CLEVELAND, OH – After earning their fourth-consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title, the DePauw Tigers have been selected to repeat as the NCAC champion according to balloting of the league's football coaches.
 
DePauw secured five of the nine first-place votes and totaled 75 points overall to claim the top spot in the 2025 NCAC Football Preseason Coaches' Poll. Wabash was selected second with 64 points, narrowly edging out John Carroll, which received three first-place votes and 63 points to land in third. Denison followed in fourth with 53 points, while Wittenberg picked up the final first-place vote and 50 points to rank fifth. Ohio Wesleyan (34), Kenyon (29), Wooster (23), and Oberlin (14) rounded out the poll in sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.

In five seasons under head coach Brett Dietz, DePauw holds a 41-7 overall record and a 31-2 mark in conference play. Last season, the Tigers led the conference in several statistical categories, including points (48.5/game), points allowed by a defense (12.3/game), defensive yards (223.5/game), rushing yards (177.3/game), defensive rushing yards (32.9/game), passing yards (316.3/game), offensive efficiency (195.4), sacks (51; 304 yards), first downs (24.4/game), third down conversions (52.6 percent), fourth down conversions (72.2 percent), opponent first downs (13.7/game), opponent fourth down conversions (25.8 percent), and red zone offense (48 touchdowns). DePauw's success was further recognized with its coaching staff earning NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the fourth-straight season. Dietz will lead the program alongside Associate Head Coach Scott Srnka and assistants Mason Espinosa, Ryan McElwain, Christopher Rutledge, Jr., Dante Darden, Dylan Hyatt and Sam Seaburg. The Tigers return five all-conference first-teamers from 2024 including wide receiver Robby Ballentine (Crown Point, IN/Andrean), running back Caden Whitehead (Indianapolis, IN/Park Tudor), center Zach Kerr (West Lafayette, IN/Lafayette Central Catholic), offensive lineman Bennett Smith (Park Ridge, IL/Maine South), and outside linebacker Joey Roland (Greenfield, IN/Greenfield-Central).

All nine NCAC football teams are set to kick off the 2025 season on Saturday, September 6, with non-conference matchups. Conference play will begin on Saturday, September 20, with four NCAC matchups, including John Carroll hosting Oberlin, Kenyon traveling to DePauw, Ohio Wesleyan facing off against Wittenberg, and Wabash hitting the road to take on Wooster.
 

2025 North Coast Athletic Conference  Football Coaches' Poll
Place	Institution (1st Place Votes)	Points
1.	DePauw (5)	75
2.	Wabash	64
3.	John Carroll (3)	63
4.	Denison	53
5.	Wittenberg (1)	50
6.	Ohio Wesleyan	34
7.	Kenyon	29
8.	Wooster	23
9.	Oberlin	14