Embracing Change in Today's College Football
Despite graduating 28 seniors and seeing several standout underclassmen transfer to NCAA Division I FBS and FCS programs, Vigil believes the ThunderWolves have positioned themselves well for another championship run.
Rather than lamenting roster turnover, Vigil embraced it as evidence of CSU Pueblo's success in developing players.
"The era of college football is what it is with the transfer portal," Vigil said. "We had six underclassmen who started for us last year, and every one of those guys who entered the portal moved up. Some of them are making more money than I am, and I'm happy for them. As coaches, you can become bitter about it, or you can help them achieve their dreams. We choose to help them. If a young man wants to play in the NFL, we've proven we can help him get there. If he wants to play Division I football, we've proven we can help him do that too."
Replacing that experience begins with identifying the right people—not simply the most talented players.
"Our coaches did an unbelievable job this winter identifying the right people to bring into CSU Pueblo," the fourth-year Pack coach said. "There has to be a base level of talent, but after that it's about character. Do these young men fit who we are and what we want to be? We've shown those players what it means to be a ThunderWolf, and they've embraced that all spring and summer."
Hungry to Earn Their Opportunity
Although the ThunderWolves must replace nine of 11 offensive starters, including a quarterback, running back, five offensive linemen, two tight ends, several receivers, Vigil believes the overall talent level on offense may be the best his staff has assembled.
"There are certain positions on the offensive side where I think we're more talented than we've ever been," Vigil said. "These guys are extremely hungry. They're carrying a chip on their shoulder like I haven't seen since I've been here, and they're working like it every single day."
Honeycutt joins senior receiver
Dedrek Taylor-Akins (Fontana, Calif./Northeastern State) as the Pack's lone two returning offensive starters from last season's 10-2 team that went 9-0 in RMAC play for the second consecutive season.
The only question remaining is who will ultimately emerge at quarterback. The top two quarterbacks entering the fall are sophomore
Cam McGuire (Dallas, Texas/Woodrow Wilson) and sophomore
Evan Powell (San Bernardino, Calif./Chaffey College).
"We've got talented players in that room," Vigil said. "They're going to continue battling through fall camp, and we'll see what happens. Coach (Jordan) Dodge's biggest challenge may simply be making sure everybody's happy because we've got a lot of guys who deserve the football."
Honeycutt Ready for Bigger Role in 2026
Honeycutt, who was named to this year's Preseason All-RMAC Team, developed into one of the RMAC's most explosive offensive weapons during the second half of last season and is expected to become one of the conference's premier receivers in 2026.
Last season, Honeycutt earned Second-Team All-RMAC honors after catching 29 passes for 564 yards and averaged a team-best 19.4 yards per reception and hauled in six touchdown passes.
Despite the increased expectations, Honeycutt's focus remains on team success.
"I'm excited for what we can display on the field," Honeycutt said. "Going into the season, I just hope we stay disciplined, keep moving forward and take it one game at a time."
The George Washington High School graduate said his offseason priorities extended beyond physical preparation.
"I've focused on staying healthy and keeping my body right," Honeycutt said. "But I've also worked on understanding the game more—being able to recognize defenses and understand what I'm seeing before the snap."
When asked about wearing his RMAC championship ring during Media Day, Honeycutt quickly redirected the conversation.
"It's an honor to wear one of these and earn one of these," Honeycutt said. "But at the end of the day, I'm not here chasing accolades. I just want our team to win and get better every single day."
Jordan Highlights Team's Competitive Culture
Jordan, who is one of five returning starters on defense for the Pack, described a team whose championship success has only increased its internal drive.
"Everybody wants to beat us," Jordan said. "You can take that disrespectfully, or you can take it as a challenge, and we like being challenged."
Jordan shared an example that illustrates the culture inside the ThunderWolves' locker room.
"As one of the leaders, I'll text one of the younger guys and tell him we're going to go get extra work in," Jordan said. "He'll text back, 'I already went—but I'll go again.' That's the kind of mentality we have. Guys are always looking for another opportunity to improve."
Jordan, who earned Second-Team All-RMAC honors last season after recording 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and four quarterback hurries, believes the ThunderWolves' defensive front has the potential to become one of the RMAC's best.
"We've got guys that played a lot of snaps last year who have developed tremendously," Jordan said. "
Ian Ortiz is going to be a guy to watch.
Mario Rivas, Jr.,
Jaylen Booth,
Aiden Alefosio and
Micah Lutu. Then we added two All-Lone Star Conference players who are dogs, too. We feel really confident about our defensive line."
Joining Jordan as a returning starter on the defensive line is senior defensive tackle
Micah Lutu (Kalihi, Hawai'i/Saguaro). The other returning starters on defense are sophomore defensive back
Johnathan Gonzales (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County) and senior safety
Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview), who was named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team after earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors in 2025 after recording 60 tackles, six tackles for a loss, two sacks and seven pass break-ups.
Maintaining the Standard
One of the biggest offseason storylines surrounding the ThunderWolves has been coaching staff turnover following another successful season.
Rather than viewing it as a challenge, Vigil sees it as confirmation the program is developing coaches as successfully as it develops players.
"Since I've been here, we've had 13 coaches leave, and every full-time coach that's left has moved up to Division I," Vigil said. "Every graduate assistant has found a full-time coaching job."
"Developing coaches is one of my greatest callings."
That success, however, requires continually finding coaches who fit the ThunderWolf culture.
"It's just like recruiting players," Vigil said. "You have to evaluate the right people. I want coaches who build relationships, recruit the right student-athletes and understand that, at our core, we're teachers."
During the offseason, Vigil promoted linebacker coach
Neema Behbahani to co-defensive coordinator and added
Thomas Pearson as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach,
Ben WooChing as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator, and former player
Kellen Curtis as the cornerbacks coach.
Jordan believes the defensive staff has maintained continuity despite new faces.
"The standard hasn't changed at all," Jordan said. "We're still trying to be the best team in the country. Coach Behbahani has been here, so there isn't really a learning curve. Coach (Ben) WooChing has done an unbelievable job building relationships with the players. When your coach genuinely cares about you, you receive everything he teaches even better."
Special Teams Continue to Be a Priority
Vigil also emphasized the importance of special teams, calling it one of the program's defining characteristics.
"Special teams are the punch people don't see coming," Vigil said. "With the talent we have, there are going to be battles just to make the travel roster. A lot of guys are going to earn those opportunities by playing special teams."
Anchoring the special teams unit is senior kicker
Jackson Smith (Centennial, Colo./Santa Barbara City College), who was named a Preseason All-RMAC selection. Last season, Smith earned Second-Team All-RMAC honors and
Don Hansen's Division II Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2025.
In 2025, Smith led the league in field goal percentage (76.2 percent) and field goals per game (1.6) and was second in kicking points per game (9.4). He tallied 94 points and was 46-for-46 on extra points and was 16-for-21 on field goals, including making a school-record 60-yard field goal at New Mexico Highlands. Those 16 field goals were fourth-most in a season in school history, and he also was a three-time RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week.
"Jackson was a weapon for us last year and won games," Vigil said. "We also understand how important the kicking game is because we've lost games because of it too. We're excited about where that group is headed."
Challenging Start Awaits Pack
The ThunderWolves open the 2026 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 27 at home in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl against Central Missouri before traveling to Fort Hays State on Thursday, Sept. 3 and opening RMAC play at home on Saturday, Sept. 12 against Colorado School of Mines, creating one of Division II football's toughest opening stretches.
"Central Missouri and Fort Hays are always competing for championships in the MIAA," Vigil said. "Then we open conference play with Mines, Chadron and Colorado Mesa. Those first five games are going to tell us a lot about who we are and where we can go. We're going to be challenged immediately, and we're excited for it."
Before Wednesday's Media Day activities, all the RMAC coaches and student-athletes attended a community service event at the Children's Hospital of Colorado on Tuesday afternoon. Following the Children's Hospital visit, the coaches and players assembled at the Regency Athletic Complex on the MSU Denver campus for a professional development session with Jean Boyd of RADical Hope, and then the coaches had a preseason meeting with conference officials and RMAC Supervisor of Football Officials Randy Campbell, and then on Tuesday night there was a social outing at Dave & Busters on Colorado Blvd., where the players and coaches ate dinner and played arcade games.
The ThunderWolves report to campus on Aug. 1 before opening preseason camp Aug. 3 in preparation for the Aug. 27 season opener against Central Missouri in the ThunderBowl. After two consecutive undefeated RMAC campaigns, CSU Pueblo enters 2026 intent on proving that sustained success is built through preparation, accountability and an unwavering commitment to the process.
