University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook and Director of Athletics Megan Franklin announced on Tuesday that Todd Stepsis has accepted the UNI Football head coaching position. Stepsis joins the Panthers after a six-year stint as the head coach at Drake University.
The Shelby, Ohio native guided the Bulldogs to consecutive appearances in the FCS Playoffs after winning back-to-back Pioneer Football League championships. Drake compiled a 16-7 record over that two-year span in 2023-24, including a 15-1 mark in conference play. Stepsis earned Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors for a second consecutive year in 2024.
Franklin confirmed that Stepsis has agreed to terms of a five-year contract. He will be formally introduced to the UNI community at a press conference in the near future. Details on that event at the McLeod Center will be shared when finalized. Coach Stepsis’ introductory press conference will be streamed live via the UNI Athletics YouTube channel.
Drake began the 2024 season with a 35-32 OT victory at Eastern Washington and later constructed a six-game, mid-season victory streak that included a 19-0 home shutout vs. Marist followed by a 22-19 win at perennial Pioneer Football League power St. Thomas. The Bulldogs clinched a conference title and another berth in the FCS Playoffs with a 49-10 victory at Stetson. In total, Drake held six opponents under 20 points during the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, DL Finn Claypool was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for a second straight season. That honor is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player in the FCS. Claypool was a unanimous first-team All-PFL selection and concluded the season with 17.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and 10 QB hurries to go along with a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
In addition to Claypool, five other Drake players earned first-team all-conference accolades in 2024. QB Luke Bailey and OL Bennet Krebs represented the Bulldogs on offense, while LB Stephen Adamski and K Shane Dunning and LS Brett Weising rounded out the Drake contingent.
“On behalf of Angie and our family, we are extremely grateful to President Nook and Megan for extending us this tremendous opportunity at the University of Northern Iowa,” Stepsis said. “I have a great appreciation for the winning tradition of UNI Football, as well as the litany of respected and highly successful head coaches who have held this role.
“As someone who has lived in Iowa for the past decade and who has recruited across the Midwest, I know the reputation of excellence that University of Northern Iowa carries as both an academic institution and as an athletic department,” Stepsis continued. “We will seek to live up to that championship legacy and field teams that all UNI students and alums can be proud of. Angie and I are looking forward to raising our family in a community like Cedar Falls. We can’t wait to get there to meet the team, the support staff and the fans. We’re going to have a lot of fun together in the UNI-Dome!”