The 2025 Great Lakes Valley Conference Coaches' Preseason Poll has been released and the Upper Iowa Peacocks have been picked to finish third in 2025. The season marks UIU's third year in the GLVC. The University of Indianapolis was voted the unanimous choice to win the GLVC title by the league's nine head coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own team, per GLVC Bylaws.
 
2025 GLVC Football Coaches' Preseason Poll…
 

Place	School	Points (first-place votes)
1.	Indianapolis	64 (8)
2.	Truman State	57 (1)
3.	Upper Iowa	43
4.	Quincy	39
5.	McKendree	37
6.	Missouri S&T	35
7.	William Jewell	25
8.	Southwest Baptist	15
9.	Lincoln	9

Quick Look in the Rearview Mirror… Upper Iowa concluded its 2024 football campaign in a tie for second place in the GLVC standings with Truman State University with an overall record of 7-4 (6-2 GLVC) marking its first seven-win season since 1997. The Peacocks tied for second place in the league after being picked eighth in the preseason poll. The program ranked first in NCAA DII in blocked kicks with 10. Across the conference, the Peacocks finished second in both defensive touchdowns with two and passes intercepted with 12.
  
2024 All-GLVC Performers… The Upper Iowa football program saw 16 members earn All-GLVC postseason awards: one first team member, nine second team members and six earning honorable mention selections. Rhett Smith was the lone Peacock to earn the All-GLVC First Team accolade. Smith totaled 26 tackles on the season, had four pass breakups, one recovered fumble and tallied six tackles for a loss of 36 yards. The defensive lineman also recorded a 28-yard rush against Quincy on a fake punt.
 
Upper Iowa's Second Team members were Jayden Mitchell, Mante Morrow, Klay Seehase, Nathan Behne, Eddy Latanauskas, Michael Mulherin, Trevor Thompson, Zacarius Murray and Ben Kamara. Mitchell and Morrow helped pace the Peacock offense, as Mitchell led the team with 73 rushing yards per contest, and Morrow averaged over 48 yards receiving each game. Nathan Behne went 6-6 on field goals this season, with his longest conversion from 41 yards out. Klay Seehase was a part of the team's offensive line, while the remainder of the Second Team honorees were all a part of a tough-nosed Peacock defense. Mulherin led the team with 71 tackles on the season and added one interception and one blocked kick. Thompson followed behind with 65 tackles on the year and nabbed two interceptions. Latanauskas led the nation in across all divisions in blocked kicks with seven. The defensive backs Murray and Kamara each grabbed two interceptions on the year, including a pick-six in the team's win against Concordia, St. Paul.
 
The Honorable Mention picks were Nick Perry, RJ Wells, Darryl Overstreet Jr., Baxter Bohr, Braden Powers and Avery Dixon. Bohr was also the team's James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honoree
 
The 2025 Schedule… Upper Iowa football's 2025 schedule consists of five home games at Harms-Eischeid Stadium and six road games across the Midwest. The season will kick off at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on Aug. 28. Drake, a Division I NCAA program, is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference whose football program competes in the Pioneer League. Home games include a non-conference match up against South Dakota School of Mines on Sep. 13, while GLVC action begins at home on Sept. 27 against Lincoln as part of the University's Homecoming celebrations. The final three home games are on Oct. 18 with Southwest Baptist University, Nov. 1 against McKendree University and Nov. 8 versus Quincy University. The opponents on the road after Drake include Michigan Tech University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Truman State University, William Jewell College, and the University of Indianapolis.
  
Quest for the Title… The 2025 GLVC Champion will be determined by the results of the round-robin league schedule. Co-Champions will be named in the result of a tie, which has happened once since football became a Conference-sponsored sport in 2012 when Southwest Baptist and Truman shared the crown in 2016.