The Fort Lewis College football program made some big strides in 2024, going 3-8 overall and 2-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In 2025, the RMAC’s expectations for the Skyhawks aren’t much higher.
Skyhawks football was picked ninth in the RMAC 2025 Preseason Football Coaches’ Poll which was released on Thursday.
“We’re disappointed with the ranking,” FLC head coach Johnny Cox said. “It's a preseason ranking and that's what it is. So the postseason ranking is more important and so we're going to use that as fuel to prepare every day. If you look at things in your life, it's really 90% how you react to everything. So, how are we going to react? Seeing some of the guys on our team, they reacted … we're going to be very focused.”
FLC finished ninth in the poll with 17 points, with only Adams State below it in 10th with nine points. The Grizzlies finished 0-11 overall and 0-9 in the RMAC last season.
It’s a two-way tie at the top with CSU Pueblo and Western Colorado tied for first with 76 points; each team finished with five first-place votes, three second-place votes and one third-place vote.
The ThunderWolves won the conference in 2024 finished the 2024 season 9-0 in the RMAC and 10-2 overall. CSU Pueblo was the No. 1 seed in its region in the NCAA tournament and was upset by Minnesota State, 26-23, in the second round.
Western Colorado finished the 2024 season second in the RMAC at 8-1 in the conference and 11-2 overall. The Mountaineers were the No. 2 seed in their region of the NCAA tournament and beat Central Washington 28-21 before losing to unseeded Bemidji State in the second round, 20-19.
Behind CSU Pueblo and Western Colorado is Colorado School of Mines in third place with 66 points (four second-place votes; four third-place votes) and Colorado Mesa in fourth place with 58 points (four third-place votes).
South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State are tied for fifth with 43 points and Chadron State and New Mexico Highlands are tied for seventh with 31 points.
The Skyhawks were recognized for one of their outstanding returners. Redshirt junior linebacker Jacob Penny was named to the preseason All-RMAC defense team.
Penny finished the 2024 season with 122 tackles and 11.1 tackles per game, both stats good for fifth in Division II. He was named second team All-RMAC last season.
“It’s well deserved,” Cox said about Penny’s preseason honor. “I loved spending some more time with him and really getting to see how he was internally motivated. He actually wants to have less tackles and get the defense off the field with more three-and-outs. So he’s definitely a team player; I love that about him. I’m really excited about how that's going to show with our defense, that attitude and that type of belief of what we're doing.”
The Skyhawks open their 2025 season against William Jewell College at home on Aug. 30.
Be on the lookup for a FLC football preview story in the next few weeks.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
