Kearney, Neb. – The 116th football season at Nebraska-Kearney begins this weekend when just under 130 student-athletes report to fall camp.

The 2022 Lopers will go through meetings and administrative duties for a couple of days before hitting Foster Field Monday afternoon (Aug. 8) to get the fall officially underway.

This year, fall camp runs from August 8-20 with scrimmages set for Aug. 13 (Sat.), Aug. 20 (Sat) and Aug. 25 (Thurs.). The first two will run from 9-11 a.m. with the last going from 6-8 p.m. All practices and scrimmages are open to the public. The Lopers will typically practice in the morning (9:30-11:30) and then have a walkthrough at night (8:30-9:30) in an effort to avoid the mid-afternoon heat. 

Expectations and excitement are high for a squad coming off a 10-win season, a victory in the NCAA Division II playoffs, a final national ranking of 15th and being home to the Harlon Hill Trophy runner up. The Lopers were recently picked second in both the MIAA preseason coaches' and media polls.

Sixth-year head coach Josh Lynn, architect of "The Rise" and the 2021 MIAA Coach of the Year, also has seen the Kearney Community rally around the program. The annual "Loper Backers" event in April has brought in just over a half million dollars the past two years, helping the Blue & Gold compete with some of the nation's heavyweights.

UNK went 10-3 in 2021, beating Western Colorado in the playoffs and posting a 4-1 mark in games decided by seven points or less. The option-based Lopers ran for 3,313 yards and 34 touchdowns with the defense holding nine opponents under 25 points. While a strong senior class must be replaced, Lynn and his coaching staff have another experienced group back. That includes a large "Covid" senior class (sixth-year players) and the more traditional redshirt seniors (fifth-year players).  

Returning All-MIAA players are quarterback TJ Davis (Colorado Springs), left tackle Kooper Reece (Valentine), left guard Hunter Hays (McCook), running back Montrez Jackson (Trenton, Fla.), safety Darius Swanson (Aurora, Colo.), end Tell Spies (Mullen), inside linebackers Jacey Nutter (Thedford) and Zach Schlager (McCook), outside backer Atoa Fox (San Diego), and punter Hunter Kraus (Taylor).

The Harlon Hill Runner up, Davis accounted for 3,471 yards of offense and 39 touchdowns with Swanson having 98 tackles, four interceptions and seven pass breakups. Subsequently, both earned 2021 All-American honors.

All-American right tackle Corey Hoelck and six other All-MIAA players must be replaced. Thirty-nine newcomers include six transfers from New Mexico Military Institute. NMMI won the 2021 NJCAA National title and is where Lynn got his first head coaching assignment.

UNK has six home games in 2022, highlighted by dates with Pittsburg State (Sept. 8), Fort Hays State (Oct. 1) and Northwest Missouri State (Oct. 29; Homecoming).