University of Northern Iowa

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook and Director of Athletics Megan Franklin announced Tuesday that Todd Stepsis has accepted the position of UNI football head coach. Stepsis joins the Panthers after six years as head coach at Drake University. He also served as Drake’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

The Shelby, Ohio native led the Bulldogs to consecutive FCS playoff appearances after winning back-to-back Pioneer Football League championships. Drake compiled a 16-7 record over the two-year period in 2023-24, including a 15-1 record in conference play. Stepsis was named Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year in 2024 for the second consecutive year.

Franklin confirmed that Stepsis has agreed to the terms of a five-year contract. He will be formally introduced to the UNI community at a press conference in the near future. Details for this event at the McLeod Center will be announced upon completion. Coach Stepsis’ introductory press conference will be broadcast live on the UNI Athletics YouTube channel.

Drake began the 2024 season with a 35-32 OT win at Eastern Washington and later built a six-game winning streak midway through the season that included a 19-0 home shutout against Marist and a subsequent 22-19 victory in traditional Pioneer Football, league power St. Thomas belonged. The Bulldogs secured a conference title and another spot in the FCS playoffs with a 49-10 win at Stetson. In total, Drake held six opponents under 20 points during the 2024 season. Meanwhile, DL Finn Claypool was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for the second year in a row. This award is given annually to the country’s best defensive player in the FCS. Claypool was a unanimous first-team All-PFL selection and finished the season with 17.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and 10 QB hurries, along with a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

NEW DEPOSIT OF UNI FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS

In addition to Claypool, five other Drake players earned first-team all-conference honors 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.

“Cheryl and I look forward to cheering on Coach Stepsis and the Panthers under his leadership,” said UNI President Mark Nook. “We are pleased to welcome Coach Stepsis and his family to the Cedar Valley. Coach Stepsis has established an exemplary track record of helping young men and football programs develop and grow during his previous coaching stints. We hope he and his family will call the university.” We wish Todd and his family the very best as we embark on this journey together!”

After opening the 2023 season with a non-conference slate that included contests at North Dakota and a neutral site contest against South Dakota State, the Bulldogs rattled off eight straight wins and finished the regular season with an 8-3 mark. This record earned Drake a berth in the FCS playoffs for the first time and secured the school’s first Pioneer Football League championship since 2012. Stepsis was unanimously named the Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year, becoming the first Drake football coach to receive the award Award since 2004. Meanwhile, Claypool received the PFL Defensive Player of the Year award and Dunning was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Year.


“This is an exciting day for UNI football players, alumni, fans and donors as we announce the hiring of head coach Todd Stepsis,” Franklin said. “Todd is a mentor to men. Its winning culture is based on developing the very best from the team’s brotherhood. Coach Stepsis was a winner from his playing days until he became head coach. His experience as an offensive and… His defensive coordinator gives him a unique advantage in the role of head coach.


“Todd is the absolute right-wing leader of the next era of men in the UNI locker room and coaching staff, and he will embrace our famous alumni,” Franklin continued. “Todd’s vision of recruiting and mentoring men who are leaders on the field, on campus and in the community will result in winning championships and graduating men who serve their families, professions and communities. Join me in welcoming Todd, Angie, Addison and… Avery, Zander and Zoe to the UNI Panther family.


OUR TOMORROW: ENTER THE UNI-DOME RENOVATION


“On behalf of Angie and our family, we are extremely grateful to President Nook and Megan for opening us to this great opportunity at the University of Northern Iowa,” Stepsis said. “I greatly appreciate UNI Football’s winning tradition, as well as the number of respected and highly successful head coaches who have served in this role.”


“As someone who has lived in Iowa for a decade and recruits throughout the Midwest, I know the reputation of excellence that the University of Northern Iowa enjoys as both an academic institution and an athletic department,” Stepsis continued. “We will look to live up to this championship legacy and field field teams that all UNI students and alumni can be proud of. Angie and I look forward to raising our family in a community like Cedar Falls. We can’t wait to get there to meet the team, the staff and the fans. We will have a lot of fun together in the UNI-Dome!”


Stepsis was named the 2023 FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year. His squad allowed just 12.1 ppg in conference play with Claypool, who finished the season with 19.0 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and two pass breakups. Claypool ranked second among FCS defenders in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss as a starter. A year earlier, Claypool was named the PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.


Stepsis was named Drake’s head coach on December 21, 2018 after serving as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator for five seasons. In his first season at the helm, Drake finished second in the league with 21 all-conference honorees. The Bulldogs also named three student-athletes to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team, earning the best mark among all NCAA Division I football programs.


As defensive coordinator, Stepsis built the Drake defense into one of the best units in the country, coaching a total of 42 all-conference selections, including the program’s all-time leading tackler and 2018 Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year, DL Nathan Clayberg. During this 2018 season, Stepsis’ defense ranked ninth among FCS teams in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), ninth in total defense (296.0 ppg), sixth in rushing defense (96th). .8 ppg), 10th in interceptions (17) and 10th in tackles for loss (8.1 per game) while also defending three touchdowns. DB Will Warner led the nation with 223 interception return yards and ranked second in the nation with a school record eight interceptions.

In 2017, Stepsis’ defensive unit led the PFL in total defense (335.3 YPG), pass defense (199.7 YPG) and first downs allowed (18.0 per game) and ranked 27.0 in the conference Sacks second place.

Stepsis joined the Drake staff in 2014 as defensive coordinator after spending six seasons in the same role at NCAA Division II power Saginaw Valley State. During his tenure with the program, the Cardinals compiled a 44-23 record, three consecutive division titles and three NCAA playoff berths. In total, he coached 37 defensive all-conference players at Saginaw Valley State.


GIVE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL


Prior to Saginaw Valley State, he coached for eight seasons at NCAA Division III Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. During that span, the program compiled a record of 57-20. Capital secured three consecutive NCAA Division III playoff berths from 2005 to 2007, reaching the quarterfinals in both 2005 and 2006. He began his coaching career at Otterbein University, where he coached the conference’s top-ranked pass defense and helped the program to its first winning season in nearly two decades.

Stepsis graduated magna cum laude in 1999 from Ashland University, where he was a four-year member of the football team, and earned a degree in special education. He also received a master’s degree in physical education from Ashland. He and his wife Angie have two daughters, Addison and Avery. He is also the father of a son, Zander, and a daughter, Zoe.



STEPSIS’ HEAD COACHING RECORD

Year total conference postseason
2019 6-5 6-2
2020 2-3 2-3
2021 2-9 1-7
2022 3-8 3-5
2023 8-4 8-0 FCS Playoffs – First Round

2024 8-3 7-1 FCS Playoffs – First Round

Totals 29-32 27-18

STEPSIS’ COACHING CAREER
2025 University of Northern Iowa (Head Coach)
2019-24 Drake University (head coach)
2014-18 Drake University (Defense Coordinator)
2008–13 Saginaw Valley State (defensive coordinator)
2000–08 Capital University (assistant coach)
1999 Otterbein University (assistant coach)
1995–98 Ashland University (player)