Burnsville, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released the 2025 Preseason Football Coaches' Poll today with the return of divisional selections alongside the overall. Northern State was picked eighth overall with 84 points and fourth in the North Division with 20 points. In addition,
Jake Adams was named the North Division's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and defensive player to watch, while
Daniel Britt was selected as the team's offensive player to watch.
In 2025, the NSIC returns to 14 teams with the addition of the University of Jamestown. The schedule will be broken into
two divisions (north/south). Each team will play ten conference games that will count towards the NSIC Overall Championship, of which six divisional games will count towards the NSIC North/South Division Championships. In all, three league champions will be awarded (Overall Champion, North Division Champion, South Division Champion).Ties will not be broken for overall or division champions. The Wolves are slated for six home contests in 2025, including five NSIC kicks. To view the full 2025 schedule
CLICK HERE.
LOOKING BACK AT 2024
The 2024 Northern State football team went 6-5 overall and closed out the season winning six of their last seven games. Four Wolves were honored on the NSIC All-Conference teams and
Jake Adams went on to grab two All-American honors and recognition from D2Football.com. Two were honored on the CSC Academic All-District team. The Wolves tallied wins over Winona State, (RV) Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Southwest Minnesota State, Concordia-St. Paul, and Wayne State.
Jake Adams earned the first All-American honors of his career, named to the D2CCA first team in 2024, marking him as the first defensive first team All-American for the Wolves in the NCAA Division II era. He was also honored on the AP second team. Adams started all 11 games for the Wolves in 2024 and led the team and NSIC with 147 tackles. His 100-plus mark broke the single season school record of 111 set by Steve Espinoza in 2004. In total he recorded 72 solo stops and 75 assisted, including 6.0 tackles for a loss and 1.0 sack. The Wisconsin native recorded double-digit tackles in seven of the 11 contests this season, including a season high 20 against Minot State and Bemidji State. He finished the season second in the country in total tackles and third in tackles per game. Adams' 2024 honors include NSIC All-Conference first team, D2CCA All-Region first team, D2CCA All-American first team, Associated Press All-American second team, Don Hansen All-American first team, D2Football.com Elite 100, and Walter Camp All-American.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025
Northern heads into the 2025 season with addition of over 40 incoming freshman and transfers. Sideline Sports Nation noted the transfer group, including the mid-year additions announced in February, as the
top transfer portal class in the state.
SCHMIDT'S THOUGHTS
- On the Team: "Finishing the 2024 season with wins in six of our final seven games has built tremendous momentum for our program heading into 2025. We return a strong core of experienced players who have played significant time for us. Our team culture and locker room dynamic are in a great place, with a group of players who believe that NSU football can achieve big things. I'm especially excited about our senior class—though small in number, they're a remarkable group determined to leave a lasting legacy at Northern."
- On Adams: "I have run out of superlatives for Jake Adams and he has two seasons left to play for the Wolves. He is a great player but he is such a great teammate, leader, student, and overall person. He's what you hope your own sons grow up to be like. He is a very humble and kind teammate but also plays with an edge when he steps within the white lines. Jake is likely the only returning First Team All-American in Division II football; all others either graduated or transferred. That says a lot about Jake Adams as a man and a teammate."
- On Britt: "As a head coach, any time you can have a returning QB, you're going to be excited about the season. Daniel Britt really came on strong at the end of the season in 2024. He orchestrated multiple drives in the final minutes of games that contributed to big wins for our program. He led multiple comebacks in the second half of games and showed great leadership and poise. Daniel is an extremely hard worker and deserves every bit of success that he earns."
2025 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
| Overall |
Points |
| 1 |
Minnesota State (11) |
167 |
| 2 |
Augustana (3) |
153 |
| 3 |
Minnesota Duluth |
139 |
| 4 |
Bemidji State |
130 |
| 5 |
Sioux Falls |
129 |
| 6 |
Wayne State |
106 |
| 7 |
MSU Moorhead |
96 |
| 8 |
Northern State |
84 |
| 9 |
Winona State |
77 |
| 10 |
Minot State |
67 |
| 11 |
Concordia-St. Paul |
50 |
| 12 |
University of Mary |
35 |
| 13 |
Southwest Minnesota State |
27 |
| 14 |
Jamestown |
14 |
North Division |
Points |
| 1 |
Bemidji State (4) |
33 |
| |
Minnesota Duluth (3) |
33 |
| 3 |
MSU Moorhead |
26 |
| 4 |
Northern State |
20 |
| 5 |
Minot State |
18 |
| 6 |
University of Mary |
10 |
| 7 |
Jamestown |
7 |
South Division |
Points |
| 1 |
Minnesota State (6) |
36 |
| 2 |
Augustana (1) |
30 |
| 3 |
Sioux Falls |
26 |
| 4 |
Wayne State |
22 |
| 5 |
Winona State |
15 |
| 6 |
Concordia-St. Paul |
12 |
| 7 |
SMSU |
6 |
