Before every touchdown he scored last season, Merrimack College wide receiver and kick return specialist Donovan Wadley ’26 manifested his trip to the endzone.
“I read how the defense was set up and before I got the ball I told myself ‘I am going to score right now,’” he explained. Wadley did that 11 times during the 2023 season and many people will be watching to see if he exceeds that number this year, as Merrimack embarks on its first season as an independent school.
Some will be watching so closely that Wadley was named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, making him the first Merrimack football player ever to receive that distinction.
The Walter Payton Award, known as the Heisman Trophy of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, is presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in the FCS. Thirty-five players were named to the 2024 preseason watch list.
“I was so excited,” Wadley, a communications major, said of learning he made the preseason list. “The first thing I did was text my mom and dad. This is big time and I never expected it. But it woke me up even more for this season knowing that people are looking at (Merrimack football).
Merrimack had its sights on Wadley since he was a junior in high school back when the College was Division II. After he finished a year in prep school and was ready to transition to college, Merrimack was still there.
“I called and said I didn’t even need to have an official visit because I was coming to Merrimack,” Wadley said. “And when I arrived on campus they treated me like family. Coach G (Head Coach Mike Gennetti) was standing outside to greet me on my first day here.”
In 2023 Wadley totaled more than 1,300 yards in rushing, receiving and kick returns, while helping the Warriors to the Northeast Conference championship game for the second year in a row. This year’s schedule features some of the most significant opponents Merrimack College football has ever faced, including Division I FBS program Air Force to open the season on Saturday, Aug. 31. That game can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.
“Merrimack hasn’t really seen a schedule this big before,” said Wadley. “We are going to be performing in front of some big schools. It truly is an honor to be going to Colorado (to play Air Force).”
Wadley is confident in Merrimack’s ability to match up against teams like Air Force, Connecticut and Maine, pointing to the team’s preparation in the summer months.
“You are going to see a lot of athletes in space, a lot of deep balls, a lot of big plays and a lot of turnovers on defense,” Wadley said of Warriors football in 2024. “We’ve been practicing hard, putting in the work, pushing each other every day and just taking it up a notch.”
