You didn’t see them in the national playoffs last year, but these six under-the-radar teams hope to be there in the 2025 FCS season.
It sounds a bit peculiar, but the northern-most FCS program always seems to fly under the radar.
It happens in the Dakotas up in Grand Forks with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks because they play in the shadows cast by FCS powers North Dakota State (a 10-time national champion) and South Dakota State (the 2022 and ’23 champ), with national semifinalist South Dakota thrown in last year.
But there’s room on the bandwagon for UND and other teams that may not be talked about in early summer, but could be come late fall.
None of the following six teams reached the postseason last year. In the 2025 FCS season, they hope to emerge from under the radar.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
2024 Record: 5-7, 2-6 Missouri Valley Football Conference (Tie/8th)
Three Tidbits: First-year coach Eric Schmidt was a captain on UND’s 2001 Division II national championship squad. The Fighting Hawks collapsed after a 4-1 start last season and enter the new one with a five-game losing streak that is the program’s longest since nine straight over the 1985 and ’86 campaigns. Incumbent quarterback Simon Romfo will face internal competition, but the season-opening starter is set to benefit from the return of running back Gavin Ziebarth and wide receiver Caden Dennis.
Big Question: What will be different for a team that has allowed 29.3 points per game over the last three seasons following the program’s D-I low in 2021 (a 20.3-point average)?
Pivotal Matchup: Against rugged competition, UND has lost 11 of its last 12 road games. Winning at Northern Iowa on Oct. 4 would be a terrific start to the MVFC schedule.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
2024 Record: 7-5, 6-2 United Athletic Conference (Tie/2nd)
Three Tidbits: The T-birds are coming off their best season since 2017. While coach DeLane Fitzgerald’s squad lost FCS rushing champ Targhee Lambson, redshirt senior Braedon Wissler (1,352 rushing yards, 68 receptions) has had a productive career. Edge rusher Lando Brown (10 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries) should be on any under-the-radar player list.
Big Question: Can QB Bronson Barron return to his Weber State level during the 2020-22 seasons?
Pivotal Matchup: Winning at home against defending UAC champ Abilene Christian (Oct. 18) is a must in the first half of the conference schedule.
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
2024 Record: 7-5, 4-3 Southland Conference (Tie/3rd)
Three Tidbits: Among this year’s returning FCS quarterbacks, Sam Vidlak ranked the highest in pass efficiency rating (177.3) and points responsible per game (18.0) last season. Wide receiver Kylon Harris has multiple receptions in all 23 games over the last two seasons. SFA is replacing a five-year place-kicker in Chris Campos (86 field goals, 207 of 209 extra points).
Big Question: Will the Lumberjacks play better in the fourth quarter after letting leads slip away for three losses and going 1-4 in games decided by seven or fewer points?
Pivotal Matchup: If SFA seeks to make a statement, an Oct. 4 visit to highly ranked UIW is the game for it.
Stony Brook Seawolves
2024 Record: 8-4, 5-3 CAA Football (Tie/6th)
Three Tidbits: Stony Brook’s eight-win improvement in coach Billy Cosh’s first season from an 0-10 record in 2023 was the largest of the FCS season. No FCS player returning for the 2025 season had more rushing yards (1,332) or touchdowns (19) than Roland Dempster last year. Linebacker Aidan Kaler, a 2023 team captain, has returned to the Seawolves for a grad transfer season after playing at Charlotte last year.
Big Question: Quarterbacks Casey Case (the 2023 starter) and Chris Zellous (a Hampton transfer) have had issues with interceptions. Will that be solved for a team that was a CAA-best +10 in turnover margin last year?
Pivotal Matchup: Defending CAA co-champ Rhode Island on Sept. 6? Now that’s some way for the Seawolves to open their conference schedule.
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
2024 Record: 7-5, 6-2 OVC-Big South Football Association (Tie/1st)
Three Tidbits: Tennessee State and UT Martin advanced to the FCS playoffs, but TTU beat them on the way to claiming the intrastate Sgt. York Trophy as well as a share of its first conference title since 2011. The Golden Eagles led the OVC-Big in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense. Coach Bobby Wilder’s son Drew (offensive lineman, Eastern Illinois) was part of an impressive transfer class that boasts wide receiver Noah Robinson (Robert Morris) and quarterback Kekoa Visperas (Eastern Washington).
Big Question: Is the schedule strong enough for a playoff spot other than through the conference’s automatic qualifier?
Pivotal Matchup: There’s no sneaking up on the conference race this year, so they’ll want a jump-start at Tennessee State on Sept. 27.
Dartmouth Big Green
2024 Record: 8-2, 5-2 Ivy League (Tie/1st)
Three Tidbits: The Big Green’s 22 all-time Ivy titles are the most as the league gets set to send its champion to the FCS playoffs for the first time. Seniors Delby Lemieux (offensive line) and Chris Colby (tight end) are under-the-radar NFL prospects. In his first extended action last season, backup QB Grayson Saunier totaled 360 yards and five touchdowns against Yale while earning the league’s offensive player of the week award.
Big Question: Are the substantial graduation losses in the defensive front seven too much to overcome?
Pivotal Matchup: The Big Green’s league schedule is front-loaded with top teams, but the game in the middle – Nov. 1 at Harvard – looms as the largest one.
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