Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney football team starts 2025 spring practice on Wednesday, March 26, and will work out for exactly one month.

The Lopers are allotted 15 practices/scrimmages in a 30-day window with the annual spring game set for Saturday, April 26. Two weeks earlier (April 12), UNK will scrimmage Sioux Falls in South Dakota with Easter weekend in between.

The team will workout between 2:40-5 p.m. during the week and 9:30-11:30 a.m. on the one Saturday practice. Extreme weather can change practices dates, and the first few practices are "acclimatization" per NCAA rules. 

Head coach Ryan Held and his staff have a roster of 107 players this spring that includes three returning All-MIAA selections, 10 returning starters (five offense, three defense, two special teams) and 20 mid-year transfers.

UNK went 5-6 (3-6 MIAA) last season, having seven games decided by 10 points or less. The Lopers went 4-2 on the road and will aim to duplicate that success in 2025 as they'll have four out of five road games between Sept. 27-Oct. 25.

Running back Isaiah Harris (Millard South), left guard Wyatt Marr (Lincoln Lutheran) and center Carter Klein (Pleasanton) are the returning all-conference players. Harris ran for 825 yards and seven scores last fall while also catching 19 passes for 195 yards. Marr and Klein were part of a line that had to shuffle positions throughout the year due to injury; four other upperclassmen are part of this position group.

Looking to replace Reagan Jones at quarterback will be redshirt sophomore Abram Scholting (Pierce), redshirt junior Brenden Bush (Bay Point, Calif.) and redshirt freshman Kenneth Smith (Roswell, Ga.) and mid-year transfer Daron Bryden (Enfield, Conn.). Finally on offense, there will be plenty of new faces at both tight end and wide receiver with some of the seniors being Anthony Sabatka (Hastings St. Cecilia) and Tyler Perry (Trenton, Fla.). 

The leading returning tacklers are linebacker Parker Wise (Kearney), corner Jovan Marsh (Robbins, Ill.), lineman Caleb Freeland (Folsom, Calif.) and safety CJ Kuehl (Indianola, Ia.). End Jack Johnson (Kearney) is a returning starter for a unit that allowed 22 points and 363 yards per game while forcing 23 turnovers last fall. On special teams, punter Marty Mormino (Omaha Westside) and kickers Trey Prichard (Monument, Colo.) and Kyle Failing (Port Orchard, Wash.) are back with junior Cole Bauer (Grand Island Senior H.S.) and redshirt freshman Jack Edwards (Kearney) the long snappers.  

UNK reports to fall camp in late July with the season opener set for Thursday, Aug. 28, at Wayne State.



Wednesday, March 26
Thursday, March 27
Friday, March 28
 
Monday, March 31
Wednesday, April 2
Thursday, April 3
Saturday, April 5
 
Monday, April 7
Tuesday, April 8
Thursday, April 10
Saturday, April 12 (2:30 p.m. scrimmage @ U. of Sioux Falls)
 
Tuesday, April 15
Wednesday, April 17
 
Tuesday, April 22
Saturday, April 26 (1 p.m. spring game)