But, that doesn’t mean the Huskies’ cupboards are, by any means, bare.

“To be able to lean on that type of not only leadership, (the) experience on the field was huge,” Mettlach said, “and that’s part of going on to the next year. You always lose bodies. We’re going into a fall where not only are we losing the voices in our locker room, but a huge part of our production on both sides of the football.

“We’ve got, I don’t even want to call it, holes to fill. We’ve got guys that need to step up into new roles that were maybe not counted on as heavily last year. We love their talent. We feel like the last couple recruiting classes have been very good ones. But, at some point, that talent’s got to show up on the field.”

Mettlach said now is that time.

NIC NORA

“It’s just going to be a matter of how fast we can get them to grow so we’re not paying the price on Saturdays, learning on the fly, if you will,” he said. “We have to get guys that know what they’re doing, can execute in a fast manner, and understand what we’re trying to get done scheme wise.”

A big chunk of that falls on redshirt sophomore quarterback Alex Bueno. Bueno saw action in seven games last season, going 7-of-14 through the air for 135 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 71 yards. At the same time, he was the team’s third-best runner, rushing 28 times for 147 yards and one touchdown.”He’s going to make some mistakes, but he is more dynamic with his feet than we’ve had here in a long time,” Mettlach said. “So, you’re trying to find that balance of letting him be an athlete and have some creativity at the same time.”

Bueno will have senior receiver Ethan Champney, who has healed from his late-season injury last season. Champney made 40 catches last season for 631 yards and four touchdowns in eight games prior to the injury.

While he is literally a senior in terms of eligibility, he is also the senior voice in a wide receivers room that includes some talented young players like redshirt sophomores Ethan Hull and Bryce Kurncz, who both saw some action last season, and sophomore Jaxon Lippert, who had a huge punt return last season for a touchdown.

Another weapon in Bueno’s arsenal this season will be redshirt sophomore Nic Nora of Kingsford, who missed all of last season with an injury.

“Since he’s walked on this campus, we don’t have a guy in our locker room that works harder than he does,” said Mettlach. “We have plenty that are right there with him, but he loves the weight room. He loves the agility, the ‘plyo’ (plyometrics). Anything that has to do with working out to make him a better football player, he loves.

“He’s a football junkie, so constantly trying to figure out, where am I supposed to sit in this void, or when do I stay on the move. (He’s a) very coachable kid. He’s capable of doing the Jet Sweep stuff we would have done with ‘DWill.’ He can run in any route, and then maybe the thing we like the most about him is he loves contact.”

In front of Bueno is an offensive line that has had to learn on the fly the last two seasons. Anchored by junior Brandon DeVries, the Huskies have spent a lot of time the past two seasons making adjustments to the line as necessary. Mettlach wants the unit to take the next step this season.

The Huskies will also look to junior running back Jake Rueff to make a leap this season.

“He’s coming,” Mettlach said. Like Nora, Mettlach likes what he sees in Rueff off the field.

“Jake is like Nic Nora, right? Loves the weight room, loves everything about working out now,” said Mettlach. “His vision, and that patience in the backfield, is that next phase of becoming a good tailback. That’s where we need to see the big jump for him this year.”

The new leader of the defense on the field will be senior defensive back Dante Basanese of Iron Mountain. Basanese led the Huskies in solo tackles (50) and total tackles (84), while also racking up 5.5 tackles for loss and one interception.

“Dante (is a) very gritty, very tough player,” said defensive coordinator Bryan Thomas. “(A) kid from the U.P. that, bringing him in, we thought he could potentially play and everything. We did not think that he’d develop into the guy that he is today and the leader he is. I think it’s a credit to our coaches in the secondary to make sure he’s coming along. Obviously, he’s a very tough kid.

“We never want our corner being one of the Top 10 tacklers in the league by any means, but if there’s one guy at cornerback in this league that could do it, it’s definitely Dante. So, I’m excited to see how his senior year is going to go. He’s had some really good practices, and he’s really stepped up his practice habits, which I think is going to pay dividends in the long run.”

Joining Basanese in the secondary, Thomas likes what he is seeing from sophomore defensive back Terrence Martin and redshirt sophomore Jaiden Bolden.

Two players on the defensive line that Thomas really likes are senior lineman Connor Hindenach and junior tackle Pierce Miller. A third member of the line likely to take a big step is junior Nolan Schopp. He is also looking for more this season from senior linebacker Porter Zeeman and junior linebacker Chase Koch.

The Huskies open the season on Thursday, Aug. 28, with No. 16 Bemidji State at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. Opening kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Eastern time.

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For more on Michigan Tech football, go to https://www.mininggazette.com/sports/local-sports/2025/08/huskies-offense-full-of-new-faces-with-plenty-of-talent/ and https://www.mininggazette.com/sports/local-sports/2025/08/huskies-defense-has-to-reload-on-the-fly/.