I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to pass along some information regarding Stephen F. Austin Football’s historic 2025 regular season as well as invite each of you to Sunday, November 23’s SFA Football FCS Playoff Selection Show Watch Party from inside the Twilight Ballroom on the SFA campus. The show begins at 11 a.m. It is open to the public, and we would love and appreciate your coverage if possible! With that, the ‘Jacks will learn of their postseason appointment and should there be an opening round home game on Saturday, November 29, please reach out to me regarding credentialing. I hope we see you all inside Homer Bryce Stadium!
HISTORICAL SEASON:
- The ‘Jacks secured the outright Southland Conference title; the program’s fifth SLC title and first since 2010
- The ‘Jacks will make their ninth FCS postseason appearance and first since 2021
- SFA is on its first 10-game win streak during a season in program history and it matches the longest win streak ever of ten games across the end of the 1973 campaign and into the 1974 season
- It is the fifth season of 10+ wins in program history as the 2025 ‘Jacks join the 1988, 1989, 1995 and 2009 teams
- SFA produced the program’s first-ever eight-win campaign in league play and the second undefeated conference season joining the 1989 ‘Jacks that finished 5-0-1
- It is the program’s first-ever eight-game win streak in conference action
- The ‘Jacks concluded the regular season 6-0 inside Homer Bryce Stadium; the ninth unbeaten home schedule in program history and third under Carthel
- Head Coach Colby Carthel, who recorded his 100th career win against HCU, has moved into third place on SFA’s all-time coaching wins list
- The ‘Jacks retained the Battle of the Chief trophy winning for the third-straight time over the Demons and for the 30th time in the series
RECORD BOOK REWRITING:
- Bugs Mortimer has set a new single-season program record with 537 punt return yards and four punt return touchdowns; both of those marks lead the country
- Mortimer’s 159 punt return yards set a new single-game program record besting former ‘Jack and NFLer Floyd Dixon’s 126 vs. Abilene Christian in 1985
- Sam Vidlak tossed three touchdowns against Northwestern State to move a scoring strike shy of seventh place on SFA’s all-time passing TD list; he’s two touchdown passes from reaching 50 for his collegiate career
- Vidlak has crossed over 5,000 passing yards for his collegiate career and enters the playoffs with 5,137 career passing yards
- Kylon Harris moved into seventh place all-time on the receiving yards list; 48 yards from sixth place
- Against East Texas A&M, Harris hauled in a single-game program record 16 receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Harris topped Duane Brooks’ previous single-game program record of 15 receptions set in games against Eastern Washington and Northwestern State in 2009. His 16 grabs are tied for the third-most in a single-game in Southland Conference history.
- Against Northwestern State, Harris crossed over 100 yards receiving in a game for the fourth time this season and for the 12th time in his Lumberjack career
- Harris is one receiving TD shy from fourth on the program’s all-time TD catches list
- Harris is the fourth ‘Jack with 200 career receptions and is eight catches shy of second place all-time
- Jerrell Wimbley moved five yards away from sixth on the all-time rushing list
- Charles Demmings is tied for the most pass breakups in a career with 34
- Jacob Hand became the first placekicker in program history to make multiple field goals of 54+ yards in a single season; connected on the second-longest mark in program history of 56 yards vs. Lamar
NOTES TO KNOW:
- Charles Demmings
- 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl Invitee
- Ky Thomas
- 2025 Doris Robinson FCS Scholar-Athlete Award Finalist
- 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist
- Jaydon Southard
- First ‘Jack since 2019 to record 100 tackles in a season
- First Lumberjack with multiple games of 16+ stops since 2010
- Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week
- SLC Defensive Player of the Week
- Jalen Mayo
- Leads the SLC in pass breakups
- Jerrell Wimbley
- 2x SLC Offensive Player of the Week (9/22, 9/29)
- Sam Vidlak
- SLC Offensive Player of the Week (10/6)
- Kylon Harris
- SLC Special Teams Player of the Week (9/22)
- Bugs Mortimer
- SLC Special Teams Player of the Week (11/10)
- Carlos Alvarado
- SLC Special Teams Player of the Week (11/17)
HOW THE ‘JACKS STACK UP:
National FCS Statistics Rank
No. 2 in Total Defense
No. 2 in Rushing Defense
No. 2 in Third Down Defense
No. 4 in Scoring Defense
No. 4 in Red Zone Defense
No. 1 in Punt Returns
BY THE NUMBERS (CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND vs. LAMAR):
- https://sfajacks.com/news/2025/11/17/general-national-spotlight-24-hour-championship-window-elevates-sfa-on-the-national-stage
- https://x.com/SFA_Athletics/status/1990510437054419211
Excited for the weeks to come and we hope you will join the ‘Jacks’ playoff journey! Let me know if you need anything from me or have any questions at all! Always glad to help out.
AXE ‘EM!