Bowdoinfootball Coach B.J. Hammer (left) shakes hands with Colby coach Jack Cosgrove during the 17th annual Maine Football Luncheon at Bowdoin College on Monday. Cooper Sullivan/The Times Record

BRUNSWICK — The new EA Sports College Football 25 video game has been the talk of the summer amongst college football players and fans alike, including William, the 9-year-old son of Bowdoin football Coach B.J. Hammer.

“He’s very disappointed Bowdoin isn’t in it, so we are going to have to work on that,” the elder Hammer joked during the 17th annual Maine Football Luncheon, which Bowdoin hosted. The luncheon, which is organized by the Maine Chapter of the National Football Foundation, features all the collegiate football coaches in Maine. It serves as the unofficial kickoff to the season.

While his son can’t select the Polar Bears in the video game’s Dynasty mode, Hammer is in the midst of a real-life program rebuild.

“The end of the rebuild is just getting that first winning season, we were inches away from it last year,” said Hammer, whose team went 4-5 last season. “You’ve got to get over that hump. That’s the key for us. I think the talent is there (and) our players are hungry for it, but we’ve got to get over that hump.”

Hired in 2019, Hammer was tasked with turning around a program that won one game over the previous three years. There’s been steady progress after the Polar Bears went 0-9 in 2019.

Now entering his fifth season, Hammer said the rebuild is coming “closer to the end.”

Bowdoin suffered three one-possession losses in 2023, two of which were decided in the red zone. Had any of those games resulted in a victory, Bowdoin would have claimed its first winning season since 2005.

With an experienced roster, Hammer is excited about the upcoming season. He also noted that the return of the entire coaching staff should also make an impact.

“We graduated some good players; however, we have a lot coming back,” Hammer said. “(It’ll be a) very upperclassman-oriented team across the board, at all positions.”

Bowdoin will have to replace two All-NESCAC receivers in Colton Fahey and Brendan King (a combined 1,523 receiving yards and 16 total touchdowns in 2023), last year’s leading rusher Andre Eden (2,363 career all-purpose yards) and three-year starting quarterback Andrew Boel.

Still, the team returns some experienced playmakers.

Senior QB Robbie Long, who played the final three games after Boel suffered an injury, and sophomore Michael Wolfendale will compete for the starting job. Whoever wins will be protected by an offensive line that returns all its starters, including second team All-NESCAC selection Tal Brill and Tim Ladka, both fifth-years. Three other players — defensive back Chris Althoff, linebacker Dan Fiore and defensive lineman Mike Randall — will use their COVID-19 extra season of eligibility.

On the defensive side, Bowdoin returns nine starters, including two-time All-NESCAC hybrid Koy Price. Similar to their offensive counterparts, the defensive line returns the entire unit. Hammer expects Randall, the team’s lone Mainer, to put forth an all-conference caliber season after switching from end to tackle during the spring.

“Those guys (the five fifth-years) set the standard for our football program,” Hammer said. “You watch Mike Randall in the weight room, the classroom, you sit down and talk with him — that’s what Bowdoin football is all about.”

Players report to camp on Aug. 22, giving the Polar Bears three full weeks of practice before the season opener against Tufts on Sept. 14. Bowdoin’s home opener is Sept. 21 against Middlebury.