Head Coach: Ryan Beard is entering his 3rd season as the head coach of the Beard with a 12-11 record. He took over for Bobby Petrino as the head coach and it took only until his 2nd season to find success, the 8 win season last year was the Bears best record since 1990.
Program Outlook: It’s an exciting new era for Missouri State football as they begin their first year at the FBS level. It was a move that was met with some skepticism as the Bears haven’t seen a lot of historical success, but last season showed this program is gaining momentum at the right time. Missouri has always been a State that feels populated enough to support another FBS program so it’s an exciting time to see that. A thrilling era is ahead for Missouri State.
How does the 2025 Roster look?: Missouri State ranks 129th in the country returning 33% of their production per Punt and Rally’s returning production rankings. This ranking is low due to them transitioning with FCS players, there’s a decent contingent back. Key players starts with QB Jacob Clark, he’s a real gamer, even when dealing with pressure he can deliver throws to his receivers. He might be one of the best QBs in CUSA instantly. He’s going to have options immediately with receivers Jmariyae Robinson and James BlackStrain. They also complimented them with some portal options. They have some good portal players in at RB with Shomari Lawrence (FIU) carrying the load and Josh Joyner (Washington State) who will operate as a receiver and change of pace back. The defensive will be led by the defensive line that played well last year, Davon Townley and Caleb Dietlin both return after making plays last year. They will also have Oregon State transfer DJ Wesolak who could end up leading the way. Safety JJ O’Neal is the most experienced option back in the secondary and Dylan Dixson makes plays too. They will need the portal to help in the rest of the spots but there’s some confidence it will come together. The question marks on defense will be primarily the linebackers where they took a lot of hits from the portal. On offense they have some experience on the Oline but when taking a step up it’s always a concern plus Jacob Clark frequently didn’t have enough time to throw last year.
Screenshot from FBSchedules.com
2025 Schedule Thoughts: Missouri State’s first FBS schedule will be challenging. The non-conference is headlined by opening road games at USC, plus Marshall and hosting SMU as their FBS home opener is extremely awesome but also very difficult. Missouri State then hosts UT Martin, the Skyhawks made it to the second round of the FCS playoffs last year but Missouri State did beat them on the road, it was a huge moment for the Bears that showed they were for real in 2024. In CUSA play, Missouri State will avoid Jax State and Sam Houston which is likely helpful but it would have been nice if they got fellow FBS call-up Delaware on the schedule. Overall there’s the opportunity for some wins but it will be challenging.
Final Thoughts: Missouri State’s moment has come, they’re now at the FBS level and more games than ever will be on linear TV. It will be a thrilling time for the Bears. I saw a lot of this time last year when they played at Montana, I didn’t know what to expect of them entering the game but I came away very impressed and I knew at that point they were ready to at least be competitive at the FBS level. Clark gives them a chance in a lot of games, but they’ll need to overcome disadvantages up front to get some wins.
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