Marian College is a small NAIA program based in Indianapolis, Indiana with a rich recent football tradition.
The program captured the NAIA national title during the 2015 season, knocking off Southern Oregon in the championship game 31-14 in front of over 3,500 fans and also captured a national championship at the end of the 2012 season, where they beat Morningside (NAIA - IA) in an overtime thriller in front of well over 5,000 fans.
That 2012 title was captured with Ted Karras leading the program, and after some brief time away from the program where he served as the head coach at Walsh (D-II - OH) and then the defensive line coach at St. Francis (NAIA - IN), he returned to the program prior to the 2023 campaign and immediately led the program to 9-win and 8-win seasons before starting the 2025 season with national title hopes.
Come playoff selection time, Marian got into the NAIA playoffs with an automatic bid following a 9-1 record after winning the MSFA Midwest League with a perfect 4-0 mark. earning them a first-round bye.
After beating a top-10 ranked Dordt squad to open the postseason 26-18, Marian was set to take on #2 ranked Keiser (FL) in the quarterfinals on Saturday - just two days away - when an internal review uncovered a major issue.
The school shared in an announcement today that they found an eligibility issue concerning a Marian player during a routine internal review, and immediately reported the matter to the NAIA.
The school notes that they have fully cooperated with the NAIA, and are facing the very real possibility they will be forced to forfeit the three games in which the student athlete competed.
The NAIA released the following statement on the news:
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has received Marian Universityβs self-report of an eligibility violation within its football program. Marian will be removed from the 2025 NAIA Football Championship Series. While this outcome is certainly unfortunate, we appreciate Marianβs integrity and cooperation in addressing the issue quickly and transparently. With this adjustment to the postseason field, Keiser University will advance to the NAIA Football Championship Series Semifinals.
Having your playoff run end is one thing, but wait until you hear how and why the ineligible player was was discovered.
In a letter titled Response to NAIA Decision Karras shared the following on the unfortunate news:
In the NAIA, a student athlete becomes immediately ineligible if they drop below full-time status (12 credit hours) at any point during the semester. In November, one of our players withdrew from a 3-credit-hour course, bringing his academic load to 11 credit hours. Per protocol, all football student-athletes are expected to consult with their academic advisor and coaching staff prior to making such a change. We were not informed of the withdrawal until December 2nd. The student athlete was immediately advised and able to re-enroll in his 3-credit-hour course and will complete this semester with 14 credit hours, thereby attaining full eligibility.
The NAIA requires institutions to self-report eligibility violations, and consistent with MU's commitment to integrity and high standards we promptly did so. Historically, our office of Institutional Research provides regular reports to alert teams and coaches if a student-athlete falls below full-time status. Due to a personnel change, that report was not operating.
We are facing a very punitive outcome. I am incredibly proud of our players, their heart, their dedication, and everything these young men invested into this Knights football season. More than anything, I wish they had the opportunity to finish the season on the field, where they earned the right to be.
Coach Karras
With the forfeit win, Keiser now moves on to the national semifinals, where they will await an opportunity to punch their ticket to the national title game for a fourth-straight season after winning it in 2023 and losing to Iowa-based programs in 2022 (Morningside) and 2024 (Grand View).
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
