Dayton football: Senior wide receiver close to several records

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Gavin Lochow never thought about leaving the Dayton Flyers football team and entering the transfer portal after three seasons.

I'm a Flyer through and through,” Lochow said on Aug. 16 during team photo day. “My dad was a Flyer. There was no doubt I was staying here. This is just the best group of guys, the best group of coaches.”

Lochow wants to continue to learn from wide receivers coach Tony Aker and offensive coordinator Greg Whalen in his senior year.

“Those guys are unbelievable,” Lochow said, “and I couldn't pass that opportunity up.”

Dayton did lose several players to the transfer portal. Cornerback Joshua Williams, a Wayne High School graduate, left for Appalachian State after three seasons at Dayton. Safety Vincent Firenze transferred to Wake Forest after three seasons at Dayton. Defensive lineman Brandon Martin transferred to Robert Morris after three seasons at Dayton.

Lochow, who’s from Proctorville, Ohio, and graduated from Huntington High School in W.Va., will play his fourth season at Dayton with a chance to break several UD receiving records.

Lochow has 161 career receptions. Adam Trautman owns the record with 179 catches from 2015-19.

Lochow has 1,621 receiving yards. He ranks ninth entering the 2026 season, which starts at noon Saturday with a game against Fairmont State at Welcome Stadium. Trautman totaled 2,295 yards.

Lochow has 18 touchdown catches. Only Trautman (31) and Pat Hugar (24 from 1994-97) have 20 or more.

In addition to his impact on the passing game, Lochow contributes to the rushing game. He ran 62 times for 362 yards last season. He ranks 10th in school history in all-purpose yards (3,030) entering this season and should be able to pass everyone ahead of him except Jake Chisholm (5,698).

Those numbers don’t grab Lochow’s attention.

“As long as we're winning games, I'll be happy,” he said.

Lochow will play a big role in whatever success Dayton finds.

“Gavin is one of those guys who works extremely hard,” coach Trevor Andrews said. “He lives his life the right way. He eats right. He eats clean. He only drinks water. He's a great example for our younger guys. He wants to be great. He wants to be a great teammate. There's a lot of guys that want to be great for themselves. But Gavin came back to win a championship.”

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Lochow has help at wide receiver. Senior Michael Mussari returns after catching 34 passes for 621 yards and seven touchdowns in his first season at Dayton. Lochow also mentioned juniors LeRoy Lewis IV and Paul Kelly and seniors Ethan Thulin and Ryan Martin as well as senior tight ends Carson Labensky and Donovan Weatherly as offensive weapons.

“We have athletes all over the field, people that have played,” Lochow said, “so it should be a fun year.”

For the second straight season, Lochow will catch passes from Bryce Schondelmyer, who started seven games last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

“It's easy being a receiver for him when he's putting it on the money every time,” Lochow said.

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