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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 9, 2026) – Western New England football's Luke Dauphinee, Johnny Ferrentino, Collin LeBlanc, and Brady Ronalter have been named to the 2026 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society class, the organization announced, which recognizes academic excellence across all divisions of collegiate football. 

In its 20^th year, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society has recognized 23,568 student-athletes across 691 schools since 2007. This season sees the organization set a new record of 2,596 student-athletes from 365 schools, four of which have come from the Western New England football team. In order to receive honors from the organization, a student-athlete must be a senior player graduating this spring/summer who completed his final season of eligibility this past season or a graduate student-athlete or graduate transfer who has already earned a bachelor's degree and competed during the 2025 season. The student-athlete must have maintained a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and been a starter or significant contributor during the 2025 season. 

Dauphinee, an offensive lineman from Bristol, Connecticut, participated in five games for the Golden Bears, four of which saw the Blue and Gold come away with victories. In those five games, Dauphinee allowed Western New England to accumulate over 350 yards of offense in every game, while totaling a pair of games over 500 yards from scrimmage, both at Golden Bear Stadium. Dauphinee has been named to the Conference of New England All-Academic Team three of a possible three times and takes NFF honors this season after studying business analytics and information management at Western New England. 

Ferrentino was a major contributor on the field for the Golden Bears, playing in all ten games, recording career highs in multiple defensive categories. Ferrentino picked up 23 solo tackles and 29 assisted tackles during the 2025 season, good for 52 total tackles on the year. Ferrentino recorded 0.5 tackles for loss in a win over Husson University, forced a fumble, and recovered another. The East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native had four interceptions this season, a team-high, and picked up three pass breakups. Ferrentino will graduate with a degree in finance from WNE this May. 

LeBlanc was also a key part of the Western New England offensive line, playing in and making starts in all ten games. For his efforts this season, Leblanc was named to the Conference of New England All-Conference second team as a nose guard. Leblanc and the WNE offensive line allowed the Golden Bears to rank 21^st overall in total offense this season across 241 ranked Division III schools. The WNE rush offense sat 13^th in the nation, averaging over 220 yards per game on the ground. The offensive line, led by Leblanc, saw the Golden Bears rank 7^th in the nation in red zone offense on the season. Leblanc will graduate with a degree in criminal justice this May. 

Also an offensive lineman, Ronalter played in six games for the Golden Bears, five of which saw Western New England come away with victories. Ronalter has landed on the Conference of New England All-Academic Team three times over his four-year career with the Golden Bears football team and takes NFF honors this season after wrapping up his career that saw the Burlington, Connecticut native come away with 18 games played at WNE over four seasons with the program. Ronalter will graduate from Western New England with a degree in finance this May. 

The Western New England football team picked up a 6-4 record during the 2025 season, going 4-3 in Conference of New England play.