UIW ranks No. 5 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Cardinals finished 11-3 last year, losing 55-14 at South Dakota State in the FCS quarterfinals.
Here’s a look at the 2025 UIW football squad.
Returning 2024 FCS All-Conference Players (4)
1st Team
TE Logan Compton
WR Jalen Walthall
OL Traveon Newsome
LB Declan Williams
D1 Transfer Portal Movement
Transfers Coming In From The FCS (11)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Tyrece Fairly-Diyem | WR | Cal Poly |
| Braden Hay | LB | HCU |
| Joe Cadette | DE | HCU |
| Tyler Morton | DB | Nicholls |
| Jaylon Spears | RB | Nicholls |
| Harlan Dixon | RB | Southeastern |
| Cameron Foster | OL | Southern |
| Dylan Kirby | OL | Southern Utah |
| Zach Mitchell | WR | Southern Utah |
| Michael Pleas | OLB | UT Martin |
| David Powers | LB | Wofford |
Transfers Coming In From The FBS (10)
| Player | Pos. | Previous School |
| Tomsen Vickery | DL | Air Force |
| Kai Fernandes | DB | App State |
| Chedon James | WR | Fresno State |
| Jaylen Dotson | DB | Kent State |
| Pig Cage | DB | LA Tech |
| Mike Stoker | OL | TCU |
| Austin Samaha | TE | Texas State |
| EJ Colson | QB | UCF |
| Reece Sylvester | DB | Washington State |
| Deyon Batiste | QB | Wyoming |
Transfers Lost To The FCS (0)
Transfers Lost To The FBS (8)
| Player | Pos. | New School |
| Zach Calzada | QB | Kentucky |
| Chase Carter | DE | Memphis |
| Mister Williams | LB | San Diego State |
| Rasheed Jackson | OL | TCU |
| Roy Alexander | WR | Texas Tech |
| Dekalon Taylor | RB | Colorado State |
| Nolan Hay | OL | South Carolina |
| Devin Grant | DL | West Virginia |
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Offensive Outlook
UIW loses its starting quarterback, leading running back, and three starting offensive linemen. The offense returns its All-American wide receiver, its No. 2 rusher, its top tight end, adds a former Southland Conference Player of the Year at RB, and adds a former FCS All-American WR.
The Cardinals have had an elite lineage of quarterbacks in the 2020s — Cameron Ward, Lindsey Scott Jr., and Zach Calzada. Calzada transferred to Kentucky this offseason, opening the door for a new starter.
Richard Torres looks like the frontrunner to win the starting job. UIW brought in transfer Richie Munoz, who started at Weber State, in the offseason. But Munoz re-entered the portal after spring ball and landed at Tennessee Tech, perhaps suggesting Torres came out ahead in the spring battle. Torres arrived at UIW from the University of Nebraska in 2023. In his first year as QB2, he threw for 544 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He stepped in for an injured Calzada and went 11/18 for 161 yards and three touchdowns at McNeese, and 24/37 for 307 yards and two touchdowns at Lamar. Torres didn’t see as much action last year as Calzada had an All-Southland season.
UIW will have a standout group of wide receivers again. Jalen Walthall is back after being named the Southland Offensive Player of the Year. He led UIW with 1,290 receiving yards and 14 TDs on 85 receptions. The Cardinals lost their other 1,000-yard receiver, Roy Alexander, to Texas Tech, but they did land former FCS All-American Chedon James from the portal. James caught 102 passes for 1,045 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 at Idaho State before transferring to Fresno State last year. Josh Lorick also returns for UIW after tallying 49 catches for 520 yards in 2024.
All-Southland First Team tight end Logan Compton returns as well after recording 18 receptions for 219 yards and four touchdowns.
Last year’s leading rusher, Dekalon Taylor, transferred to Colorado. But similar to losing Alexander to the portal, UIW should reload just fine from transfer additions.
The Cardinals added RB Jaylon Spears from Nicholls, who was the 2023 Southland Conference Player of the Year after logging 115 rushes for 753 yards and six TDs, 16 receptions for 260 yards with three touchdowns, and 301 kick return yards. Spears appeared in just two games last fall. UIW also added another 2023 All-Southland RB in Harlan Dixon from Southeastern Louisiana University. At SLU, Dixon had 403 rushing yards with five touchdowns and 408 receiving yards in 2023. Last year, he totaled 426 rushing yards and two scores on 83 carries. Last year’s No. 2 RB, Lontrell Turner, is back after he rushed 108 times for 562 yards and two touchdowns.
Two starters return on the offensive line — guard Caleb Flores (6’4″ 279 lbs) and Traveon Newsome (6’2″ 350 lbs). Newsome was a First Team All-Southland selection in 2024. Cameron Foster (6’4″ 315 lbs) brings in starting experience from Southern.
Defensive Outlook
UIW returns five of its top 11 tacklers and 11 of its 19 defenders who played 240 or more snaps in 2024. The defense also adds five FCS transfers who started at their previous school, including an All-American DB and All-Conference LB.
Linebackers Dune Smith and Declan Williams return after finishing in the top five in team tackles last year. Williams was a First Team All-Southland selection, totaling 62 tackles, 11 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and five pass breakups. Smith was No. 2 in team tackles, totaling 80 stops, 11.5 TFLs, and six sacks.
In the secondary, A.J. Tisdell is back after logging the most cornerback snaps (774) last year, recording 55 tackles, one interception, and eight pass breakups. CB James Tuayemie added 326 snaps with 27 tackles and three pass breakups, Chris Pierce played nearly 300 snaps with 14 tackles, one interception, and two pass breakups, and D’Arius Carmouche had 260+ snaps with 16 tackles and a pass breakup.
Kendrick Stone returns at safety, playing more than 550 snaps last year and totaling 50 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, two interceptions, and four pass breakups.
John Mathis (6’2″ 265 lbs) leads the defensive line after recording 38 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, six sacks, and three QB hurries last fall. Terrell Elliott (6’2″ 300 lbs) and Myron Warren (6’2″ 275 lbs) both played more than 200 snaps on the interior. Warren had 26 tackles and four TFLs. Elliott added 14 stops and 1.5 TFLs. Talib Salahuddin is a returning defensive end who played 240 snaps in 2024 with 21 tackles and 1.5 TFLs.
UIW’s offense wasn’t the only side of the ball to make splash transfer additions.
The Cardinals landed five FCS transfers who were big impact players at their previous school.
Safety Tyler Morton was a 2023 All-American at Nicholls after he totaled 63 tackles, four TFLs, four interceptions, and 11 passes defended. In 2022, he had 71 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, two interceptions, and five passes defended. Morton appeared in only four games last season.
At linebacker, Houston Christian’s Braden Hay comes in after totaling 86 tackles and 7.5 TFLs last year. Wofford’s David Powers is an uber-experienced addition after racking up 66 tackles and four TFLs in 2022, 94 tackles and four TFLs in 2023 as an All-SoCon Second Team selection, and 67 tackles and 4.5 TFLs in 2024. Michael Pleas is an outside linebacker from UT Martin. Last fall, he had 52 tackles, six TFLs, and 4.5 sacks.
UIW also added HCU defensive end Joe Cadette, who had 57 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and two sacks in 2024.
Pig Cage is an FBS transfer addition looking to make an impact. He was an FCS Freshman All-American at Nicholls back in the 2021 spring season. He transferred to LSU in the 2021 fall, then spent 2022 and 2023 at UTSA, and then transferred to LA Tech in 2024.
2025 Preseason Preview Central
UIW Football Schedule
8/23 at Nicholls
8/30 vs Eastern Washington
9/13 at UTSA
9/20 at No. 19 Northern Arizona
9/27 vs No. 24 Abilene Christian
10/4 vs No. 21 Stephen F. Austin
10/18 vs East Texas A&M
10/25 at UT Rio Grande Valley
11/1 vs Lamar
11/8 at Northwestern State
11/15 vs Southeastern
11/22 at Houston Christian
Bold indicates Southland games
HERO Sports’ rankings
RV = Received Votes
