The 2026 D2Football.com Elite 100 Watch List has been revealed, and a pair of Ashland University football players – junior right tackle
Nico Traczyk and junior linebacker
Jack Talkington – have found their way into that list.
Traczyk is on the second-team offense of the D2Football.com list. In 2025, he was named first-team Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Super Region 3, Great Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year and first-team all-league.
Talkington is on the SQUAD (honorable mention) defense of the D2Football.com rolls. Last fall, he was named first-team All-Great Midwest after pacing the Eagle defense with 91 total tackles (41 solo), to go with three sacks, eight tackles for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Ashland, the preseason favorite in the Great Midwest in 2026, finished the 2025 season at 10-3 overall and 8-1 in the conference – setting a new program standard by winning an NCAA Division II playoff game for the second season in a row, and earning a co-conference championship. The Eagles were 15
th in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) D-II poll.
The 2026 Ashland football season will open at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field vs. Indiana (Pa.) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 3.
