Football team has difficulty retaining players over the course of college career

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The Pacific University football program was reinstated in 2010 with a goal of boosting school enrollment.
Early on, the school succeeded by having over 100 freshman students try out for the team the first year. Since then, the program has brought in 50 players each year on average.
While the number of freshmen has remained high, the number of seniors has always been quite low. Since 2013, the largest amount of seniors the team has had is 30. And the largest amount of upperclassmen on any team was 46.
Players seem to be leaving the program as each year passes, which could be for reasons such as a lack of playing time or loss of interest in the sport. Whatever the reason may be, this might be the reason the football team has stagnated around fourth place in conference.
Northwest Conference powerhouse Linfield College has averaged 44 upperclassmen on their team for the past three years.
When the Boxer freshman and sophomore dominant team suits up against an experienced older, stronger team who has played alongside each other for at least two years, it is understandable that they have not been able to consistently finish at the top of the conference.
In 2014, when the Boxers placed second in conference, they had 46 upperclassmen on the team, the highest amount since being reinstated. This displayed the need for upperclassmen to succeed in the Northwest Conference.
Upperclassmen not only provide experience, they also act as bigger and stronger players for the team. The lack of upperclassmen in the Boxer football program is a key reason why the team has yet to consistently compete against the top teams in the Northwest Conference.

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