Drake Football is coming off its two most successful seasons in their history winning the FCS Pioneer League in 2023 and 2024 which included their first ever FCS playoff appearances.
Success on the football field opened the door for Coach Todd Stepsis to be named head coach at the University of Northern Iowa Panthers (UNI). That coaching move opened the door for one of the top NAIA coaches in the Country to move a long way (I mean long walk…) to take over the Bulldog Football Program.
Joe Woodley took the head coaching job after leading the Grandview University Vikings to their second NAIA National Title. The Vikings play their home games just 4 miles east on University Ave at Williams Stadium in Des Moines so the move was I would guess the shortest move any college head coach in the US made this off season.
Coach Joe Woodley guided the Grandview University Vikings to a perfect season in 2024, and the Vikings won their second NAIA football national championship. In his six seasons as head coach, Woodley led the Vikings to the NAIA quarterfinals twice, the NAIA semifinals twice, and two NAIA title games. A 72-5 record that included never losing a regular-season game. I had the chance to see Grandview play twice last year in person, and they were dominant (they only had one game that was within a touchdown all year).
Joe’s father Mike Woodley led Grandview to their first NAIA title, and his four sons played and coached football and basketball at many schools, including St. Ambrose, Drake, UNI, Iowa State, and more. Drake is getting an Iowa brand name to lead their football program in 2025.
So, Coach Woodley a proven head coach from arguably the top NAIA program in the country takes over one of the top football programs in the Pioneer league (the only non-schlorship FCS league in the country). It will be fun to watch what that means for Drake and Grand View University this fall and in the future.
The upcoming 2025 season marks the 33rd year of the Pioneer Football League. The league has 11 teams, each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship.
The University of San Diego has been chosen as the Pioneer Football League’s preseason favorite in the league’s 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released on July, 27th, 2025.
*Source: Pioneer Football League Preseason Press release 7.27.25
San Diego picked up five first-place votes and was not ranked lower than third by any of the league’s head coaches to earn the poll’s top spot with 94 points.
Drake, the 2024 PFL Champion, was first on three ballots and was picked in the top three on six ballots to earn second in the poll with 78 points. St. Thomas, with 72 points, including a first-place vote, was third with 72 points.
In 2024, Drake Football went 8-3 including winning the Pioneer League championship and the Bulldogs earned the automatic berth in the NCAA FCS Football Playoffs where they lost in the first round to Tarelton State. Drake also won the Pioneer League title (and their first FCS playoff berth) in 2023 and is the two-time defending league champions.
The Bulldogs open the season on Thursday, August 28th in Des Moines against Iowa’s Only Division 2 NCAA Football team the Upper Iowa Peacocks from Elkader, IA who are coming off arguably their best DII season ever (we will be writing about the Peacocks more as we get closer to the season start).
I am excited to drive over to Drake Stadium and see that opening night clash as the Joe Woodley era kicks off, and watch the many Iowa High School Football stars on each roster suit up for the Peacocks and Bulldogs.
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