UNK Football: Lopers Add 45 to 2025 Roster

Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney football program announced today the names of 45 newcomers (19 mid-year players and 26 high school seniors) who'll suit up for the Lopers this fall.

Additional newcomers will come aboard over the spring and summer months, but 108 players will be taking part in spring ball when that begins in late March. Head coach Ryan Held and his staff will discuss the "Class of 2025" next Tuesday (Feb. 11) at Cunningham's on the Lake. The event, sponsored by the Loper Gridiron Club, runs from 6-8 p.m. and features complimentary appetizers and a cash bar.

This new group features 17 Nebraskans, seven hailing from Kansas with 11 other states represented. By position, UNK is adding 26 offensive players, 18 on defense and one kicker. Defensive backs (10) and offensive linemen/wide receivers (eight each) are the top positions with seven defensive linemen/ends coming aboard as well. Next, the Lopers added four hometown products and two each from Wood River, Boys Town and Lawrence (Kan.) Free State High Schools. Finally, the mid-year transfer class provides experience from the FBS, FCS, Division II and junior college ranks.

“I think this is a good class and I commend our coaching staff and administration for working hard in year three. We put together a class with length and athleticism, winners, guys that can help us now and guys that will develop in our program, said Held. “Having been in the league two years, I think we’ve identified the kind of player that we need in order to win games.”

At quarterback, redshirt junior Daron Bryden (pronounced DAR-in BRY-din) played two seasons at FCS-Stony Brook (NY) after a record-setting prep career in Connecticut. He joins a room that includes redshirt junior Brendan Bush (Bay Point, Calif.), redshirt sophomore Abram Scholting (Pierce) and redshirt freshman Kenneth Smith (Roswell, Ga.). In the fall, dual threat Connor Bohon joins the Lopers after starring for Mill Valley High School in suburban Kansas City. Last season, graduate transfer Reagan Jones (Wichita/Missouri Western) served as the starting QB with Scholting the backup and Smith and Bush taking redshirt seasons.

These QB’s will have new threats to throw to in former ‘Huskers Ryker Evans (Hi-Line) and Dae’vonn Hall (Bellevue West) and tight ends Carsten Bluhm (Lincoln Southeast & Northern Iowa) and Braden Barscewski (Coffeyville C.C.). Also having D1 experience are receivers Jaden Jude (Tennessee-Chattanooga) and Dwayne Moorhead (Ball State & Hutchinson C.C.) with Landon Leipold (Lawrence, Kan.) one of four incoming freshmen on the perimeter. Finally on offense, lineman John Murphy transfers in from Sierra (Calif.) College; his brother, James, is a senior defensive lineman for the Lopers.

“We fortunate to get Ryker and Dae’vonn from Nebraska; they are good players. I think the 105 (D1 roster limit) will definitely help us now and moving forward,” said Held. “We had a need at cornerback and receiver where we graduated some guys. We added players there that can help us immediately.”

The other side of the ball includes 2023 All-MIAA corner Ife Current (Missouri Southern) and safeties Jude Joseph (Idaho State & Louisiana-Lafayette) and Kolten Tilford (South Dakota State). The defensive ends include Dominic Grein (Oklahoma State), Reese Bertrand (Kearney H.S.) and LaDainian Blackwell (Boys Town H.S.) with safety Kyle Lauridsen (Bennington H.S.) honorary captain of Omaha World-Herald’s 2024 Class B all-state first-team defense. Finally, the lone special teamer is kicker Solomon Wiens (Kearney Catholic H.S.). For the Stars last fall, he made 12 field goals and 42 PAT’s.

“We always want to start in-state; that’s very important to us. We were able to acquire some guys from Kearney and we’re excited about them,” said Held. “We’ve worked very hard in Omaha to get players, in Lincoln and really the whole state. While you can’t get them all, we don’t want to miss anybody that we feel can help. We’ve signed 60 Nebraska high school kids (last three years) and a lot of them are still here, growing and getting better.”

UNK is going through winter workouts with spring ball set to begin on Wednesday, March 26. The spring game will be held on Saturday, April 26 (1 p.m.) with more details to come on that and other events.