The 2025 Eastern football team was ranked third in the MAC coaches poll this preseason, meaning they had a lot to live up to and having high momentum became very important.
At the beginning of the season, when asked about that momentum, Head Coach Billy Crocker said, “I think our guys have a feeling of confidence and that momentum that we finished the season with is the most important part,” said Crocker.
Starting their third year of varsity play, the Eagles were starting to show a lot of potential. The first class of players were entering their final season, and the team was looking like they were in a very good spot. The whole team looked healthy; there was a buzz in the air because they looked strong. Quarterback Brett Nabb was coming off an All-MAC season in 2024 with 739 rushing yards and 1,220 passing yards.
Credit: Jason Karch / The Waltonian
“The momentum we had last season definitely carried over into this season. We have our whole team back, and last year we learned how to win close games and how to put teams away,” said Nabb.
As with all football teams, there are always going to be ups and downs. Fortunately for the Eagles, it seemed like there were not too many valleys; it was mostly lofty peaks. Finishing the regular season 9-1, the Eagles fought hard every game and often dominated. Even their loss to Lebanon Valley early in the season was close, ending 24-21.
There were fifteen players who secured All-MAC honors, which is another massive accomplishment. Nabb secured the Offensive Player of the Year honors, and linebacker Jason Bateman got recognized for Defensive Player of the Year. Nabb threw for 1,237 yards and rushed for over 1,100 yards.
One of the team phrases that was used before every 2025 game was “any given Saturday.” A few players shared their thoughts about what it means to them.
“Anything can truly happen any Saturday and nothing is promised to us. We are not guaranteed to win, but we have a chance to win every game,” said Nabb.
“We are ready any given Saturday and we just try to beat the next team that is in front of us,” said MAC second team running back Jeremiah Avrillien.
There were a lot of people along the way who helped with the success of the team. One of those people is Eastern University Athletic Director Brian Bingaman, who has been with Eastern since 2020. He was promoted to Athletic Director this year after Eric McNelley, who previously held the position, left Eastern.
At his position as Strength and Conditioning coach, Bingaman has seen all of the players who came in during what is considered “year zero.” He helped train these guys to become the best players that they could be.
“My favorite part of being a strength coach was being in the trenches with the guys every day. You build a special kind of relationship in that role. Watching each of these young men grow physically, mentally, and spiritually has been one of the best parts of my career. Seeing them succeed and watching this team come together has been incredibly special. I’m so proud of this group and excited to see just how far we can go,” said Bingaman.
There are big dreams that every new program has when they start up. There may also be some fear because all of the hard work that is put into the program could potentially fall flat if the team does not have success right out of the gate.
“When we launched football, the goal was to become competitive quickly, but what we’re seeing has exceeded even our expectations. It’s a testament to the University’s vision in building this program the right way. It’s been a blessing to be a small part of this journey from the very beginning,” said Bingaman.
Besides all of the players, there are people behind the scenes who help out at practice and during games. One of those people is Christian Slaton, who is one of the lead team managers. Slaton appeared in three games during his sophomore season but tore his ACL. He did not appear in another game and ultimately decided that it was the right decision to become a team manager.
Even though Slaton did not play, he has been constantly around the team throughout his four years at Eastern. He saw a lot of growth in all of the players.
“It feels awesome to see the growth from the start and to see how they developed as players. It is cool to see the guys who have been here since year zero flourish and continue to attack on the football field,” said Slaton.
As a manager, he is at all the practices, and there have certainly been qualities of the team that have stuck out to him.
“I think everyone is there to compete, from the guys that are taking reps on scout team to the guys that are gonna play for us on Saturday. Everyone is there to compete and have fun and give it their all. You can tell that people want it more and people realize that we can actually get it,” said Slaton.
This Eastern football season was one to remember, and it could not have happened without all of the players, coaches, and athletic staff who worked together to make a MAC Championship-caliber team in three years.
