# 2024 NAIA football season

The 2024 NAIA football season was the component of the 2024 college football season organized by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in the United States.
The regular season began on August 24 and ended on November 16.
The playoffs, known as the NAIA Football National Championship, began on November 23. They ended with the championship game on December 21 at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, where No. 2 Grand View defeated No. 1 Keiser to win the national championship.

## Membership changes

| Team | Former conference | New conference |
| Defiance Yellow Jackets | HCAC (NCAA D-III) | Mid-States |
| Jamestown Jimmies | Great Plains | North Star |
| Roosevelt Lakers | Mid-States | GLIAC (NCAA D-II) |
| Simpson Red Hawks | New program | Independent |
| St. Ambrose Fighting Bees | Mid-States | Heart of America |
| Waldorf Warriors | North Star | Great Plains |
| William Woods Owls | New program | Heart of America |

## Headlines

* March 1 – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) announced that they would change their name to Nelson University, effective on August 1.

## Milestones and records

* November 16 – Pikeville quarterback Lee Kirkland threw for 646 yards and 11 touchdowns in the Bears' 90–14 win over St. Andrews, setting a new NAIA single-game record for yardage and tying the overall college football record for single-game TD passes held by David Klingler of Houston since 1991.

## Conference standings

2024 Appalachian Athletic Conference football standings :
| 2024 Appalachian Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Reinhardt +  5 –1  7 –4   Pikeville +^  5 –1  5 –5   Bluefield  4 –2  5 –6   Point  4 –2  4 –7   Union Commonwealth  2 –4  3 –7   Kentucky Christian  1 –5  2 –9   St. Andrews  0 –6  0 –9   + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2024 Frontier Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 4 Montana Western $^  7 –1  9 –1   No. 8 Montana Tech ^  6 –2  9 –2   Carroll (MT)  6 –2  7 –3   No. 22 Southern Oregon  5 –3  8 –3   College of Idaho  5 –3  7 –4   Eastern Oregon  4 –4  5 –6   Arizona Christian  1 –7  2 –8   Rocky Mountain  1 –7  2 –8   Montana State–Northern  1 –7  1 –9   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2024 Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 6 Morningside $^  10 –0  10 –1   No. 9 Northwestern (IA) ^  8 –2  8 –2   No. 17 Concordia (NE)  8 –2  8 –2   No. 18 Dordt  8 –2  8 –2   Mount Marty  5 –5  6 –4   Midland  5 –5  6 –5   Dakota Wesleyan  4 –6  4 –7   Doane  3 –7  3 –8   Briar Cliff  2 –8  2 –9   Hastings  2 –8  2 –9   Waldorf  0 –10  0 –11   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll |
| 2024 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  North No. 2 Grand View x^  6 –0  14 –0   Graceland  5 –1  7 –4   Peru State  5 –2  7 –3   Culver–Stockton  3 –3  3 –8   William Penn  2 –4  4 –6   St. Ambrose  1 –5  3 –8   Clarke  0 –6  1 –10   South No. 9 Benedictine (KS) x^  5 –1  11 –3   No. 12 Baker x^  5 –1  9 –2   No. 13 MidAmerica Nazarene x^  5 –1  9 –2   Missouri Baptist  3 –3  6 –4   Missouri Valley  2 –4  4 –6   Central Methodist  1 –5  1 –10   William Woods  0 –7  1 –10   x – Division champion/co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2024 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Bissell Division Kansas Wesleyan x^  5 –0  7 –4   Tabor  3 –1  6 –5   Avila  3 –2  4 –7   Sterling  2 –3  2 –9   Ottawa  1 –4  1 –10   Saint Mary (KS)  0 –4  1 –9   Kessinger Division No. 19т Southwestern (KS) x^  4 –1  10 –1   No. 19т Friends x^  4 –1  10 –1   McPherson  3 –2  8 –3   Evangel  3 –2  8 –2   Bethel (KS)  1 –4  5 –6   Bethany (KS)  0 –5  3 –8   x – Division champion/co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2024 Mid-South Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 11 Georgetown (KY) $^  6 –0  8 –2   No. 21 Campbellsville  4 –2  9 –2   Bethel (TN)  3 –3  7 –3   Cumberland (TN)  3 –3  7 –3   Lindsey Wilson  3 –3  5 –4   Cumberlands (KY)  2 –4  5 –5   Faulkner  0 –6  2 –8   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll |
| 2024 Mid-States Football Association standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Mideast League No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan x^  5 –0  10 –1   No. 22 Taylor  4 –1  9 –2   Concordia (MI)  3 –2  5 –6   Siena Heights  2 –3  3 –7   Lawrence Tech  1 –4  2 –8   Madonna  0 –5  0 –11   Defiance  0 –0  4 –7   Midwest League No. 25 Saint Francis (IN) x^  4 –1  8 –3   No. 24 Marian (IN) x  4 –1  8 –2   St. Francis (IL)  3 –2  7 –3   Olivet Nazarene  3 –2  6 –4   Saint Xavier  1 –4  5 –6   Judson  0 –5  1 –9   x – League champion/co-champions ^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2024 North Star Athletic Association football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 14 Dickinson State $^  8 –0  10 –1   Dakota State  4 –4  6 –4   Mayville State  3 –5  4 –6   Jamestown  3 –5  3 –7   Valley City State  2 –6  3 –7   $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2024 Sooner Athletic Conference football standings vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  No. 7 Texas Wesleyan $^  8 –0  10 –1   No. 15 OUAZ ^  7 –1  8 –2   Texas College  5 –3  7 –3   Langston  5 –3  6 –4   OK Panhandle State  3 –5  4 –6   Wayland Baptist  3 –5  4 –6   Louisiana Christian  3 –5  4 –7   Nelson  2 –6  4 –6   North American  1 –6  2 –9   Arkansas Baptist  0 –8  1 –10   + – Conference co-champions^ – NAIA playoff participantRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll |
| 2024 Sun Conference football standings vteConf.Overall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Keiser $^ 6 –0 –012 –1 –0 No. 5 St. Thomas (FL) ^ 6 –1 –09 –2 –0 No. 16 Southeastern 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Florida Memorial 4 –3 –06 –4 –1 Webber International 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Ave Maria 2 –4 –03 –7 –0 Thomas 1 –5 –01 –8 –0 Warner 0 –6 –00 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA playoff participant Florida Memorial's game against Clark Atlanta was delayed at halftime due to weather, but was never rescheduled and resulted in a tieRankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll | 2024 NAIA independents football records vteConf.Overall Team W L W L  Simpson (CA)   –  0 –9   Rankings from NAIA Coaches' Poll |

## Postseason
### Bracket

| First Round November 23 Campus sites | First Round November 23 Campus sites | First Round November 23 Campus sites | Second Round November 30 Campus sites | Second Round November 30 Campus sites | Second Round November 30 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 Campus sites | Championship December 21 Durham County Memorial Stadium Durham, North Carolina | Championship December 21 Durham County Memorial Stadium Durham, North Carolina | Championship December 21 Durham County Memorial Stadium Durham, North Carolina |
| | | | 5 | St. Thomas (FL) | 21 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Georgetown (KY) | 27 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | Georgetown (KY) | 27 | 10 | Georgetown (KY) | 22 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | Keiser | 38 | | | | |
| | | | 1 | Keiser | 56 | 1 | Keiser | 38 | | | | |
| 13 | Baker | 35 | 20 | Pikeville | 21 | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Baker | 35 | 20 | Pikeville | 21 | | | | 1 | Keiser | 42 | |
| 20 | Pikeville | 42 | | | | | | | 1 | Keiser | 42 | |
| 20 | Pikeville | 42 | | | | | | | 9 | Benedictine (KS) | 38 | |
| | | | 8 | Texas Wesleyan | 33 | | | | 9 | Benedictine (KS) | 38 | |
| | | | 9 | Benedictine (KS) | 42 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Benedictine (KS) | 42 | 9 | Benedictine (KS) | 20 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Indiana Wesleyan | 9 | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Indiana Wesleyan | 24 | 3 | Indiana Wesleyan | 9 | | | | |
| 15 | Southwestern (KS) | 31 | 15 | Southwestern (KS) | 13 | | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Southwestern (KS) | 31 | 15 | Southwestern (KS) | 13 | | | | | | | 1 | Keiser | 7 |
| 18 | Saint Francis (IN) | 24 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Keiser | 7 |
| 18 | Saint Francis (IN) | 24 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Grand View | 35 |
| | | | 6 | Morningside | 35 | | | | | | | 2 | Grand View | 35 |
| | | | 12 | MidAmerica Nazarene | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 12 | MidAmerica Nazarene | 0 | 6 | Morningside | 31 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Montana Western | 24 | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Montana Western | 41 | 4 | Montana Western | 24 | | | | | | |
| 14 | Dickinson State | 27 | 14 | Dickinson State | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Dickinson State | 27 | 14 | Dickinson State | 14 | | | | 6 | Morningside | 13 | | | |
| 19 | Kansas Wesleyan | 20 | | | | | | | 6 | Morningside | 13 | | | |
| 19 | Kansas Wesleyan | 20 | | | | | | | 2 | Grand View | 36 | | | |
| | | | 7 | Montana Tech | 29 | | | | 2 | Grand View | 36 | | | |
| | | | 11 | Northwestern (IA) | 32 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 11 | Northwestern (IA) | 32 | 11 | Northwestern (IA) | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Grand View | 17 | | | | | | |
| | | | 2 | Grand View | 21 | 2 | Grand View | 17 | | | | | | |
| 16 | Friends | 47 | 16 | Friends | 17 | | | | | | | | | |
| 17 | OUAZ | 35 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Coaching changes
### Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2024, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | Previous position |
| Sterling | Darren Jackson | June 4, 2024 | Fired | Reggie Langford Jr. | Sterling assistant head coach and offensive coordinator (2023) |
| Bethel (KS) | A. B. Stokes | July 8, 2024 | Resigned | Daylon Markham (full-season interim) | Bethel (KS) defensive coordinator (2023) |
| Kansas Wesleyan | Matt Myers | October 9, 2024 | Fired | Chris Snyder / David Leonard (co-interim head coaches) | Kansas Wesleyan recruiting coordinator (2023–2024) / Kansas Wesleyan defensive coordinator (2021–2024) |
| Rio Grande | Quincy Wilson | November 13, 2024 | Fired | Mark Thurston | Rio Grande defensive coordinator (2024) |

### End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement | Previous position |
| Kansas Wesleyan | Chris Snyder / David Leonard | November 25, 2024 | Permanent replacement hired | Matt Middleton | Harding quarterbacks coach and fullbacks coach (2023–2024) |
| St. Andrews | Bob Curtin | December 2, 2024 | Resigned | Matt Quinn | Chesterfield HS (SC) head coach (2024) |
| Bethel (KS) | Daylon Markham (full-season interim) | December 3, 2024 | Resigned | Josh Lawson | Calvin defensive coordinator (2023–2024) |
| Georgetown (KY) | Chris Oliver | December 10, 2024 | Resigned | John Perin | Georgetown (KY) defensive coordinator (2022–2024) |
| Faulkner | Rob Gray | December 11, 2024 | Resigned | Dayne Brown | Enterprise HS (AL) defensive coordinator (2024) |
| Mount Mercy | — | December 11, 2024 | — | MD Daniels | Bethel (TN) co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach (2024) |
| Bethel (TN) | Michael Jasper | December 20, 2024 | Hired as head coach by Stetson | Chris Springer | Bethel (TN) associate head coach and defensive coordinator (2017–2024) |
| William Woods | Julian Mendez | December 23, 2024 | Hired as assistant coach by Washburn | Sam Camp | William Woods offensive coordinator (2024) |
| Grand View | Joe Woodley | December 23, 2024 | Hired as head coach by Drake | E. J. Peterson | Grand View defensive coordinator (2018–2024) |
| Missouri Valley | Casey Creehan | Before January 2, 2025 | — | LaQuentin Black | Northern Iowa safeties coach (2024) |
| Florida Memorial | Bobby Rome II | January 19, 2025 | Fired | Michael Jones | Florida Memorial offensive coordinator (2021–2024) |
| MidAmerica Nazarene | Paul Hansen | February 26, 2025 | Hired as head coach by Southwest Baptist | Ivan Cordova (interim) | MidAmerica Nazarene defensive coordinator and defensive line coach (2021–2024) |
| Lawrence Tech | Scott Merchant | Before February 17, 2025 | Hired as head coach by Bloomfield Hills HS (MI) | Oscar Olejniczak | Lawrence Tech offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (2024) |
| OUAZ | Mike Nesbitt | March 10, 2025 | Hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach by Houston Christian | Martin Castaneda (interim) | OUAZ defensive line coach (2024) |
* ↑ The Rio Grande football program was established in 2023 and will not begin official NAIA play until the 2025 season.
* ↑ The Mount Mercy football program was announced in 2024 and will not begin official NAIA play until the 2026 season.