MSFA Places six in latest NAIA Coaches Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Six MSFA programs were recognized in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced on Monday.

Indiana Wesleyan continues to lead the way for the Association, moving up one spot up to No. 5.

Marian remains in the top 25, climbing two spots up to No. 21.

After a Week 0 loss to Campbellsville (Ky.), Saint Francis (Ind.) fell out of the top 25 in the latest edition of the poll, but are still one of four MSFA teams receiving votes. The Cougars (45 points) join Taylor (29), St. Francis (Ill.) (6), and Olivet Nazarene (2) in the rankings.

Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Leaps into Top 10, Grand View (Iowa) Remains No. 1 in NAIA Football Top 25
Sep 15, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Grand View (Iowa) collected all 16 first-place votes and is the unanimous No. 1 in the first regular-season edition of the 2025 Netting Professionals NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, starting its season with wins over now-No. 3 Benedictine (Kan.) and Missouri Baptist.

Keiser (Fla.) retained its position at No. 2, while Benedictine and Morningside (Iowa) changed places at No. 3 and No. 4, following BC’s four-point win over Morningside on Aug. 30. The top 10 also saw three new entries, as Montana Tech moved from No. 11 to No. 7, Friends (Kan.) went from No. 12 to No. 8, and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) joined the poll for the first time in 2025 at No. 10.

1. Grand View (Iowa)

Record: 2-0

This Week: at (RV) Baker (Kan.)

The Vikings forced three Benedictine turnovers in a 27-24 win to begin the season, and last week, Grand View was impressive in a 49-17 win over Missouri Baptist. The Vikings go on the road for the first time in 2025, led by Jackson Waring’s four passing touchdowns and a ground attack featuring Dalten Van Pelt, who has scored three of GVU’s four touchdowns on the ground.

2. Keiser (Fla.)

Record: 2-0

This Week: at (RV) Cumberlands (Ky.)

Keiser picked up a season-opening top-10 win, beating now-No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan 38-31 on the road led by Jaden Miller’s 140 yards and four touchdowns. The Seahawks also got into the win column in an unusual way Saturday, leading Bethel (Tenn.) before weather settled in.

3. Benedictine (Kan.)

Record: 2-1

This Week: at Clarke (Iowa)

The Ravens have played one of the NAIA’s most challenging early-season schedules, beating then-No. 3, current No. 4 Morningside to begin the year, followed by a loss at No. 1 Grand View, where BC out-gained the top-ranked Vikings 436-303. Jackson Dooley has eight passing touchdowns for Benedictine, and the Ravens got to 2-1 last week by outscoring Graceland (Iowa), 52-29.

4. Morningside (Iowa)

Record: 1-1

This Week: vs. Midland (Neb.)

The Mustangs play at home for the first time in 2025, Saturday, after rebounding from a tough loss at Benedictine with a 58-17 win at cross-town rival Briar Cliff (Iowa) on Sept. 6. Zach Chevalier averages 363 yards per game through the air, second-best in the NAIA, adding a 67 percent completion percentage.

5. Indiana Wesleyan

Record: 2-1

This Week: vs. (RV) Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)

Indiana Wesleyan bounced back in a big way after a season-opening loss to No. 2 Keiser, totaling 110 points over its next two games, including last week’s 79-21 win over Judson (Ill.) that saw returner Drew Dutton take two kickoffs to the house, accounting for 170 return yards, the first IWU player in school history with two return touchdowns in a single game.

6. Georgetown (Ky.)

Record: 3-0

This Week: at No. 14 St. Thomas (Fla.) – NAIA-UEN Featured Series

Georgetown began the season with a 35-17 win over (RV) Pikeville (Ky.), and since that win, the Tigers have rolled, averaging more than 46 points per game in wins over Rio Grande (Ohio) and Warner (Fla.). The Tigers boast the second-most touchdown passes in the NAIA, thrown by three different quarterbacks. Justice Burnham has seen the majority of the work, completing 27-of-48 for 399 yards and five of Georgetown’s nine passing touchdowns.

7. Montana Tech

Record: 3-0

This Week: at No. 23 Southern Oregon

Montana Tech has another Top 25 test Saturday, its third of the 2025 season already, traveling to No. 23 Southern Oregon. The Orediggers beat then-No. 5 Montana Western back on Aug. 28, followed by wins over No. 25 Carroll (Mont.) and Rocky Mountain (Mont.). Wykece Johnson leads the NAIA in total rushing yards (484) and rushing attempts (85), scoring five times on the ground with the association’s second-best rushing average at 161.3 yards per game.

8. Friends (Kan.)

Record: 3-0

This Week: at Tabor (Kan.)

The Falcons have been dominant, including Saturday’s 62-0 win over Bethel (Kan.). Friends outscores opponents 66-7, on average, totaling an NAIA-best 197 points. Friends has an NAIA-best 28 touchdowns as a team, led by quarterback K’Vonte Baker, who has a passing touchdown, one of his 10 scores on the year. Baker has found the end zone nine times on the ground, leading a group of 11 Falcons with at least one rushing touchdown this season.

9. Montana Western

Record: 1-1

This Week: at Rocky Mountain (Mont.)

The Bulldogs come off a bye week to meet Rocky Mountain, Saturday, two weeks after beating Montana State-Northern 52-0. That win was a rebound for UMW, after the Bulldogs fell 38-27 to now-No. 7 Montana Tech on Aug. 28. As a team, Montana Western is the NAIA’s second-best team on third down, converting 59 percent, and quarterback Michael Palandri averages nearly 360 yards per game in the air, boasting a 76.5 completion percentage on 52-of-68 passing.

10. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)

Record: 3-0

This Week: at (RV) Reinhardt (Ga.)

The Blue Raiders made their ascent into the top 10 after starting the year unranked, gaining attention quickly with double-digit wins over then-No. 10 Texas Wesleyan and then-No. 8 St. Thomas (Fla.). Lindsey Wilson quarterbacks have thrown for a dozen touchdown passes, best in the NAIA, eight from Tate Rice. Khia Sherrard has hauled in half of those touchdown receptions, six, averaging 120.7 yards per game, and more impressively, 30.2 yards per catch.

Trend Rank Last Poll Insitution [1st Place Votes] Record Points
● 1 1 Grand View (Iowa) [16] 2-0 436
● 2 2 Keiser (Fla.) 2-0 422
▲ 3 4 Benedictine (Kan.) 2-1 405
▼ 4 3 Morningside (Iowa) 1-1 389
▲ 5 6 Indiana Wesleyan 2-1 372
▲ 6 9 Georgetown (Ky.) 3-0 357
▲ 7 11 Montana Tech 3-0 351
▲ 8 12 Friends (Kan.) 3-0 327
▼ 9 5 Montana Western 1-1 322
▲ 10 NR Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 3-0 318
▲ 11 13 Dickinson State (N.D.) 2-0 274
▲ 12 15 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 3-0 264
▲ 13 17 Southeastern (Fla.) 2-0 250
▼ 14 8 St. Thomas (Fla.) 1-1 243
▼ 15 7 Northwestern (Iowa) 1-1 230
▲ 16 20 Campbellsville (Ky.) 3-0 221
▲ 17 19 Dordt (Iowa) 2-0 216
● 18 18 OUAZ (Ariz.) 2-0 201
▼ 19 10 Texas Wesleyan 1-1 187
▼ 20 14 Southwestern (Kan.) 2-1 144
▲ 21 23 Marian (Ind.) 2-1 141
▲ 22 RV Evangel (Mo.) 3-0 133
▼ 23 21 Concordia (Neb.) 2-0 126
▼ 24 22 Southern Oregon 1-1 98
● 25 25 Carroll (Mont.) 1-1 80
Receiving Votes: College of Idaho 77, Cumberland (Tenn.) 53, Mount Marty (S.D.) 52, Saint Francis (Ind.) 45, Kansas Wesleyan 31, Taylor (Ind.) 29, Cumberlands (Ky.) 13, Baker (Kan.) 7, St. Francis (Ill.) 6, William Penn (Iowa) 5, Peru State (Neb.) 2, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 2, Pikeville (Ky.) 2.

Poll Methodology
The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
Teams receiving only one point are not listed as “receiving votes.”
For a complete look at the Netting Professionals NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll throughout the regular season, and for historical rankings, click here.
Key: RV – Receiving Votes, NR – Not Ranked, ▲- Climbed, ▼- Dropped, ● – Steady