Northern Iowa Hires Drake’s Stepsis as Next Head Coach

The Drake Bulldogs just finished up another strong football season that concluded with an FCS playoff appearance.

With an in-state Head Coaching vacancy in nearby Cedar Falls, the Panther program was on the prowl for a replacement for long time Head Coach Mark Farley, who retired at the end of the season.

Todd Stepsis has officially taken the job and is set to depart the Drake Bulldogs after taking over as Head Coach back in 2019.

Get our free mobile app

Per Keith Murphy on Twitter:

Stepsis was the Head Coach at Drake for six seasons, and served as the program's defensive coordinator for five years prior.

Per UNIPanthers.com, it's a five-year contract for the new coach:

Stepsis joins the Panthers after a six-year stint as the head coach at Drake University. He has also served as Drake's offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

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.

Stepsis and the Bulldogs once again won 8 games this season and recently lost in the first round of the FCS playoffs to Tarleton State.

The Panthers are coming off of a 3-9 season and aim to return to the perpetual dominance experienced under Mark Farley. Over the course of his 24 years career as Head Coach, the Panthers won 10 or more games 7 times and made 13 playoff appearances.

Sources: UNI Panthers and Keith Murphy Twitter