For most Ivy League football teams, there are two ways to rebuild a program: hire new coaches and aggressively recruit.

Head coach Buddy Teevens ’79, an Ivy champion as both a player and coach for the Big Green, retook the reins of a historically successful program in 2005. Despite five losing seasons, the team finally rebounded, posting a 6-4 record last year and tying for third in the Ivy League. Dartmouth football took another step in the right direction last Friday by announcing their 2017 recruitment class.

With 16 offensive players, 16 defensive players, three kickers and six potential walk-ons from 15 states, the freshman class will fill a variety of roles on a team that finished with their second consecutive Ivy League winning record in 2012.

“The mindset of the football program as a whole has changed,” co-captain linebacker Bronson Green ’14 said. “There’s been a shift in the mentality of the team and how we expect to win games.”

Out of the 35 incoming players, four freshmen are linebackers and will join Green and Michael Runger ’14, the team’s 2012 leader in tackles, in anchoring the Big Green defense.

“We’ve been at it for a couple of years now, so to have four linebackers coming in and just to add depth is something that is very exciting for the program,” Green said. “I’ve seen them on tape, they’re big, fast, strong athletic guys. And there’s big expectations coming in.”

Co-captain and safety Garrett Waggoner ’13 said the defensive recruits will need to adjust to the size of offensive linemen to be successful,

“The size and strength, especially of the offensive linemen,” Waggoner said. “That was probably the biggest change for me, but they’ll get used to it rather quickly.”

On the offensive side, Massachusetts standout quarterback Jonathan DiBiaso ’17 leads the incoming class.

DiBiaso, who won two state football championships and holds the state records for most career touchdown passes, will join established quarterback Alex Park ’14 and last year’s rookie standout Dalyn Williams ’16 on the depth chart.

“I’ve heard that he’s a good quarterback, great arm, smart kid — that’s what we need to add depth to our team and continue to challenge other people at positions,” starting running back and co-captain Dominick Pierre ’14 said.

Last year, Dartmouth rushed the ball 394 times compared to 294 pass attempts, relying heavily on the running game to set up their short-pass offensive scheme.

Pierre added that the biggest difference the three incoming running backs will face is the increased speed of the game and non-running duties, such as blocking during pass protection.

“In high school, you can pretty much run around everyone,” Pierre said. “At the college level, we call it running north-south as opposed to east-west. The speed is a lot faster and it takes a little bit of getting used to.”

All incoming players will join current players in Dartmouth’s off-season training program this summer.

“Whether you’re on or off campus, you receive summer workouts that the whole team does,” Pierre said. “Each week you complete a workout and submit different numbers that you do to the strength coach.”

Pierre emphasized the need to stay healthy.

“If you’re already a good athlete, the other things will follow,” he said.

Pierre, who was hampered by injuries last year but still finished with 830 yards in nine games, an average of 92.2 yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry, received the Jake Crouthamel Award this year for his offensive play.

For Green, Dartmouth’s greatest selling point is the people in the program and the community.

“People absolutely care about this team and this school, and coming in as football player, you want to feel comfortable in that atmosphere,” Green said. “I come from California and this is really my second family.”

As a fifth-year senior, Waggoner is looking forward to educating the defensive players on the nuances of the Big Green’s defensive packages and schemes.

“I’ve been in their shoes before so I understand their questions,” Waggoner said. “Just helping the guys get acclimated, advising on class and everything in between.”

But Pierre believes the biggest sign of progress is simply the level of raw talent and the attitude toward game preparation.

“That’s the biggest thing — the recruiting classes have gotten better since I’ve been here, and that sets up Dartmouth for future Ivy Championships,” Pierre said.

The Big Green will open the season on Sept. 21 in Indianapolis for a night game against Butler University.