FLORENCE, Ala. (October 30, 2025) – The Fred Mitchell Award Midseason Watch List was announced this month, recognizing 38 placekickers across six levels of college football. North Alabama kicker Ian Vachon was named to the list.

 

The Fred Mitchell Award recognizes placekickers for their excellence on the field and in the community. The recipient of the Fred Mitchell Award will be announced in December.

 

“Since arriving in the summer, Ian has been an absolute joy to coach and is a weapon for our offense,” said UNA head coach Brent Dearmon. “He is a tireless worker and also a great teammate.”

 

Vachon, a redshirt junior, has enjoyed a breakout season for the Lions after transferring in from Auburn University this offseason. Over eight games, Vachon is 7-10 on field goal attempts with a long of 55 yards.

 

His 55-yard field goal came against Northeastern State on Sept. 13, breaking an 11-year old record last set by Taylor Pontius in 2014. This also ranks as the sixth-longest field goal by an FCS kicker this season.

 

In the community, Vachon has been involved in numerous ways, including UNA’s move-in day, assisting with the Kilby Elementary car drop-off line and pep rally, and assisting with a Police vs. Fire Flag Football Game.

 

The namesake for the award, Fred Mitchell, was a longtime (1974-2015) award-winning sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune and the author of 12 sports books. Mitchell set the NCAA record for career kick-scoring at Wittenberg University in 1968 among “College Division” schools that are now classified as FCS, Division II and Division III.

 

Vachon is one of 19 kickers on the midseason watch list.

 

The Lions have four games remaining this season, starting this Saturday at Utah Tech. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CT in St. George, Utah.

 

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.

 

FLORENCE, Ala. (October 14, 2025) – The University of North Alabama football team continues the “Final Season at Braly” celebration this coming Saturday with a homecoming matchup against Eastern Kentucky.

 

Kickoff from historic Braly Stadium is set for 6 p.m.

 

The 2025 season marks UNA’s final year at Braly Stadium. The Lions will move to an on-campus stadium in 2026, as Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium is currently under construction. This will be the school’s first on-campus football stadium.

 

Braly Stadium has been home to UNA since restarting the program in 1949 — marking 77 seasons.

 

This season, UNA will celebrate the "Final Season at Braly" by recognizing an era of UNA football for select games. In doing so, the UNA football team will wear five different helmet decals to represent each era while inviting members of those teams to a special pre-game tailgate one hour prior to kickoff.

 

The only week without an era recognition will be this week’s game against Eastern Kentucky, as Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend take center stage. UNA will wear its current “NA” ligature logo on the helmets for this game.

 

UNA has hosted 75 homecomings since 1949. The Lions have a record of 53-21-1 in homecoming games, which comes out to a 71.3 winning percentage.

 

Saturday’s game will be the 76th edition of homecoming at UNA. The only year UNA did not host a homecoming was 2020 due to COVID-19. The Lions played all four games on the road that season.

 

The school’s first homecoming resulted in one of the most lopsided wins in program history, as the Lions defeated UT Martin by a 53-0 final in 1949. UNA went on to win nine of the next 10 homecoming games with the only loss coming to Troy in 1950.

 

The Lions have posted 10 shutouts wins on homecoming, including UT Martin in 1949 and 1990, Troy in 1960, Jacksonville State in 1961, Henderson State in 1972, Mississippi College in 1983, West Alabama in 1985, Arkansas Tech in 2010 and Shorter in 2012 and 2016.

 

One of the most special homecoming wins came last season, as the Lions defeated No. 10 Abilene Christian by a 47-34 final at Braly Stadium. This marks UNA’s first win over a ranked FCS opponent in program history.

 

The 2025 homecoming festivities begin on Thursday at 6 p.m. with the Homecoming Pep Rally and Purple Pandemonium at CB&S Bank Arena. The event is free of charge and open to the public, including alumni, students, faculty and staff. Fans are encouraged to come out, wear purple and support the football and basketball programs.

 

On Friday, UNA will host the 26th annual Jack Karnes Memorial Golf Tournament at Cypress Lakes Golf & Tennis Club. Later in the evening is the Alumni & Friends Celebration in the GUC Ballroom featuring live entertainment from Austin Bohannon.

 

On Saturday at 9 a.m., the public is invited to the UNA Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in the GUC Performance Center. The event is free of charge. Six new members will join the Hall of Fame, including Tim Garner (1985-88), Lindsey Greene (2005-08), Casey Holt (2004-08), Brett Munson (2007-10), Willie Slater (1992-99) and Tavarius Wilson (2012-13).

 

The UNA Homecoming Parade will take place Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in Downtown Florence along Pine Street and Court Street. Fans can head to Braly Stadium shortly after for the Pep Rally and Lion Walk at 3:30 p.m. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

 

For more information on homecoming, click here.

 

UNA IN HOMECOMING GAMES ALL-TIME (53-21-1)

 

Year          Opponent                                     Score

1949         Tennessee-Martin ...................53-0

1950         Troy State ...............................0-19

1951         West Alabama.........................12-9

1952         Troy State ...............................29-6

1953         West Alabama.........................40-6

1954         Murray State .........................20-13

1955         Austin Peay.............................13-7

1956         Troy State ...............................27-6

1957         East Tennessee St................19-13

1958         Troy State .............................20-14

1959         Middle Tennessee St.............26-34

1960         Troy State ...............................38-0

1961         Jacksonville State ...................17-0

1962         Troy State ...............................27-6

1963         Delta State ............................20-17

1964         Troy State ...............................7-21

1965         Mississippi College .................7-21

1966         Troy State .............................35-34

1967         Mississippi College ...............22-28

1968         Henderson State...................10-21

1969         West Alabama.......................17-13

1970         Samford ................................24-10

1971         Arkansas Tech ......................30-31

1972         Henderson State.....................21-0

1973         Mississippi College .................7-26

1974         Troy State .............................29-36

1975         Delta State ..............................9-21

1976         Nicholls State..........................37-7

1977         Austin Peay.............................6-13

1978         Tennessee-Martin .................38-17

1979         Delta State ..............................30-7

1980         Tennessee-Martin .................26-17

1981         Mississippi College ...............37-23

1982         Tennessee-Martin .................33-10

1983         Mississippi College .................28-0

1984         Tennessee-Martin .................10-10

1985         West Alabama.........................17-0

1986         Tennessee-Martin .....................3-7

1987         West Alabama.......................10-12

1988         Tennessee-Martin .................14-38

1989         Central Florida ......................16-17

1990         Tennessee-Martin ...................49-0

1991         Newberry.................................21-7

1992         Troy State .............................10-24

1993         West Alabama.......................65-15

1994         Central Arkansas...................28-21

1995         Valdosta State.........................26-9

1996         Delta State ............................27-17

1997         Henderson State...................42-20

1998         Delta State ............................17-10

1999         Henderson State...................21-14

2000         Henderson State...................24-17

2001         Central Arkansas...................21-42

2002         Southern Arkansas................33-43

2003         Central Arkansas...................31-12

2004         Valdosta State.......................20-24

2005         Henderson State...................38-10

2006         Arkansas-Monticello................47-7

2007         West Georgia........................65-17

2008         Valdosta State.......................41-23

2009         Arkansas Tech ......................42-17

2010         Arkansas Tech ........................28-0

2011         Harding .................................28-20

2012         Shorter ....................................41-0

2013         West Georgia........................38-21

2014         Western Oregon....................30-10

2015         UNC-Pembroke.....................62-28

2016         Shorter ....................................45-0

2017         Florida Tech ............................30-7

2018         Mississippi College ...............34-17

2019         Presbyterian..........................41-21

2020         COVID-19

2021         Robert Morris ........................42-31

2022         Tarleton State........................28-43

2023         EKU.......................................22-32

2024         Abilene Christian...................47-34

 

 

• London calling: When the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network) on Sunday, it begins three consecutive weeks with an international game in the United Kingdom. The Vikings, after appearing in the first regular-season game in Ireland against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, are the first team to play consecutive international games in different cities. In Week 6, the Denver Broncos and New York Jets meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and in Week 7, the Los Angeles Rams take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.
   
• Two undefeated teams remain: The Philadelphia Eagles are 4-0 for the third time in the past four seasons while the Buffalo Bills improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2020.
   
  • Denver (2-2) at Philadelphia (4-0) (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Eagles can become the first team to begin 5-0 three times in a four-year span since the Indianapolis Colts (2006-07, 2009) while head coach Nick Sirianni can become the second coach ever to begin 5-0 in three of his first five seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Brown.
    • Philadelphia, with a blocked field goal-return touchdown in Week 3 and a blocked punt-return touchdown in Week 4, became the fourth team since 2000 with a blocked field goal-return or punt-return touchdown in consecutive games, joining the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 28-Oct. 5), 2008 San Francisco 49ers (Oct. 12-19) and 2002 Baltimore Ravens (Nov. 24-Dec. 1).
    • Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is the first quarterback in NFL history with five touchdown passes, four rushing touchdowns and no interceptions in his team’s first four games of a season.
    • Denver quarterback Bo Nix totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in the team’s Week 4 win over Cincinnati. Since the beginning of the 2024 season, Nix is one of three quarterbacks, along with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, with at least 35 touchdown passes (36) and five rushing touchdowns (five).
    • The Broncos lead the NFL with 15 sacks this season and are tied with Jacksonville for the fewest sacks allowed (three) in 2025.
       
  • New England (2-2) at Buffalo (4-0) (Sunday night, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): The Bills have started a season with five straight wins in three previous seasons: 1964, 1980 and 1991.
    • Buffalo, from Week 11 of the 2023 season through Week 4 of the 2025 season, are the fourth team ever to win 14 consecutive home regular-season games and score at least 24 points in each game, joining the 1997-98 Denver Broncos (15 consecutive home wins), 2017-19 New England Patriots (15) and 2022-23 Dallas Cowboys (14).
    • Bills quarterback Josh Allen has 45 career regular-season games with both a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown, tied with Cam Newton for the most such games in NFL history.
    • Buffalo running back James Cook ranks second in rushing yards (401), tied for second in scrimmage touchdowns (five) and fifth in scrimmage yards (490) this season. He is the sixth player in the Super Bowl era with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first four games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson (1975 with Buffalo) and Emmitt Smith (1995 with Dallas) as well as Christian McCaffrey (2023 with San Francisco), DeMarco Murray (2014 with Dallas) and Billy Sims (1981 with Detroit).
    • New England quarterback Drake Maye, from Weeks 2-4, became the first player ever under the age of 24 with at least two touchdown passes and a completion percentage of 75-or-higher in three consecutive games, minimum 15 pass attempts in each game.
       
• Matchups of 3-1 teams: Four of the nine teams with three wins this season are set to meet in Week 4.
   
  • San Francisco (3-1) at the Los Angeles Rams (3-1) (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): The Los Angeles Rams defeated San Francisco in both matchups during the 2024 season, recording fourth-quarter comeback victories in both games.
    • 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey ranks third in the NFL with 31 receptions and 530 scrimmage yards (305 receiving, 225 rushing), becoming the third player since 1990 with at least 300 receiving yards and 200 rushing yards in his team’s first four games of season, joining Matt Forte (2011) and Alvin Kamara (2018 and 2020).
    • Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua had 13 receptions for a career-high 170 yards and one touchdown in the team’s Week 4 win over Indianapolis. Nacua leads the NFL with 42 receptions this season, tied with Cooper Kupp (2022 with the Los Angeles Rams) and Michael Thomas (2018 with New Orleans) for the most receptions by a player in his team’s first four games of a season in NFL history.
       
  • Tampa Bay (3-1) at Seattle (3-1) (Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): Both the Buccaneers and Seahawks are celebrating their 50th anniversary seasons after joining the NFL in 1976 and each club will be wearing throwback uniforms for this Sunday’s matchup.
    • Since joining Tampa Bay in 2023, quarterback Baker Mayfield leads the NFL with 77 touchdown passes and ranks second with 9,448 passing yards.
    • Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka leads all rookies with 282 receiving yards and four touchdown receptions this season and has recorded a touchdown catch in three of his first four games. In the past 20 seasons (2005-24), only four players have had a touchdown catch in four of their first five career games: Martavis Bryant (2014), Ja’Marr Chase(2021), Terry McLaurin (2019) and Hakeem Nicks (2009).
    • Seattle leads the NFC in scoring defense (16.8 points per game allowed) and have recorded seven interceptions this season, tied for the second-most in the NFL.
       
• Turnovers key on Monday night: The Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) are set to host the Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) on Monday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) in Week 5. Jacksonville leads the NFL with 13 takeaways (league-high nine interceptions, four fumble recoveries) while Kansas City is one of three teams, along with Buffalo and Philadelphia, with only one giveaway this season.
  •  Jacksonville is the fifth team since 2002 with at least three takeaways in each of its first four games of a season, joining the 2024 Green Bay Packers, 2013 Chicago Bears, 2004 Seattle Seahawks and 2002 Philadelphia Eagles. Since 1990, only two teams have recorded two-or-more interceptions in each of their first five games of a season – the 1996 Green Bay Packers (first eight games) and 2021 Dallas Cowboys (first five).
  • Last week, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had four touchdown passes and reached 250 touchdown passes in his 116th career game, surpassing Aaron Rodgers (121 games) for the fastest player in NFL history to reach 250 career touchdown passes. Mahomes has 43 career games with at least three touchdowns and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (42 games) for the second-most by a player in his first nine seasons in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (46 games).