Ayers Belongs at Dartmouth

Among many possible destinations he was considering, Macklin Ayers had a chance to play college football close to home at Penn State, which is where his grandfather played.

But when Dartmouth came into the picture, Ayers had no doubt he belonged in Hanover, New Hampshire.

"When I came here for my official visit, the coaches really wanted me and wanted what was best for me and my future," said Ayers. "That was to attend Dartmouth. I'm so glad they swayed me. After coming up here, it wasn't a competition."

Ironically, Ayers' first connection with Dartmouth came at Northwestern where he met Coach [Don] Dobes and Coach [Keith] Clark.

"It was cool to see that I could go to an Ivy League school," said Ayers. "They got me on the recruiting path and then I met Coach [Buddy] Teevens. Coming up here, it sounds cliché, but it just felt right…

"And it was."

Ayers' first season at Dartmouth in 2021 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a sophomore, he began finding ways into the lineup. As a junior, he led the Ivy League in tackles. And as a senior. Ayers continues to be a mainstay on the defense as a senior captain.

Ayers' versatility helped him initially crack the lineup as a sophomore.

"I can long snap and I'm athletic, so I played on special teams," he said. "If the team needed a long snapper, I was there at away games and that gave me an opportunity to get some reps at linebacker as well."

And as they say, the rest is history.

Ayers' story started at a very young age. Born into an athletic family with his grandfather playing football at Penn State, father playing at Division II Kutztown University and mother playing basketball at Hofstra, Ayers seemed destined for college football from the beginning.

"I have been playing full pad contact football since I was seven," he said. "It's been awesome. We had a local program where I formed some great memories with friends who are still friends today, some of whom came up to our game at Harvard [this season]."

Reppin' #TheWoods x @Macklinayers pic.twitter.com/KWiOKTQOfe
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) September 7, 2022

Football has opened so many doors for Ayers. He loves the sport for not only the X's and O's, but also for what it has brought to his life.

"Football mimics life so much," said Ayers. "Especially linebacker, you're going to get knocked down and you're going to have plays that don't go your way. But I'm all about getting up and continuing to hustle."

Hustle, and effort, are tangibles that everyone can control. Effort has also helped Ayers succeed in the classroom at an extremely high level. Ayers has been named Academic All-Ivy and Academic All-District in his career. This September, he was named a semifinalist for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation.

Congrats to Macklin Ayers on being named this year's #CampbellTrophy nominee!#TheWoods pic.twitter.com/tjdrpbHu2c
— Dartmouth Football (@DartmouthFTBL) August 30, 2023

"Coming to Dartmouth, I felt like I wasn't the smartest person here," he said. "I was worried if I was going to fit. But I've found that hard work can make up for a lot of things."

Ayers mentioned one quote he's read by Tim Notke: "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."

As Ayers said, "That's something I try to live by."

Whatever Ayers is doing has worked; he entered the fall with an impressive 3.81 cumulative grade point average.

Every aspect of life is interconnected, which is how Ayers has enjoyed such strong success, on and off the field.

"I've heard Coach [Sammy] McCorkle say how you do one thing is how you do everything," said Ayers. "How you perform in the classroom is going to carry over to the field, no matter who you are and no matter what you do. You can't be a knucklehead in the classroom then expect to come out on the football field and be focused and locked in."

Ayers is certainly locked in at linebacker for the Big Green, aka the quarterback of the defense.
Oct. 08, 2022; New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dartmouth Big Green linebacker Macklin Ayers (40) during an Ivy League matchup between Dartmouth and Yale at Yale Bowl. The Bulldogs defeated the Big Green by a score of 24-21. Photo by Brian Foley for Foley-Photography.

Oct. 08, 2022; New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dartmouth Big Green linebacker Macklin Ayers (40) during an Ivy League matchup between Dartmouth and Yale at Yale Bowl. The Bulldogs defeated the Big Green by a score of 24-21. Photo by Brian Foley for Foley-Photography.

Luckily for Ayers, he was a quarterback in high school.

"In high school, I long snapped, returned kicks, played quarterback and played linebacker," he said. "I believe all those things set me up really well for linebacker at Dartmouth. One of the biggest things I got from being a quarterback is the calmness you need to have, leadership and mental strength to overcome different parts of the game."

When speaking of leadership, Ayers is described by many as a leader by example.

"Mack is an extremely hard worker and willing to do whatever it takes to win," said fellow senior linebacker Danny Cronin. "He is the kind of leader that doesn't need to be vocal often, but when he does speak up, everyone listens and respects what he has to say."

Ayers admits his leadership at the linebacker position has grown moving into his second year starting.

"I try to set the standard for our defense," said Ayers. "I want people to want to hold themselves to that standard."

Ayers' success has gone beyond just the football field and classroom. He has also impressed in the weight room, which Ayers described as one of his biggest areas of growth over his Dartmouth experience.

"I came in at 205 pounds and now, I'm 235," he said. "[Strength and Conditioning] Coach Spencer Brown has had a huge, huge impact. He's been one of the coaches I know I can go to about anything. He also played linebacker in college."

Brown described Ayers as "easy to coach."

"Macklin listens, interprets, adopts and adapts," said Brown. "His character is what makes him successful, both on and off the field. He is always looking for a way to get better and never shies away from the psychological and physical effort it may take."

Along with the weight he has gained over his career, Ayers now squats over 500 pounds and has a 35-inch vertical.

"Macklin spends time being a student of the game and does the work to have a competitive edge," said Brown. "The performance is merely a reflection of the knowledge and how he applies it to training, fueling and recovery."
Macklin Ayers makes a tackled against Penn, Sept. 30, 2022

Macklin Ayers makes a tackled against Penn, Sept. 30, 2022

Ayers focuses on the process and knows the results will follow.

Ayers will never forget a conversation with Coach Teevens in the elevator before the season opener against Valparaiso.

"The night before the game, I had a routine, which included watching some film, doing some stretching and things like that," said Ayers. "It was just Coach T and me. He told me that the special players he's seen have had routines like this, sticking to a plan and holding themselves accountable.

"He said I was going to be a great, special player for the program," Ayers continued. "That's something I think about probably once a week, even now. I'll carry that conversation with me for the rest of my life."

Life has been hard for the Big Green over the past year with the deaths of Class of 2024 football player Josh Balara and Teevens.

One thing that's kept Dartmouth football going has been the coaching staff, which was what originally drew Ayers to Dartmouth in the first place.

"I believe my teammates and I are super blessed; we have one of the best coaching staffs in the country," he said. "The way these guys get along and coach us, it's amazing. You have to see it every day to know what I'm talking about. You see it on Saturdays; they run like a well-oiled machine and all work in tandem.

"When new coaches step in, it's like how older players teach the first years," Ayers continued. "That's kept us as such a smooth-sailing program through everything we've been through this past year."

Faith is another important aspect of Ayers' life.

"Faith means a lot to me," he said. "My freshman year of high school, my grandfather on my dad's side and my grandmother on my mom's side passed away within the same month. That made me really close to my faith, which has continued to grow each day until now, and will continue to grow."

The Big Green have a football bible study.

"A lot of my teammates will talk to me about that, asking how to get involved," said Ayers. "Football can set up so much, which I have really come to appreciate at Dartmouth. Football is so much more than just a game; it can help you with so many aspects of your life, which we do a great job taking advantage of here."

As Ayers said, Dartmouth has helped transform him into a man.

"I came here thinking I knew what it was like to be a leader, and I did somewhat from being a quarterback in high school, but I have really learned a lot from this coaching staff and the people I've surrounded myself with," said Ayers. "Especially Coach T, Coach McCorkle, Coach Dobes, those are guys I've been with every day."

Dobes described Ayers as someone who "walks the walk."

"Macklin is a person of great character and a highly-skilled player," said Dobes. "He is a tough and physical player, who is constantly striving and preparing to be the best."

Ayers looks up to Dobes and the entire coaching staff.
Oct. 08, 2022; New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dartmouth Big Green linebacker Macklin Ayers (40) during an Ivy League matchup between Dartmouth and Yale at Yale Bowl. The Bulldogs defeated the Big Green by a score of 24-21. Photo by Brian Foley for Foley-Photography.

"They've helped me a lot in my life and are relationships that will last a lifetime," said Ayers.

The relationships built at Dartmouth have meant Ayers has zero regrets on his college decision.

"Hanover reminds me a lot of home," he said. "It's been great coming from a small town and moving to a little bit bigger community, but same idea and very close knit. That's what I talked about in my speech at homecoming; Dartmouth is a tight-knit community, which extends well beyond Hanover."

Ayers experienced the power of the Dartmouth community with internships, which saw him work for a pair of former Big Green football players.

"These people took me in and took care of me," he said. "I was in Houston by myself and had never been that far south before. It was one of the best experiences of my life because of the family we have here."

That statement is true of not only Ayers' internship experience, but also his Dartmouth experience as a whole.

"The community is something I'll carry with me forever," he said.

Schedules

Players Mentioned

Macklin Ayers

Danny Cronin

Footer

Schedules

Completed Event: Football at Fordham on October 18, 2025 , Win , 30, to, 13

Completed Event: Football versus Columbia on October 24, 2025 , Win , 49, to, 3

Completed Event: Football at #12/15 Harvard on November 1, 2025 , Loss , 10, to, 31

Completed Event: Football versus Princeton on November 8, 2025 , Win , 20, to, 17

Completed Event: Football versus Cornell on November 15, 2025 , Win , 24, to, 14

Completed Event: Football at Brown on November 22, 2025 , Loss , 28, to, 35