GROVE CITY — The most proficient passer in Grove City College football history has graduated.

But that doesn't mean the Wolverines' offense will be thrown back into the stone age.

"I do see it changing, but not changing from one extreme to the other," said Grove City coach Chris Smith. "We have very, very talented receivers and we'll be able to run the ball and use those talents more, too.

"But we're not going to go back to the R.J. Bowers days where we ran the ball 58 times and threw it four."

Still, filling the shoes of All-Presidents' Athletic Conference quarterback Andrew DiDonato will be a challenging task.

DiDonato wrapped up his four-year reign as the starting quarterback with 7,509 career passing yards and 49 touchdown throws.

DiDonato also was the leading rusher for the Wolverines last season.

But the offensive line returns intact and the backfield is loaded with talent.

"Every year, you'd like to have close to 4,000 yards of offense," Smith said. "Last year, it was (2,500 passing and 1,500 rushing). This year, it might be (2,000-2,000) or (2,200-1,800). We don't know."

A lot of that will depend on who emerges as the starting quarterback.

Knoch graduate Zach Gross was DiDonato's primary backup the last two seasons and is competing with fellow junior Clayton Hall in camp. Grove City also has several underclassmen competing for the job.

Gross, though, may be the front-runner.

"Zach is real productive," Smith said. "He's a real heady kid, calm and does a lot of things well. Clayton is a very talented running quarterback. Can he throw the ball? Absolutely."

Mars graduate Shane Kaclik figures to see some time in the backfield after serving as a special teams ace last season.

Smith said he hopes opponents won't be able to figure out his eclectic offense.

"It's a little different package to defend," Smith said. "We were running into situations late in the season last year where teams were literally dropping nine players into coverage."

Defensively, the Wolverines were up and down last season.

The unit had plenty of talent, but lacked experience, Smith said.

That cost them in several games.

"This year, we have talent back, a really good nucleus of athletes, but they also have experience," Smith said. "They'll be able to go out and play with that cocky confidence you need as a defense. I'm looking forward to seeing our defensive unit in action because it should be exciting."

One of the more exciting players on the defense is Seneca Valley graduate Aaron Palmieri.

The junior was a wide receiver as a freshman, but he was moved to cornerback in 2009 and made immediate contributions.

Palmieri said he believes the defense is championship quality.

"I think we could win the conference," Palmieri said. "I have high expectations for us."

While the Wolverines are talented, that doesn't always translate to victories in the PAC, a conference that has been dominated at the top by Washington & Jefferson and Thomas More (Ohio).

Grove City was picked to finish fourth, but such prognostications carry very little weight with Smith.

"Preseason predictions fade quickly," Smith said. "The only thing everyone remembers is what happens on Saturdays."