It’s a new era at Howard Payne, although the old and new eras are very similar. Jason Bachtel left to become the offensive coordinator at Houston Christian for former HPU head coach Braxton Harris. Jason’s brother Kevin was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace his brother as head coach. The new Bachtel era will resemble recent Yellow Jacket teams with an aggressive and explosive offense combined with a stingy defense.

Expectations are higher at HPU after consecutive 7-3 seasons. One key to the consistency has been the roster depth that has been building since Harris took over the program in 2017. The depth will be on display this year with four new defensive backs slated to earn their first starts for the Yellow Jackets and the coaching staff adding needed depth to the offensive line. The Yellow Jackets could upset one of the conference leaders if they get some breaks.