STEPHENVILLE – Head coach Todd Whitten has led Tarleton State Football to back-to-back FCS Playoffs appearances in the Texans’ first years of NCAA Division I postseason eligibility, including a historic campaign this season. Stats Perform announced that he is one of 15 finalists for the 2025 Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the national coach of the year in Division I FCS college football.
The award, first presented in 1987 and in its 39th season, is named for legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson. Past recipients include Mark Duffner, Erk Russell, Chris Ault, Jim Tressel, Houston Nutt, Andy Talley, Paul Johnson, Joe Glenn, Mike Ayers, Jerry Kill, Jerry Moore, K.C. Keeler, Deion Sanders, John Stiegelmeier, Brent Vigen and two-time recipients Mickey Matthews, Sean McDonnell and Craig Bohl.
All 13 FCS leagues are represented by an Eddie Robinson Award finalist. The winner, to be selected by a national voting panel, will be announced on Dec. 4 and honored at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Show on Jan. 3 in Nashville.
Whitten’s Texans earned the 4-seed in the FCS Playoffs and have received a first round bye due to finishing the regular season 11-1 overall with a United Athletic Conference co-championship (7-1 in conference). This is Tarleton State Football’s first conference championship in its D1 era. The Texans’ 11 wins mark the seventh time in program history reaching double-digit wins. Whitten has been the head coach for five of those seasons.
It’s been a historic season for the Texans. They have won a pair of nationally televised games (42-0 at Portland State on ESPN2 during Week 0, 30-27 OT at Army on CBS Sports Network during Week 1), have set record crowds at Memorial Stadium, and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the national polls. Offensively, the Texans are one of the best teams in the nation, ranked No. 1 in scoring (45.2 points per game), No. 5 in total offense (475.3 yards per game), No. 10 in rushing offense (209.5 YPG), and No. 13 in passing offense (265.8 YPG).
Turnovers and takeaways have been a major reason for Tarleton State’s historic campaign. On offense, the Texans have turned the ball over just seven times, the tied-fourth fewest amount of turnovers lost across the FCS. On the flip side, Tarleton State has earned 36 takeaways, by far the most in the FCS with the next closest team at 25 (UTRGV). The Texans’ 36 takeaways are already the most by an FCS team since 2019 (Alcorn with 36). Tarleton State averages a turnover margin of +2.42, currently the third highest average turnover margin in FCS history.
Furthermore, defensively, Tarleton State has been elite, No. 8 in passing defense (164.6 YPG allowed), No. 15 in scoring defense (18.4 PPG allowed) and No. 24 in total defense (330.5 YPG allowed). The Texan defense has scored four touchdowns themselves, tied-fifth most in the nation.
Tarleton State Football’s season continues, as the Texans are one of eight teams to receive a bye in the first round and one of 24 teams to make the postseason. The Texans will host their second round game at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville on Saturday, December 6, at 12 p.m. CT.
Tickets are now available for the game, found here.
The full 2025 Eddie Robinson Award finalist list:
Andrew Aurich, Harvard (Ivy League)
Season: Second; Team Record: 9-1, 6-1 Ivy (Tie/1st); Notable: Playoff-bound Crimson reached program-high No. 7 national ranking
Travis Bush, UT Rio Grande Valley (Southland Conference)
Season: First; Team Record: 9-3, 5-3 Southland (Tie/3rd); Notable: Won nine times as FCS start-up program
Kevin Cahill, Lehigh (Patriot League)
Season: Third; Team Record: 12-0, 7-0 Lehigh (1st); Notable: No. 5 playoff seed is 12-0 for first time since 2000
Colby Carthel, Stephen F. Austin (Southland Conference)
Season: Seventh; Team Record: 10-2, 8-0 Southland (1st); Notable: No. 7 playoff seed is riding first-ever same-season 10-game winning streak
Steve Englehart, Presbyterian (Pioneer Football League)
Season: Fourth; Team Record: 10-2, 6-2 Pioneer (Tie/2nd); Notable: Blue Hose achieved first national ranking on FCS level
Jim Fleming, Rhode Island (CAA Football)
Season: 12th; Team Record: 10-2, 8-0 CAA (1st); Notable: Rams collected first outright conference title since 1985
Bobby Hauck, Montana (Big Sky Conference)
Season: 15th; Team Record: 11-1, 7-1 (2nd); Notable: No. 3 playoff seed didn’t return a defensive starter, opened with 11-0 mark
DeSean Jackson, Delaware State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)
Season: First; Team Record: 8-4, 4-1 MEAC (2nd); Notable: Hornets posted an FCS-best seven-win improvement from 2024
Tremaine Jackson, Prairie View A&M (Southwestern Athletic Conference)
Season: First; Team Record: 9-3, 7-1 SWAC West (1st); Notable: SWAC West champ has nine wins for first time since 2009 season
Mike Jacobs, Mercer (Southern Conference)
Season: Second; Team Record: 9-2, 8-0 SoCon (1st); Notable: No. 6 playoff seed is SoCon’s first back-to-back outright champion since 2009
Adam Lechtenberg, Central Connecticut State (NEC Football)
Season: Third; Team Record: 8-4, 6-1 (1st); Notable: CCSU returning to playoffs after capturing NEC-leading eighth championship
Tim Polasek, North Dakota State (Missouri Valley Football Conference)
Season: Second; Team Record: 12-0, 8-0 MVFC (1st); Notable: Bison have been top-ranked since preseason, are No. 1 playoff seed
Joel Taylor, West Georgia (United Athletic Conference)
Season: Second; Team Record: 8-3, 5-3 (4th); Notable: Wolves doubled last year’s four wins in second FCS season
Todd Whitten, Tarleton State (United Athletic Conference)
Season: 19th; Team Record: 11-1, 7-1 UAC (Tie/1st); Notable: No. 4 playoff seed one of four FCS teams to beat an FBS opponent (Army)
Bobby Wilder, Tennessee Tech (OVC-Big South Football Association)
Season: Second; Team Record: 11-1/8-0 OVC-Big South (1st); Notable: Golden Eagles opened 10-0 for first time in program history
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