Patience pays off for Richland graduate Stahl during stellar senior campaign
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In a society where instant gratification is the norm, Washington & Jefferson College senior quarterback Kellan Stahl’s patience turned out to be a virtue this past fall.
Stahl bided his time behind starters Colton Jones (2022) and Jake Pugh (2022-24). When Pugh graduated after the 2024 season, it was Stahl’s time to shine in 2025 after he won the starting job during the spring.
The 2022 Richland High School graduate took control and performed at a high level as he led Washington & Jefferson to a Presidents’ Athletic Conference title, an 8-3 overall record and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. Washington & Jefferson is mentored by Mike Sirianni, who is the older brother of Philadelphia Eagles coach and Super Bowl 59 champion Nick Sirianni.
Stahl – who threw for 7,278 yards, 96 touchdowns and 20 interceptions to go with 1,902 rushing yards and 36 scores for four-time District 6 Class 2A champion Richland between 2018-21 – earned Presidents’ Athletic Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III offensive player of the year honors as he completed 68% of his passes for 3,275 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
His 167.1 efficiency rating led the PAC.
“The hard work I put in and being resilient throughout the season as well as my coaches and teammates believing in me and my abilities,” was how Stahl summed up his breakout season.
Kellan Stahl
Washington & Jefferson quarterback Kellan Stahl delivers a pass during the 2025 season.
Being named as the top offensive player in the PAC was icing on the cake for Stahl, who was The Tribune-Democrat’s player of the year in 2021.
“It was an honor to be named PAC offensive player of the year and it meant a lot to me personally since I had to wait to get my shot to prove myself,” Stahl said.
‘Swagger about him’Stahl developed behind the scenes as the program’s junior varsity quarterback in 2022. He served as Pugh’s backup in 2023-24. His performance in 2025 helped the tradition-rich Presidents win their 28th PAC title and subsequent berth in the NCAA playoffs.
“His hard work and preparation – Kellan has always had this swagger about him, and he earns the right to have that swagger because he prepares himself rigorously,” Washington & Jefferson offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shawn Glosek said. “Given that he stayed for three years as a backup and then emerged in his senior year, it all speaks to his work ethic and the kind of person he is. He was ready for his moment.”
Washington & Jefferson dropped its first two games of the 2025 season to Utica and Hampden-Sydney, when Stahl accounted for five touchdowns and turned the ball over four times.
Stahl steadied his play by completing 28 of 41 passes for 337 yards and three total touchdowns, one rushing, in a 34-14 win at then-No. 18 Grove City Sept. 27. He earned the first of three PAC offensive player of the week awards.
“Kellan brought toughness and grit to the team,” Glosek said. “Kellan was the type of guy who would go out there and let the other guys know if they weren’t doing what they were supposed to do, and he was also his own biggest critic if he was not playing up to his expectations. You need that type of leadership to be successful in any team aspect.
“I am just incredibly proud of him. I recruited Kellan, and I’ve known him for a long time now. He is everything you would want in a quarterback leading your program – toughness, grit, a high character type of guy – and he will be incredibly successful in whatever path of life he chooses to take.”
Stahl was joined on the PAC first-team offense with five teammates – running back Kobe Derosa, wide receivers Jake Macosko and John Peduzzi and offensive linemen Grant Lefield and Michael Roginsky. Fellow Richland grad Aidan Thomas was also named to the PAC first team on the defensive line.
‘Spinning the ball’
A captain at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Stahl saved his best performance in a 56-0 victory over Waynesburg Oct. 25. He broke the NCAA Division III single-game completion percentage record as he went 27-for-28 (96.4%) with 408 yards and five touchdowns.
“The wide receivers were getting open and making plays, and the O-line was giving me time to make my reads,” Stahl said of the memorable game.
“His accuracy with the ball and getting pre-snap clues from the defense,” Glosek said of the contest. “He was spinning the ball very well that day. I could see it in warmups, and if you compile that with where he knew where he was going with the ball just about every play, those are normally two crucial pieces of success for a quarterback.”
Kellan Stahl
Washington & Jefferson quarterback Kellan Stahl delivers a pass during the 2025 season.
Before the 2025 campaign, Stahl completed 28 of 47 passes for 261 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in 12 games.
He surpassed the 300-yard mark five times in 2025. Stahl also went 13-for-14 with 211 yards and three touchdowns against Thiel in his final home game. He added 128 rushing yards and four scores this past season.
‘Learned a lot’
In today’s era of college football, players usually transfer when they are not the starter. They believe the grass is greener at another school with a fresh start under a new coaching staff. Stahl never entertained the idea of leaving the program.
“I never thought about transferring because I chose to go to W&J, so there was always that sense of loyalty to the program and I also didn’t want to leave and think that I took a shortcut,” Stahl said.
His loyalty to the program is rare to find nowadays.
“It just speaks to the type of person he is,” Glosek said. “He wanted to be here and finish his degree while also being the quarterback of a great program. He knew what he wanted and set his mind to it. Then he put in the work to put himself in a position to get what he wanted, and when he got his opportunity, he never let go of it. I could not be prouder of him.”
Sticking it out at Washington & Jefferson was crucial to Stahl.
“It was very important because I didn’t want to leave W&J when things got difficult for me personally,” Stahl said. “Sometimes you have to wait a little longer to get where you want to be, so I knew I was going to wait it out and take full advantage of my opportunity when it came.”
His time learning behind Pugh paid dividends. Pugh was the 2023 and 2024 PAC offensive player of the year after he compiled 7,668 yards, 93 touchdowns and 20 interceptions over his career.
“I learned a lot from other quarterbacks I have played with, especially Jake Pugh,” Stahl said. “He has taught me a lot about the game – the mental aspect, preparation and tendencies – and a lot of other stuff to help me grow and improve on and off the field.”
Stahl’s playing career is over, and he wants to get into coaching after graduation this spring.
Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.
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