Bulldogs, with new players and a new offensive coordinator, hope to return to winning ways

The University of Redlands football team begins its season at 7 p.m. Saturday with a non-conference game against visiting George Fox University of Newberg, Oregon.

The teams have split eight games since GFU returned to action in 2014 after a 45-year absence. But the Bruins have won the last two games against the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are coming off a tough 2024 season when they went 3-7, 3-5 SCIAC.

Redlands off a 10-game season with four home games, five on the road, and another to be determined later based on the final standings.

Good’s team plays two non-conference games against Northwest Conference schools, and eight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) games.

Coach Chris Casey revived the GFU program in 2014 and went 51-48 over 11 seasons. But after a 4-6 record last season he retired. So GWU turned to coach Spencer Crace, who most recently was the offensive coordinator at Pacific Lutheran.

Redlands will have a new look this season as well. Coach Jim Good has a new offensive coordinator, Eric Acciani, to call the plays.

Redlands scored more than 17 points only twice last year.

“He’ll run our new offense and we’re lucky to have him,” Good said. “He’s originally from California and he’s come back.”

Acciani was announced as the Bulldogs’ new OC in February, 2024 after spending the ’24 season with Tennessee Tech University. Before that, he was the OC and quarterbacks coach at Division II Mercyhurst University.

Acciani helped Tennessee Tech win its first conference championship since 2011 and only its second since 1975. The Golden Eagles gained an average of 327 yards per game (up from 301) and improved by 40 yards per game on the ground.

There is a local twist. He is a Cal State Fullerton (2016) graduate who gained experience by serving as the OC at Diamond Bar and El Toro high schools.

“You’ll see a lot of shifts and movements pre-snap with this team,” Good said. Former Fontana High star Joey Mariani if back to lead the Bulldog stopper unit as the team's longtime defensive coordinator.

Here are the players who will start or at least be in the mix to start at each position for the Bulldogs:

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Luke Coleman, a transfer from Northern California’s College of the Canyons, will start against GFU. He is a dual threat.

Receiver: Julian Walker, Kevin Markossian, Julian Borrayo, Trevor Cadam, Julien Scarbrough. Scarbrough was a top receiver and sprinter at Redlands High. Markossian is a sophomore from Bonita High who wants to be a police officer. Cadam is a transfer from Cal Lutheran who also excels on special teams. Borrayo played at Bishop Amat High in La Puente before a brief tenure at Citrus College. Now he's a Bulldog.

Running back: Donovan Maxie Parler, Taylor Bowie, Keenan Jackson, Toby Schmidt. Maxie Parler is from NorCal prep powerhouse Folsom High, though he lists Sacramento as his hometown. Bowie played at Trabuco Hills High and is also eyeing a career in law enforcement.

Tight end: JT Solis, Frank Clark, Nathan Anderson, Scott Clark (no relation to Frank). Solis is from Sylmar High and is a feisty overachiever.

Left guard: Luke Ozier. Ozier starred at tight end for Kaiser High and coach Billy Cardosi, a former Fontana High player. Ozier also played basketball for the Cats.

Left guard: Pedro Navarro (Beaumont High). Navarro has impressive size at 6-3, 275 pounds and hopes to teach. He studies Communication Science and Disorder.

Center: Dominic Vargas. Vargas is 6-1, 285 and hails from North High in Riverside. He desires to become an accountant and “play a lot of golf.”

Right guard: Isaac Williams (Cajon High). Williams is huge at 6-4, 320. He studies business and listens to Kirk Franklin.

Right tackle: Ben Fitchett. Fitchett is only 6-1, 250 but is strong. He attended La Habra High and is a transfer from George Fox.

DEFENSE

Line: Jax Lee, Sammy Abdul-Majid, Javier Sandoval, Aaron Muniz. Lee formerly attended Eastern Washington University. He’s only 6-1, 265 but that’s more than enough for his purposes – to disrupt. He is a two-time, first-team All-SCIAC end.

Linebacker: Jaden Thorn, Adrian Silva, Andrew Placido.  Thorn is a returnee.

Defensive back: Lawrence Williams, Jaylen Ephraim, Enrique Ybanez, Kam Abbasian, and Kaleb Gibba. Williams is a returning playmaker. “Our defense is really good,” Good said. “They’re experienced and we have some depth.”

Good said Mo Afemui from Summit is another player to watch.

“The guys love to practice and compete and it’s the most cohesive team I’ve had,” Good said. “During the off-season you practice, and guys get (upset) at each other, but this group understands that is has to work together to get better. We’re looking forward to getting to the Runner (Stadium) on Saturday.”

(Season begins 9-5, 7 p.m.)