Luther College’s fall 2024 football season was largely defined by the underdog narrative of being a team composed primarily of underclassmen playing opposite of significantly older squads from other colleges and universities.
The Norse went 1-9 during the season, with a win against Anderson University making their record an improvement over the previous season’s 0-10 statistic.
Various football players weighed in on their thoughts on the season.
Defensive Back Keivontray Holden (‘28) expressed his desire to improve on a first season largely spent in development.
“To be honest, I feel like I didn’t have the season I wanted to have, but it is what it is,” Holden said. “I know everything happens for a reason, so, I’m gonna come back next year and be bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic; I’m just ready to put the work in during the off-season.”
Linebacker Guadalupe Espinosa (‘28) also emphasized the importance of the upcoming off-season and personal gains.
“We could’ve done better, but as long as we keep improving in the weight room and generally during the off-season, we should be good; we’re still young,” Espinosa said.
Anmar Mohammed (‘28) shared some insight into the state of the football team.
“For some 70-80% of us being [underclassmen] winning one game, while it might not sound that impressive, still is because we’re playing against mainly fifth-years and seniors,” Mohammed said. “Us winning one game is good, but I wish we did more. I think next year, we’re gonna do ten times better because we know how everyone plays now and we know what to expect from them individually.”
Holden echoed Mohammed’s sentiments about the age gaps present in many of their matches.
“This season, we were playing against 24-year-olds, dudes with a wife and kids, while we’re all eighteen,” Holden said. “We’ll do better next year, but this season was a good learning experience.”
Breno Jamal (‘28) had a similar optimistic view for the team’s future, while still acknowledging the struggles that 2024’s season presented.
“[This season] was mostly a lot of learning because we’re a new team with a lot of freshmen; it was a development year and if we all stick together, we can have good seasons in the future,” Jamal said.
Defensive Back Jermarion Williams (‘27) touched on the fact of underclassmen players going up against bigger and more experienced upperclassmen and complimented the new players’ bravery.
“As a team, I honestly think we’re making good progress, especially with how young we are,” Williams said. “No one’s scared to play and everybody’s getting better every day, so it’s all uphill from here.”
Head coach Joe Troche also offered some comments about the season.
“This was one of the most rewarding and fun seasons I’ve had as a coach,” Troche said. “We’ve got a young group that loves Luther and is all about embracing the challenges of building a program. I have a staff that is really committed to our players and helping them grow and willing to do the work it takes to build the foundation of a successful program.”
Troche added, “In 2023, we had players with a lot of experience on our offensive and defensive lines. On defense, it translated to a lot of success, but on offense, it did not. This season we knew we would have a lot of new faces and I was excited for the challenge.”
He also spoke on the offensive line difficulties the team faced this past season.
“Our offensive line consisted of four freshmen and one sophomore, which typically is not a recipe for success because you cannot fake it up front and that group got better week after week,” Troche said. “By the end of the season, they were one of the closest most dependable position groups on our team.”
Troche also expressed excitement about his defensive line.
“Defensively we found some new playmakers that we’re really excited about,” Troche said. “Our defense is dependent on our defensive line, and when they played as a unit, we had success.”
Luther’s 2024 football campaign allowed the team to build up a base of experience for the coming years, anticipated to be much more competitive with the increasing age of the squad. All the players interviewed spoke on the difficulties of being a young team, but spirits remain steady as they start their off-season training to prepare for the next season.