Give to Peacock Football &
Become a Gridiron Club Member
The Peacock football team went 9-3 (6-2 GLVC) for the program’s first nine-win season in program history. UIU won 16 games over the past two seasons, also marking the most in program history. Upper Iowa finished the season 5-0 at Harms-Eischeid Stadium, posting the first undefeated home season in the Division II era. The team was also featured in the regional rankings for the first time in program history, making it as high as No. 7. Upper Iowa earned a bid to the Albanese Candy Bowl and defeated Hillsdale (Mich.), 37-28, marking the first bowl win in the 132-year program history. Quarterback Darryl Overstreet Jr. earned Offensive MVP, throwing for 331 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Defensive lineman Eddy Latanauskas was the Defensive MVP with 1.5 sacks and an interception.
Senior tight end Eddie Burgess was an AFCA Second Team All-American selection. He became the second AFCA All-American selection in program history, with the last coming in 2015. Burgess totaled 641 receiving yards in 2025, ranking fifth nationally. The program had 17 members earn All-GLVC postseason accolades, including kicker/punter Nathan Behne, who was named Co-Special Teams Player of the Year. Upper Iowa totaled five First Team selections, six Second Team selections, and six Honorable Mentions. Behne became the first conference player of the year since running back Chris Smith earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Year in 2011. He is the first Special Teams Player of the Year in program history. He was 9-of-13 on field goals, going 5-of-5 beyond 40 yards with a career-long of 51. The sophomore had a GLVC-leading punt average of 43.3 yards with 11 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Burgess, Mante Morrow, Tade Parsons, Shaquille Roman, and Klay Seehase earned All-GLVC First Team honors. Morrow and Burgess earned this honor for the second time after being named All-GLVC First Team in 2023.
Morrow was also a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the Division II College Football Player of the Year. He also became the first player since 2015 to earn D2CCA First Team All-Region accolades. He totaled 1,007 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns, totaling a career-high in both categories. He ranked sixth in the country in receiving touchdowns and ninth in receiving yards per game. Morrow also had the third-most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a season in program history. His highlight game was against South Dakota Mines, recording a career-high 216 yards and four receiving touchdowns. Morrow earned D2Football.com Player of the Week after that performance, making him the first player to earn the honor for the program since 2007.
Connor Andresen, Behne, Avery Dixon, Jayden Gordon, Latanauskas, and Yashua Pettis-Taylor earned All-GLVC Second Team. The honorable mentions for the Peacocks were Evan Dorn, Demontay Mack, Ryan McDonough, Overstreet Jr., Nick Perry, and Trevor Thompson.
Overstreet Jr. was named the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honoree for the Peacocks. The senior quarterback was 248-of-344 (72.09%) for 2,798 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air. He had the second-best completion percentage in the nation and the 20th-highest passing efficiency rating (158.4).
Gordon paced the Peacock rushing attack with 640 yards and seven touchdowns. He was helped by the offensive line, which had four out of five members earn All-GLVC accolades. Seehase led the Peacocks at left tackle, only allowing three pressures and a sack in 2025. The UIU offensive line allowed 1.17 sacks and 3.73 tackles for loss per game, both leading the GLVC and ranking 23rd and eighth nationally, respectively.
On defense, Roman was a stud up front with 45 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 12 tackles-for-loss, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception. He was named the team’s “Ultimate Peacock,” which is given to the player who embodies the core values of the team the best.
Dorn led the team in tackles with 92, making a career-high 18 against McKendree. Parsons had 71 tackles with a team-high three interceptions and seven pass breakups. Thompson was second on the team in tackles with 75, while Pettis-Taylor was fourth with 57.
The Peacocks earned seven GLVC Player of the Week awards during the season. Behne, Morrow, Overstreet Jr., Roman, and Thompson were all honored, with Behne and Roman earning the award twice.
The Gridiron Club is an exclusive club of UIU football alumni, current parents, players, and friends of the program. Each year, members are recognized and listed here...
2025-26 Gridiron Club Members
| As of Dec. 23, 2025... the 2025-26 Gridiron Club has raised... |
| $45,285.00 |
The continued goal of the Gridiron Club is to support three areas of need;
The Player's Lounge
The players have a dedicated lounge in Edgar Fine Arts, but are in need of pieces of entertainment and furniture to make it feel more like a home away from home.
Practice Equipment
The team needs new sleds, tackling dummies, and position specific training equipment.
More Gear for Current Players
The team would love to get travel gear for the players to represent Upper Iowa and the football program on the road.
Gridiron Club Membership Benefits
For donations of $1-$249... members will receive the newsletter, a weekly video interview during the season, and a monthly video in the off-season with Head Coach Jason Hoskins.
Note: Any Football Alumni Donors will receive a thank you letter from a current player and a helmet sticker.
For donations of $250-$999 or more... members will receive the newsletter and the video interview and be invited to a monthly Zoom call with Head Coach Jason Hoskins and select players from the team.
For donations of $1,000-$2,499…. members will receive all the perks above, plus membership recognition on the video board during each home football game and exclusive Upper Iowa football gear.
For donations of $2,500+,… members will receive all the perks above, plus VIP Suite Access at Harms-Eischeid Stadium for all home football games.
Please contact Howie Thompson at thompsonh@uiu.edu or by calling 563-425-5307 with any questions
Thanks for supporting your Peacocks!
