Bears usher in 2025 with new faces, high hopes at Missouri from SEC

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas is heading into the 2025 football season with a roster full of new faces, renewed energy and cautious optimism after a disappointing .500 finish in 2024.

They’ll do it on the road against the Missouri Tigers. It’s the first time UCA has played an SEC team since going to Ole Miss in 2022 and getting whacked, 59-3.

The game will be televised on ESPN. It pus UCA squarely in the national limelight with a 6:30 p.m. start. It’s a big opportunity.

Bears coach Nathan Brown said the program is undergoing a “recharge,” crediting an influx of transfers, junior college players and Arkansas high school recruits.

“There’s going to be a lot of new faces, a lot of new numbers to learn, but I think it’s a good thing,” Brown said. “We just haven’t been able to really push through at the end of the season. And that’s been really our Achilles heel.”

The 2025 roster includes nearly 60 Arkansans, a number Brown called important for the program’s identity and community support.

“It starts with Arkansas,” Brown said. “I love keeping in-state kids in-state. That adds buzz to your team, that adds excitement with friends and family that can get to games, especially home games. That’s always a priority for me as a head coach.”

UCA finished 6-6 overall and 3-5 in United Athletic Conference play last season, ending with a four-game losing streak that eliminated playoff hopes. The Bears have not returned to the postseason since 2020.

Sophomore quarterback Caleb Koger is expected to compete for the starting job following a promising spring. Running back Landen Chambers and wide receiver Kam Bibby, both Arkansas natives, are among the key returnees. The team’s depth chart also features young talents such as Josh Thomas and Gabriel Gant, both from Arkansas high schools.

Brown and his staff have emphasized team culture, focusing on the acronym H.A.R.D. — heart, attitude, respect and discipline.

“If we can have great heart, a great attitude, great respect, and obviously discipline, then success is usually going to follow,” Brown said.

Unity will be a central theme for the Bears this season.

“I felt like we lost a little bit of unity the last couple of years,” Brown said. “When you look at the teams that win championships and have success, usually the coach is talking about how unified they are. Especially in football — it’s the ultimate team game.”

Missouri has won 21 games in the past two seasons.

“If you take the first game against Missouri, that’s a mountain in itself,” Brown said. “They’ve got more scholarships. They recruit the top talent in the country. Missouri’s won 21 games in two years. So I put that Missouri game in its own category, but we are going up there to compete and make it a four-quarter game.”

The Bears’ nonconference schedule also includes in-state rival Arkansas–Pine Bluff, along with road games at Lamar and Sacramento State. Brown said those games could determine postseason eligibility.

“Those games may not seem like a big deal in September, but in November, they may be the difference in getting a playoff bid or not,” he said.

Brown said he enjoys coaching this group, noting the players’ willingness to learn and lack of ego. “I really like this team. They’re enjoyable. They’re fun to coach. They’re like sponges — they soak up what we’re trying to teach. They don’t have a ton of egos, and that’s a plus in the coaching world.”

Senior defensive lineman Torian Bell said the team is motivated by last season’s finish and eager to prove itself.

“It’s a hungry group. A lot of guys with something to prove,” Bell said. “Coach Brown’s been real with us — we have to come together, fast. But there’s a lot of belief in this locker room.”

The United Athletic Conference will again be competitive, with perennial powers such as Stephen F. Austin and Tarleton State in contention. Last year, UCA’s playoff hopes ended with a 39-14 loss at Tarleton.

Brown said the Bears’ immediate goals are to finish in the top third of the conference and win key nonconference games to secure a playoff berth.

“If we’re in the top third of the conference and we handle business in those nonconference games, then we’re a playoff team and that’s the goal — the playoffs,” he said.

Brown added that he is hopeful the emphasis on unity and a new team culture will translate into better results on the field.

“If you don’t have unity within your offense, defense, and special teams, then you’re probably not going to have a bunch of wins follow you,” he said.

As the 2025 season approaches, the Bears are focused on blending talent, discipline and cohesion in hopes of returning to the postseason. “For me, it’s been more pleasant knowing that I get to get up and coach a fun team.

This team’s been unique to this point. I don’t know what it’s going to result in, but they’re enjoyable to go to work with every single day,” Brown said.