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2025 NCAA Division III football season
| 2025 NCAA Division III football season |
|---|
| 241 |
| September 4 – November 15, 2025 |
| November 22 – January 4, 2026 |
| Tom Benson Hall of Fame StadiumCanton, OHJanuary 4, 2026 |
| Wisconsin–River Falls |
| Wisconsin–River Falls quarterback Kaleb Blaha |
| NCAA Division III football seasons |
The 2025 NCAA Division III football season was the component of the 2025 college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States. The regular season began on September 4 and ended on November 15. This was the 52nd season that the NCAA has sponsored a Division III championship.
North Central (IL) was the defending champion.
The season's playoffs were played between November 22 and January 4, 2026, culminating in the national championship—also known as the Stagg Bowl—at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Wisconsin–River Falls won the 2026 Stagg Bowl 24–14 over North Central (IL).
- The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference disbanded following the 2024 season, as its remaining members all departed to join other conferences.
| Team | Former conference | New conference | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred State Pioneers | ECFC | Empire 8 | |
| Anna Maria Amcats | ECFC | MASCAC | |
| Carnegie Mellon Tartans | PAC | Centennial | |
| Castleton Spartans | MASCAC | NJAC | |
| Dean Bulldogs | ECFC | MASCAC | |
| Ferrum Panthers | ODAC | Carolinas (D-II) | |
| Gallaudet Bison | ECFC | ODAC | |
| Hendrix Warriors | SAA | SCAC | |
| Hilbert Hawks | Empire 8 | Liberty | |
| Hiram Terriers | NCAC | PAC | |
| John Carroll Blue Streaks | OAC | NCAC | |
| Keystone Giants | Landmark | Independent | |
| Maine Maritime Mariners | Independent | CNE | |
| Maryville Scots | USA South | SAA | |
| New England College Pilgrims | New program | CNE | |
| Roanoke Maroons | New program | ODAC | |
| Western Connecticut Wolves | MASCAC | Landmark |
- April 18 – The NESCAC announced that it would begin allowing its teams to participate in the NCAA Division III Championship, beginning in the 2026 season.
- October 18 – Curry running back Montie Quinn ran for 522 yards, a new all-divisions NCAA record, in the Colonels' 71–27 win over Nichols.
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | No. 3 Johns Hopkins | No. 4 Susquehanna | Amos Alonzo Stagg Field • Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania | 40–22 | 3,028 | |
| October 4 | No. 5 UW–La Crosse | No. 9 UW–Whitewater | Perkins Stadium • Whitewater, Wisconsin | 23–20 | 20,167 | |
| October 25 | No. 8 UW–Platteville | No. 9 UW–Whitewater | Perkins Stadium • Whitewater, Wisconsin (George Chryst Memorial Bowl) | 19–29 | 9,748 | |
| November 1 | No. 8 UW–Whitewater | No. 9 UW–River Falls | Ramer Field • River Falls, Wisconsin | 14–52 | 1,811 | |
| November 8 | No. 9 UW–La Crosse | No. 8 UW–River Falls | Ramer Field • River Falls, Wisconsin | 7–41 | 2,255 | |
| #Rankings from D3football.com poll released prior to the game. |
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 6 | No. 9 John Carroll | No. 2 Mount Union | Kehres Stadium • Alliance, Ohio (Third round) | 10–7 2OT | 2,248 | |
| December 6 | No. 7 St. John's (MN) | No. 3 UW–River Falls | Smith Stadium at Ramer Field • River Falls, Wisconsin (Third round) | 14–42 | 3,205 | |
| December 6 | No. 10 UW–Platteville | No. 4 Bethel (MN) | Royal Stadium • Arden Hills, Minnesota (Third round) | 24–35 | 3,139 | |
| December 13 | No. 4 Bethel (MN) | No. 1 North Central (IL) | Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium • Naperville, Illinois (Quarterfinal) | 21–35 | 442 | |
| December 20 | No. 8 Johns Hopkins | No. 3 UW–River Falls | Smith Stadium at Ramer Field • River Falls, Wisconsin (Semifinal) | 41–48 | 2,897 | |
| December 20 | No. 9 John Carroll | No. 1 North Central (IL) | Benedetti–Wehrli Stadium • Naperville, Illinois (Semifinal) | 21–41 | 1,317 | |
| January 4, 2026 | No. 3 UW–River Falls | No. 1 North Central (IL) | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium • Canton, Ohio (Satgg Bowl LII) | 24–14 | 2,403 | |
| #Rankings from D3football.com poll released on November 16. |
This section lists unranked teams defeating D3football.com poll-ranked teams during the season.
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 6 | UW–Oshkosh | No. 16 Linfield | Maxwell Field • McMinnville, Oregon | 31–14 | 1,712 | |
| September 6 | No. 13 Springfield | Western New England | Golden Bear Stadium • Springfield, Massachusetts (Battle for the Pynchon SAW Trophy) | 22–23 | 3,800 | |
| September 6 | UW–Platteville | No. 22 Aurora | Spartan Athletic Park • Montgomery, Illinois | 41–0 | 2,076 | |
| September 13 | No. 24 Whitworth | Eastern Oregon | Community Stadium • La Grande, Oregon | 10–16 | 0 | |
| September 16 | No. 19 Randolph–Macon | Central (IA) | Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium • Pella, Iowa | 0–10 | 1,500 | |
| September 20 | No. 25 Brockport | RPI | East Campus Stadium • Troy, New York | 24–30 OT | 971 | |
| September 27 | Alma | No. 15 Hope | Ray & Sue Smith Stadium • Holland, Michigan | 29–26 OT | 3,206 | |
| September 27 | No. 16 Mary Hardin–Baylor | Mars Hill | Meares Stadium • Mars Hill, North Carolina | 7–21 | 1,250 | |
| September 27 | No. 13 Susquehanna | Christopher Newport | TowneBank Stadium • Newport News, Virginia | 27–41 | 3,726 | |
| September 27 | Washington & Jefferson | No. 18 Grove City | Robert E. Thorn Field • Grove City, Pennsylvania | 34–14 | 5,000 | |
| October 4 | Washington & Lee | No. 24 Hampden–Sydney | Lewis C. Everett Stadium • Hampden Sydney, Virginia | 42–34 | 7,542 | |
| October 11 | No. 11 UW–Oshkosh | UW–Stout | Don and Nona Williams Stadium • Menomonie, Wisconsin | 16–27 | 2,738 | |
| October 11 | No. 16 Trinity (TX) | Berry | Valhalla Stadium • Mount Berry, Georgia | 6–29 | 3,956 | |
| October 11 | No. 25 Muhlenberg | Franklin & Marshall | Shadek Stadium • Lancaster, Pennsylvania | 27–28 | 875 | |
| October 18 | Whitworth | No. 24 Linfield | Maxwell Field • McMinnville, Oregon | 30–20 | 1,499 | |
| October 25 | No. 16 Carnegie Mellon | Muhlenberg | Scotty Wood Stadium • Allentown, Pennsylvania | 23–27 | 2,213 | |
| November 8 | No. 5 Hardin–Simmons | Mary Hardin–Baylor | Crusader Stadium • Belton, Texas | 17–21 | 2,778 | |
| November 8 | No. 22 Baldwin Wallace | Ohio Northern | Dial–Roberson Stadium • Ada, Ohio | 28–30 | 874 | |
| November 15 | Coe | No. 19 Central (IA) | Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium • Pella, Iowa | 13–7 | 2,750 | |
| November 15 | No. 20 Cortland | Ithaca | Jim Butterfield Stadium • Ithaca, New York (Cortaca Jug) | 21–26 | 8,000 | |
| #Rankings from D3football.com poll released prior to the game. |
Notes:
-
- Host team
Division III held 14 bowl games in 2025, featuring teams that did not qualify for the Division III postseason tournament. This total is up one from the 13 held in 2024, with the return of the Lynah Bowl.
| Date | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 21 | Merchant Marine | Curry | Walter M. Katz Field • Milton, Massachusetts (Fusion Bowl) | 27–24 | 1,000 | |
| November 22 | Misericordia | Carnegie Mellon | Gesling Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Centennial–MAC Bowl Series) | 17–24 | 453 | |
| November 22 | Dickinson | Delaware Valley | James Work Memorial Stadium • Doylestown, Pennsylvania (Centennial–MAC Bowl Series) | 13–14 | 721 | |
| November 22 | Lebanon Valley | Ursinus | Patterson Field • Collegeville, Pennsylvania (Centennial–MAC Bowl Series) | 13–31 | 987 | |
| November 22 | Geneva | Brockport | Bob Boozer Field • Brockport, New York (Whitelaw Bowl) | 10–46 | 1,175 | |
| November 22 | RPI | St. John Fisher | Growney Stadium • Pittsford, New York (Chapman Bowl) | 35–24 | 1,181 | |
| November 22 | Rowan | Utica | Charles A. Gaetano Stadium • Utica, New York (Bushnell Bowl) | 26–20 | 2,655 | |
| November 22 | Hobart | Maritime | Reinhart Field • Throggs Neck, New York (Lynah Bowl) | 42–14 | 1,532 | |
| November 22 | Aurora | Illinois College | Raabe Stadium • Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (Lakefront Bowl) | 49–14 | 453 | |
| November 22 | Wilkes | Shenandoah | Shentel Stadium • Winchester, Virginia (Cape Henry Bowl) | 37–35 | 2,890 | |
| November 22 | Washington & Lee | Lycoming | Girardi Stadium • Williamsport, Pennsylvania (Cape Charles Bowl) | 14–12 | 945 | |
| November 22 | Washington University | UW–Stout | Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium • Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (Isthmus Bowl) | 23–31 | 975 | |
| November 22 | Ohio Northern | Wabash | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium • Canton, Ohio (ForeverLawn Bowl) | 31–32 | 0 | |
| November 22 | Mount St. | |||||
| Joseph | Westminster (PA) | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium • Canton, Ohio (Extra Points Bowl) | 21–40 | 0 | ||
| #Rankings from D3football.com poll released prior to the game. |
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2025, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | Previous position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Connecticut | Joe Loth | May 6, 2025 | Hired as head coach by Southern Connecticut | Kevin Jones (interim) | Western Connecticut defensive coordinator (2018–2024) |
| Chapman | Bob Owens | May 9, 2025 | Retired | Casey Shine (interim; named full-time on March 2, 2026) | Chapman offensive coordinator (2012–2024) |
| Augsburg | Derrin Lamker | May 21, 2025 | Hired as head coach by Osseo HS (MN) | KiJuan Ware | Shippensburg offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2024) |
| Lawrence | Tony Aker | June 9, 2025 | Fired | Adam Gonzaga | Lake Forest defensive coordinator and associate head coach (2024) |
| Wittenberg | Jim Collins | October 23, 2025 | Fired | Joe Nemith (interim) | Wittenberg defensive passing game coordinator & defensive backs coach (2023–2025) |
| Sewanee | Andy McCollum | November 10, 2025 | Fired | Tracy Malone (interim) | Sewanee offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach (2025) |
This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | Previous position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | Geno DeMarco | June 30, 2025 | Retired (effective at season's end) | Tom Contenta | Geneva defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach |
| Kalamazoo | Jamie Zorbo | October 29, 2025 | Resigned (effective at season's end) | John Krajacic | Kalamazoo co-offensive coordinator and associate head coach (2016–2025) |
| Averett | Patrick Henry | November 2, 2025 | Moved to administrative position (effective at season's end) | Matt Quinn | Scotland HS offensive coordinator (2025) |
| Nebraska Wesleyan | Brian Keller | November 11, 2025 | Retired | Jacob Donohoe | Coe offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2025) |
| Waynesburg | Cornelius Coleman | November 11, 2025 | Fired | Larry Wilson | Clarion offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/wide receivers coach (2025) |
| Alvernia | Steve Azzanesi | November 16, 2025 | Fired | Steve Devlin | Ursinus defensive coordinator and associate head coach (2018–2025) |
| Knox | Aaron Willits | November 17, 2025 | Resigned | Adam Gonzaga | Lawrence head coach (2025) |
| Bethany (WV) | Brandon Robinson | November 17, 2025 | Fired | David Blake | Kent State special teams analyst (2025) |
| Hamline | Chip Taylor | November 18, 2025 | Resigned | Bob Davies | Gustavus Adolphus offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2025) |
| Gettysburg | Maurice Banks | November 18, 2025 | Fired | Michael Green | Hobart defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach (2021–2025) |
| Loras | Steve Helminiak | November 20, 2025 | Fired | Brandon Novak | Saint John's defensive coordinator (2014–2025) |
| Wittenberg | Joe Nemith (interim) | December 1, 2025 | Permanent replacement | BJ Coad | Ohio Dominican associate head coach and offensive coordinator (2024–2025) |
| Catholic University | Mike Gutelius | December 2, 2025 | Moved to administrative position | Kory David | Eastern defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2024–2025) |
| Sewanee | Tracy Malone (interim) | December 11, 2025 | Permanent replacement hired | Joe Freitag | Monmouth (IL) offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2025) |
| Lawrence | Adam Gonzaga | December 11, 2025 | Fired | Daniel Galante | St. Patrick HS (IL) assistant coach (2021–2025) |
| Ithaca | Michael Toerper | December 14, 2025 | Hired as defensive coordinator by Cornell | Brandon Maguire | Ithaca offensive coordinator (2024–2025) |
| Marietta | Tom Kaufman | December 15, 2025 | Hired as head coach by Saint Ignatius HS (OH) | Tom Hinkle | Marietta associate head coach and defensive line coach (2025) |
| Susquehanna | Tom Perkovich | December 23, 2025 | Hired as head coach by Albany | Chris Pincince | Post wide receivers coach (2025) |
| John Carroll | Jeff Behrman | January 1, 2026 | Hired as head coach by Bucknell | Brian Polian | John Carroll athletic director (2023–present) |
| Wisconsin–La Crosse | Matt Janus | January 5, 2026 | Hired as head coach by Northern Michigan | Michael Zweifel | Wisconsin–La Crosse defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach (2023–2025) |
| Delaware Valley | Mike Isgro | January 5, 2026 | Hired as special teams coordinator by West Chester | Bill Zwaan Jr. | West Chester assistant head coach and offensive coordinator (2013–2025) |
| Moravian | Jeffrey Long | January 9, 2026 | Hired as defensive coordinator by Bucknell | Chris Sapp | Rochester associate head coach/defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach (2018–2025) |
| Maritime | Anthony Trotta | January 21, 2026 | Hired as assistant coach by Bucknell | Andrew Dresner | Holy Cross offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2024–2025) |
| Eureka | Randy Starks | Before January 26, 2026 | Resigned | Dion Jordan | Eureka associate head coach (2024–2025) |
| William Paterson | Shaun Williams | Before February 10, 2026 | Fired | Edwyn Edwards | TCNJ defensive coordinator (2019–2025) |
| Buffalo State | Lazarus Morgan | Before February 11, 2026 | Fired | Mike Neale | Delaware Valley defensive coordinator (2024–2025) |
| Stevenson | Ed Hottle | February 12, 2026 | Resigned | Josh Hoeg | Stevenson associate head coach and offensive coordinator (2019–2025) |
| Wisconsin–River Falls | Matt Walker | February 22, 2026 | Hired as head coach by Drake | Jake Wissing (interim) | Wisconsin–River Falls defensive coordinator (2021–2025) |
| Westminster (PA) | Scott Benzel | February 23, 2026 | Hired as assistant coach by Duke | EJ White (interim) | Westminster (PA) offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2025) |
- 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season
- 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season
- 2025 NCAA Division II football season
- 2025 NAIA football season
- 2025 U Sports football season
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