Marist football won five games last season, a four-win improvement from a single-victory campaign in 2024. With several players receiving preseason accolades and a hungry group surrounding them, the Red Foxes plan to continue growing in head coach Mike Willis’ third season.
Graduate student quarterback Sonny Mannino has garnered not only Pioneer Football League attention, but also national attention. He was named Preseason PFL Offensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele Publications, a magazine and daily blog covering everything college football.
Mannino led the PFL in pass yards per game last year, which creates the illusion that his rocket arm is the forte of his game — yet that would be incorrect. The Leesburg, Virginia native stands at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds — tackling that size and speed combination is a tall task. Mannino loves to line up in the shotgun formation, allowing offensive linemen to find their assignment, then burst through a lane. This versatility helps the Red Foxes in ways beyond the box score.
Seeing the big No. 12 on the field means long breaks for a star-studded defense headlined by two more All-PFL first-team members: sophomore defensive back Chase Hatton and do-it-all senior linebacker Nate Furrow.
Hatton earned the PFL Defensive Freshman of the Year award, starting all 12 games and terrorizing offenses. His team-leading 89 tackles, 40 of them marked solo, were good enough to catapult him into national conversations. Hatton’s ability to line up all over the defense defeats opposing game plans and lets the Red Foxes run whatever they want, whenever they want on the defensive side of the ball.
Furrow emerged as the heartbeat of the Marist defense after a masterclass of a performance on senior day against San Diego. He totaled five tackles for loss and three sacks in that game alone, which ultimately led to him leading the PFL in tackles for loss with 12.
“A lot of Nate’s best plays came from rushes from the interior of the pocket,” said Willis. “He is very difficult for offensive linemen and running backs to block.”
Personal accolades do not always mean team-wide success, but instead they are a reminder of what certain aspects of this Marist team is capable of. These core three players lead the Red Foxes into the 2026 season, but they are not the only names making a difference.
The Return of Lincoln Cardillo
“He is an incredible leader,” Willis said of senior running back Lincoln Cardillo. “He is truly an emotional engine of our team.”
When Cardillo went down with a season-ending injury after playing just two games in 2025, the Red Foxes did not just lose a high-motor power back, but they lost a receiver, too.
“Lincoln is an incredibly versatile player,” Willis added. “Despite being labeled as a running back, he has the ability to make plays as a receiver as well.”
Cardillo adds a certain toughness to the lineup, and he is a key player to watch on the Marist offense this year.
Experience on Defense
The Marist defense is an impeccable group on paper. The aforementioned Hatton and Furrow lead the way, but it is important to remember how many players contribute to a successful unit.
Senior safety/linebacker hybrid Kade Werner has been sensational in his role. Whether he is rushing the passer, disrupting a screen pass or stepping up against the run, his fearlessness is on display all the time.
Werner is a high-intensity, versatile defensive back who loves to change the game. His free style of play allows the team to try different things, including sending two pass rushers on one side of the line. This overwhelms offensive tackles and leads to a frantic style of quarterback play.
This defensive pressure is often applied by graduate student defensive tackle Joey Patierno. While he may not pop off of the stat sheet with high sack totals, Patierno does his job perfectly, which is to clog run lanes and take on multiple blockers at once.
In the secondary, junior defensive back Tyrell Powell looks to continue his winning ways at boundary cornerback. He started all 12 games there last season, usually lining up against the opposition’s number one receiver.
Powell and company are losing a dear friend in Nate Robinson Jr., who transferred to the University of San Antonio this offseason, but the back half of the Marist defense is in a position to succeed because of their mix of emerging and experienced talent.
“I am very excited to watch all of them, and our defense as a whole, take a step forward,” said Willis.
Leadership
Willis preaches leadership. It is a big part of football in general, but it is a pivotal part of Willis’ head coaching philosophy. Whether that is a pregame speech in the locker room or a mid-game pick-me-up, leadership means a ton to the Red Foxes.
The previously mentioned Robinson Jr. and former Marist powerhouse guard Dom Perricone were two crucial pieces to the Red Foxes’ leadership-heavy identity, but neither is suiting up at Tenney this year. Perricone played 97% of offensive snaps last season, but has used up all of his eligibility and is no longer playing college football. Perricone was also a two-time first-team All-PFL member.
Mannino, Werner and Cardillo were named this year’s captains in a Press Release from marist Athletics on Monday.
https://goredfoxes.com/news/2026/8/24/marist-football-names-mannino-werner-cardillo-captains.aspx
What’s Next?
The PFL season becomes harder and harder to predict each year as high-level talent increasingly transfers out of the league. For instance, Drake won the league in 2025 with a spectacular offense in large part because of junior wide receiver Jackson Voth — he now plays for Louisville in the ACC.
Marist managed to retain several of its stars, but it remains to be seen where the Red Foxes will settle in the PFL picture. The cycle of transfers makes it difficult for coaches to gauge things, making it harder to decipher the best 11 players to put on the field.
A more predictable area of improvement for the Red Foxes is finding success away from home.
Marist only notched one road win last season, and each of the Red Foxes’ three PFL wins came at home. Road games were plagued by last-second lapses, including a devastating loss against PFL powerhouse Presbyterian College, as well as a 45-point blowout in the Minnesota cold against St. Thomas. To be a serious threat in the PFL, the Red Foxes will need to rectify their road woes.
With a strong group of returning talent, several new contributors ready to step into bigger roles and a clear emphasis on leadership, Marist enters 2026 with plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The preseason recognition surrounding Mannino, Hatton and Furrow is a reflection of the talent on the roster, but team-wide success will be more important to the Red Foxes.
Marist will have an opportunity to make an early statement when they open the 2026 season on the road against New Haven, the same Chargers team that the Red Foxes defeated at home in last year’s season opener. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on Friday.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photos from Marist Athletics