University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook and Director of Athletics Megan Franklin announced on Tuesday that Todd Stepsis has accepted the UNI Football head coaching position. 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.
Franklin confirmed that Stepsis has agreed to terms of a five-year contract. He will be formally introduced to the UNI community at a press conference in the near future. Details on that event at the McLeod Center will be shared when finalized. Coach Stepsis’ introductory press conference will be streamed live via the UNI Athletics YouTube channel.
Drake began the 2024 season with a 35-32 OT victory at Eastern Washington and later constructed a six-game, mid-season victory streak that included a 19-0 home shutout vs. Marist followed by a 22-19 win at perennial Pioneer Football League power St. Thomas. The Bulldogs clinched a conference title and another berth in the FCS Playoffs with a 49-10 victory at Stetson. In total, Drake held six opponents under 20 points during the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, DL Finn Claypool was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for a second straight season. That honor is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player in the FCS. Claypool was a unanimous first-team All-PFL selection and concluded the season with 17.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and 10 QB hurries to go along with a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
“Cheryl and I are looking forward to cheering on Coach Stepsis and the Panthers under his direction,” UNI President Mark Nook said. “We are pleased to welcome Coach Stepsis and his family to the Cedar Valley. Coach Stepsis has created an exemplary record of helping young men and football programs develop and grow during his previous coaching stops. We hope that he and his family will call the University of Northern Iowa and the Cedar Valley home for many years. We wish Todd and his family the very best as we embark on this journey together. Panther Proud!”
After opening the 2023 season with a non-conference slate that featured contests at North Dakota and a neutral site contest against South Dakota State, the Bulldogs rattled off eight straight wins to finish the regular season with an 8-3 mark. That record clinched Drake’s first-ever berth in the FCS Playoffs and secured the school’s first Pioneer Football League championship since 2012. Stepsis was named the unanimous choice for Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors, making him the first Drake football coach to earn that distinction since 2004. Meanwhile Claypool earned PFL Defensive Player of the Year accolades and Dunning was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Year.
“This is an exciting day for UNI Football players, alumni, fans and donors as we announce the hiring of head coach Todd Stepsis,” Franklin said. “Todd is a mentor of men. His winning culture is predicated on the cultivation of the very best from the brotherhood of the team. Coach Stepsis has been a winner from his playing days to serving as head coach. His experience as both an offensive and defensive coordinator gives him a unique edge in the head coaching role.
“Todd is the absolute right leader of the next era of men in the UNI locker room and on the coaching staff, and he will embrace our storied alumni,” Franklin continued. “Todd’s vision to recruit and mentor men who lead on the field, on campus, and in the community will result in winning championships and graduating men of service to their families, professions and communities. Join me in welcoming Todd, Angie, Addison, and Avery, Zander, and Zoe to the UNI Panther family.”
“On behalf of Angie and our family, we are extremely grateful to President Nook and Megan for extending us this tremendous opportunity at the University of Northern Iowa,” Stepsis said. “I have a great appreciation for the winning tradition of UNI Football, as well as the litany of respected and highly successful head coaches who have held this role.
“As someone who has lived in Iowa for the past decade and who has recruited across the Midwest, I know the reputation of excellence that University of Northern Iowa carries as both an academic institution and as an athletic department,” Stepsis continued. “We will seek to live up to that championship legacy and field teams that all UNI students and alums can be proud of. Angie and I are looking forward to raising our family in a community like Cedar Falls. We can’t wait to get there to meet the team, the support staff and the fans. We’re going to have a lot of fun together in the UNI-Dome!”
Stepsis was named FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2023. His squad allowed a mere 12.1 ppg in conference play powered by Claypool, who finished the campaign with 19.0 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and two pass breakups. Claypool concluded the regular ranked second among FCS defenders in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss. A year earlier Claypool was named the PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
Stepsis was named Drake’s head coach on Dec. 21, 2018 after serving five years as the defensive coordinator.
