University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Football
Stepsis, Todd
Todd Stepsis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- todd.stepsis@uni.edu
- Phone:
- (319) 273-5674
Todd Stepsis was named the 24th head football coach at the University of Northern Iowa on Dec. 3, 2024. Stepsis joins the Panthers after a six-year stint as the head coach at Drake University. He has also served as Drake’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.
The Shelby, Ohio native guided the Bulldogs to consecutive appearances in the FCS Playoffs after winning back-to-back Pioneer Football League championships. Drake compiled a 16-7 record over that two-year span in 2023-24, including a 15-1 mark in conference play. Stepsis earned Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors for a second consecutive year in 2024.
Drake began the 2024 season with a 35-32 OT victory at Eastern Washington and later constructed a six-game, mid-season victory streak that included a 19-0 home shutout vs. Marist followed by a 22-19 win at perennial Pioneer Football League power St. Thomas. The Bulldogs clinched a conference title and another berth in the FCS Playoffs with a 49-10 victory at Stetson. In total, Drake held six opponents under 20 points during the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, DL Finn Claypool was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for a second straight season. That honor is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player in the FCS. Claypool was a unanimous first-team All-PFL selection and concluded the season with 17.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and 10 QB hurries to go along with a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
In addition to Claypool, six other Drake players earned first-team all-conference accolades in 2024. QB Luke Bailey and OL Bennet Krebs represented the Bulldogs on offense, while LB Stephen Adamski and K Shane Dunning and LS Brett Weising rounded out the Drake contingent.
“Cheryl and I are looking forward to cheering on Coach Stepsis and the Panthers under his direction,” UNI President Mark Nook said. “We are pleased to welcome Coach Stepsis and his family to the Cedar Valley. Coach Stepsis has created an exemplary record of helping young men and football programs develop and grow during his previous coaching stops. We hope that he and his family will call the University of Northern Iowa and the Cedar Valley home for many years. We wish Todd and his family the very best as we embark on this journey together. Panther Proud!”
After opening the 2023 season with a non-conference slate that featured contests at North Dakota and a neutral site contest against South Dakota State, the Bulldogs rattled off eight straight wins to finish the regular season with an 8-3 mark. That record clinched Drake’s first-ever berth in the FCS Playoffs and secured the school’s first Pioneer Football League championship since 2012. Stepsis was named the unanimous choice for Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors, making him the first Drake football coach to earn that distinction since 2004. Meanwhile Claypool earned PFL Defensive Player of the Year accolades and Dunning was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Year.
“This is an exciting day for UNI Football players, alumni, fans and donors as we announce the hiring of head coach Todd Stepsis,” UNI Director of Athletics Megan Franklin said. “Todd is a mentor of men. His winning culture is predicated on the cultivation of the very best from the brotherhood of the team. Coach Stepsis has been a winner from his playing days to serving as head coach. His experience as both an offensive and defensive coordinator gives him a unique edge in the head coaching role.
“Todd is the absolute right leader of the next era of men in the UNI locker room and on the coaching staff, and he will embrace our storied alumni,” Franklin continued. “Todd's vision to recruit and mentor men who lead on the field, on campus, and in the community will result in winning championships and graduating men of service to their families, professions and communities. Join me in welcoming Todd, Angie, Addison, and Avery, Zander, and Zoe to the UNI Panther family."
“On behalf of Angie and our family, we are extremely grateful to President Nook and Megan for extending us this tremendous opportunity at the University of Northern Iowa,” Stepsis said. “I have a great appreciation for the winning tradition of UNI Football, as well as the litany of respected and highly successful head coaches who have held this role.
“As someone who has lived in Iowa for the past decade and who has recruited across the Midwest, I know the reputation of excellence that University of Northern Iowa carries as both an academic institution and as an athletic department,” Stepsis continued. “We will seek to live up to that championship legacy and field teams that all UNI students and alums can be proud of. Angie and I are looking forward to raising our family in a community like Cedar Falls. We can’t wait to get there to meet the team, the support staff and the fans. We’re going to have a lot of fun together in the UNI-Dome!”
Stepsis was named FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2023. His squad allowed a mere 12.1 ppg in conference play powered by Claypool, who finished the campaign with 19.0 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and two pass breakups. Claypool concluded the regular ranked second among FCS defenders in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss. A year earlier Claypool was named the PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
Stepsis was named Drake’s head coach on Dec. 21, 2018 after serving five seasons as the Bulldogs defensive coordinator. In his initial season at the helm, Drake tied for the second in the league with 21 all-conference honorees. The Bulldogs also landed three student-athletes on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team, tying for the best mark among all NCAA Division I football programs.
As the defensive coordinator, Stepsis built the Drake defense into one of the nation’s top units and coached a total of 42 all-conference selections, including the program’s all-time leading tackler and 2018 Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year, DL Nathan Clayberg. During that 2018 campaign, Stepsis’ defense ranked ninth among FCS squads in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), ninth in total defense (296.0 ypg), sixth in rushing defense (96.8 ypg), 10th in interceptions (17) and 10th in tackles for loss (8.1 per game), while scoring three defensive TDs. DB Will Warner led the nation with 223 interception return yards and finishing second in the nation with a school-record eight interceptions.
In 2017, Stepsis' defensive unit led the PFL in total defense (335.3 ypg), pass defense (199.7 ypg) and first downs allowed (18.0 per game), while finishing second in the conference with 27.0 sacks.
Stepsis joined the Drake staff as defensive coordinator in 2014 following six seasons in the same role at NCAA Division II power Saginaw Valley State. During his tenure with that program, the Cardinals produced a 44-23 record, three consecutive division titles and three NCAA playoff berths. In total, he coached 37 defensive all-conference performers at Saginaw Valley State.
Prior to Saginaw Valley State, he coached at NCAA Division III Capital University in Bexley, Ohio for eight seasons. During that span, the program amassed a 57-20 record. Capital earned three straight NCAA Division III playoff berths from 2005-07, advancing to the quarterfinals in both 2005 and 2006. He began his coaching career at Otterbein University where he coached the top-ranked pass defense in the conference and helped the program to its first winning season in nearly two decades.
Stepsis graduated with magna cum laude honors from Ashland University, where he was a four-year member of the football team, in 1999 with a degree in special education. He also received a master’s degree from Ashland in sport education. He and his wife, Angie, have two daughters, Addison and Avery. He is also father to a son, Zander, and daughter, Zoe.
STEPSIS’ HEAD COACHING RECORD AT DRAKE
Year Overall Conference Postseason
2019 6-5 6-2
2020 2-3 2-3
2021 2-9 1-7
2022 3-8 3-5
2023 8-4 8-0 FCS Playoffs – First Round
2024 8-3 7-1 FCS Playoffs – First Round
Totals 29-32 27-18
STEPSIS’ COACHING CAREER
2025 University of Northern Iowa (Head Coach)
2019-24 Drake University (Head Coach)
2014-18 Drake University (Defensive Coordinator)
2008-13 Saginaw Valley State (Defensive Coordinator)
2000-08 Capital University (Assistant Coach)
1999 Otterbein University (Assistant Coach)
1995-98 Ashland University (Player)
UNI HEAD FOOTBALL COACHES
2025-pres. Todd Stepsis
2001-24 Mark Farley
1997-00 Mike Dunbar
1989-96 Terry Allen
1988 Earl Bruce
1983-87 Darrell Mudra
1960-82 Stan Sheriff
1958-59 Willard Hammer
1936-57 Clyde Starbeck
1933-34 John Baker
1930-32 L.W. Witford
1925-29 Paul Bender
1921-24 L.L. Mendenhall
1919-20 Ivan Doseff
1918 Russell Glaesner
1913-16 Allen Berkstresser
1911-12 H.F. Pasini
1908-09 C.B. Simmons
1902-05 Charles Pell
1901 G.B. Affleck
1900 Fred Williams
1899 George Sweetland
1898 K.E. Leighton
1897 Fred Wolff
The Shelby, Ohio native guided the Bulldogs to consecutive appearances in the FCS Playoffs after winning back-to-back Pioneer Football League championships. Drake compiled a 16-7 record over that two-year span in 2023-24, including a 15-1 mark in conference play. Stepsis earned Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors for a second consecutive year in 2024.
Drake began the 2024 season with a 35-32 OT victory at Eastern Washington and later constructed a six-game, mid-season victory streak that included a 19-0 home shutout vs. Marist followed by a 22-19 win at perennial Pioneer Football League power St. Thomas. The Bulldogs clinched a conference title and another berth in the FCS Playoffs with a 49-10 victory at Stetson. In total, Drake held six opponents under 20 points during the 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, DL Finn Claypool was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for a second straight season. That honor is presented annually to the nation’s top defensive player in the FCS. Claypool was a unanimous first-team All-PFL selection and concluded the season with 17.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and 10 QB hurries to go along with a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
In addition to Claypool, six other Drake players earned first-team all-conference accolades in 2024. QB Luke Bailey and OL Bennet Krebs represented the Bulldogs on offense, while LB Stephen Adamski and K Shane Dunning and LS Brett Weising rounded out the Drake contingent.
“Cheryl and I are looking forward to cheering on Coach Stepsis and the Panthers under his direction,” UNI President Mark Nook said. “We are pleased to welcome Coach Stepsis and his family to the Cedar Valley. Coach Stepsis has created an exemplary record of helping young men and football programs develop and grow during his previous coaching stops. We hope that he and his family will call the University of Northern Iowa and the Cedar Valley home for many years. We wish Todd and his family the very best as we embark on this journey together. Panther Proud!”
After opening the 2023 season with a non-conference slate that featured contests at North Dakota and a neutral site contest against South Dakota State, the Bulldogs rattled off eight straight wins to finish the regular season with an 8-3 mark. That record clinched Drake’s first-ever berth in the FCS Playoffs and secured the school’s first Pioneer Football League championship since 2012. Stepsis was named the unanimous choice for Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year honors, making him the first Drake football coach to earn that distinction since 2004. Meanwhile Claypool earned PFL Defensive Player of the Year accolades and Dunning was named the PFL Special Teams Player of the Year.
“This is an exciting day for UNI Football players, alumni, fans and donors as we announce the hiring of head coach Todd Stepsis,” UNI Director of Athletics Megan Franklin said. “Todd is a mentor of men. His winning culture is predicated on the cultivation of the very best from the brotherhood of the team. Coach Stepsis has been a winner from his playing days to serving as head coach. His experience as both an offensive and defensive coordinator gives him a unique edge in the head coaching role.
“Todd is the absolute right leader of the next era of men in the UNI locker room and on the coaching staff, and he will embrace our storied alumni,” Franklin continued. “Todd's vision to recruit and mentor men who lead on the field, on campus, and in the community will result in winning championships and graduating men of service to their families, professions and communities. Join me in welcoming Todd, Angie, Addison, and Avery, Zander, and Zoe to the UNI Panther family."
“On behalf of Angie and our family, we are extremely grateful to President Nook and Megan for extending us this tremendous opportunity at the University of Northern Iowa,” Stepsis said. “I have a great appreciation for the winning tradition of UNI Football, as well as the litany of respected and highly successful head coaches who have held this role.
“As someone who has lived in Iowa for the past decade and who has recruited across the Midwest, I know the reputation of excellence that University of Northern Iowa carries as both an academic institution and as an athletic department,” Stepsis continued. “We will seek to live up to that championship legacy and field teams that all UNI students and alums can be proud of. Angie and I are looking forward to raising our family in a community like Cedar Falls. We can’t wait to get there to meet the team, the support staff and the fans. We’re going to have a lot of fun together in the UNI-Dome!”
Stepsis was named FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year in 2023. His squad allowed a mere 12.1 ppg in conference play powered by Claypool, who finished the campaign with 19.0 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and two pass breakups. Claypool concluded the regular ranked second among FCS defenders in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss. A year earlier Claypool was named the PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
Stepsis was named Drake’s head coach on Dec. 21, 2018 after serving five seasons as the Bulldogs defensive coordinator. In his initial season at the helm, Drake tied for the second in the league with 21 all-conference honorees. The Bulldogs also landed three student-athletes on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team, tying for the best mark among all NCAA Division I football programs.
As the defensive coordinator, Stepsis built the Drake defense into one of the nation’s top units and coached a total of 42 all-conference selections, including the program’s all-time leading tackler and 2018 Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year, DL Nathan Clayberg. During that 2018 campaign, Stepsis’ defense ranked ninth among FCS squads in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), ninth in total defense (296.0 ypg), sixth in rushing defense (96.8 ypg), 10th in interceptions (17) and 10th in tackles for loss (8.1 per game), while scoring three defensive TDs. DB Will Warner led the nation with 223 interception return yards and finishing second in the nation with a school-record eight interceptions.
In 2017, Stepsis' defensive unit led the PFL in total defense (335.3 ypg), pass defense (199.7 ypg) and first downs allowed (18.0 per game), while finishing second in the conference with 27.0 sacks.
Stepsis joined the Drake staff as defensive coordinator in 2014 following six seasons in the same role at NCAA Division II power Saginaw Valley State. During his tenure with that program, the Cardinals produced a 44-23 record, three consecutive division titles and three NCAA playoff berths. In total, he coached 37 defensive all-conference performers at Saginaw Valley State.
Prior to Saginaw Valley State, he coached at NCAA Division III Capital University in Bexley, Ohio for eight seasons. During that span, the program amassed a 57-20 record. Capital earned three straight NCAA Division III playoff berths from 2005-07, advancing to the quarterfinals in both 2005 and 2006. He began his coaching career at Otterbein University where he coached the top-ranked pass defense in the conference and helped the program to its first winning season in nearly two decades.
Stepsis graduated with magna cum laude honors from Ashland University, where he was a four-year member of the football team, in 1999 with a degree in special education. He also received a master’s degree from Ashland in sport education. He and his wife, Angie, have two daughters, Addison and Avery. He is also father to a son, Zander, and daughter, Zoe.
STEPSIS’ HEAD COACHING RECORD AT DRAKE
Year Overall Conference Postseason
2019 6-5 6-2
2020 2-3 2-3
2021 2-9 1-7
2022 3-8 3-5
2023 8-4 8-0 FCS Playoffs – First Round
2024 8-3 7-1 FCS Playoffs – First Round
Totals 29-32 27-18
STEPSIS’ COACHING CAREER
2025 University of Northern Iowa (Head Coach)
2019-24 Drake University (Head Coach)
2014-18 Drake University (Defensive Coordinator)
2008-13 Saginaw Valley State (Defensive Coordinator)
2000-08 Capital University (Assistant Coach)
1999 Otterbein University (Assistant Coach)
1995-98 Ashland University (Player)
UNI HEAD FOOTBALL COACHES
2025-pres. Todd Stepsis
2001-24 Mark Farley
1997-00 Mike Dunbar
1989-96 Terry Allen
1988 Earl Bruce
1983-87 Darrell Mudra
1960-82 Stan Sheriff
1958-59 Willard Hammer
1936-57 Clyde Starbeck
1933-34 John Baker
1930-32 L.W. Witford
1925-29 Paul Bender
1921-24 L.L. Mendenhall
1919-20 Ivan Doseff
1918 Russell Glaesner
1913-16 Allen Berkstresser
1911-12 H.F. Pasini
1908-09 C.B. Simmons
1902-05 Charles Pell
1901 G.B. Affleck
1900 Fred Williams
1899 George Sweetland
1898 K.E. Leighton
1897 Fred Wolff
PST: Todd Stepsis - Sept. 26, 2025 (Part 1 of 3)
Friday, September 26
PST: Todd Stepsis - Sept. 26, 2025 (Part 2 of 3)
Friday, September 26
PST: Todd Stepsis - Sept. 26, 2025 (Part 3 of 3)
Friday, September 26
PST: Owen Ostroski (2025)
Friday, September 26
