Holy Cross is heading into 2026 with more bodies and more choices, and Dan Curran said that should change how the Crusaders line up from the start. He called depth a strength, then pointed to the way it is already forcing competition across the roster.
That matters now because Holy Cross opens Aug. 29 at Fitton Field against Lehigh, the defending Patriot League champion, in a 3:30 kickoff that will begin a 12-game schedule. For a team trying to hold up across that stretch, the roster is no longer just about who starts. It is about who can keep playing at the same level when the first wave comes off the field.
The clearest sign of that is up front. Cooper Ackerman and Rushaune Vilane are both in the mix at defensive end, and Curran said both should see significant time this season. Ackerman arrived in January from the University of Connecticut after two seasons there with very limited reps. Vilane came from the University of Kentucky after two years and played in one game last season. Curran said they will matter on first and second down and on third down as well, which suggests Holy Cross is not treating the position as a simple starter-backup split.
That same idea is showing up in the middle of the defense, where Ron Burton has gone from a scout-team player in 2024 to someone the staff expects to use on defense this fall. Burton worked onto three special teams units last year, then earned the right to start the season second on the depth chart behind senior Adam Due. Curran said Burton will play both SAM and WIL and can also fit into sub packages on third down, a sign that the staff sees him as more than a spare part. Due, for his part, said watching Burton develop has been a pleasure.
The part that keeps Holy Cross from declaring the picture settled is special teams, where the placekicking job is still open. Ethan Moss and Owen Saraceno are competing for the role after Luis Palenzuela went 10-for-15 on field goals and 29-for-30 on PATs last year. Saraceno missed his only field-goal attempt, from 37 yards, while Curran said Moss brings more game experience and Saraceno has the longer leg. He did not pretend that settles anything. He said they are both very capable, which leaves the final call to the preseason.
For Holy Cross, that is the point of the added depth. The Crusaders are not just filling space before the opener. They are trying to build a rotation strong enough to survive a long schedule, and they are doing it while two of the most important jobs on the field remain unsettled. By the time Lehigh arrives at Fitton Field, the depth chart should look a lot clearer. Until then, competition is the plan.
