2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season

For the 2024 FBS season, see 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

2024 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams	129
Duration	August 24 – December 7
Payton Award	Tommy Mellott, QB, Montana State
Buchanan Award	David Walker, DE, Central Arkansas
Playoff
Duration	November 30 – December 21
Championship date	January 6, 2025
Championship site	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Champion	North Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
« 2023 2025 »

The 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The regular season began on August 24 and ended in November. The postseason began in November and, aside from any scheduled all-star games, ended on January 6, 2025 with the 2025 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. ^[1]

Due to the structure of the calendar in 2024, FCS teams were allowed to play 12 regular-season games instead of the normal 11. ^[2]

Notable headlines

• April 19 - The NCAA approved numerous technology rules such as teams having the option of using tablets to view in-game video for the 2024 season. ^{[3] [4]}
  • Numerous conferences such as the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), Big Sky Conference, United Athletic Conference, Patriot League, Southwestern Athletic Conference and the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference partnered with a company called GameStrat for their teams to utilize in-game video technology. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}
  • 7 out of the final 8 playoff teams leveraged GameStrat's in-game video technology. ^[10]
• April 25 – The NCAA approved an increase in the number of seeded teams in the FCS playoff bracket from 8 to 16, effective for the 2024 season. The number of qualifying teams and the bracket format will remain otherwise unchanged. ^[11]
• May 29 – Stephen F. Austin announced it would leave the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1 to rejoin the Southland Conference (SLC) after a three-year absence. ^[12]
• October 9: ^[13]
  • The NCAA Division I Council approved the recommended reduction of the FBS and FCS transfer portal to 30 days, though with a different schedule than recommended. The fall window, which opens on the Monday after the FBS conference championship games, will be open only for 20 days. A 10-day spring portal will open in mid-April.
  • The Council also abolished the National Letter of Intent program effective immediately. Written offers of athletics aid will replace the NLI.
  • The Council introduced a proposal that would shorten the transition periods for schools wishing to reclassify from Division II or Division III to Division I. The Council would approve this proposal at its January 2025 meeting, thereby reducing the transition periods for D-II and D-III schools by a year, respectively to three and four years. ^[14]

• November 7 – Texas A&M University–Commerce announced a name change to East Texas A&M University, effective immediately. ^[15]
• December 18 - The Ivy League announced starting in the 2025 season, the league champion will participate in the NCAA Division I Championship. ^[16]

Conference changes and new programs

School	2023 conference	2024 conference	Ref
Bryant Bulldogs	Big South–OVC	CAA	[17]
Kennesaw State Owls	FCS Independent	CUSA (FBS)	[18]
Mercyhurst Lakers	PSAC (D-II)	NEC	[19]
Merrimack Warriors	NEC	FCS Independent	[20]
Robert Morris Colonials	Big South–OVC	NEC	[21]
Sacred Heart Pioneers	NEC	FCS Independent	[22]
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks	UAC	Southland	[23]
West Georgia Wolves	Gulf South (D-II)	UAC	[24] [25] [26] [27]
Western Illinois Leathernecks	MVFC	Big South–OVC	[28]

Conference standings

2024 Big Sky Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Montana State $^   8 – 0     15 – 1   No. 5 UC Davis ^   7 – 1     11 – 3   No. 7 Idaho ^   6 – 2     10 – 4   No. 22 Northern Arizona ^   6 – 2     8 – 5   No. 10 Montana ^   5 – 3     9 – 5   Idaho State   3 – 5     5 – 7   Eastern Washington   3 – 5     4 – 8   Weber State   3 – 5     4 – 8   Portland State   3 – 5     3 – 8   Cal Poly   2 – 6     3 – 8   Sacramento State   1 – 7     3 – 9   Northern Colorado   1 – 7     1 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Big South–OVC football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 16 Southeast Missouri State +^   6 – 2     9 – 4   Tennessee Tech +   6 – 2     7 – 5   No. 17 UT Martin +^   6 – 2     9 – 5   No. 19 Tennessee State +^   6 – 2     9 – 4   Lindenwood*   4 – 4     5 – 7   Western Illinois   3 – 5     4 – 8   Gardner–Webb   3 – 5     4 – 8   Eastern Illinois   2 – 6     3 – 9   Charleston Southern   0 – 8     1 – 11   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Note: Lindenwood ineligible for Big South–OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 15 Richmond +^   8 – 0     10 – 3   No. 9 Rhode Island* +^   7 – 1     11 – 3   No. 12 Villanova ^   6 – 2     10 – 4   Delaware*   6 – 2     9 – 2   No. 23 New Hampshire ^   6 – 2     8 – 5   Stony Brook   5 – 3     8 – 4   Towson   5 – 3     7 – 5   Elon   5 – 3     6 – 6   William & Mary   4 – 4     7 – 5   Monmouth   4 – 4     6 – 6   Maine   3 – 5     5 – 7   Albany   2 – 6     4 – 8   Hampton   2 – 6     5 – 7   Campbell   1 – 7     3 – 9   Bryant   0 – 8     2 – 10   North Carolina A&T   0 – 8     1 – 11   * Delaware ineligible for rankings and 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS. Richmond and Rhode Island named co-champions as Rhode Island's only CAA loss was to Delaware. + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Ivy League football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Dartmouth +   5 – 2     8 – 2   No. 25 Harvard +   5 – 2     8 – 2   Columbia +   5 – 2     7 – 3   Yale   4 – 3     7 – 3   Cornell   3 – 4     4 – 6   Penn   2 – 5     4 – 6   Brown   2 – 5     3 – 7   Princeton   2 – 5     3 – 7   + – Conference co-champions Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 24 South Carolina State $   5 – 0     9 – 3   North Carolina Central   4 – 1     8 – 3   Morgan State   3 – 2     6 – 6   Norfolk State   2 – 3     4 – 8   Howard   1 – 4     4 – 8   Delaware State   0 – 5     1 – 11   $ – Conference champion Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 North Dakota State +^   7 – 1     14 – 2   No. 3 South Dakota State +^   7 – 1     12 – 3   No. 4 South Dakota +^   7 – 1     11 – 3   No. 11 Illinois State ^   6 – 2     10 – 4   Missouri State *   6 – 2     8 – 4   Youngstown State   3 – 5     4 – 8   Indiana State   3 – 5     4 – 8   North Dakota   2 – 6     5 – 7   Southern Illinois   2 – 6     4 – 8   Northern Iowa   1 – 7     3 – 9   Murray State   0 – 8     1 – 11   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Northeast Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Central Connecticut +^   5 – 1     7 – 6   Duquesne +   5 – 1     8 – 3   Robert Morris   4 – 2     7 – 5   LIU   3 – 3     4 – 8   Wagner   2 – 4     4 – 8   Saint Francis (PA)   2 – 4     4 – 7   Mercyhurst*   0 – 0     4 – 7   Stonehill*   0 – 6     1 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Stonehill and Mercyhurst are ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Patriot League football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 20 Lehigh +^   5 – 1     9 – 4   Holy Cross +   5 – 1     6 – 6   Bucknell   4 – 2     6 – 6   Lafayette   2 – 4     6 – 6   Georgetown   2 – 4     5 – 6   Fordham   2 – 4     2 – 10   Colgate   1 – 5     2 – 10   + – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Pioneer Football League standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Drake $^   7 – 1     8 – 3   San Diego   6 – 2     8 – 3   Butler   5 – 3     9 – 3   Morehead State   5 – 3     7 – 5   St. Thomas (MN)*   5 – 3     6 – 6   Dayton   4 – 4     6 – 5   Davidson   4 – 4     6 – 5   Presbyterian   4 – 4     6 – 6   Valparaiso   2 – 5     4 – 7   Marist   1 – 7     1 – 10   Stetson   0 – 7     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 Southern Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 8 Mercer $^   7 – 1     11 – 3   Western Carolina   6 – 2     7 – 5   Chattanooga   5 – 3     7 – 5   East Tennessee State   5 – 3     7 – 5   Samford   3 – 4     4 – 7   The Citadel   3 – 5     5 – 7   Wofford   3 – 5     5 – 7   Furman   2 – 5     3 – 8   VMI   1 – 7     1 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Southland Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Incarnate Word $^   7 – 0     11 – 3   Southeastern Louisiana   6 – 1     7 – 5   Stephen F. Austin   4 – 3     7 – 5   Lamar   4 – 3     7 – 5   McNeese   3 – 4     6 – 6   Houston Christian   3 – 4     5 – 7   East Texas A&M*   2 – 4     3 – 9   Nicholls   2 – 5     4 – 8   Northwestern State   0 – 7     0 – 12   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – East Texas A&M is ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   East Division No. 18 Jackson State x$   9 – 0     12 – 2   Florida A&M   5 – 3     7 – 5   Alabama State   5 – 3     7 – 5   Alabama A&M   4 – 4     6 – 6   Bethune–Cookman   2 – 6     2 – 10   Mississippi Valley State   1 – 7     1 – 11   West Division Southern x   7 – 2     8 – 5   Alcorn State   5 – 3     6 – 6   Texas Southern   4 – 4     5 – 6   Prairie View A&M   3 – 5     5 – 7   Grambling State   2 – 6     5 – 7   Arkansas–Pine Bluff   2 – 6     3 – 9   Championship: Jackson State 41, Southern 13 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from STATS Poll
2024 United Athletic Conference standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Abilene Christian $^   7 – 1     9 – 5   No. 13 Tarleton State ^   6 – 2     10 – 4   No. 21 Eastern Kentucky ^   6 – 2     8 – 5   Southern Utah   6 – 2     7 – 5   Central Arkansas   3 – 5     6 – 6   Austin Peay   3 – 5     4 – 8   North Alabama   3 – 5     3 – 9   West Georgia*   1 – 7     4 – 7   Utah Tech   1 – 7     1 – 11   $ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Note: West Georgia is ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll	2024 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings v t e Conf. Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Sacred Heart   –     5 – 6   Merrimack   –     5 – 6

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

Conference	Team	Record	Appearance	Last bid	Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference	Montana State	12–0 (8–0)	14th	2023	Lost to North Dakota State in second round
Big South–OVC	Southeast Missouri State	9–3 (6–2)	5th	2022	Lost to Montana in first round
CAA Football	Richmond	10–2 (8–0)	14th	2023	Lost to Albany in second round
Missouri Valley Football Conference	South Dakota State	10–2 (7–1)	14th	2023	Won National Championship against Montana
Northeast Conference	Central Connecticut	7–5 (5–1)	3rd	2019	Lost to Albany in first round
Patriot League	Lehigh	8–3 (5–1)	12th	2017	Lost to Stony Brook in first round
Pioneer Football League	Drake	8–2 (7–1)	2nd	2023	Lost to North Dakota State in first round
Southern Conference	Mercer	10–2 (7–1)	2nd	2023	Lost to South Dakota State in second round
Southland Conference	Incarnate Word	10–2 (7–0)	4th	2022	Lost to North Dakota State in semifinal
United Athletic Conference	Abilene Christian	8–4 (7–1)	1st	N/A	N/A

At-large qualifiers

Conference	Team	Record	Appearance	Last bid	Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference	Idaho	9–3 (6–2)	14th	2023	Lost to Albany in quarterfinals
	UC Davis	10–2 (7–1)	3rd	2021	Lost to South Dakota State in first round
	Montana	8–4 (5–3)	29th	2023	Lost to South Dakota State in National Championship
	Northern Arizona	8–4 (6–2)	7th	2017	Lost to San Diego in first round
Big South–OVC	UT Martin	8–4 (6–2)	3rd	2021	Lost to Montana State in second round
	Tennessee State	9–3 (6–2)	7th	2013	Lost to Eastern Illinois in second round
CAA Football	New Hampshire	8–4 (6–2)	18th	2022	Lost to Holy Cross in second round
	Villanova	9–3 (6–2)	16th	2023	Lost to South Dakota State in quarterfinals
	Rhode Island	10–2 (7–1)	4th	1985	Lost to Furman in quarterfinals
Missouri Valley Football Conference	North Dakota State	10–2 (7–1)	15th	2023	Lost to Montana in semifinal
	South Dakota	9–2 (7–1)	4th	2023	Lost to North Dakota State in quarterfinals
	Illinois State	9–3 (6–2)	9th	2019	Lost to North Dakota State in quarterfinals
United Athletic Conference	Tarleton State	9–3 (6–2)	1st	N/A	N/A
	Eastern Kentucky	8–4 (6–2)	22nd	2022	Lost to Gardner–Webb in second round

Abstentions

• Ivy League – Harvard
• Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
• Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State

Postseason

The FCS again features a 24-team postseason bracket: 10 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 14 at-large bids (see above). Where previously the top eight teams were seeded, the top 16 teams were seeded this year, a change from the 2023 season. ^[11]

Bowl game

Date	Time (EST)	Game	Site	Television	Teams	Affiliations	Results
Dec 14	Noon	Celebration Bowl	Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia	USA: ABC Canada: TSN1/4	Jackson State Tigers South Carolina State Bulldogs	SWAC MEAC	Jackson State 28 South Carolina State 7

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

	First Round November 30 Campus sites USA: ESPN+, ESPN2 Canada: TSN+					Second Round December 7 Campus sites ESPN+					Quarterfinals December 13/14 Campus sites USA: ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ Canada: TSN+					Semifinals December 21 Campus sites USA: ABC/ESPN+ Canada: TSN+					National Championship January 6 7 p.m. EST Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas USA: ESPN/ESPN+ Canada: TSN2/TSN+
						1	Montana State	49
	16	New Hampshire	10				UT Martin	17
		UT Martin	41								1	Montana State	52
											8	Idaho	19
						8	Idaho	34
	9	Richmond	16				Lehigh	13
		Lehigh	20													1	Montana State	31
																4	South Dakota	17
						5	UC Davis	42
	12	Illinois State	35			12	Illinois State	10
		Southeast Missouri State *	27								4	South Dakota	35
											5	UC Davis	21
						4	South Dakota	42
	13	Tarleton State	43			13	Tarleton State	31
		Drake	29																		1	Montana State	32
																					2	North Dakota State	35
						3	South Dakota State	35
	14	Montana	41			14	Montana	18
		Tennessee State	27								3	South Dakota State	55
											6	Incarnate Word	14
						6	Incarnate Word	13
	11	Villanova	22			11	Villanova	6
		Eastern Kentucky	17													3	South Dakota State	21
																2	North Dakota State	28
						7	Mercer	17
	10	Rhode Island	21			10	Rhode Island	10
		Central Connecticut	17								2	North Dakota State	31
											7	Mercer	7
						2	North Dakota State	51
	15	Abilene Christian	24			15	Abilene Christian	31
		Northern Arizona	0

* Hosted despite being the unseeded team (Illinois State unable to host due to facilities conflicts) ^[29]

Source: ^[30]

Rankings

Main article: 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

The top 25 from the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Polls.

Pre-season polls

Stats Perform Ranking Team 1 South Dakota State (52) 2 North Dakota State (3) 3 Montana 4 Montana State (1) 5 South Dakota 6 Villanova 7 Idaho 8 Sacramento State 9 Chattanooga 10 Southern Illinois 11 Central Arkansas 12 Furman 13 Richmond 14 Incarnate Word 15 William & Mary 16 Albany 17 Lafayette 18 UC Davis 19 Illinois State 20 Western Carolina 21 Tarleton State 22 Weber State 23 Nicholls 24 North Dakota 25 Youngstown State

USA Today Coaches Ranking Team 1 South Dakota State (25) 2 North Dakota State 3 Montana 4 Montana State 5 South Dakota 6 Villanova 7 Idaho 8 Chattanooga 9 Furman 10 Sacramento State 11 Southern Illinois 12 Richmond 13 Central Arkansas 14 Albany 15 Incarnate Word 16 William & Mary 17 UC Davis 18 Lafayette 19 Western Carolina 20 Illinois State 21 Tarleton State 22 North Dakota 23 Youngstown State 24 Nicholls 25 Florida A&M (1)

STATS source: ^[31]
AFCA source: ^[32]

Kickoff games

The regular season began on Saturday, August 24 with four games in Week 0:

• FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): Southeast Missouri State 37, North Alabama 15
• Hawaii 35, Delaware State 14
• No. 4 Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
• MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Florida A&M 24, Norfolk State 23

Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.

• Week 6
  • No. 2 North Dakota State defeated No. 7 North Dakota, 41–17 (Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota)
• Week 7
  • No. 3 Montana State defeated No. 7 Idaho, 38–7 (Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, Montana)
• Week 8
  • No. 2 North Dakota State defeated No. 1 South Dakota State, 13–9 (Dakota Marker – Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota)
• Week 9
  • No. 3 South Dakota State defeated No. 4 South Dakota, 20–17^OT (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, South Dakota)
• Week 11
  • No. 4 UC Davis defeated No. 7 Montana, 30–14 (Washington–Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, Montana)
• Week 12
  • No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 4 UC Davis, 30–28 (UC Davis Health Stadium, Davis, California)
• Week 13
  • No. 4 South Dakota defeated No. 1 North Dakota State, 29–28 (DakotaDome, Vermillion, South Dakota)
  • No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 9 Montana, 34–11 (Brawl of the Wild – Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, Montana)

Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

Regular season

During the regular season, thirty-four unranked teams defeated ranked teams.

• September 7, 2024
  • Wofford 26, No. 14 Richmond 19
  • Charleston Southern 24, No. 15 Furman 20
  • Campbell 24, No. 17 Western Carolina 16
• September 14, 2024
  • Lamar 17, No. 20 Weber State 16
  • Duquesne 28, No. 21 Youngstown State 25
  • Western Carolina 24, No. 22 Elon 17
• September 21, 2024
  • Columbia 31, No. 18 Lafayette 20
• September 28, 2024
  • Northern Arizona 34, No. 10 Sacramento State 16
  • Maine 34, No. 21 Albany 20
  • McNeese 28, No. 25 Weber State 26
• October 4, 2024
  • Harvard 28, No. 21 New Hampshire 23
• October 5, 2024
  • Weber State, 55, No. 8 Montana 48^OT
  • Towson 34, No. 12 William & Mary 27
  • Houston Christian 43, No. 22 McNeese 22
  • Chattanooga 17, No. 23 East Tennessee State 10
• October 12, 2024
  • North Alabama 47, No. 10 Abilene Christian 34
  • Missouri State 41, No. 16 Illinois State 7
  • Eastern Washington 35, No. 18 Sacramento State 28
  • Northern Colorado 21, No. 20 Weber State 17
  • Stephen F. Austin 27, No. 22 Lamar 20
• October 19, 2024
  • Maine 35, No. 5 Villanova 7
  • Samford 55, No. 7 Mercer 35
  • Jackson State 35, No. 25т Florida A&M 21
• October 26, 2024
  • Youngstown State 41, No. 7 North Dakota 40^OT
  • Stony Brook 35, No. 16 William & Mary 13
• October 31, 2024
  • South Carolina State 24, No. 19 North Carolina Central 21
• November 2, 2024
  • Utah Tech 34, No. 11 Central Arkansas 21
  • Eastern Kentucky 17, No. 13 Tarleton State 13
  • Indiana State 35, No. 15 North Dakota 31
  • Western Carolina 38, No. 18 Chattanooga 34
  • Harvard 31, No. 22 Dartmouth 27
  • UT Martin 28, No. 25 Tennessee State 21
• November 9, 2024
  • Lindenwood 24, No. 6 Southeast Missouri State 12
  • Delaware 24, No. 11 Rhode Island 21
  • Eastern Kentucky 31, No. 16 Central Arkansas 24
  • Elon 40, No. 20 William & Mary 36
  • East Tennessee State 24, No. 22 Western Carolina 21
• November 16, 2024
  • Monmouth 40, No. 9 Villanova 33
  • New Hampshire 31, No. 16 Stony Brook 30
  • Tennessee Tech 10, No. 18 UT Martin 9
  • Samford 36, No. 19 Chattanooga 13
  • Furman 24, No. 21 East Tennessee State 21
  • Southern Utah 38, No. 24 Central Arkansas 31
• November 23, 2024
  • Stephen F. Austin 32, No. 11 Abilene Christian 19
  • Tennessee State 28, No. 12 Southeast Missouri State 21
  • Yale 34, No. 17 Harvard 29
  • Monmouth 55, No. 18 Stony Brook 47
  • Central Connecticut 21, No. 19 Duquesne 14

FCS team wins over FBS teams

• August 24:
  • No. 4 Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
• September 7:
  • Saint Francis (PA) 23, Kent State 17
  • No. 7 Idaho 17, Wyoming 13
  • Southern Utah 27, UTEP 24^OT
• September 21:
  • Monmouth 45, FIU 42
• September 28:
  • UT Martin 24, Kennesaw State 13

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2024, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2024, see 2023 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

School	Outgoing coach	Date	Reason	Replacement

End of season

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
Northern Iowa	Mark Farley	November 10, 2024	Retired [33]	Todd Stepsis [34]	Drake head coach (2019–2024)
Valparaiso	Landon Fox	November 24, 2024	Contract not renewed [35]	Andy Waddle [36]	Marietta head coach (2013–2024)
Prairie View A&M	Bubba McDowell	November 24, 2024	Fired [37]	Tremaine Jackson [38]	Valdosta State head coach (2022–2024)
McNeese	Gary Goff	November 25, 2024	Contract not renewed [39]	Matt Viator [40]	Louisiana senior defensive analyst (2021–2024)
Davidson	Scott Abell	November 26, 2024	Hired by Rice [41]	Saj Thakkar [42]	Bentley head coach (2023–2024)
Norfolk State	Dawson Odums	November 26, 2024	Fired [43]	Michael Vick [44]	Atlanta Legends advisor (2019)
North Dakota	Bubba Schweigert	November 30, 2024	Resigned [45]	Eric Schmidt [46]	San Diego State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2024)
Nicholls	Tim Rebowe	December 1, 2024	Retired [47]	Tommy Rybacki	Nicholls defensive coordinator (2015–2024)
Colgate	Stan Dakosty	December 2, 2024	Fired [48]	Curt Fitzpatrick [49]	Cortland head coach (2020–2024)
Alabama A&M	Connell Maynor	December 2, 2024	Fired [50]	Sam Shade [51]	Miles head coach (2022–2024)
Drake	Todd Stepsis	December 3, 2024	Hired by Northern Iowa [34]	Joe Woodley [52]	Grand View head coach (2019–2024)
Delaware State	Lee Hull	December 3, 2024	Fired [53]	DeSean Jackson [54]	Woodrow Wilson (HS) (CA) offensive coordinator (2024)
Stetson	Brian Young	December 3, 2024	Resigned [55]	Michael Jasper [56]	Bethel (TN) head coach (2019–2024)
Butler	Mike Uremovich	December 4, 2024	Hired by Ball State [57]	Kevin Lynch [58]	Ball State assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach (2021–2024)
North Carolina A&T	Vincent Brown	December 4, 2024	Fired [59]	Shawn Gibbs [60]	Fort Valley State head coach (2022–2024)
Mississippi Valley State	Kendrick Wade	December 4, 2024	Fired [61]	Terrell Buckley [62]	Orlando Guardians head coach (2023)
Sacramento State	Andy Thompson	December 6, 2024	Resigned [63]	Brennan Marion [64]	UNLV offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023–2024)
East Tennessee State	Tre Lamb	December 8, 2024	Hired by Tulsa [65]	Will Healy [66]	Georgia State running backs coach (2024)
Idaho	Jason Eck	December 14, 2024	Hired by New Mexico [67]	Thomas Ford [68]	Oregon State running backs coach (2024)
South Dakota State	Jimmy Rogers	December 28, 2024	Hired by Washington State [69]	Dan Jackson [70]	Idaho defensive coordinator (2024)
South Dakota	Bob Nielson	January 16, 2025	Retired [71]	Travis Johansen [72]	South Dakota associate head coach and defensive coordinator (2022–2024)
Albany	Greg Gattuso	February 5, 2025	Hired as assistant coach by Penn State [73]	Jared Ambrose (interim) [74]	Albany assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach (2022–2024)
Tennessee State	Eddie George	March 9, 2025	Hired by Bowling Green [75]	Reggie Barlow [76]	DC Defenders head coach (2023–2024)

See also

• 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season
• 2024 NCAA Division II football season
• 2024 NCAA Division III football season
• 2024 NAIA football season
• 2024 U Sports football season

References

1. "FCS Championship: Future dates and sites". NCAA.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
2. "Bylaw 17.11.6.1: Number of Contests (FBS/FCS): Maximum Limitations – Institutional" (PDF). 2023–24 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. August 5, 2023. p. 263. Retrieved August 2, 2024. In championship subdivision football . . . Twelve football contests shall be permissible during those years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November (e.g., 2024, 2025).
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