DE LEON — The biggest word in the De Leon football dictionary for 2023 might be “if.” 

If the Bearcats can stay healthy, if they’ve absorbed enough of third-year coach Jason Marwitz’s system and if they can find weapons to supplement sophomore quarterback Heston Jobe, DHS may emerge as a surprise in 2023.

Any mixture of those three, however, and the projections get a bit hazy. But one thing is for certain: De Leon, with only five seniors, must avoid the medical tent if it is to reach its potential this fall.