2025 Wayne State Football Season Preview
The Wayne State University football team will look much different both on the field and as a coaching staff in 2025.
Third-year head coach Tyrone Wheatley's full-time coaching staff consists of two holdovers (Rosco Byrd, Jr. and Antwon Robinson), four newcomers (DeJuan Garland, Jimmy Hill, J.C McDonald and Ahmed Saleh) and one coach who was elevated to full-time status (Mustafa Khaleefah).
On the field, the Warriors have just 18 returning letterwinners, including one three-time letterwinner in senior safety Elijah Fowlkes. There are 10 two-time letterwinners and seven one-time letterwinners in the fold.
Fifty (50) players return from the 2024 roster, along with nearly 50 freshmen and over 20 transfers.
WSU returns five starters on offense in offensive linemen Will Edwards and Jayden Lewin, tight end Nick Ostas, quarterback Champion Edwards and running back XaVior Tyus. Three additional letterwinners also return, featuring wide receiver Justyz Tuggle, offensive lineman Ethan Gates and running back/special teams Brayden McKenna.
Defensively, the Warriors have six starters return in defensive ends Colby Horn and Jaiden Acker, linebacker Quincy Salter, safety Elijah Fowlkes and cornerbacks Anthony Walk, Jr. and Kejuan Houston/Jonathan Tillman. Besides the aforementioned seven returning letterwinners, also back are Chris Gillam, Devon Brown, CJ Gordon and Roshaun McGee, plus 2023 letterwinner Joe Clark, Jr.
In terms of special teams, long snapper Nico Davis departed, while punter Jeremy Taras and place-kicker Griffin Milovanski graduated.
The 2024 Warriors won their final two games to finish at 2-9. WSU played the third-toughest schedule in NCAA Division 2 during the regular-season with its opponents combining for a .615 winning percentage (67-42). Bright spots included out-scoring Findlay 27-7 in the second half; leading 10-3 at Truman State at intermission; trailing 13-7 and having the ball late in the third quarter at Michigan Tech; trailing 17-14 late in the third quarter against Ferris State; and trailing 29-26 at Davenport early in the fourth period.
The GLIAC will look very familiar this fall as Wayne State will play its league rivals in the same order as 2024, but at the opposite location. All league institutions will play seven GLIAC games. WSU's first two non-conference contests are against the same opponents (Tiffin and Findlay) as a year ago, but at the opposite location.
In week three, the Warriors will travel to Wisconsin-La Crosse for the first time ever, and the following week Wayne State will entertain Quincy for the first time. The Sept. 20 contest at UWL, will be WSU's first trip to the state of Wisconsin since Nov. 4, 1972, when the Tartars fell 28-7 at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Wayne State also played at UWM twice before that (UWM won 33-9 on Oct. 17, 1964, while WSU was victorious 39-31 at UWM on Sept. 30, 1967, behind 555 yards of total offense from quarterback A.J. Vaughn).
Wayne State begins fall practice on Monday, August 11th with the players reporting the weekend prior. The home and season opener will take place on Thursday, Sept. 4 with a 6 p.m. kickoff against the Tiffin Dragons.