NEWBERG, Ore. -- The brand-new turf at Stoffer Family Stadium is more than just a fun new feature. 

It's symbolic of the 2025 George Fox football team.

The next era of George Fox football begins on Saturday, September 6, when head coach Spencer Crace, the second head football coach in the program's modern era, leads the team to face Redlands.

Crace steps in for Northwest football coaching legend Chris Casey, who retired after 43 seasons as a football coach, including the past 11 as George Fox's head coach. And in the initial weeks under new management, the Bruins haven't missed a beat.

"The guys are really gelling," Crace said, "I would say culture-wise, they're buying into what we're preaching. I've been telling them, season one is a year built around habits, and we're trying to create championship-level habits."

Those championship-level habits begin in every phase of the game; Crace aims to bring a "three-pronged approach", focused on offense, defense, and special teams in a holistic way. And with a special teams squad that returns starting punter Riley Rutledge and starting kicker Ben Rembisz, special teams coordinator Braeden Meyer can be confident that his squad can keep the other two prongs steady.

One of those prongs is a revamped offense. In Fox's 4-6 (2-5 NWC) campaign in 2024, the offense will look to grow from a squad that scored 21 points or fewer seven times. Now, Crace and offensive coordinator Joshua Mondt will bring a quick attack that will be led by a fresh face at quarterback.

True freshman JJ Leman is the front-runner to be the Bruins' starting QB, coming to the program from Mead High School. While with the Panthers, he was a Second Team All-League quarterback, throwing for 1,529 passing yards and 17 TDs. Perhaps most importantly, though, Leman is a dual threat weapon — the freshman ran for 601 rushing yards and 11 TDs as a senior.

" I've never had a freshman quarterback with as much command of the offense as him," Crace said, "He's fully under control. He's a leader. He directs guys. He's just on a different level."

While it seems likely Fox will start their first freshman quarterback since Jaden Sheffey in 2019, DeMontre Thomas II is still a reliable option for the Bruin coaching staff. The fifth-year quarterback started all 10 games for Fox in 2024, throwing for 1,894 yards and nine touchdowns.

"DeMontre brings a sense of maturity and experience to the room," Crace said, "He's got great command of the offense, and he's been doing a great job."

No matter who the Bruins trot out at QB, they will have a reworked line in front of them. Just one starting lineman returns in 2025 — Lawa Ah Yat — as the big men up front step into starting roles. Whether it's juniors Sean Brewster and Kapala Pilialoha, juniors Kyle Martin, Miky Amare, and Rylan McGraw, or freshman Tristan VanOrden and Toby Esqueda, there will be plenty of young and determined players focusing on paving the way for the backs behind them.

Those backs will be a stable position once again for Fox; for the fourth year in a row, William Moffitt and Taylor Saben will split the carries. Saben led the team in rushing yards (431) and rushing TDs (8), and return yards (431), while Moffitt led the team in punt return yards (67) and was second on the team in rushing yards (346) and rushing TDs (5).

A new addition to the offense is the hybrid position — something Crace describes as an all-around, versatile athlete. So far through camp, that athlete has been freshman Tucker Land.

"In our offense, that hybrid has to be able to run the football, catch the football, and block," Crace said, "And Tucker stood out. He can run, catch, jump, do it all. He's gonna be a key piece in our offense this season."

The pass catchers round out the offense with wide receivers and tight ends. On the TE side, Sheyden Iokia returns after missing nearly the entire season with an injury, with Raiden Gonzales also looking to make an impact. While Iokia and Gonzales have experience, the receivers are a bit of a question.

" The WR position is one that I am excited to see grow and develop," Crace said, "We have four or five guys that I think can play consistently, but are still learning the playbook.

Chavis Lee, the leader in receiving TDs, will likely miss most of the season with an injury, leaving Kaelan Frey as the top returning WR, finishing 2024 with 205 yards. But while there are questions, Crace is confident they will be answered. Players such as Dreylen Tolentino, Vincent Cabezudo, Karsen Denault, Jeremy Young, and Kalai Bradley have all shown flashes in practice and can make an impact. 

It's that sentimentality that rings true for all of the offense: while there are questions, camp has shown some promising answers. The same is true of the defense.

It all starts on the defensive line, where Jacob Erickson will be back after not playing in 2024 due to injury. The defensive end, who set the school sack record his freshman year en route to the 2022 NWC Rookie of the Year honor, has dealt with nagging injuries his past two seasons but is finally back healthy. He looks to be a force to be reckoned with, alongside Kuyper Assink, Silas Kincaid, Kaden Raever, and freshman Brennan Sheppard.

In the linebacker position, defensive coordinator Lukkes Gilgan will have to deal with the loss of All-Region athlete Nash Wylie and two starters in Nolan Martin and Noah Tack. Dylan Palama, Caleb McElfish, and Dane Johnson have all shown flashes, while speedy freshman Duke Alderete-Labuguen is another name to watch.

The DBs keep many key pieces, including Ty Borde, who recorded a team-high eight pass breakups in 2024. Borde will be alongside experienced players Ben Nuss, Keanu Shim, and Eli Miller who know what it means to play solid D — a sign of the situation on the defensive side.

"This program obviously has had a high expectation of playing great defense," Crace said, "So these guys know what it takes to be elite. But they also are great at adapting. The scheme is very different from what they were used to, so having that senior leadership and maturity. has been important because they're able to kind of preach the message of buy-in."

Buy-in has been the mantra of the team so far, and they have a schedule that shows its importance. In an odd scheduling quirk, Fox will face the same nine teams it did in 2024, even down to playing SCIAC schools Redlands and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at home once more. The Bruins will play three non-NWC games before a bye week and host Linfield on October 4 for homecoming.

Another aspect of buy-in is the mentality. For years, the Bruins followed the T.A.P.E ideology — and while the team still holds it near and dear to their hearts, Crace and his staff are instead "Running to the Roar".

"Our guys battle stuff every day," the Bruin head coach said, "whether it's anxiety, doubt, fear, worry, stress of school, injuries,, Our culture tells us that, 'whatever we're facing internally, we should run away from it'. We're not gonna run and crumble and, and hide from it. So, when the lion is looking you in the face and you have nowhere to go,  we're gonna run to it and through it and be bold and confident in who we are and whose we are, knowing that we are created in God's image. And we're here to receive applause from nail-scarred hands only."

So far, the team is adapting their mindset quickly, helping Crace lead the way. And the Bruin head coach believes that if the team buys in, they can finish much higher than their fifth-place projection in the NWC coaches preseason poll. And it won't matter about all of the personnel losses, the coaching changes, even the brand new turf every player is playing on.

All that matters is that they're Running to the Roar.