Eddie George's Year Two Hinges on a Quarterback Answer and a Rebuilt Offensive Line
Bowling Green went 4-8 (2-6 MAC) in 2025, and Eddie George enters his second season as head coach with a roster remade heavily through the transfer portal. After a flat first year, George reshuffled his coordinators to breathe new life into both sides of the ball, with Greg Nosal running the offense and Joe Bowden the defense. There are difference makers scattered across the front seven, a dependable lead back and real questions at quarterback, wide receiver and along a rebuilt offensive line.
Offense
The competition here is the defining story of the offseason, and the two reads on it differ. Oregon transfer Austin Novosad is the higher-ceiling option, a former four-star recruit who is mobile with a strong arm but who waited behind Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore in Eugene and has thrown just 15 career passes. One read has Novosad winning the job outright by the fall; the other installs Assumption transfer Jay Kastantin, a 6-4, 215-pounder with far more game experience, as the odds-on favorite. Either way, Novosad is the swing prospect for this team, a potentially elite arm at the MAC level if the polish catches up to the physical tools.
The room runs deep behind the top two. True freshman Jarin Mock offers intriguing upside, and Hunter Najm saw late action a year ago. Whoever wins the job, ball security will matter more than fireworks for an offense that leaned run-heavy in 2025.
Wide receiver is the thinnest spot on the roster after the Falcons lost their top six receiving producers from last season. Brennan Ridley is the most explosive returning playmaker and steps up from a reserve role, as does 6-5 Winn Sharp, a big target with clear upside. Fifth-year veteran Trey Johnson gives the group a steady hand, while freshmen Pauly Sadler and Joseph Saffold are counted on to grow into rotation snaps quickly.
Tight end may be the surest pass-catching option. The position has produced Bowling Green's leading receiver over the past three seasons, and sophomore Jeremiah Scoby is positioned to be the featured target there. Eli Jacon-Duffy earned praise from the staff for both his off-the-ball and inline work and is also in line for a large role.
This is a genuine strength. Austyn Dendy, a 6-1, 225-pound former Missouri back, surged down the stretch with three straight 100-yard rushing games and returns as the leading rusher with a real shot at 1,000 yards if he stays healthy. Behind him the backfield offers varied styles: Nakai Amachree brings explosive change-of-pace ability, and Charleston Southern transfer Ke'Marion Baldwin arrives after a 778-yard FCS season. Fullback Leo Kemp is a fierce lead blocker who moves well for his size. With the Falcons having run the ball roughly 62 percent of the time, this group will carry the offense.
The biggest rebuild on the roster comes up front, where all five 2025 starters are gone. James Thomas Jr. is the closest thing to a returning anchor after two starts and 405 snaps, and his experience should pay off at right tackle. Alexis Sanchez, a rotational guard a year ago, brings 6-3, 335-pound size to left guard, with Gabe Funk projected at left tackle, Brody Bolyn at center and Alex Harris at right guard. How quickly this unit gels will go a long way toward deciding whether the run game and the new quarterback have room to operate.
Defense
The front is the deepest and most established part of the team. Defensive end Myles Bradley led the Falcons with five sacks, and tackle Eriq George, the head coach's son, was next with four; both are set to build on those totals. Louisville transfer Selah Brown is the marquee newcomer, an explosive three-technique who brings physicality to the interior and fits the scheme cleanly. Central Michigan transfer Kade Kostus, a preseason all-conference pick a year ago, is healthy and adds another proven body on the edge. This four-man rotation gives the defense a genuine foundation.
The unit's ceiling rides on the health of Dorian Pringle. The middle linebacker was off to a blistering start in 2025, with 27 tackles, two forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery, before a season-ending injury in Week 3 against Liberty. If he holds up, he has All-MAC potential. Purdue transfer Sanders Ellis is a big hitter the staff is high on, Memphis transfer AJ Odom is a big, physical senior who runs well in space, and Cashmire Lewis offers loads of athletic upside. Wake Forest transfer Andrew Hines III had a solid spring to add depth.
The secondary is the shakiest level and the least deep. Safety Kal-El Pascal is the lone returning starter, and a productive one, ranking second on the team with 80 tackles to go with an interception and a fumble recovery. Cornerback JoJo Johnson is projected to start after leading the MAC with 13 pass breakups. Drey Braxton fills the other corner, with D'kyah Banks and Preston EstoEsta in the safety mix and Josira Andrews adding depth. If the back end holds together, the strength of the front two levels could carry the defense.
The kicking game turned over after the graduation of an all-conference kicker and punter. Walk-on Travis Kenner takes over placekicking duties and is accurate inside 40 yards, though relying on a walk-on carries obvious risk. Southeast Missouri State transfer Ryan Kingston is a clear upgrade at punter, having averaged 41 yards per kick and earned second-team all-conference honors at the FCS level. Amachree handles kick returns and Ridley punt returns.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule offers no favors. After a Tarleton State opener, the Falcons draw a Power Four road trip to Nebraska and Iowa State, host South Florida, and navigate a MAC slate that includes trips to Miami of Ohio, Buffalo, Western Michigan and Toledo. Nonconference wins will be hard to come by.
The preseason consensus slots Bowling Green in the bottom half of the MAC, projected somewhere between seventh and eleventh in the league. The talent to surprise is real: a potentially elite quarterback if the job is settled cleanly, a 1,000-yard back in Dendy and a stout defensive front. But with a fully rebuilt offensive line, a thin receiver corps and an unsettled secondary, the margin is slim. A bowl berth is the realistic ceiling, and getting there will hinge on the offensive line coming together fast and the quarterback question resolving into an answer the Falcons can trust.