RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Fall is upon us, which means it's that time of year for Concordia University Chicago (CUC) football to get going. Take a look back at last year and what's ahead for the Cougars this season.
Coach Hankins
In his third season at the helm, Head Coach
Chase Hankins is excited about the team and promising year ahead. "The three words I would use to describe this team is unique, mature, and talented," Coach Hankins prided his team. "In the history of Concordia football, it's incredibly rare to have more returners than newcomers, but we do this year. With that comes a lot of maturity and leadership from our top producers. Those returners are also great young men who have helped create an environment of support, care, and been positive examples of how we do things that have really allowed our newcomers to come out of their shells. At the same time the newcomers have done a great job of showing their talents while adapting to our culture."
Coaching Staff
With Coach Hankins leading the charge, the rest of the Cougars' coaching staff remains unchanged from last season. Defensive Coordinator
Charlie Drewek and Offensive Coordinator
Charley Clark Jr. return for their second season.
Seve Loubriel continues as the Recruiting Coordinator, Special Teams Coordinator, and Linebackers Coach, while
Tierre Turner remains the Defensive Line Coach. Graduate assistant and CUC alum,
Travon Thomas and student assistant
Justin Iagmin return for their second year on staff as well.
Last Season
Last season, the Cougars finished the season 4-6 overall and 2-6 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.
CUC opened the season at home, hosting University of Minnesota-Morris on September 6, where they came out on top in a nail-biting 17-16 victory.
Joron Brown (St. Joseph, Mich.) recorded a career-high 152 rushing yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game. The Cougars built upon that momentum on their trip to Manchester University on September 13. In a dominant 35-14 victory,
Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.) threw a program record tying 95-yard touchdown pass to
Kevon Lawson (Pompano Beach, Fla.).
In the first NACC game of the season, CUC hosted St. Norbert College (SNC) on September 20. SNC struck early and took the game, 59-28, despite the Cougars' strong efforts to claw back. The following week, the Cougars fell to Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) on the road, 28-6.
For homecoming weekend, CUC flipped the script and got back to winning ways against Eureka College on October 4. The Cougars got out to a 35-0 lead with Brown rushing for two touchdowns and Bosch finding
Wesley Jackson (Robinson, III.) twice and
Korey Randle (East Moline, III.). Whenever the Red Devils tried to respond, the Cougars answered right back, securing two more touchdowns from Lawson and
Jakob Redmond (Bishop, Calif.) to claim the 49-20 victory.
CUC returned to NACC action against Rockford University on October 18, after a bye week. Strong defensive tackles from
Kadin Stroer (
Warrenton, Mo.) and
Devean Shearer (Saint Charles, III.) kept the Regents at bay, while Bosch led the offensive charge to win 37-26. The following week, the Cougars welcomed Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) to River Forest. CUW took the lead and never looked back. Despite both squads scoring 20 points a piece between the second and third quarters, the Falcons won 47-20.
The following two games were on the road where CUC went 0-2. On November 1, the Cougars played the Muskies of Lakeland University.
Demaris Dumas (Chicago, Ill.) and Stroer each grabbed an interception in the 47-16 loss. They then faced Benedictine University and fell 38-7.
In the final game of the season, Concordia welcomed Aurora University. While the Spartans took an early lead, the Cougars showed their grit and came back in the middle of the game to stay within striking distance, 35-26. However, Aurora found another gear and took the game, 59-26.
"The biggest takeaway from last year is that we were really close to breaking through, even though we were a very young team," Coach Hankins remarked. "We spent a lot of time rebuilding both our offense and defense from the previous year, having a lot of new faces trying to gel together on the fly. Despite that challenge though, we played some really good football. As we carry that into this season, a lot of those guys are back and have a lot of experience playing together. Now, we can expect to make that next jump as a team."
Returning Players
The Cougars have a strong group of returning players, including several who received NACC All-Conference honors last season. First Team NACC All-Conference tight end
Wesley Jackson enters his senior season after producing 343 yards on receptions last year. CUC's top running back,
Joron Brown, who earned Second Team NACC All-Conference honors, also steps into his senior year, having totaled 733 rushing yards in 2025. Junior wide receiver
Kevon Lawson made his mark on the field last season with 783 yards on receptions. Rounding out Second Team NACC All-Conference honors are senior defensive lineman,
Adam Lambaz (Elgin, Ill.) and sophomore
Kadin Stroer. In his debut season, Stroer led the team with 99 total tackles last year while Lambaz wrote his name in nearly every statistical category last season. Going into his senior year,
Ezekiel Pearson (Richville, Mich.) picked up NACC All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades last year for his key plays in the offensive line. Sophomore defensive back
Hagan Wascher (Frankenmuth, Mich.) is the final returner to have received NACC All-Conference accolades, having collected 54 tackles, 32 of which were solo in his debut season.
The Cougars return with 17 seniors in
Colton Bosch (Coopersville, Mich.),
Brady Niedzwiecki (Alpena, Mich.),
Devean Shearer (Saint Charles, Ill.),
Jayden Taylor (Southfield, Mich.),
Jeremiah Wilson (Channahon, Ill.),
Randy Contreras (San Antonio, Texas),
Derek Porter (Phoenix, Ariz.),
Dennis Vanderplow (Livonia, Mich.),
Louis Mobley (Indianapolis, Ind.),
Benjamin Hardy (Clinton Township, Mich.),
Colin Elkins (The Woodlands, Texas),
Julius Davis (Benton Harbor, Mich.),
Jahmari Jackson (Chicago, Ill.), Jackson, Brown, Pearson, and Lambaz.
"I can't say enough positive things about [my returners]," Coach Hankins remarked. "As we head into my third year as head coach, many of these returners have been with me since year one. They have developed in every area of their lives while also becoming great leaders and players. Because of that, their fingerprints are all over the culture we have been carefully and deliberately building."
New Faces
Concordia welcomes a large class of numerous transfers and first years. Coach Hankins had high praise for the incoming class:
"Collectively, they don't carry themselves like newcomers. I believe we have a very talented group, and they have really hit the ground running when it comes to accepting and adapting to our culture, standards, and expectations. We brought in not only good talent, but good people as well."
A Look Ahead
The season kicks off up north with a non-conference matchup against University of Minnesota-Morris on September 5. The following week, the Cougars hold their home opener, welcoming Grinnell College on September 12.
The Cougars open NACC play at home against Rockford on September 19, before heading into a bye-week. Coming out of the break, Concordia plays back-to-back road contests against CUW and Aurora on October 3 and 10, respectively.
Back at Concordia Stadium, the team hosts Lakeland on October 17 and Benedictine on October 24 for Homecoming. The Cougars close out October on the road at Eureka for a Halloween matchup.
CUC will travel to St. Norbert on November 7 before bringing it back home for the regular season finale on November 14 against WLC.
"As cliché as it sounds, we are just going to take it day by day," Coach Hankins said. "This is a special group of guys who understand that the process is what we need to focus on. Usually, when a team truly understands that it puts itself in a position to have a special season."
2025 Statistical Leaders
Passing:
Rushing:
Receiving:
Defense:
Special Teams:
*Indicates player is no longer on the team.
The CUC football season begins on Saturday, September 5 in Morris, Minn., when Cougars take on University of Minnesota-Morris. Kickoff is set for 1:00 pm. Coverage for the game as well as anything related to Concordia football can be found at
cucougars.com.
