The FBS division of Division I football continues to expand, and 2025 features two new additions in Missouri State and Delaware. Both Conference USA bound, the Bears return more production and give college fantasy players some viable options in upcoming drafts.
Offense
Quarterback
Missouri State’s offense is led by veteran signal-caller Jacob Clark, a transfer-up candidate whom the Bears were able to hold onto in the Winter portal window. Clark will use his final year of eligibility at MSU (thanks to a medical redshirt in 2023), highlighting his experience and comfort with the program as a key reason for staying. A one-time Minnesota backup, Clark transferred to Missouri State in 2022 and finally commanded the Nick Petrino offense as a full-time starter in 2024.
Clark was one of the best players in the FCS last season, finishing as a semi-finalist for the Walter Payton Award for best player in the country and as a finalist for Missouri Valley Offensive Player of the Year. In Clark’s first Ten games of the season, he threw for 3,171 yards and 25 touchdowns. In his final two, he struggled in matchups against (3) South Dakota State and (1) North Dakota State, where he went 32-61 for 433 yards and one touchdown. This distinction is included here because both Dakota teams are multiple levels above most CUSA teams on this 2025 schedule for the Bears and also have two games where they will be outclassed in 2025 (USC and SMU).
Petrino’s offensive scheme is similar to his father’s, which picks up explosive plays through the air and consistently utilizes play-action (30% of dropbacks in 2024). Last season Clark had a 79.4% adjusted accuracy percentage, the true completion percentage being hurt by the 27 (10%) drops from his receivers. His adjusted accuracy would have ranked 8th of 158 among all FBS quarterbacks with 150+ dropbacks.
Clark has no real upside with his legs for fantasy purposes, as he had four total yards in 2024 when adjusting for sack yardage. He is functionally mobile for his size (6’5″ 220 lbs.) but his pressure-to-sack rate, 24.3% opened himself and the offense to negative plays. While this number was high, the offensive line was a struggle all season, rotating at LT and essentially getting no push up front.
In 2024, Jacob Clark’s 22.7 fantasy points per game (through ten weeks), would have had him as QB31. He’s a fantasy viable option entering 2024 with a schedule that is not only incredibly weak in Conference USA but sports a defense that will need to keep the offense needing to score.
Running Backs
Running back was a highly productive position for the Bears in 2024 headlined by duo Jacardia Wright and Jayden Becks. Wright ran for 872 yards on 4.6 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns. In the passing game, he had 33 receptions for 41 receptions for 389 yards and four touchdowns. Wright graduates and backup Jayden Becks transferred to North Texas. The two departures represent 98.4% of the 2024 rushing yards from the RB position. Beck and Wright also combined for 66 targets. The one returning back with any experience and pedigree is former Montana transfer Iverson Young, who flashed briefly in their matchup against North Dakota State.
Enter well-traveled Shomari Lawrence. Former South Dakota -to-FIU rusher enters the Missouri State backfield as the most experienced back on the roster, with 343 touches through five seasons. His 2024 season was a disappointment, with only 48 touches in eight games and a 3.8 yards per carry average. His second half was largely injury-plagued, but on the season, he had a single breakaway run (15+ yards) and only four over 10 yards.
In Lawrence’s prior seasons, he averaged a 34.6% breakaway rush rate, being a far more boom-bust runner. He’s a capable receiving back and is on the field on passing downs more often than his counterparts. Lawrence also profiles as the biggest back on the roster, listed at 6’0″ and 205+lbs, similar to last year’s leading rusher, Jacardia Wright.
Missouri State also added Sam Houston transfer DJ McKinney, who rushed for 484 yards at 5.0 yards per attempt. McKinney profiles as the Jayden Becks-type back for the Bears, with both listed as 5’10” and 185 lbs. He, like Lawrence, is a quality receiver out of the backfield. However, McKinney is better working from the slot or downfield, with a positive aDOT in 2024.
The Bears bring in true freshman King Davis from Miami. Davis held non-committable offers from multiple Power Four programs, including Oregon, Louisville, and Ole Miss, but opted to join Missouri State this season. Davis is an undersized back, listed at 5’9″ 170lbs, out of Miami Northwestern but was extremely efficient in high school, averaging 10.6 yards per attempt as an upperclassman but had limited usage as a receiver despite showing some chops catching the ball out of the backfield.
His size limits feature-back potential, but he’s likely to compete for touches for the 1B role with DJ McKinney. He was ranked as the 120th running back in the 247Composite. For an undersized back, he shows the ability to stay upright consistently, has quick acceleration, and burst off the snap. Although his size is his primary limitation, keep an eye on his name early in practices to see how this depth chart is shaking out.
Tight End
Even last season, the best pass catcher on this team was tight end Lance Mason. Mason was arguably the top pass-catching tight end in the entirety of FCS football last season and is primed to step into an even larger role at Missouri State in 2025. Before enrolling, he had only played tight end for two seasons, being used as a linebacker until his junior season, making his high school stats unimpressive for the converted backer.
Mason stepped into the starting role for the Bears last season and never looked back en route to a 34 – 590 – 6 receiving line. His 5.8 aDOT leaves much to be desired, but he is an elite YAC producer, averaging over 12.5 YAC/reception. His athleticism translates to the tape as he has a reported 4.68 40-yard dash, 30-inch vertical, and can squat 435 lbs — as a junior in high school. At 6’4″, 240 lbs., he is a highly athletic tight end and a key piece to this receiving offense. In his first year, he saw 43 targets, and while we’re hoping for better volume, the departures of others in this room make him a prime breakout candidate at tight end in 2025. Mason is on a short list of must-draft tight ends for me.
Wide Receiver
Although quarterback Jacob Clark threw for more than 3,600 yards, the receiving share was relatively flat, with only standout receiver Hunter Woods having more than 20% of the receiving yardage share (21%). Woods exhausted his eligibility, and the passing game will look for another option to lead the team in receiving.
In addition to Hunter Woods leaving, second-leading WR Jmariyae Robinson entered the portal and looks elsewhere for 2025. Robinson has two years of eligibility remaining but had posted back-to-back 500-yard seasons for the Bears. In addition to Woods, Dvontae Key exhausted his eligibility after four seasons in Springfield.
Placing on the All-MVFC Newcomer of The Year Team, James BlackStrain figures to be the largest beneficiary of the receiving room overhaul. BlackStrain joined the team in 2024 after three seasons at Georgia Tech, where he saw limited usage. He steps into the primary outside role vacated by receiver Jmairyae Robinson’s transfer. While he only started in three of twelve games last season, he saw 35 targets and averaged over 15 yards per reception. There’s excitement around the program that the once-highly coveted Yellowjacks receiver can take the next step in 2025.
Missouri State also added a handful of transfer receivers, headlined by Nebraska’s Isaiah McMorris and Ronnel Johnson out of Stetson. McMorris was a three-star in last year’s class with a 10.65 (wind-aided) 100M and had an All-State caliber year as a junior but was hampered by injury in his senior season. After one year at Nebraska, the speedster joins the Bears and gives them a true field stretcher. His speed could be difference-making at this level. Johnson, on the other hand, transfers up from an FCS-worst Stetson. Johnson is a quality returner who flashed in two seasons in the Pioneer League but makes a significant jump to Conference USA.
Overall, the Missouri State Bears return less than 30% of receiving production (a departure of 2500+ yards) from last year’s team, with tight end Lance Mason accounting for over 60% of that. There’s ample room for a productive receiver to emerge here, and based on the staff and production, my money is on Blackstrain.
Offensive Line
This unit will likely make or break the Missouri State offense in 2025. Finding any consistency here was borderline impossible, as they ranked 106th in pass blocking and 79th in run blocking at the FCS level. Like most FCS teams, good linemen get Big money as recruits and are plucked quickly if a low school hits. Missouri State is not immune to poor line play. We know this unit can get blown up by much better defensive lines (out of conference USC and SMU in 2025.
The unit returns significant production, but quality is dubious at best. Their best lineman, center Cash Hudson, returns after a solid second season where he was 2nd All-MVFC. Hudson excels in pass blocking, allowing a single sack and 13 pressures all season prior to the offensive cluster that was Week 13 against South Dakota State. They also returned RG Hutson Lillibridge, who can play multiple positions on the interior, LT Erick Cade, who was an Ole Miss transfer in 2023, longtime RT Grant Goodson, and LG Cristian Loaiza. The tackle spots create the most issues here, as Cade was downright dreadful in pass protection in 2024, while Goodson was just OK. The unit does add experienced lineman Ebubedike Nnabugwu out of Delaware State to fortify the interior, as he can play both guard spots and center.
One should express quite a bit of concern around the offensive line, especially outside, where pressure consistently got to Jacob Clark on the offense. A bottom-30 FCS-graded offensive line now steps up in competition to the FBS level. Despite returning significant snaps, I would not consider this unit good.
A Quick Note on Defense
As Campus2Canton skews more college fantasy-based, I won’t break down every position on the Missouri State defense. However, it’s terrible. Defensive coordinator L.D. Scott runs mostly a 4-3 defense that often plays 4-2-5 but lacks the personnel to effectively run the former, especially entering 2025. Terrible play on the defensive line neutered any pressure that the 4-3 was looking to create, and the team returns even less. They ranked 58th in pass rush grade but 96th in defensive efficiency against the rush, and their 30.2 PPG allowed would rank 87th.
In the portal, Missouri State loses their best defensive player in LB Tahj Chambers and second-year breakout star LB Dallas Winner-Johnson. These two entered Conference USA as a formidable unit, especially as reliable tacklers, now the Bears look elsewhere. Up front, they will also need to replace Darion Smith, who exhausted his eligibility in 2024. Smith was one of the few players who could create HAVOC on the defensive line. His fellow edge rusher, Jalen Williams, also looks to the future. Both started and played over 590 snaps at EDGE in 2024. However, they do add former top-200 and top-15 EDGE recruit DJ Wesolak, who failed to catch on at both Missouri and Oregon State.
They also lose three starters in their secondary, including starting corners Avery Powell and Kaleno Lewis. Lemondre Joe, who took a backseat to the aforementioned Powell and Lewis last season does not return and had started over 23 games for the Bears across three seasons. That’s a significant amount of experience lost for a secondary that was better than their counterparts up front.
This group lost multiple impact players off a team that already wasn’t strong defensively. There’s real concern that the lack of transfers and experience keep this team from stopping anyone in 2025. While dreadful for Missouri State, it’s a potential boon for the offense.
