Four players with unquestionable talent and leadership abilities have been selected to serve as captains for the 2016 University of Delaware football team.

In a vote of team members, junior linebacker Charles Bell, junior running back Wes Hills, senior running back Jalen Randolph and senior safety Ryan Torzsa were selected to lead the squad during the much-anticipated upcoming season.

“This is awesome,” said UD head coach Dave Brock, who will begin his fourth year at the helm next Thursday, Sept. 1, when the Blue Hens host Delaware State University at Delaware Stadium. “The vote was overwhelming in favor of these guys. They are all respected by their teammates and I know they are respected by the coaching staff.”

UD will have as many as four captains for just the fifth time in school history and for the first time since 2014, when Nick Boyle, Patrick Callaway, Jake Giusti and Michael Johnson led Brock’s squad.

“We have four guys who are certainly impact players,” said Brock of his captains. “They have each played a lot of football for us and they will be very important ingredients to our success in 2016. They check all the boxes from the standpoint of leadership, accountability and trust. They are proven players and they are representative of the team.”

Bell, a third-year team member, returns as one of the top defensive players in the Colonial Athletic Association and was a preseason All-CAA selection by the league coaches. He leads a defense that ranks among the top units in the NCAA and returns eight starters.

He earned second team All-CAA honors a year ago when he led the team with 96 tackles (team-high 39 solo stops) while adding 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, one interception, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He ranked No. 4 in the CAA in tackles with 8.7 per game. He is a business management major.

Hills, a fourth-year junior, returns to action in the Blue Hen backfield this fall after missing all but one game a year ago when he suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener.

A gifted athlete who is an elusive and punishing runner and one of the team’s top special teams performers, Hills ran for 88 yards in his only appearance a year ago against Jacksonville. In three seasons, he has piled up 1,121 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. He is a criminal justice major.

Randolph, a graduate student, also returns to the lineup after missing much of the 2015 season with an injury. A fifth-year team member who is enrolled in UD's MBA graduate program, Randolph earned his degree in health behavior science in May.

He ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns a year ago before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 3 against Villanova. A two-time CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic selection, he has rushed for 1,098 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career.

Torzsa, a senior safety, will key a young but talented defensive secondary that returns all four starters this fall. An honor student as a finance major, Torzsa also earned a spot on the CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic team in 2015.

He has appeared in 35 career games and recorded 55 tackles (29 solo stops) and is Delaware’s active leader with three career interceptions. He recorded 28 tackles, intercepted two passes, and returned a fumble 41 yards for a touchdown against James Madison a year ago.

Great season and single game tickets are available online at BlueHens.com under “Tickets," by phone at 302-831-2257, and in-person at the Bob Carpenter Center ticket office. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.