St. Thomas football, picked high again, gets big test at home vs. Northern Iowa on Sept. 7

Since Glenn Caruso became the St. Thomas football coach in 2008, the Tommies have been consistently good.

They have not lost more than three games in a season in his 15 seasons and have continued their consistency since they moved from Division III to Division I in 2021.

Since joining the FCS Pioneer Football League, the Tommies are 25-7 overall and 21-3 in conference games. Both of those records are the best among the 11 conference teams. The Tommies, who are 12-0 in conference home games, have not finished lower than third in the league.

“It starts with longevity,” Caruso said. “You have to know who you are as a team. That can change a little bit every year. But the foundational premise of the program hasn’t changed.”

The Tommies, who were Pioneer League runners-up last season, are expected to be solid again this year. They were picked second behind defending conference champion Drake in the league’s preseason poll.

“We appreciate the acknowledgment from the league’s coaches,” Caruso said, “It’s nice, but we just have to focus on what we can control.”

For the Tommies, that means focusing on the regular season, as they again are ineligible for the 16-team FCS tournament. The NCAA mandated a five-year moratorium on postseason play when St. Thomas received a waiver to jump from D-III to D-I, meaning the Tommies’ first year of eligibility comes in 2026.

The Tommies were the Pioneer League champion in 2022 and had only one conference loss last season, 52-21 to Drake in Des Moines. This season, the teams play on Nov. 9 in St. Paul.

The Tommies, who lost leading rusher Shawn Shipman (769 yards, five touchdowns) and leading receiver Andrew McElroy (39 receptions, 525 yards, two touchdowns) through the transfer portal, have a solid nucleus returning.

Among the returners on offense are running back Hope Adebayo, a senior from Inver Grove Heights, who rushed for 735 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns, and quarterbacks Tak Tateoka from Waukesha, Wis., and Amari Powell from Valencia, Calif.

In his three seasons with the Tommies, Adebayo has averaged 6.4 yards per carry and rushed for 23 touchdowns.

Tateoka started five games as a true freshman last season. He threw for 598 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. Powell, now a junior, passed for 786 yards and six touchdowns in seven games. Tateoka is expected to be the starter.

On defense, the top two tacklers last season, Jonathan Bunce and Jack Mohler, graduated, but linebacker Luke Herzog, who was fourth on the team with 55 tackles, returns.

“We’ve got a couple of positions to fill,” Caruso said. “I was asked if I still believe in using three running backs. I do. I think you need three tailbacks, I think you need two quarterbacks and I think you need six linebackers for the four positions. We’ve got several guys who started last year who might not start this year. But they’re still here. So you have to have depth.”

Adebayo; Herzog, a senior from St. Thomas Academy; and offensive lineman Alec Rasmussen, a senior from Wayzata High School, were named to the Pioneer League’s preseason all-conference team by one national publication.

The Tommies, who have seven home games and, for the first time, 12 regular-season games, open their season on Aug. 29 at home against Division II Sioux Falls. The Tommies’ first three games are at home. In Week 2, St. Thomas plays host to Northern Iowa on Sept. 7.

It will be the second meeting between the Tommies and Northern Iowa, which is receiving votes in the FCS poll. In 2021, St. Thomas’ first season in D-I, Northern Iowa won 44-3 in Cedar Falls.

“That game will be a good litmus test for us,” Caruso said.