The Lindenwood Lions will kick off the 2025 football season with a game in Minnesota against the University of St. Thomas. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Lindenwood Football – Gameday Info
Game No. 1 – Lindenwood Lions (0-0) at St. Thomas Tommies (0-0)
Date/Time – August 28, 2025 – 6 pm
Location – O’Shaughnessy Stadium — St. Paul, MN
Watch – MidCo Sports+
Listen — 89.1 The Wood
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
ST. PAUL, MN — The Lindenwood University football team will kick off the 2025 season on Thursday with a road matchup in St. Paul, Minn., against the University of St. Thomas.
The Lions defeated the Tommies 64-0 last season in a game at Hunter Stadium. This season though, St. Thomas is expected to contend for the Pioneer Football League championship, after finishing fourth in the conference last year.
Lindenwood went 5-7 in 2024 and finished fifth in the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association. This year, the Lions were picked to finish fourth in the league’s annual preseason poll.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
The Lindenwood Lions went 5-7 and finished fifth in the Big South-OVC last season. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Players to Watch: The Lions are the only team in the Association to return their starting quarterback from last season, as Nate Glantz begins his second season under center. In 2024, the Elkhorn, Neb. native threw for 2,333 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing for six more on the ground. The redshirt senior signal caller had four games last season in which he had a touchdown pass and a rushing score, one of them coming against St. Thomas last season.
Lindenwood led the OVC-Big South Association in rushing a year ago, averaging 173.7 yards per game. Redshirt sophomore running back Stave Hall played a big part in that, being named the 2024 Association Offensive Freshman of the Year.
The St. Louis native earned high praise this offseason as well, being tabbed the Big South-OVC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Hall finished last season with 808 yards and five scores on the ground.
Defensively, Jacob Waller is set to lead a linebacker core after finishing second on the team in tackles with 63, including 44 solo stops last season. Jayden Patrick is coming off a banner year leading the team with 12 pass break ups and three interceptions. Those three picks tied for third-most in the Association.
Lindenwood’s 2025 home opener will be Saturday, September 20, at Hunter Stadium against Stony Brook. (Photo: Ellie Parker)
Numbers to Know:
2025: 2025 marks the first year the Lindenwood is eligible for the postseason after completing the reclassification process one season early as set by the NCAA. The Lions became a full Division I institution in August.
1990: This is the first time since the program began in 1990 that the Lions have opened a season with three consecutive road games. 2023 was the last year in which Lindenwood had three-straight road games in a season and the Black and Gold went 1-2 in that span. Last season, Lindenwood went 1-5 on the road.
7.3: Steve Hall averaged 7.3 yards per carry last season, ranking third nationally while also leading the OVC-Big South. The redshirt sophomore running back has received high praise during the preseason, being named the Association’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and a player to watch.
5: Lindenwood has gone 5-5 in its last 10 season openers. The Lions will open up on the road for the second-consecutive season after beginning last year against Kansas at Children’s Mercy Park, which marked the Black and Gold’s first game against an FBS opponent since reclassifying to Division I.
Probable Starters
Lindenwood Offense Lindenwood Defense
QB – 18 Nate Glantz – Jr. DE – 4 Kobe McClendon – Sr.
RB – 22 Steve Hall – So. DT – 91 Austin Rustemeyer – Jr.
WR – 1 Rico Bond – So. DT – 99 Andrew Zook – So.
WR – 8 Drew Krobath – Fr. DE – 0 Tajay Passmore – Sr.
WR – 5 John Anthony – Jr. LB – 5 Jacob Waller – Jr.
LT – 77 Josh Robinson – So. LB – 41 Zach Lewis – So.
LG – 79 Nate Compere – So. LB – 15 Sanjay Strickland – Sr.
C – 58 Andrew Swingle – Fr. CB – 7 Jayden Patrick – Sr.
RG – 66 Aiden Taylor – Fr. FS – 1 Eric Gant – Jr.
RT – 56 Gavin Hulet – Sr. SS – 3 Mason Jones – So.
TE – 86 Darrin Fugitt – Sr. CB – 19 Sam Owens – Fr.
PK – 37 Will Graham – So. P – 40 A.J. Vinatieri – Jr.
St. Thomas Offense St. Thomas Defense
QB – 2 Andy Peters – Gr. DE – 90 Kole Sneed – Jr.
RB – 26 Joseph Koch – So. DT – 94 C.J. Johnson – Jr.
WR – 4 Jashawn Todd – Gr. DT – 42 Evan Tyler – Sr.
WR – 3 Quentin Cobb-Butler – So. LB – 20 Charlie Boucher – Sr.
WR – 80 Mariano Birdno – So. LB – 17 Jordan Pendleton – Sr.
LT – 67 Jason LaLiberte – Sr. LB – 30 Nash Tichy – So.
LG – 78 James Morrison – Sr. LB – 10 Ryan Sever – Sr.
C – 73 Kaleb Rector – Jr. CB – 6 Joseph Obeto – Sr.
RG – 61 Marcus Johnson – Jr. S – 11 Den Juette – Sr.
RT – 71 Aiden Horel – So. S – 22 Ryan Calcagno – Sr.
TE – 86 Patrick Wagner – Sr. CB – 29 Nick Hand – Gr.
PK – 39 Ben Hoiland – So. P – 48 Elliot Huether – Jr.
Up Next: Lindenwood will be on the road again next Saturday, September 6, when it will travel to Boone, N.C., to take on Appalachian State.
2025 LINDENWOOD LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 28, 2025 (Thursday) | 6 pm | Away | St. Thomas | St. Paul, Minn. |  |
| September 6, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 pm | Away | Appalachian State | Boone, N.C. |  |
| September 13, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | Charleston Southern | Charleston, S.C. | |
| September 20, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Home | Stony Brook | Hunter Stadium | |
| September 27, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 pm | Away | Miami (OH) | Oxford, Ohio | |
| October 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Home | Tennessee-Martin | Hunter Stadium | |
| October 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Home | Tennessee Tech | Hunter Stadium | |
| October 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Gardner-Webb | Hunter Stadium | |
| November 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:30 pm | Away | Tennessee State | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| November 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. | |
| November 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hunter Stadium | |
| November 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Southeast Missouri State | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | |