Calvin is under the direction of head coach Trent Figg who guides his 112-member roster in year three this fall. 

Tickets - Tickets are available through the Franklin Box Office online at: Calvin-Franklin Football Tickets.

How to Watch/Listen:  Saturday's game can be followed by Live stream, live audio and live stats.

The Franklin live stream broadcast can be found online at: Calvin-Franklin Live Stream Broadcast.  In addition, Saturday's game will air on Grand Rapids radio Station 96.1 FM The Game iHeart Radio at: 96.1 The Game iHeart Radio. An audio stream will also be available through Michigan Sports Radio (Michigansportsradio.com).

Live statistics of the game will be produced at: Calvin/Franklin Live Stats.

The Lead-Up – Calvin is in season three under head coach Trent Figg. The Knights are coming off a 7-3 campaign in 2025 after producing a 2-8 record in year one (2024). Calvin finished fourth in the 2025 MIAA standings with a 4-3 conference record and was picked to finish fourth in the 2026 MIAA preseason coaches' poll. Calvin returns 72 letterwinners including 10 starters on offense and eight starters on defense from its 2025 campaign. The Calvin Knights take on the Grizzlies of Franklin College out of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). Franklin is 1-1 on the season, having defeated North Park 34-31 in its opener before falling to Division I non-scholarship FCS Butler 52-0 last Saturday. Franklin was picked to finish third in its preseason HCAC conference football poll.

MIAA/HCAC Crossover – Saturday's contest is part of the MIAA/HCAC Crossover Challenge. Other matchups Saturday include Trine at Bluffton, Olivet at Manchester, Hope at Hanover, Adrian at Mt. St. Joseph and Albion at Rose-Hulman. Alma is the one outlier as it is at Baldwin-Wallace on Saturday.

Inside Calvin Football / MIAA Football Pulse -  Beginning October 13, join Calvin head football coach Trent Figg  for this year's  edition of Inside Calvin Football,  on 96.1 The Game and Michigan Sports Radio.  The show is live from Big E's Sports Grille on East Beltline and begins at 7pm.  Fans are welcome to attend to meet players, coaches and other Calvin fans. Starting on September 24, WXSP-TV and WOOD-TV+ bring The MIAA Football Pulse – a 30-minute television program providing fans with up-to-date coverage, expert insights, highlights, and exclusive interviews from across the MIAA. The MIAA Football Pulse airs Thursday, September 24 at 7:30pm on WXSP-TV and on demand at WOOD-TV+.   It's powered by People Driven Technology, Van Wyk Risk Solutions and Culver's.  

Radio/TV -Catch the Knights all season long ,home and away, on 96.1FM The Game and Michigan Sports Radio.   Home games are televised live on WXSP-TV.

The Calvin Coach-Head coach Trent Figg was hired on January 6, 2023. He has a career won-loss record of 11-11 heading into Saturday. Figg is a native of Chillicothe, Missouri, located an hour-and-a-half from Kansas City. He is a 2008 graduate of William Jewell College where he was a four-year member of the football program as a special teams ace and defensive back. He later earned his master's degree from Northwest Missouri State in 2013. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at (then NAIA) William Jewell and later had stints as the special teams coordinator and defensive coordinator at D2 Southern Arkansas, defensive coordinator at William Jewell and special teams coordinator at Missouri State. He later spent two years (2019-21) at the University of Hawaii, serving as chief of staff of the football program and later associate head coach. In 2022, he served as the lead offensive analyst for the University of Oregon football program under head coach Dan Lanning. Figg and Lanning are former teammates and roommates at William Jewell College and stood up for each other at their respective weddings.

A Look at the Franklin Head Coach– Franklin is led by veteran head coach Mike Leonard who is back for his second stint as head coach of the Franklin football program. Leonard was Franklin head coach from 2003-2019 before departing for another position. He returned in December of 2024 and led the Grizzlies to a 5-5 mark in 2025. He has a career won-loss record of 135-61 at Franklin heading into Saturday. He is a 1983 graduate of Hanover College where he was a standout quarterback. His offensive philosophy is based on a 'Run-n-Shoot" style fostered out of philosophy of former Franklin head coach Red Faught. Leonard was on a staff with Calvin head coach Trent Figg in 2016, serving as the offensive coordinator with Figg the defensive coordinator for a USA All-Star team that competed at the 2016 World University American Football Championship in Monterrey, Mexico.

More on Franklin – Franklin is led by starting quarterback Marshall Kmiecik who returns after starting the 2025 campaign as the Grizzlie signal caller. Kmiecik is 34 of 57 passing through two games with five touchdown passes and two interceptions. He is also the leading rusher for Franklin with 93 yards. Senior receiver Owen Wright is his target of choice with Wright returning this fall after the missing the 2025 campaign with an injury. Wright was named HCAC Offensive Player of the Week after week one. He snared seven balls for 109 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 win over North Park. He has eight catches for 124 yards. Junior Brayden Wilkins is another dangerous target with nine catches for 123 yards this fall. Junior Isaiah Miller is the third member of Franklin's lead trio with seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. All three receivers are 6-0 and taller. The offensive line is led by senior all-region lineman Isaak Fischer. On defense, the Grizzlies return three starting linebackers in junior Brayden Baker, senior Haden Durnil and senior Drew Servies. Servies has a team-leading 22 tackles this fall with Durnil posting 15 tackles and Baker 10.

Game Two Rewind – Calvin rolled up 678 yards of total offense in running away to a 49-7 victory over St. Norbert last Saturday. Thomas Vaccaro was 20 of 27 passing for 342 yards and four touchdowns while Hunter Hogan scored four touchdowns – two through the air and two on the ground – to pace the attack. Hogan had 79 yards rushing and 102 yards receiving. Luke Michmerhuizen had four catches for 41 yards and a pair of touchdowns with junior Aiden O'Brien snaring three balls for 72 yards. 11 different receivers caught a pass for Calvin. Free safety Caden Kolanowski intercepted two St. Norbert passes while strong safety Nolan Bloomquist had five tackles.

MIAA and D3football.com Honor Roll – Hogan was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week this past Monday for the second time in his career while Kolanowski was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week for the first time. On Tuesday, Kolanowski earned a national honor, landing a spot on the D3football.com National Team of the Week.

Record Breakers – Thomas Vaccaro broke a Calvin single-game record for touchdown passes on Sept 5 at Otterbein with five in the win at Otterbein, breaking the previous record of four set by Chase Bradman (twice) in 2024. Hunter Hogan established a new Calvin record for the longest rushing touchdown with his 69-yard first quarter burst.

Snarling Schnurstein – Calvin is led by preseason All-American linebacker Carson Schnurstein who was picked as a D3football.com All-America Second Team choice last month. Schnurstein was named to the 2025 All-MIAA First Team and to the D3football.com All-Region IV Second Team last fall. He amassed a Calvin single-season record 115 tackles last fall, 52 solo and 63 assisted. He was amongst the NCAA Division III leaders in tackles throughout the 2025 campaign. He tallied 14.5 tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks. He was also credited with three interceptions, three forced fumbles, four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.

More Conference Accolades – Schnurstein was one of four Calvin players to receive All-MIAA honors last year with all four returning. The remaining trio include junior running back/slot receiver Hunter Hogan, junior offensive lineman Brayden Steinbacher and senior defensive lineman C.J. Sheets. Hogan, Steinbacher and Sheets were all named to the 2025 All-MIAA Second Team.

Hogan's a Hero – Calvin junior Hunter Hogan is coming off a big sophomore campaign. He atoned for a team-leading 1,454 all-purpose yards in 2025. He rushed for 868 yards on 155 carries with eight rushing touchdowns including a long of 65 yards. He added 451 receiving yards by way off 39 receptions with two receiving touchdowns. He was also credited with 135 yards of kick return yardage. He had back-to-back 200-yard games on the ground in September, rushing for 215 yards on 34 carries in a 34-7 win over Concordia (Wisc.) and came back with 233 rushing yards on 41 carries in a 43-40 overtime win over Heidelberg the following week. Hogan has played in 20 career games at Calvin and scored 17 touchdowns across those contests.

1,000 Yards Times Two – Hogan became the first player in Calvin history to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in both rushing and receiving last Saturday in the win over St. Norbert. He now has 1,048 yards on the ground and 1,088 yards receiving in his three-year Calvin career.

Calvin Quarterback Room – Calvin returns senior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro who grabbed the starting role last year and never let up. A native of Franklin, Tennessee, Vaccaro was 177 of 286 (61.89%) through the air for 1,794 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. He is backed up by sophomore Beau Harris and freshmen Noah Escobedo and David Dirksen. Junior Drake Irwin has moved to tight end but also has strong experience at quarterback.

Family Tree – Calvin's leading returning receiver is junior Luke Michmerhuizen who snagged 57 catches for 618 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025 including a walk-off overtime touchdown grab to defeat Heidelberg 43-40. He is Calvin's career leader in receptions (115), receiving yards (1,414) and receiving touchdowns (16). The 6-7 Michmerhuizen is the second member of his immediate family to be a Calvin varsity athlete as his older sister Nicole was a multiple All-American for the Calvin women's track and field team including a national champion in the 10,000 meter run in 2013. His father Mark Michmerhuizen is an associate professor in the Calvin engineering department. Sister Nicole was a chemical engineering and biochemistry student at Calvin, an Academic All-American and later a PhD recipient from the University of Michigan in the field of pharmacology. Luke is also an engineering student at Calvin.

MIAA Preseason Poll – Calvin was picked to finish fourth out of eight teams in the 2065 MIAA preseason poll with champion Hope selected as the MIAA's pre-season favorite with defending champion Alma picked  second. 2026 MIAA Preseason Poll: 1. Hope, 2. Alma, 3. Adrian, 4. Calvin, 5. Trine, 6. Albion, 7. Kalamazoo, 8. Olivet.

NCAA III Statistics  – After two games, Calvin has the third-ranked overall offense in Division III, averaging 672.5 yards a game. In addition, Calvin has the seventh-ranked passing offense, averaging 354.0 passing yards per game. The Knights also have the ninth-ranked rushing offense with an average of 273.5 yards per game on the ground. Calvin has the 12^th-ranked scoring offense at 51.0 points a game. Quarterback Thomas Vaccaro is the national leader in touchdown passes (9) and is ranked 11^th in overall passing yards (593). Hunter Hogan is ranked third in individual points-per-game (18.0) and third in total touchdowns (6).

A Look at Calvin – Calvin features a 112-man roster this fall which includes 35 freshmen and 19 sophomores, 49 juniors, seven seniors and two grad students as part of its 112-man roster. 13 players feature from other states including Illinois (4), Texas (2), California (1), Louisiana (1), Tennessee (1), North Carolina (1), Florida (1), New Mexico (1) and New York (1) with the remaining 103 coming from Michigan.

The Calvin Offense by the Numbers – (50 total) - Quarterbacks (5), Running Backs (8), Wide Receivers (13), Tight Ends (5), Offensive Lineman (19). (Calvin also has 5 kicker/punters)

The Calvin Defense by the Numbers – (57 total)-  Defensive Linemen (21), Linebackers (11), Defensive Backs (25).  

Double Duty – The Calvin roster features a pair of two-sport Calvin varsity athletes in sophomores Paul Hubbard (DB) and Gavin Currie (WR). Both are also members of the Calvin men's track and field team and helped the Knights capture 2026 MIAA Indoor and Outdoor titles. Currie was a hurdler and scored in the 60 meter hurdles (fifth place) at the MIAA Indoor Meet. Hubbard competed in the long jump at the MIAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and placed second in the event with a leap of 22-3 ½ to earn a spot on the All-MIAA Second Team for outdoor track and field.

OK-Red Flavor – The Calvin football team has a strong representation from the Ottawa-Kent (OK) Red Conference as 17 players hail from the West Michigan based conference. The individuals include players from Caledonia (Reed Vogeler), Hudsonville (Cooper Roberts), Rockford (Seth Anderson, Drake Irwin, Mike Liggett, McCoy Baxter, Gavin Currie), Jenison (Zaiden Chirco, Rowan Stewart, Trevor Martens), East Kentwood (ShaMar White, Breylon Cox, Gabe Wolf), Grand Haven (Logan Minier) and Grandville (Aven Kaat and Keegan Kroll).  

Oh Brother – The roster features a set of brothers out of Grand Rapids Northview High School in sophomore offensive lineman Andre Johnson and freshman defensive lineman Keandre Johnson.

Cousin Connection – Junior quarterback/punter Drake Irwin and junior wide receiver Jude Klunder are first cousins.  

Portage Power Plant – The Calvin defense features three Portage Central High School graduates that will all see significant time this weekend including senior linebacker Carson Schurstein and freshmen defensive backs Gavin Grueter and Nolan Bloomquist.  

Classroom Distinction – The 2025 Calvin football team features 13 individuals that were named to the 2025-26 MIAA Academic Honor Roll for maintaining a 3.50 grade point average or above for the entire academic year while earning a varsity letter. Those 13 individuals include: Paul Bouma, Drake Irwin, Brady Jacobs, Brok Jones, Caden Kolanowski, Leighton Kolk, Luke Michmerhuizen, Nathan Mikesell, Micah Pobursky, Tanner Steffens, Brayden Steinbacher, Thomas Vaccaro and Reed Vogeler.  

Transfer Portal – Calvin has 11 players that have transferred over from other collegiate football programs. Those nine individuals are senior C.J. Sheets (Davenport University), senior Sam Gallo (Concordia, Mich.), junior Aiden O'Brien (Hope College), junior M'khi Guy (Wayne State University), senior Justin Evans (Davenport University), senior Dominique Williams (Olivet), sophomore Logan Ginter (Fort Lewis College), senior Thomas Vaccaro (Samford University), junior Tyler Porte (Central Michigan University), junior Carter Bylsma (Dordt University) and sophomore Brock Sperling (Western Illinois University).  

Traveling from Out-of-State – Calvin features 15 players from outside Michigan. Those players include senior C.J. Sheets (Longwood, Fla.), junior Hayden Slegers (Ontario, Ca.), freshman David Dirksen (Davis, Ca.), freshman Kaeson Pressley (Los Angeles, Ca.), senior Thomas Vaccaro (Franklin, Tenn.), freshman Noah Escobedo (Oak Lawn, Ill.), sophomore Christian Flutman (Orland Park, Ill.), freshman Joseph Gray (Chicago, Ill.), sophomore Edward Van Dellen (Evergreen Park, Ill.), junior Max Lenters (Palos Heights, Ill.), sophomore Brock Sperling (Palos Heights, Ill.), freshman Rike Niyongabo (Dillon, S.C.), sophomore Logan Ginter (Evergreen, Colo.), freshman Brayden Cartier (Chandler, Ariz.) and junior Jaden Lewis (Spring, Tx.).  

High Schools Represented – The high schools with the most represented players are: Hudsonville Unity Christian (7), Rockford (6), Holland Christian (4) and Chicago Christian (4).

A Look Ahead – Calvin will host the University of Olivet at 4 p.m. next Saturday in the first-ever game at Knight Stadium. The contest will also be the MIAA opener for both teams.