FootballScoop is proud to announce that Eric Kelly (Friends) the 2025 FootballScoop NAIA Coordinator of the Year, presented by Teamworks as selected by prior winners.
Friends University is an NAIA school, and its season ended on Dec. 6. But the Falcons will have a vested interest in the NCAA Division II championship game, because so long as Ferris State scores 66 points or fewer in that contest against Harding, Friends will end the season as the highest-scoring 4-year college football team in America.
The Falcons racked up 704 points in their 13 games, an amount that led NAIA 2.3 points per game. Even more impressive, Friends raced in 95 touchdowns this season, a baker's dozen more than anyone in the nation.
Friends's offense was among the most run-heavy in college football this season, largely because no one could stop their flavor of the Flexbone. The Falcons ran the ball 710 times for 5,979 yards with 79 touchdowns. In all of college football, only Harding approached those numbers. Kelly's unit ripped off a stunning 8.4 yards per carry on their nearly 55 attempts per game. Their season low was 338 yards and 5.4 per carry, but more often than not the Falcons' rushing totals were nothing short of jaw-dropping:
-- 56 carries for 595 yards in a 73-14 win over Bethany
-- 50 carries for 485 yards in a 62-7 win over Avila
-- 56 carries for 512 yards in a 62-0 win over Bethel
-- 51 carries for 415 yards in a 59-15 win over Tabor
-- 55 carries for 598 yards in a 66-7 drubbing of Sterling
-- 42 carries for 642 yards in a 69-3 blowout of Saint Mary
In all, Friends topped 400 rushing yards nine times in 13 outings.
Three Falcons topped 900 yards on the season, led by senior quarterback K'Vonte Baker's 1,181 yards and 30 touchdowns on just 160 attempts. Sophomore running back E'derian Sykes rushed 104 times for 971 yards and eight scores, and sophomore running back Nick Cordova carried 125 times for 908 yards and 10 touchdowns. Furthermore, six more Falcons rushed for between 250 and 750 yards, led by sophomore running back Michael Lopez, who turned only 64 carries into 733 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior running back Kaden Rigsby totaled 396 yards and three touchdowns on less than three carries per game.
Baker did not throw the ball often, but made the most of his opportunities -- his 16 complete passes went for 557 yards and eight touchdowns. Crucially, Baker did not find an interception in 31 attempts.
Senior offensive lineman Kyree Watkins was named a First Team AFCA All-American for the second year in a row, while Baker made the Second Team. Baker was also the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and Watkins was the Offensive Lineman of the Year. The pair were joined on the All-KCAC First Team by Sykes, Cordova, and senior offensive lineman Kenyon Vigil. Lopez, junior tight end Sam Becker, and senior Cole Herman were Second Team All-KCAC selections, while senior offensive lineman Kel Stroud was a Third Team All-KCAC honoree. Kelly was also named the KCAC's Assistant Coach of the Year.
A Harding graduate, Kelly was a multi-year starter who was part of the class of players that got the Bisons's dominant football run off the ground. He spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Bethel College and joined the Friends coaching staff in 2022. He was promoted to offensive coordinator and slots coach in 2023.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by Teamworks are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Jerry Dominguez [OUAZ], Paul Kempft [Friends], Tyler Martin [Grand View], Ryan Nelson [Southwestern], Travis Palmer [Indiana Wesleyan] and Kelly) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the NAIA Coordinator of the Year award are Joe Woodley (Grand View [Iowa], 2013), Ken Fasnacht (Southern Oregon, 2014), Scott Power (Marian [Ind.], 2015), Joey Didier and Eric Wagoner (Saint Francis [Ind.], 2016), Patrick Donley and Trevor Miller (Saint Francis [Ind.], 2017), Lucas Lueders (Morningside [Iowa], 2018), Casey Jacobsen and Nathan Turner (Morningside [Iowa], 2019), Phil Kleckler (Lindsey Wilson [Ky.], 2020), Andrew Rode (Morningside [Iowa], 2021), Billy Kirch (Northwestern [Iowa]), 2022), Robbie Owens (Keiser [Fla.], 2023), and EJ Peterson (Grand View, 2024).
Created in 1999, FootballScoop.com is the premier source for coaching job information and has long been the most widely viewed website by coaches, athletic directors, strength & conditioning coaches, operations and equipment staff across America. As the leading coaching job information venue, FootballScoop.com serves our viewers’ needs by providing first hand, timely & accurate information for our audience. FootballScoop.com is the premier provider of official job postings.
Teamworks Coaching and Teamworks Scouting have quickly become essential platforms inside college football offices. As programs sharpen their game-prep processes, strengthen roster management, and prepare for the transfer portal, these platforms are shaping how staffs operate across the country.
