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St. Thomas football team previews 2025 season [RAW]
The University of St. Thomas football team previewed the 2025 season on Monday with a news conference on campus. Coach Glenn Caruso enters his 18th season with the Tommies, who are now eligible for the FCS Playoffs in their fifth year in Division I.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The University of St. Thomas football team has already been in fall camp for nearly two weeks.
Monday, Glenn Caruso and some of his most experienced players met with reporters on campus to preview the 2025 season. The Tommies are entering their fifth season in FCS Division I, and it’s a big one. For the first time since moving up two classes, St. Thomas is eligible for the postseason.
‘It’s something we’ve been waiting for’
St. Thomas got a waiver approved by the NCAA in January to shorten their probationary period by one year. That made the Tommies’ athletic programs eligible for the playoffs starting this fall, with football.
What they're saying:
"It’s just something we’ve been waiting for and something we’ve been wanting the past four or five years. We miss those guys that were playing with us that have graduated and weren’t able to participate in playoffs, we’re going to that for them," Patrick Wagner said.
"There’s a different juice in the locker room knowing you’re playing for something more than the end of the season. Now we’re playing for something more than that, there’s just a different level of angst and juice," Ryan Sever said.
Tommies’ Division I success
Why you should care:
Caruso is entering his 18th season as the St. Thomas head coach. Now four years into FCS Division I, the Tommies are 31-13 overall, and 26-6 in the Pioneer League.
I just their second year in FCS in 2022, the Tommies went 8-0 to win the league, but they were not yet eligible to be a playoff team. They now have that opportunity, but have to win the Pioneer League to earn it.
"We didn’t make a big deal of it, it is what it is. We still have to do our work to even have a chance, and that’s so far down the road," Caruso said. "We’re aware that that’s out there, but that’s not our focus. Our focus is being better at who we are."
The schedule
Timeline:
St. Thomas opens the 2025 against Lindenwood on Aug. 28 in St. Paul. The Tommies open Pioneer League play at San Diego on Sept. 27, and finish the season at No. 1-ranked North Dakota State on Nov. 22.