2025 Small College Football Season Preview: Doane

A football team's first season under a new coach almost always features some ups and downs, and that certainly was true for Doane last fall. But the team in Crete felt they made improvements as last season went on, leaving them optimistic as the 2025 season begins.

Doane football's primary goal last season was to win more games than they did the year before, and, thanks to a literal last-second touchdown and two-point conversion in their season finale against Mount Marty, they accomplished just that, winning three games under first year head coach Jonathan Johnson.
And now, on the verge of the 2025 season, Johnson's goal for year two is for his team to continue to improve.

"I feel like on both sides of the ball huge strides were made, offensively and defensively, for us to play better as a team, as a unit, and we were able to win two of our last three,"Johnson said at Small College Media Days hosted by Doane this summer. "I feel like we projected ourselves in the offseason where it’s, alright, getting even more competitive, developing more off the field, and then bringing in more pieces that are going to help us get to that next level. It’s Jimmys and Joes, it ain’t X and Os: you win football games with players, not coaches. So we’ve done a good job of recruiting and we feel good about what we’re going to do here going forward, and the work that these guys have put in."

And for the Tigers to continue to take more strides this fall, they'll need to make improvements on both sides of the ball - which is why Doane's leadership has emphasized the importance of competition throughout the spring and summer.

"We really vaulted ourselves from that Mount Marty game into the offseason, focused on competition and creating that in everything that we’ve done in spring football, the weight room, conditioning," Johnson said. "Those guys have done a great job with that on the field, and off the field we’ve focused on accountability, ownership, some leadership training that we’ve done. We’ve got a record high amount of guys here this summer working hard, and we’re looking forward to putting those pieces together in the right place."

"Defense has always been strong at Doane. Historically, the championship teams Doane has had, they’ve always had a strong defense – it's kind of been the calling card at Doane," senior linebacker Reece Zutavern said. "But the offense as a whole has just improved so much, and in practice, when we’re practicing against each other, they’re making us better every day. So the defense isn’t just good, the offense makes the defense better, and that helps a lot getting into games."

"Every week you’re getting better, you’re getting more reps in the system, everyone’s getting more comfortable with each other. So I expect us just to get better every week and compete hard," sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman said. "We do that every practice, we compete against the defense, the defense competes against us, we make each other better, so I’m just looking forward to seeing that unfold week one."

Hartman emerged from a true quarterback battle between four guys, all newcomers to the offense, late in fall camp last year to claim the role of the starting quarterback as a true freshman. The GI Northwest alum experienced some understandable growing pains in his first year in college, but clearly grew into the role as the season progressed - and he ultimately produced one of the best quarterback seasons in recent Doane history.

"There’s a huge difference from high school to college football, anyone will tell you that, just from schemes, blitzes, protections, everything you could think of, it’s definitely a lot more complicated and takes a lot more brain power as a quarterback for sure," Hartman said. "So I think just some experience going into year two, I learned a lot about things like getting down, protecting my body, throwing the ball away, helping me help my team out a little bit more. Stuff like that will be in the back of my mind to help me out going into year two."

On the other side, Zutavern returns for a final year as a senior member of Doane's experienced linebacker corps, where he'll line up alongside classmates and longtime running mates Jarrett Boggs and Tanner Simdorn. As he prepares for his final season in a place he's grown to love, he says he's focused on helping the newer members of the team learn to love their experience at Doane as well.

"I came in as a freshman and I was loved by everybody on the team, and that was a great feeling to have, so going in as a senior, this is my last year, this is my last go, so getting the freshmen on the same page that the team is on, continuing to build a culture so that I set the team up for success," he said. "I’m a big believer in leaving a place better than you found it, and that’s what I want to do, that’s what I want to leave behind."

That sentiment is a strong reflection of the concept of a "culture of love," one of the things that Johnson and his fellow coaches tried to instill in the team once they arrived on campus in January of last year. 

"The two-and-a-half hours on the field with them are the best part of my day," he said. "My mentor always said, when you become the head coach, you don’t get to be a coach anymore, you’re doing all the other stuff outside. And it’s a lot, but my best part of the day is being with these guys, spending time with them, seeing them develop, and having those relationships with them on the field."

And they'll soon be ready to take the field once again. Doane kicks off the 2025 campaign at 6 PM this Saturday at Al Papik Field in Crete against longtime in-state rivals Hastings, and you can watch that game, and every Doane football home game this season, live on News Channel Nebraska or listen live anywhere on olred995.com.