2025 Middle Tennessee
3–9 (2–6 Conference USA), coached by Derek Mason. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Sam Houston 31–17Nov 22
By 14 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat New Mexico State 31–24Nov 29
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | vs Austin Peay | L 14–34 | 67% |
| Sep 6 | at Wisconsin | L 10–42 | 18% |
| Sep 13 | at Nevada | W 14–13 | 34% |
| Sep 20 | vs Marshall | L 28–42 | 24% |
| Sep 27 | at Kennesaw State | L 16–24 | 38% |
| Oct 8 | vs Missouri State | L 20–22 | 46% |
| Oct 22 | at Delaware | L 28–31 | 25% |
| Oct 29 | vs Jacksonville State | L 21–24 | 25% |
| Nov 8 | vs Florida International | L 30–56 | 43% |
| Nov 15 | at Western Kentucky | L 26–42 | 13% |
| Nov 22 | vs Sam Houston | W 31–17 | 39% |
| Nov 29 | at New Mexico State | W 31–24 | 31% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat New Mexico State 31–24; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Conference USA.
In program history: The 26th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 63 on file).
- Record
- 3–9
- Conference
- 2–6 tied for 9th in Conference USA
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 269–371
- Coach
- Derek Mason
- Elo
- 1300 −64 this season
- SP+ rating
- -16.0 No. 127 of 136; offense No. 110, defense No. 128, special teams No. 56
- SRS
- −18.4 No. 131 of 136 in FBS
- Returning
- 51% of last season’s EPA, No. 41 of 134
- Recruiting class
- No. 98 roster talent No. 110 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Bodie Reeder
- Defensive coordinator
- Brian Stewart
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.07 | 43% | 1.27 | 75th of 136 |
| Defense | 0.16 | 45% | 1.29 | 96th of 136 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.04 off 0.19 def | 41% off 47% def | — | 97th off 122nd def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 44% | 9.2 yds | 16% | 2.90 | 21% |
| Defense | 51% | 9.1 yds | 15% | 2.80 | 20% |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.2 | own 28 | 18% allowed |
| Defense | 4.0 | own 29 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -16.3, 116th of 136 (offense -6.6, defense 9.7).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Nick Vattiato QB | 2,157 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Nick Vattiato QB | 16 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jekail Middlebrook RB | 752 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jekail Middlebrook RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Cam’Ron Lacy WR | 529 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | A.J. Jones WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Parker Hughes LB | 89 tkl |
| Sacks | Brandon Buckner LB | 4.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Juwon Gaston S | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2025 class
| Locke Kennedy S | ★★★ | No. 645 |
| Kiandrea Barker RB | ★★★ | No. 975 |
| D.J. Taylor RB | ★★★ | No. 1254 |
| Archie Roseman V DL | ★★★ | No. 1396 |
| Christofer Noble S | ★★★ | No. 1738 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2025 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Running backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.834 |
| Defensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.842 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.849 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.819 |
| Whole class | 19 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2026
The 2026 draft| Rd 7 | Parker Hughes LB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
Roster 112
The 2025 roster112 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2025 line; 56 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 12
The 2025 portal Tyree Patterson WR | ★★★ | from  UCF |
 Alex Mitchell LB | ★★★ | from  Chattanooga |
| Kason Stokes WR | ★★★ | from UCF |
 Tayvion Galloway TE | ★★★ | from  Purdue |
 Amorion Walker WR | ★★★ | from  Michigan |
 E.J. Harris OL | ★★★ | from  Auburn |
 Rickey Hunt RB | ★★★ | from  Tulsa |
 A.J. Jones WR | ★★★ | from  Arizona |
 Hunter Tipton TE | ★★★ | from  Louisiana Tech |
| Ikani Tuiono OL | ★★★ | from Nebraska Kearney |
 Jacob Otts OT | ★★★ | from  Rhode Island |
 Joseph Habinowski OL | ★★★ | from  Ohio |
Transfers out 31
 Omari Kelly WR | ★★★ | to  Michigan State |
| James Stewart DE | ★★★ | to  Tennessee State |
| Xavier Williams S | ★★★ | to  Cincinnati |
| Simon Wilson OL | ★★★ | to Tulsa |
| Frank Peasant RB | ★★★ | to  Memphis |
| Julius Pierce OL | ★★★ | to  Florida International |
| Devyn Curtis LB | ★★★ | to  Arkansas State |
| Morgan Scott OT | ★★★ | to  Marshall |
| Caleb Reid DE | ★★★ | to Tennessee State |
| Da’Shawn Elder S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Drew Francis LB | ★★★ | to  East Tennessee State |
| Ethan Crite WR | ★★★ | to  Austin Peay |
And 19 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2025 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Jacksonville State | 7–1 | 9–5 | |
| Western Kentucky | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Florida International | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Missouri State | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Delaware | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
 Liberty | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| New Mexico State | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Sam Houston | 1–7 | 2–10 | |
 UTEP | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.