In the early stages of the offseason for Lipscomb, a stunner rocked the small ASUN school in Music City: Lennie Acuff, fresh off leading the program to the NCAA Tournament, announced he was leaving to take the head coaching job at Samford.
Now, with former Trevecca coach Kevin Carroll recently hired to replace him, the program needs to move quickly to assemble a roster.
So far, a large chunk of the Bisons’ team is already out the door. Seniors Joe Anderson, Will Pruitt, Gyasi Powell and Jack Ingold have exhausted their eligibility. ASUN Player of the Year Jacob Ognacevic committed to Washington. Zach Lamey and Dylan Faulkner are following Acuff to Birmingham. Rylan Houck recently committed to a Division II program in Johnson City.
Who does that leave?
Two consistent contributors are Miles White and Charlie Williams, along with Grant Asman, a backup big who initially committed to Trevecca before flipping to Lipscomb after Carroll’s move. There’s also a trio of reserve players who could carve out larger roles in 2025–26: Logan Suber, Luke Carter, Kellan Boylan and Ross Candelino.
Joining them is Mateo Esmeraldo, who played under Carroll at Trevecca last season and announced his commitment to Lipscomb on X. Esmeraldo averaged 11.9 points and 7.2 assists per game, making him a strong candidate to take over Joe Anderson’s role at point guard.
Still, if the Bisons want to contend in the ASUN, there’s much more work to do. With the coaching change disrupting the team’s continuity, Lipscomb must be aggressive in the transfer portal.
It’s also possible a few more Trevecca players join Carroll in making the jump to Division I.
Either way, Lipscomb has to move quickly if it hopes to put a competitive team on the court by November.
