a decade, I think it’ll be a few more seasons before they get that honor.
Despite junior quarterback Karson Siqueiros-Lasky being announced as the starter on Media Day, it was confirmed earlier this week that freshman quarterback Miles Teodecki would be lacing up his cleats for the season opener against Bucknell.
Santos also announced on Media Day that he’d be debuting a brand-new defensive lineup. While this could confuse opponents, I fear the Quakers are also venturing into unfamiliar territory.
While I hope the Quakers will outperform preseason poll expectations, I expect them to start slow while adjusting to the chaos, and ultimately finish toward the middle of the conference with a similarly middling record.
Javier St. Remy — Deputy Sports Editor, 142nd Board
The Quakers will finish first in the Ivy League for the first time since 2016.
After a strong start to a 2025 season that saw Penn football win four of their first five games, the Red and Blue suffered a shaky second half to their season in which they went 2-3. However, Penn did show promise in some of their losses. Their loss to Harvard in the penultimate game of the season was a barnburner that saw Harvard take a 45-43 victory. If the Quakers can win tight games like this, it can really carry them above and beyond, given the season is just 10 games long.
One of the biggest issues with the 2025 Quakers was their pass defense.
Their defense allowed the most passing yards per game of any team in the Ivy while totaling just four interceptions on the season. Though the Red and Blue lost a lot of their defensive centerpieces from last year, newly minted Penn football coach Rick Santos has emphasized the Penn secondary being a fundamental part of this new look for the Quakers.
Additionally, a key piece of the backfield, Josh Narcisse, will have more experience at the position of safety, which he was moved to last season after a sophomore year at corner. Though I don’t think it will be easy, I see a world where Penn, with a better pass defense, will be battling with Yale for the top seed in the Ivy.
