CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Following a historic campaign that saw the program return to the national stage for the first time in a decade, the Campbellsville University Fighting Tigers have been ranked 11th in the final NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll.
The #11 ranking serves as the capstone to a renaissance season for Campbellsville, which concluded the year with an 8-3 overall record and a trip to the NAIA Football Championship Series Second Round.
The Tigers defied expectations throughout 2025, earning an at-large bid to the postseason as the 12-seed, marking the program's first playoff appearance since 2015.
The Tigers proved they belonged among the nation's elite in their postseason finale against eventual runner-up Benedictine College. Traveling to Atchison, Kansas, Campbellsville pushed the Ravens to the brink, holding a 17-7 halftime lead before falling in a tightly contested 21-17 battle. The defense, which held Benedictine's high-powered passing attack to under 100 yards, and a rushing attack that nearly matched the Ravens yard-for-yard, showcased the physicality that defined the Tigers' season.
The #11 national finish was fueled by star power on both sides of the ball. Senior running back
Tre' Bass anchored the offense, earning Mid-South Conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors and First-Team All-MSC recognition. Bass was a force in the finale, rushing for 189 yards against a top-five defense. Quarterback
Jett Engle directed an offense that averaged over 450 yards per game during the regular season, throwing for over 2,600 yards.
Defensively, the Tigers were led by First-Team All-MSC selections
Ellis Reed,
DQ Brown, and
Allen Parrish, who helped orchestrate a unit that consistently created turnovers and stifled opposing run games.
The 2025 season will go down in the record books not just for the playoff run, but for the foundation laid. With 15 All-Conference selections and 23 Academic All-Conference honorees, the Fighting Tigers have firmly re-established themselves as a national contender.
- Final Rank: #11 (NAIA Postseason Poll)
- Overall Record: 8-3
- Conference: 4-2 (Mid-South Conference)
- Postseason: NAIA FCS Second Round (L, 17-21 vs. #5 Benedictine)
- Accolades: 15 All-MSC Selections, 1 MSC Special Teams Player of the Year (Tre' Bass), 1 MSC Champion of Character (Christian Davis).
Campbellsville will look to build on this Top-15 finish as they head into the offseason, with sights set on a deeper run in 2026.
