GRIZ FOOTBALL OPENS NEW SEASON VS. VIKINGS
Franklin opens the 2026 season at Faught Stadium on Saturday evening, welcoming North Park to town for a 6 p.m. kickoff. This will be the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between the two schools.
 
SECOND TIME AROUND
Mike Leonard, who ranks second on the school's all-time win list with a 134-60 record from 2003 to 2019, returned to the Franklin sideline last fall after a five-year hiatus. Leonard has piloted the Grizzlies to nine NCAA Division III tournament appearances and was named HCAC Coach of the Year on seven different occasions during his first stint with the program.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Grizzlies finished off the 2025 season with a loss at rival Hanover in the annual Victory Bell clash, dropping the team's record to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the HCAC. Marshall Kmiecik, who returns for his second full season as Franklin's starting quarterback, threw a pair of touchdown passes in the game to push his season total to 29.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Kmiecik is far from the only experienced hand returning for the Grizzlies this season. Franklin welcomes back a pair of starters at wide receiver in Owen Wright and Isaiah Miller, along with three on the offensive line (Isaak Fischer, Corey Branigan and Ben Roembke). Defensively, Ethan Hochstetler and Seth Rindfuss are back in the lineup up front, while all three starting linebackers — Brayden Baker, Haden Durnil and Drew Servies — settle back into their roles. Haidyn Bulmer and Michael Loehmer return at safety. On special teams, kicker Charlie Overton and holder Josh Bruner will reprise their roles as well.
 
CATCH THE GRIZ ON INDIANA SRN
Indiana SRN will carry all six Franklin College home games for the fourth consecutive year. Each game will be shown free of charge on HCAC.tv, and games will be archived upon completion so that fans can watch back at any time.
 
AROUND THE HCAC
Each of the other HCAC teams gets its season underway this week, with Bluffton starting on Thursday night with a trip to Ohio Wesleyan. The rest of the conference is at home on Saturday, with Manchester hosting Westminster College, Anderson facing Allegheny, defending champion Hanover taking on Centre, Mount St. Joseph playing Muskingum and Rose-Hulman welcoming DePauw.

Franklin was voted third in the league's preseason poll.