Beavers football picked to finish 10th
Coming off the program’s best season in NCAA history, the Minot State football team was picked to finish 10th in the NSIC this fall by the league’s coaches.
The 2025 NSIC Preseason Football Coaches Poll and Players to Watch were announced this morning and the Beavers racked up 67 points in the poll, voted on by all 14 of the league’s head coaches, ranking Minot State 10th.
The NSIC returns to a North and South Division format, as well this season, and the Beavers were picked to finish 5th in the North Division by the coaches.
Along with being picked No. 10 by the NSIC coaches, Minot State’s returning 1st Team All-Conference performers Evan Lovett and Kevin Speed were recognized as the Beavers’ Offensive and Defensive Players to Watch this season, respectively.
“I’m excited about the progress we are making as a program as we’ve established our culture and developed an identity that is unique to us at Minot State,” Beavers third-year head coach Ian Shields said. “The NSIC is as good as it gets in D2 football and the bar is set quite high, but we are closing the gap.
“This is a special year at Minot State as we celebrate our 100th year of football: Team 100 definitely has a great opportunity to leave a lasting legacy here in The Magic City.”
While practice began Monday for Minot State, the Beavers’ 100th year of football officially kicks off on the road on Thursday, August 28, with Minot State playing a non-conference game at Emporia State in Kansas.
Minot State makes its home debut hosting Concordia, St. Paul for Homecoming on Saturday, September 13.
While the Beavers were picked 10th, last year’s national semifinalist, Minnesota State, Mankato, was a heavy favorite to win the NSIC title this fall, followed by Augustana. The Mavericks had 11 first-place votes and 167 points and the Vikings collected the other 3 first-place votes and 153 points.
Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State, which tied for the top spot in the North Division, were picked third and fourth overall in the NSIC with 139 and 130 points, respectively, then Sioux Falls with 129 points was picked fifth, Wayne State with 106 points was picked 6th, Minnesota State Moorhead with 96 points was picked 7th, Northern State with 84 points was picked 8th, Winona State with 77 points was picked 9th, Minot State with 67 points was picked 10th, Concordia, St. Paul with 50 points was picked 11th, Mary with 35 points was picked 12th, Southwest Minnesota State with 27 points was picked 13th, and NSIC newcomer Jamestown with 14 points was picked 14th.
Individually for the Beavers, Lovett, a 6-foot-1 redshirt senior running back, and Speed, a 6-2 junior defensive back, were named Players to Watch.
Lovett enters his fifth season with the Beavers after rushing for 958 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024 when he earned 1st Team All-NSIC Offensive honors and a Harlon Hill Award nominee. He ran for 255 yards (2nd-most in a single game in school history) and 4 touchdowns (tying a single-game school record) in a 56-23 win over Winona State in the final game of the season.
“Evan is a high-character young man and has twice been voted to our Leadership Council by his peers,” Shields said. “…With good health and continued production, I would anticipate Evan being a worthy All-American candidate this season.”
Speed enters his second season with the Beavers after recording 45 tackles (30 solo, 15 assists), which was 2nd-most on the team, as he earned 1st Team All-NSIC Defensive honors. He also had 1 interception and broke-up 4 passes for the Beavers.
“Kevin is a unique talent who can impact a game in many ways: A physical presence, great instincts, ability to play man coverage, a sure tackler,” Shields said. “…Kevin has a high ceiling athletically and has the ability to be amongst the best in the game.”
While Lovett and Speed were recognized as top players for the Beavers, the NSIC Coaches also honored MSU Moorhead senior quarterback Jack Strand, a two-time All-NSIC 1st Team selection, as the North Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Augustana junior quarterback Gunnar Hensley, who was named All-NSIC 2nd Team last season, as the South Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Northern State junior linebacker Jake Adams, a D2CCA, AP, Walter Camp, & Don Hansen All-American last season, as the North Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and Wayne State’s junior defensive end Carter Sitzman, who led the NSIC in tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks per game (.64), as the South Division Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.