Game 1 - UAlbany Great Danes vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Oct 13, 2026

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Preview for Game 1 featuring UAlbany Great Danes against the Iowa Hawkeyes, including coaching notes, staff and program context, and a focus on players to watch. Lists key athletes by position with preseason or season highlights, leadership details for the 2025 campaign, and an overview of head coach Jared Ambrose’s timeline and impact. Provides the 2025 schedule with dates, opponents, times/results, and CAA standings/rankings indicators for the season.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time7 min

AccessFree to download

Players to Watch

Captains and Leadership Council

The Ambrose Era

2025 Schedule

Standings & Rankings

| \#UAUKNOW \#PlayLikeAJ

@UALBANYFOOTBALL
@UALBANYFOOTBALL /UALBANYSPORTS
2023 CAA Champions | | FCS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES 2011 | 2019 | 2023
Contact: Taylor O’Connor
Director of Digital Content & Communications [toconnor3@albany.edu |](toconnor3@albany.edu |) (518) 928-6422 (C)
| | --- | --- | --- | | | | | GAME 1 UALBANY GREAT DANES 0-0 | 0-0 CAA Head Coach: Jared Ambrose (1st) Record at UAlbany: 0-0 Career Record: 0-0 IOWA HAWKEYES 0-0 | 0-0 Big Ten Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz 27th Season PLAYERS TO WATCH | | TV: FS1
Radio: Q105 .7 Rodger Wyland & Brian Mariano | | --- | --- | Thomas Joe-Kamara – Defensive Back | Sr. • CAA Preseason Honorable Mention. • Played in 11 games last season, his first at UAlbany. • Totaled 50 tackles (26 solo, 24 assisted) with an interception. Griffin Woodell – Running Back | Jr. • 2023 CAA Offensive Rookie of the year and Jerry Rice Award finalist. • Tallied 892 rushing yards and 255 receiving yards with 12 total touchdowns (8 rushing, 4 receiving) . • Appeared in seven games in 2024 but had limited numbers due to injury. Denzel Patrick – Defensive Back | Sr. • Enters fifth season at UAlbany. • Played in 12 games last year. • Totaled 54 tackles. • Recorded a season-high seven tackles three times, at WVU, at Rhode Island, and against Hampton. • Forced a fumble against New Hampshire. Caden Burti – Wide Receiver | Jr. • Enters third season at UAlbany. • Played in all 12 games last season. • Tallied 271 yards and three TDs on 24 catches. • Collected a season-high 76 yards at Rhode Island Jojo Uga – Running Back | So. • Played in 11 games as a true freshman. • Rushed for 422 yards and six TDs on 100 attempts. • Scored a rushing TD five games in a row: Maine, at Cornell, at Bryant, against Elon, and at Delaware. Oh Captian, My Captain Five captains were named ahead of the 2025 campaign, voted on by the team. Leading the Great Danes this year will be: Jack Shields – Quarterback Brad Igweike – Defensive Back Ron Holmes – Linebacker Josh Gaffney – Offensive Line Thomas Joe-Kamara – Defensive Back In addition, a Leadership Council has also been established to lead each class. Leading all fourth year players will be Thomas Joe-Kamara and Denzel Patrick. Third year players will be led by Griffin Woodell and Balansama Kamara. Troy Berschwinger and Jordan Rae will lead second year players, and Jojo Uga and Erv Wiggins Jr. will lead first year players. The Ambrose Era Jared Ambrose has officially taken the helm of the program, serving as the team’s Interim Head Coach for the 2025 season. He takes over after serving as the team’s Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach since 2022. He was elevated to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2023 season. Ambrose has been a staple in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), where he has helped lead three different teams to the FCS National Semifinals, including one run to the FCS National Championship Game. The UAlbany offense flourished under Ambrose in 2023 en route to the program’s first-ever FCS National Semifinal appearance and first-ever CAA title. Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger finished as one of the top players in the nation, leading the country with 3,603 passing yards and 246 points responsible for. Wideout Brevin Easton finished fourth in the FCS with 1,086 receiving yards and third with 13 receiving touchdowns. Not far behind, wideout Julian Hicks finished fourth in receiving touchdowns with 11 while picking up 820 yards through the air. On the ground, rookie running back Griffin Woodell claimed the CAA Rookie of the Year award after a stellar season in which the freshman ran for 892 yards and eight touchdowns, adding another four through the air. | 2025 SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT
Aug. 30 at Iowa (FBS) 6:00 PM | | --- | | Sept. 3 at Delaware State 1:00 PM | | Sept. 13 NEW HAVEN 7:00 PM | | Sept. 20 CORNELL 7:00 PM | | Sep

FAQs

Who are the UAlbany captains for the 2025 campaign?

Five captains are listed: Jack Shields, Brad Igweike, Ron Holmes, Josh Gaffney, and Thomas Joe-Kamara. The document also notes how a Leadership Council leads each class.

What 2025 head-coaching change is described?

Jared Ambrose is stated to have taken the helm as Interim Head Coach for the 2025 season, after serving as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach since 2022.

Which matchups are included in the 2025 schedule section?

The schedule lists dates and opponents including at Iowa, at Delaware State, New Haven, Cornell, at New Hampshire, Stony Brook, Rhode Island, at Villanova, at William & Mary, Bryant, Towson, and at Monmouth, with CAA games marked and times in Eastern time.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Stanley