Season Outlook (Part Two): Defense transforming under new leadership
9/1/2026 7:15:00 AM | Football
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - When Drew Folmar accepted the job as Millersville's head football coach and started hiring a staff, there was no debate as to who his first call would be to. Ron Rankin was an easy choice.
Folmar played under Rankin at Millersville, and Rankin was a longtime assistant on the defensive side of the ball for the Marauders. Rankin is someone who understands Marauder Pride and the high standard required for excellence. He worked at Millersville from 1999-2014 before stops at Allegheny College, Fairmont State, and most recently Hanover College, where his defense paved the way to a 2025 NCAA playoff appearance. The stingy defense led the Heartland Conference in points per game, total defense, rushing defense, passing defense, third down defense and red zone defense in back-to-back seasons.
Rankin is tough and a disciplinarian but the players have no doubt that he cares about them and wants the best for them. Rankin's energy on and off the field is infectious, and when you are rebuilding a program coming off a winless season in which the defense ranked dead last in the PSAC in both scoring and total defense, the positivity coupled with accountability that he pours into the players is sorely needed.
"I've known Coach Rankin since I was a junior here," said Folmar. "He's the first hire that we made, and it was the most important hire that we made because I spent a lot of time with the offense and overseeing the entire program, and I don't need to worry about things on the defensive side. I've played for him, worked with him and coached against him. I've had all those experiences, and I know who he is and what he's about. I think our kids have responded really well to him in the offseason. I'm excited for what he's going to do with the defense."
There were few bright spots for the 2025 defense. The Marauders did not force many turnovers, intercepting just six passes. They struggled to get to the quarterback, recording only 14 sacks. By comparison, the PSAC leaders totaled 41 sacks. It is a defense that needs to become more disruptive and more opportunistic. To do that, Rankin wants to simplify things. He wants the Marauders to play decisively.
"His passion and love for Millersville football has not changed," said Folmar. "But philosophies and schemes change and adapt over time. You evolve with the game. The game is a lot different than it was when I was a junior in college. Coach Rankin has the track record to show that he's be able to adapt, evolve and adjust with the times. He can still reach and connect with the players."
For more than a decade, Millersville has been primarily a three down front with either three linebackers and three safeties or like last year, a true 3-4 defense. Rankin shifts the Marauders back to using more of a four-man front. Folmar and Rankin studied players' movements and skill sets during the offseason and determined some players needed to change positions if they were to maximize the abilities of the players on the roster. For example, Folmar saw the burst of little-used linebacker Damonte Foreman and moved him to edge rusher. Kai Stiansen, who started the majority of the games at safety and led the team with two interceptions in 2025, fit better at outside linebacker. The same for Toni Vazquez, a 210-pound safety, who now plays linebacker and offers the Marauders versatile coverage ability.
"You are trying to get your best 11 guys on the field," said Folmar. "If it's four down and three linebackers or whatever combination it is, you adapt and adjust. That's what I think Coach Rankin does a great job of. He's coached in pretty much every type of structure, and he involves our guys to what they do best."
The biggest win for Millersville in the offseason was bringing two of its most important defensive players back from the transfer portal.
Bryce Beutler, the only Marauder to earn All-PSAC East honors last year, ranked third in the conference with 103 tackles. He also led the team in tackles for loss and tied for the team lead in sacks. It was only his first year as a full-time starter. After the coaching change, Beutler received significant interest from Division I programs and ended up at The Citadel before deciding to return to Millersville to play for Folmar. Beutler is the centerpiece of the defense. He is smart, physical, and the type of playmaker needed to help turn around a struggling unit.
"Huge is an understatement," said Folmar in regards to Beutler returning. "When I got the job, we went through the roster to determine who was in, who was out, who we wanted to bring back. Bryce and I had a great conversation on the phone, me detailing who I am, what I'm about, and I got to know him. The next week, we had our first team meeting, and he was sitting there when I walked in. For a kid who every Division II team wanted and FCS programs wanted to come back was a big impact--critical for our off-season program."
The other recruiting victory was bringing back fifth-year player Max Hostetter. Hostetter, elected a team captain for the second year in a row, plays with a relentless motor, which is just what every defensive coach wants. Hosetter moves from defensive end to defensive tackle in the four-man front.
The linebacker room is arguably the deepest and most talented in the program. Stiansen and Vazquez play the same spot but both caught the eye of Folmar in the spring.
"Kai is a good player and did some really good things in the spring," said Folmar. "Coming in you look at the numbers, you watch some film, but you see the way he carries himself on the field, in the weight room. He plays fast. He processes fast. He doesn't say a lot but he goes out there, and he's your classic lead-by-example type."
Sophomore Trevor Fuhs is another linebacker who has impressed. He played in nine games as a true freshman, primarily on special teams. Coaches like his leadership, willingness to be vocal and the way he's played. Nino DiMichele is another sophomore who flashed as a freshman, earning four starts. Asher Wolfe started two games last season and moves from outside to Beutler's back-up in the middle.
Alongside Hosetter in the trenches is a young group led by Paul Vidal. Considered the strongest player on the roster, Vidal has a year of starting experience under his belt but missed three games. The coaches are hoping for more pass rush production and backfield disruption in 2026. On the edges are a pair of largely unproven players, although the team is excited about Foreman. Opposite Foreman is second-year player Dorian Anderson, who redshirted in 2025. At 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, he has the size to compete at defensive end, but being a starter will be a new experience for him. The Marauders also have third year players Corey Shaffer and Elijah Davis as a back-ups at defensive tackle. True freshman Amir Anderson played for a team that won a PIAA Championship with Roman Catholic in 2025.
In the defensive backfield, the Marauders are young at corner, but Folmar is excited about the talent level. Three sophomores--Antonio Johnson, Sheldon Moore and Terry Amos Jr.--all played significant snaps as freshman in 2025. Johnson totaled 12 tackles in five games and mans one side of the field with Moore playing behind him. Opposite of him is fourth-year player Carson Trone who broke 2025 camp as the starter and played three games before an injury set him back. Trone totaled 12 tackles and a fumble recovery in those first three games.
"Carson has experience, and he's a coach's kid," said Folmar. "He grew up around football, he understands football. He does a really good job helping the other guys learn and understand because things have been different. You are asked to play different coverages and different techniques. He's picked it up quickly, and he's been around enough football to adjust. Guys like Johnson, Moore and Amos, they have talent and upside."
At safety, the Marauders return captain Nick Romano for a fifth season. Romano was another defender hampered by injuries in 2025, missing nearly the entire season. However, two years ago he led the team in interceptions and demonstrated a knack for making plays on the ball. Like Trone, Romano has provided guidance to a young roster.
"He's got a veteran presence, and I think he feels rejuvenated," said Folmar. "When you miss time and you lose that opportunity to play, you realize maybe you took some things for granted and now you feel like, 'man, I have to take advantage of every opportunity.'" I thought Nick had a good spring, and it was good to have him out there."
Alongside him is Tyson Capers, a sophomore who impressed as a freshman and a player who Folmar says continued to shine in the spring. Capers played in the final seven games of the 2025 season and earned three starts, recording six tackles against both Shepherd and Shippensburg. He also comes from a winning tradition, having helped DePaul Catholic of New Jersey capture two state championships.
Entering Thursday, back-ups at safety are fifth-year player Damir Williams-Bey and sophomore Dontavious Luckett.
A LOOK AT SPECIAL TEAMS
With the graduation kicker and punter Trent McDowell and longsnapper Aaron Reese, Millersville is breaking it a new special teams unit. Just before fall camp started, Gryffin Mitstifer elected to transfer back to Millersville. Mitstifer utilized his powerful leg as the Marauders' kickoff specialist in 2023 and 2024 before transfering to Charleston. There, he converted 9 of 14 field goals with a long of 47. He won the job in camp, beating out three other contenders. Roger Staron, who was with the program in 2025, takes over as the team's punter. True freshman Porter Rudl, recruited by Folmar for his snapping skills, won that job.
The team's top kick returners entering Thursday are listed as Amos Jr., and freshman Dah'Dyn Gann-Luckett. Amos did not return kicks last season while Gann-Luckett lined up all over the field for Milton Hershey and put plenty of explosive plays on his highlight reel. Punt return duties go to Caileb Howse, who exhibited his shiftiness and big-play ability as a dual threat quarterback and safety at Lampeter-Strasburg. The veteran Isaac Sines is Howse's back-up.
