John Carroll University football is headed to the NCAA Division III semifinals for just the third time in program history, powered by a breakthrough win over longtime rival and national powerhouse Mount Union along the way.
“Mount Union has always been the Mount Everest when it comes to D-III football, certainly for John Carroll,” said sports commentator Terry Pluto. “Consider the game they won a few weeks ago, 10-7 over Mount Union. That made John Carroll's record 4-40 with two ties. But that's just about everybody's record or worse in the Ohio Athletic Conference against Mount Union.”
The following week, John Carroll traveled to Georgia and defeated Berry College.
“In the 'Final Four', they're facing what I would say is the new Mount Union,” Pluto said. “It's a school called North Central College, which is outside of Chicago. They won the title in ’24. They won that title in ’22. So, this is another huge challenge. But the fact is, John Carroll is there.”
John Carroll has always been competitive, but this season marked a breakthrough. Pluto pointed to leadership that is deeply tied to the school itself.
“They have a coach named Jeff Behrman and he was a John Carroll quarterback in 1995,” Pluto said. “He came from Union College three years ago and has really brought, maybe, just a little bit extra in terms of taking the program to a little higher level.”
The school’s athletic director, Brian Polian, is a 1997 JCU graduate who shared the field with Behrman for one season.
“Polian's last stop was as an assistant athletic director at LSU (Louisiana State) and I think getting away from some of the craziness of Division I appealed to him," Pluto said
Another key factor in John Carroll’s rise has been its success using the transfer portal, particularly with graduate transfers. Their quarterback is a Tennessee native, graduate student Nick Semptimphelter.
“He was at Bucknell (and) started eight games there in four years," Pluto said. "He had his degree, but he had two more years of eligibility. He was looking for a really good school to go for a master's in business.”
Pluto said that decision paid off.
“You get a really great quarterback, and sometimes that changes things around,” Pluto said. “Well, he has a 3.7 GPA (grade point average). He's going to finish with his MBA (Master's of Business Administration), and in two years there, he is a 21-4 record. So, I think that helped.”
This season also marked John Carroll’s first year in the North Coast Athletic Conference after leaving the Ohio Athletic Conference. Pluto said it was a move that drew speculation.
“There were these people out there saying, ‘Well, they're doing that just so they don't have to play Mount Union in the regular season,’" Pluto said. "You don't make a move like that just to dodge a program. If you're any good and you make the playoffs, you can end up playing Mount Union in the playoffs early rounds anyway."
Instead, Pluto said the move was about long-term sustainability.
“They switch conferences to this North Coast Athletic Conference because they think it'll help them attract more students nationally," Pluto said. "Polian said in the last four years, over 40 mostly small schools, four-year colleges, have closed. You know, they're struggling for enrollment."
As John Carroll prepares for another massive challenge in the national semifinals, Pluto said the moment itself matters, not just the outcome.
“I'm just glad to see it," Pluto said. "It's fun when these local schools are excellent. Whatever is left of the title student athlete, this is where you'll actually find it, at Division III.”
John Carroll will face North Central College on Saturday Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. in Naperville, Illinois. The game will air on ESPN+. The winner advances to the national championship game against the winner of the other semifinal between UW–River Falls and Johns Hopkins.
