Caleb Romano is in the midst of the greatest passing season in the 135-year history of the Geneva College football program. His path to College Hill, though, took multiple turns before he found a home on Geneva's campus. 

Romano grew up in New York, the middle of five children, and he took to sports early. He quickly displayed natural athleticism and developed into a standout athlete, starting on his high school's varsity football, basketball, and baseball teams as a freshman. 

Prior to his senior season, his family moved to Florida. He stepped into the starting lineup at his new school after the starting quarterback suffered an injury. Romano had such a successful season that he led his team to the state championship game, throwing to two receivers that went on to play Division I football. 

Romano also had aspirations to play Division I football, but after his junior season in New York was canceled due to COVID, he didn't get the exposure he was hoping. He initially made plans to attend an NAIA school in Indiana, but the opportunity fell through early in his senior year of high school. 

Later that year, Romano showcased himself at a football recruiting camp that had NAIA, Division II, and Division III schools in attendance. He met with several schools, and Aurora University in Illinois really pursued him. Aurora is coached by former NFL player Don Bebee and boasts one of the strongest football programs in NCAA Division III. Bebee is also an outspoken Christian, which was a draw for Romano and put Aurora at the top of his list. 

Before committing to a school, though, Romano lined up a number of Division III schools to pay a visit before making a final decision. Washington & Jefferson, one of the stronger programs in Geneva's conference, was on the list of schools he was visiting. As he was getting ready to make his trip, his high school coach called him to let him know that Head Coach Geno DeMarco had reached out from Geneva College and was hopeful Romano could make a visit to Geneva's campus as well. 

"The funny thing is that Coach DeMarco reached out to my coach because my high school had run the triple option the prior year, and they thought I was the quarterback from the prior year who was a triple option quarterback. Despite that funny mix-up, I did go ahead and make a visit to Geneva during that trip." 

Geneva ended up in Romano's final three schools, primarily because he really appreciated the relationship he developed with Coach DeMarco and how intentional he was about things beyond football. 

Ultimately Romano chose Aurora, though, in part because Geneva was running the triple option offense, which wasn't a great fit for his passing skills. He also was excited for the opportunity to play for a former NFL player. 

However, things didn't work out as smoothly as he had hoped at Aurora. Romano still had a desire to play Division I football, and he thought he would start his freshman year, put together a successful season, and then transfer out to a bigger school. 

"I still had that pride in me that felt like I didn't belong at a Division III school. I believed I could play Division I football, and I had to battle through some of those mental challenges during that year." 

Romano didn't play his freshman season, though. Aurora brought in a talented Division II transfer quarterback to the program prior to the year. He was five years older than Romano and more prepared to handle the collegiate game. 

Despite those frustrations, Romano worked hard during the following spring offseason. He spent a lot of time mastering the playbook, and he felt his spring performance was very improved and would put him as the front runner for the open quarterback position in the fall. Unfortunately, as he wrapped up his spring semester, the coaches didn't reciprocate their appreciation for his play in his exit interview for the year. 

"Coach Bebee's feedback stung a little bit. I didn't feel like there was any recognition for all the work I had put in during the spring and how well I had played. So, I went home for the summer and just felt like the Lord was leading me elsewhere. My parents encouraged me not to make a quick, emotional decision, but to pray about it through the summer and see where God leads." 

Romano still appreciated his year at Aurora and the growth that occurred there, and he was thankful for his year under Coach Bebee, but ultimately he felt that Lord was leading him to make a change. He was a long way from home at Aurora, he hadn't developed the community on campus that he wanted to find, and football wasn't going the way he had anticipated.  

By the time Romano made this decision, it was late in the summer and he didn't want to rush into anything. He felt it was best to take a semester off and just work. He began working at his church as an intern in the youth ministry program, and he also got a job at the local YMCA to add additional income. 

As the fall moved along, the YMCA offered him a full-time role as a youth coordinator, but he didn't feel like he was ready to be done with football or college. He reached out to several coaches to gauge where he might find a home, including Coach DeMarco. 

"When I reached out to Coach DeMarco, it wasn't even about me trying to find a spot at Geneva. I just asked him if he could pray for me as I tried to find out where the Lord wanted me. And the reason I reached out to Coach DeMarco was that, even after I told him the prior year that I was going to Aurora, he still told me that he would be glad to help me out if I ever needed something and he could use his connections and resources if I ever needed guidance." 

As Romano was trying to navigate his way through those uncertain months, the Lord was leading his steps. 

"When I reached out to Coach DeMarco, it was one of the clearest God-moments I have ever had. Coach told me that he was actually in the area in Florida with his wife on a vacation and he would be glad to get together while he was in town. So, I met him and his wife at a coffee shop a day or two later. We probably talked for almost two hours, and he never asked me about football. He just wanted to know what I was up to and how the Lord was working in my life, and then they just prayed for me, right there in Starbucks. After I left that meeting, I went home to my parents and told them that I thought Geneva is where I was supposed to be." 

His parents understandably wanted to know what they had talked about, and whether Coach DeMarco had talked about changing the offense to a more passing focused offense to take advantage of Romano's talents. 

"I don't even know. Maybe they will?" Romano recalls saying in response to his parents' question about whether Geneva would be changing its offense. "But I just felt like it was so clear that the Lord was leading me to Geneva, so I took a chance." 

That conversation with Coach DeMarco occurred over Christmas break, leaving Romano just two weeks to get ready to move to Beaver Falls for the start of the second semester. He wasn't sure if it was wise to move so quickly, but his parents encouraged him that if he felt the Lord leading him to Geneva, he should try to go now and trust the Lord to work out the details.  

The next ten days were a blur for Romano, but despite the rushed timeline, he made it to campus two days after classes started and began to orient himself to his new surroundings. 

Part of his prayer process during the semester that Romano was at home was that if he was to return to college to play football, it had to be about more than just football.  

"I knew that God was leading me in directions beyond football, and how can I be intentional in those places? I need to plug in elsewhere besides just sports, because if I don't plug in elsewhere and football doesn't work out, I'm going to crash. The problem with so many athletes is they invest only in sports, and it becomes their identity. And that was my problem as well, and I knew I couldn't live that way any longer." 

As his first semester at Geneva moved along, Romano decided to apply to be a resident assistant (RA) in the dorms for the following school year. He wasn't sure if he would be able to get that role because he was so new on campus, but after going through the interview process, they did hire him for the position. Romano also quickly became involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) on campus, as well as Geneva's Upper Room, which is a weekly worship time on Thursday evenings. He's also began to take an active part in the football team's Bible study and began to serve on Geneva's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

He found that getting involved in all those activities on campus, along with his emerging connections on the football team, allowed him to begin to branch out while getting to know a number of people across the campus. 

The following fall, Romano earned the starting quarterback position for the 2024 season, but the Golden Tornadoes still operated out of the triple option attack. As the season moved along, though, Romano found success in limited passing opportunities, and many of the team's most successful moments throughout the year came on the strength of his passing ability. 

As the season came to a close, Coach DeMarco met with Romano to let him know that they were planning to completely revamp the offense around his passing talent. The program was bringing in a new offensive coordinator who would help make that transition, and the program had a trio of returning receivers who they felt could be a big asset in the passing game. 

The first two games of the 2025 season understandably had some rough spots as the offense adjusted to a completely new playing style. Fans could still see the potential of the new passing offense, though, including a narrow one-point loss to a very strong Shenandoah squad in the home opener. The following week, everything came together. 

The Golden Tornadoes welcomed Saint Vincent in week three for their conference opener, and Romano put together a performance unlike any other in Geneva's 100-year history on Reeves Field. He finished the night passing for 484 yards and seven touchdowns, while running for an eighth score, in a 55-35 win over the Bearcats, storming into the Geneva record book with his eye-popping numbers. 

Romano and the football team's success continued to grow as the 2025 season moved along. Romano moved to the top of the passing yardage and touchdown list in not just Division III, but in all of college football at any level, a stunning accomplishment considering this was the first year Geneva ran this spread offense. He also led the Golden Tornadoes to their best start in conference play, winning five of their first six PAC contests, since joining Division III in 2011. 

Despite the busy hours he is keeping, Romano still maintains a strong presence in campus life beyond just athletics. He excels in his studies in sport management and is discerning where the Lord will use him after graduation in two years. 

"My dream has always been to be able to combine my love of sports and my faith, and that can hopefully branch into something," said Romano. "I don't have a specific idea yet for what that might look like, so we'll see where the Lord leads. I definitely hope that whatever my role is, that I am involved in coaching in some way, whether that's full-time or part-time, using athletics to help impact young people." 

Romano isn't worrying about his future, though, trusting that the Lord will lead him after college to where he wants him to serve, just like he led him to Geneva College. After a year of bouncing around, God has given him a home on College Hill where he can display his football talents while also impacting the campus community for things that have a far greater lasting impact that what occurs on a football field, even if those accomplishments on the field are turning heads not just locally, but nationally. 

For those who might wonder why he would stretch himself so thin trying to be a starting quarterback, a resident assistant, leading Bible studies, and being involved in multiple organizations on campus, the answer is simple. 

"When you have your identity rooted in Christ, the opinions of others start to matter less and less to me. God put me here at Geneva for a reason, and he led me to this football team. He's called me to be intentional on this campus. That's what I'm focusing on. I have a responsibility as a captain of this football team to lead in a way that God, this college, and Coach DeMarco want, so that's what I'm going to try my best to do, whether in the locker room, in the dorms, or wherever I am on campus." 


Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).