PHILADELPHIA – With the 2025 season looming, the University of Pennsylvania football team announced its four captains on Tuesday morning.
 
Leading the charge for the Quakers this year are senior OL William Bergin, DL Paul Jennings, LB John Lista, and QB Liam O'Brien.
 
Bergin has been a mainstay on the Quakers' offensive line over the previous two seasons. He made a start in all 10 games in 2024, mostly at center, and earned second-team All-Ivy honors after a stellar campaign in which he blocked for Malachi Hosley, the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year.
 
Jennings repeats as a captain for the 2025 campaign after serving in the same role last year. He appeared in just three games for the Red and Blue in 2024, making two starts before being sidelined with a season-ending injury. Jennings earned honorable mention All-Ivy honors in 2023 after totaling 40 tackles with 13 solo stops, adding six TFLs and 2.5 sacks.
 
Lista put together a spectacular junior season after leading the defense with 62 total tackles and 44 solo stops—which tied for fifth among Ivy defenders—five TFLs and two sacks. He also had a forced fumble, six hurries, and a pass breakup. Lista was named second-team All-Ivy by season's end, missing just two games including the finale due to injury.
 
O'Brien overcame adversity in 2024 after taking over as the Quakers' starting quarterback during a Week 6 defeat to Yale following a season-ending injury to four-year starter Aidan Sayin. O'Brien made eight total appearances and four starts, completing 65 percent (76-for-115) of his pass attempts for 1,018 yards, 13 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. On the ground, he added 300 yards and four scores. The signal caller made history on Nov. 9 at Cornell when he set single-game program records for passing TDs (6) and total TDs (7) in a 67-49 shootout victory. He was subsequently named Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week for the performance.
 
In a historic year for the Ivy League in which the conference will appear in the FCS playoffs for the first time ever, Penn opens the 2025 slate at Stonehill on Saturday, Sept. 20, kicking off at 1 p.m.
 
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