2025 North Alabama Lions football team

2025 North Alabama Lions football
Conference	United Athletic Conference
Record	2–5 (1–2 UAC)
Head coach	Brent Dearmon (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Morgan Cruce (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Brock Caraboa (3rd season)
Home stadium	Braly Municipal Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 United Athletic Conference standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 3 Tarleton State		4	–	0					8	–	0
No. 23 Abilene Christian		3	–	1					4	–	4
Central Arkansas		2	–	1					3	–	4
No. 25 Austin Peay		2	–	2					4	–	3
West Georgia*		2	–	3					5	–	3
North Alabama		1	–	2					2	–	5
Southern Utah		1	–	2					2	–	5
Eastern Kentucky		1	–	2					3	–	4
Utah Tech		0	–	3					1	–	6
* – Ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. As of October 22, 2025 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 North Alabama Lions football team represent the University of North Alabama as a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Lions are led by third-year head coach Brent Dearmon and play their home games at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama.

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

The Lions lost six players to the transfer portal. ^{[1] [2]}

Player	Position	New school
Christopher Burnett	DB	Alcorn State
Shaun Myers	LB	Colorado
Edwin White Schultz	S	Keiser
Mickel Clay	OL	West Virginia
La'Charles Taylor	OL	Western Carolina
Ashaad Williams	CB	Wake Forest

Incoming

The Lions added nine players from the transfer portal. ^{[1] [3]}

Player	Position	Previous school
Lance Bassett	DT	Kansas
Noah Bolticoff	OL	Indiana
Christian Burkhalter	TE	Georgia Tech
Boubacar Diakate	DL	Vanderbilt
Brian Dilworth	DB	Kansas
Jamari Payne	EDGE	Purdue
LT Sanders	RB	Western Kentucky
Ian Vachon	PK	Auburn
Destin Wade	QB	Colorado

Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2025)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals commits". Rivals. Retrieved March 3, 2025. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 3, 2025. "247Sports commits". 247Sports. Retrieved March 3, 2025.

Schedule

North Alabama's 2025 schedule features twelve games, five at home and seven away. The season started with the Lions' first ever meeting against Western Kentucky on August 30. The schedule also sees UNA's first matchup against Northeastern State on September 13. Other notable games include conference matchups against Utah Tech and West Georgia. On November 1, UNA will play their first ever away game against Utah Tech as both the 2023 and 2024 games were played in Florence, Alabama. The next week, on November 8, the Lions will host the West Georgia Wolves at Braly Municipal Stadium for the first time since 2016, when both were still NCAA Division II programs and members of the Gulf South Conference. ^[4]

The November 22 matchup against Southern Utah is slated to be the Lions' last game at Braly Stadium before moving to Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium in 2026. ^[5]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:00 p.m.	at Western Kentucky *	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN+	L 6–55	12,226
September 6	6:00 p.m.	at Southeast Missouri State *	Houck Stadium Cape Girardeau, MO	ESPN+	L 21–30	3,890
September 13	6:00 p.m.	Northeastern State *	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	ESPN+	W 49–21	9,739
September 20	12:00 p.m.	at No. 6 Illinois State *	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	ESPN+	L 36–38 2OT	11,287
October 4	2:00 p.m.	at No. 19 Abilene Christian	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ESPN+	L 23–52	7,377
October 11	3:00 p.m.	Central Arkansas	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	ESPN+	L 21–49	9,125
October 18	6:00 p.m.	Eastern Kentucky	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	ESPN+	W 35–14	8,922
October 25	3:00 p.m.	at No. 25 Austin Peay	Fortera Stadium Clarksville, TN	ESPN+
November 1	3:00 p.m.	at Utah Tech	Greater Zion Stadium St. George, UT	ESPN+
November 8	3:00 p.m.	West Georgia	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	ESPN+
November 15	6:00 p.m.	at Tarleton State	Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	ESPN+
November 22	1:00 p.m.	Southern Utah	Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, AL	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^{[6] [7] [8]}

Game summaries

at Western Kentucky (FBS)

See also: 2025 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

North Alabama Lions (0-0) vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (FBS) (1-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	6	0	0	0	6
Hilltoppers (FBS)	14	28	3	10	55

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium • Bowling Green, KY

• Date: August 30
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• Game weather: Weather: Sunny • Temp: 78 °F (26 °C)
• Game attendance: 12,226
• Referee: Douglas Mercer
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jesse Ough (play-by-play) and Terry Obee (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter (11:58) WKU – George Hart III 1-yard run (John Cannon kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 1:55; WKU 7-0) (5:58) UNA – Ian Vachon 25-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 5:54; WKU 7-3) (5:58) UNA – Ian Vachon 47-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 2:50; WKU 7-6) (11:58) WKU – Quincy Burroughs 9-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (John Cannon kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:00; WKU 14-6) Second Quarter (8:24) WKU – Jairus Mack 20-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (John Cannon kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:01; WKU 21-6) (5:34) WKU – K.D. Hutchinson 78-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (John Cannon kick) (Drive: 1 play, 78 yards, 0:12; WKU 28-6) (2:25) WKU – K.D. Hutchinson 12-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (John Cannon kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 1:46; WKU 35-6) (0:48) WKU – Matthew Henry 14-yard pass from Maverick McIvor (John Cannon kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 0:59; WKU 42-6) Third Quarter (0:48) WKU – John Cannon 46-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 3:58; WKU 45-6) Fourth Quarter (14:50) WKU – Marvin Sims 14-yard pass from Rodney Tisdale Jr (John Cannon kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 0:18; WKU 52-6) (6:30) WKU – John Cannon 43-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 5:18; WKU 55-6)

Statistics	UNA	WKU
First downs	17	26
Total yards	258	563
Rushing yards	153	164
Passing yards	105	399
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–37–0	30–39–0
Time of possession	32:21	27:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing	Ari Patu	11/20, 86 yards
	Rushing	Destin Wade	5 carries, 34 yards
	Receiving	Justin Pegues	5 receptions, 52 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Maverick McIvor	24/31, 305 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Jaden McGill	9 carries, 46 yards
	Receiving	K.D. Hutchinson	5 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TD

at Southeast Missouri State

See also: 2025 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
0–1	August 24, 2024	Southeast Missouri State	15–37

North Alabama Lions (0-1) vs. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks (0-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	7	0	0	14	21
Redhawks	0	13	10	7	30

at Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO

• Date: September 6
• Game time: 6:00 PM CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Erik Sean (play-by-play) and Rick Wieser (analyst)

Statistics	UNA	SEMO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Southeast Missouri State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northeastern State (DII)

See also: Northeastern State RiverHawks football

Northeastern State RiverHawks (DII) (1-1) vs. North Alabama Lions (0-2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
RiverHawks (DII)	0	8	13	0	21
Lions	14	23	9	3	49

at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, AL

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 86 °F (30 °C) • Wind: SE at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
• Game attendance: 9,739
• Referee: Andrew Ison
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Benjamin Ray (play-by-play), Bryan Neece (analyst) and Lynden Blake (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter (8:41) UNA – Jayvian Allen 6-yard run (Ian Vachon kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 3:53; UNA 7-0) (4:32) UNA – Jalyn Daniels 36-yard run (Ian Vachon kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 1:57; UNA 14-0) Second Quarter (12:45) UNA – Ian Vachon 22-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:12; UNA 17-0) (5:49) UNA – Jayvian Allen 2-yard run (Ian Vachon kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 4:58; UNA 24-0) (2:55) UNA – L.T. Sanders 1-yard run (Ian Vachon kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 2:42; UNA 31-0) (1:30) NEOS – Ramon McKinney Jr 64-yard pass from Dereun Dortch (Deuce Roberson rush) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:25; UNA 31-8) (0:06) UNA – Noah Gregg 3-yard pass from Destin Wade (Ian Vachon kick no good) (Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 2:42; UNA 37-8) Third Quarter (11:55) UNA – Ian Vachon 27-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:00; UNA 40-8) (8:40) UNA – Jalen Fletcher 6-yard run (Ian Vachon kick no good) (Drive: 4 plays, 38 yards, 1:53; UNA 46-8) (7:46) NEOS – Deuce Roberson 46-yard pass from Donnie Smith (Troy Nguyen kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 0:48; UNA 46-15) (3:57) NEOS – Cam Woods 28-yard pass from Donnie Smith (Two point conversion failed) (Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:59; UNA 46-21) Fourth Quarter (1:51) UNA – Ian Vachon 55-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 1 yards, 1:32; UNA 49-21)

Statistics	NEOS	UNA
First downs	16	19
Total yards	379	500
Rushing yards	17	301
Passing yards	362	199
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23–51–2	14–22–0
Time of possession	25:18	34:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northeastern State	Passing	Donnie Smith	18/35, 222 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ramon McKinney Jr	8 carries, 36 yards
	Receiving	Ramon McKinney Jr	5 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
North Alabama	Passing	Destin Wade	11/15, 161 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jayvian Allen	8 carries, 91 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kaleb Heatherly	3 receptions, 68 yards

at No. 6 Illinois State

See also: 2025 Illinois State Redbirds football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
0–1	September 7, 2024	Illinois State	17–24

North Alabama Lions (1-2) vs. No. 6 Illinois State Redbirds (2-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Lions	0	7	7	13	3	6	36
No. 6 Redbirds	3	14	7	3	3	8	38

at Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 12:00 PM CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C)
• Game attendance: 11,287
• Referee: John Shay
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Kurt Pegler (play-by-play), Clay Harbor (analyst) and Kalia Butler (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter (5:18) ILST – Matt Maldonado 42-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 1:50; ILST 3-0) Second Quarter (14:21) ILST – Wenkers Wright 38-yard run (Matt Maldonado kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:00; ILST 10-0) (9:42) ILST – Luke Mailander 10-yard pass from Tommy Rittenhouse (Matt Maldonado kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:05; ILST 17-0) (0:09) UNA – Noah Gregg 10-yard pass from Ari Patu (Ian Vachon kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 0:22; ILST 17-7) Third Quarter (9:24) UNA – Jayvian Allen 1-yard run (Ian Vachon kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 4:08; ILST 17-14) (1:54) ILST – Daniel Sobkowicz 6-yard pass from Tommy Rittenhouse (Matt Maldonado kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 2:52; ILST 24-14) Fourth Quarter (5:54) UNA – Justin Pegues 39-yard pass from Ari Patu (Ian Vachon kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 90 yards, 5:26; ILST 24-21) (2:36) ILST – Matt Maldonado 51-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:06; ILST 27-21) (0:33) UNA – KJ Fields 25-yard pass from Ari Patu (Ian Vachon kick no good) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:03; Tied 27-27) Overtime UNA – Ian Vachon 42-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 1 yards; UNA 30-27) ILST – Matt Maldonado 38-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards; Tied 30-30) Double overtime ILST – Daniel Sobkowicz 25-yard pass from Tommy Rittenhouse (Daniel Sobkowicz pass) (Drive: 1 play, 25 yards; ILST 38-30) UNA – Justin Pegues 18-yard pass from Ari Patu (Two point conversion failed) (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards; ILST 38-36)

Statistics	UNA	ILST
First downs	24	29
Total yards	409	506
Rushing yards	144	217
Passing yards	265	289
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22–37–1	21–37–0
Time of possession	30:30	29:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing	Ari Patu	17/31, 243 yards, 4 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ari Patu	14 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	KJ Fields	7 receptions, 94 yards, TD
Illinois State	Passing	Tommy Rittenhouse	20/36, 250 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Tommy Rittenhouse	9 carries, 89 yards
	Receiving	Daniel Sobkowicz	10 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TD

at No. 19 Abilene Christian

See also: 2025 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
2–1	October 7, 2024	North Alabama	47–34

North Alabama Lions (1-3) vs. No. 19 Abilene Christian Wildcats (2-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	7	3	13	23
No. 19 Wildcats	14	14	17	7	52

at Wildcat Stadium • Abilene, TX

• Date: October 4
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Andy Penney (play-by-play) and Jim Reese (analyst)

Statistics	UNA	ACU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Abilene Christian	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Central Arkansas

See also: 2025 Central Arkansas Bears football team

Central Arkansas Bears (2-4) vs. North Alabama Lions (1-4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	28	7	7	49
Lions	7	7	0	7	21

at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, AL

• Date: October 11

Statistics	CARK	UNA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Central Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Eastern Kentucky

See also: 2025 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

Eastern Kentucky Colonels (3-3) vs. North Alabama Lions (1-5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Colonels	-	-	-	-	0
Lions	-	-	-	-	0

at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, AL

• Date: October 18

Statistics	EKU	UNA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Eastern Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 25 Austin Peay

See also: 2025 Austin Peay Governors football team

North Alabama Lions (2-5) vs. No. 25 Austin Peay Governors (4-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	-	-	-	-	0
No. 25 Governors	-	-	-	-	0

at Fortera Stadium • Clarksville, TN

• Date: October 25

Statistics	UNA	APSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Austin Peay	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Utah Tech

See also: 2025 Utah Tech Trailblazers football team

North Alabama Lions (0-0) vs. Utah Tech Trailblazers (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	-	-	-	-	0
Trailblazers	-	-	-	-	0

at Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT

• Date: November 1
• Game time: 2:00 PM MDT

Statistics	UNA	UTU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Utah Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

West Georgia

See also: 2025 West Georgia Wolves football team

West Georgia Wolves (0-0) vs. North Alabama Lions (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolves	-	-	-	-	0
Lions	-	-	-	-	0

at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, AL

• Date: November 8

Statistics	UWG	UNA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Georgia	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Tarleton State

See also: 2025 Tarleton State Texans football team

North Alabama Lions (0-0) vs. Tarleton State Texans (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	-	-	-	-	0
Texans	-	-	-	-	0

at Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX

• Date: November 15

Statistics	UNA	TAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Southern Utah

See also: 2025 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

Southern Utah Thunderbirds (0-0) vs. North Alabama Lions (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thunderbirds	-	-	-	-	0
Lions	-	-	-	-	0

at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, AL

• Date: November 22

Statistics	SUU	UNA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Utah	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Alabama	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. Herder, Sam (January 11, 2025). "2025 FCS-to-FCS Transfers" . Retrieved March 3, 2025.
2. Herder, Sam (January 11, 2025). "2025 FCS-to-FBS Transfers" . Retrieved March 3, 2025.
3. Herder, Sam (January 11, 2025). "2025 FBS-to-FCS Transfers" . Retrieved March 3, 2025.
4. "2025 North Alabama Football Record Book and Media Guide" (PDF). UNA Athletics. May 15, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
5. "Lions announce 2025 football schedule". UNA Athletics. December 2, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
6. Kelley, Kevin (December 2, 2024). "North Alabama announces 2025 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
7. Kelley, Kevin (December 2, 2024). "2025 UAC football schedule announced". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
8. "UNA Releases 2025 Football". Courier Journal. January 7, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.