2025 North Dakota State
12–1 (8–0 Missouri Valley Football Conference). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Tennessee State 59–3Sep 6
By 56 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat North Dakota 15–10Nov 8
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | at The Citadel | W 38–0 | 80% |
| Sep 6 | at Tennessee State | W 59–3 | 71% |
| Sep 13 | vs Southeast Missouri State | W 41–14 | 83% |
| Sep 27 | vs South Dakota | W 51–13 | 76% |
| Oct 4 | at Illinois State | W 33–16 | 68% |
| Oct 11 | vs Southern Illinois | W 45–17 | 83% |
| Oct 18 | at Indiana State | W 38–7 | 89% |
| Oct 25 | at South Dakota State | W 38–7 | 47% |
| Nov 1 | vs Youngstown State | W 38–30 | 90% |
| Nov 8 | at North Dakota | W 15–10 | 75% |
| Nov 15 | vs Northern Iowa | W 48–16 | 95% |
| Nov 22 | vs St. Thomas (MN) | W 62–7 | 90% |
| Dec 6 | vsIllinois StateFCS Championship – Second Round | L 28–29 | 84% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Illinois State 29–28 in the FCS Championship – Second Round; unranked in the final AP poll; Missouri Valley Football Conference champions.
In program history: The 4th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 51 on file).
Missouri Valley Football Conference champions8–0 in the conference
- Record
- 12–1
- Conference
- 8–0 first in Missouri Valley Football Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 534–169
- Coach
- —
- Elo
- 1674 +141 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- 1.5 No. 1 of 129 in FCS
- Recruiting class
- No. 133
- Offensive coordinator
- Dan Larson
- Defensive coordinator
- Grant Olson
- Offense
- Multiple pro-style
- Defense
- Multiple 4–3
Leaders
| Passing yards | Cole Payton QB | 2,719 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Cole Payton QB | 16 TD |
| Rushing yards | Barika Kpeenu RB | 1,005 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Barika Kpeenu RB | 20 TD |
| Receiving yards | Bryce Lance WR | 1,079 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Bryce Lance WR | 8 TD |
| Interceptions | Donovan Woolen LB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2025 class
| Ryan Babatz OT | ★★★ | No. 1325 |
| Walker Braaten ATH | ★★★ | No. 1325 |
| Evrett Tait S | ★★★ | No. 1325 |
| Ethan Wood DE | ★★★ | No. 1738 |
| Alex Warden OL | ★★★ | No. 1738 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2025 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 2 | 3.0 | 0.810 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.828 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.835 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
| Linebackers | 5 | 2.4 | 0.790 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 2.8 | 0.820 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 2.3 | 0.813 |
| Whole class | 23 | 2.7 | 0.818 |
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 4 | Bryce Lance WR | New Orleans Saints |
| Rd 5 | Cole Payton QB | Philadelphia Eagles |
Roster 124
The 2025 roster124 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2025 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2025 portal Alex Elliott LB | ★★★ | from  Minnesota |
 Antoine Booth CB | ★★★ | from  James Madison |
 Jalon Peoples CB | ★★★ | from  Texas Tech |
Transfers out 5
2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 North Dakota State | 8–0 | 12–1 | |
| South Dakota | 6–2 | 10–5 | |
| Illinois State | 5–3 | 12–5 | |
| Youngstown State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| North Dakota | 5–3 | 8–6 | |
| South Dakota State | 4–4 | 9–5 | |
| Southern Illinois | 4–4 | 7–5 | |
| Indiana State | 1–7 | 3–9 | |
| Northern Iowa | 1–7 | 3–9 | |
 Murray State | 1–7 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.