The Grand Valley State Lakers football program, 2020–present represented Grand Valley State University (GVSU) during the 2020s in NCAA Division II college football as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The team was led by head coaches Matt Mitchell (2010–2019, 2021–2022) and Scott Wooster (2023– ).
The team played its home games at Lubbers Stadium, named after former university president Arend Lubbers, located on GVSU's main campus in Allendale, Michigan.
Decade overview YearHead coachOverall recordConf. recordConf. rankPoints scoredPoints allowedDeltaDelta = the difference between points scored and points allowedPostseason resultAFCA ranking2021Matt Mitchell10–26–12456223+233L, Division II second round72022Matt Mitchell12–16–01493145+348L, Division II quarterfinals72023Scott Wooster11–26–01569215+354L, Division II second round32024Scott Wooster11–26–12384208+176L, Division II second round6TOTAL –
2020 The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
The 2021 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2021 NCAA Division II football season. In their 11th year under head coach Matt Mitchell, the Lakers compiled a 10–2 record (6–1 in conference games), finished second in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 456 to 223. The Lakers lost twice to Ferris State, first in the regular season and then in the NCAA Division II playoffs. It was GVSU's 50th season of college football.
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2022
The 2022 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division II football season. In their 12th year under head coach Matt Mitchell, the Lakers compiled a 12–1 record (6–0 against conference opponents), won the GLIAC championship, and were ranked No. 1 nationally at the end of the regular season. The Lakers defeated five ranked teams during the regular season, including a 25–22 victory over No. 4 Colorado Mines in the season opener and rivalry game victories over No. 1 Ferris State and No. 17 Saginaw Valley State.
In the playoffs, the Lakers received a bye in the first round and won in the second round, before losing in the quarterfinals against rival Ferris State.
The team was led on offense by junior quarterback Cade Peterson. Peterson completed 159 of 273 passes for 2,439 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Junior running back Tariq Reid was the team's leading rusher with 1,027 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on 161 carries for an average of 6.4 yards per carry.
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Roster Anthony Cardamone, No. 48, linebacker, 6'2", 230 pounds, Macomb, Michigan Nyzier Fourqurean, No. 12, defensive back, 6'1", 185 pounds, Mentor, Ohio Jack Gilchrist, No. 92, defensive line, 6'2", 272 pounds, Mason, Michigan Trace Hrgich, No. 35, punter, redshirt freshman, 6'2", 163 pounds, Wheaton, Illinois Colton Hyble, No. 55, defensive end, junior, 6'5", 267 pounds, Mount Pleasant, Michigan Ian Kennelly, No. 20, defensive back, 6'2", 193 pounds, Macomb, Michigan Kollin Kralapp, No. 46, kicker, sophomore, 6'0", 180 pounds, Macomb, Michigan Christian McCarroll, No. 9, defensive line, 6'4", 260 pounds, Barberton, Ohio Damonte McCurdy, No. 32, defensive back, 5'9", 182 pounds, Birmingham, Michigan Luke McLean, No. 16, defensive back, 5'11", 183 pounds, Rockford, Michigan Avery Moore, No. 15, quarterback, sophomore, 6'2", 230 pounds, New Lothrop, Michigan Cade Peterson, No. 13, quarterback, junior, 6'4", 223 pounds, Maple City, Michigan Jack Provencher, No. 4, running back, senior, 5'11", 215 pounds, Shelby Township, Michigan Tariq Reid, No. 2, running back, junior, 6'0", 211 pounds, Davison, Michigan Terez Reid, No. 0, defensive back, redshirt freshman, 5'10", 175 pounds, Indianapolis Antonio Strong, No. 7, defensive back, 6'0", 199 pounds, Grand Rapids, Michigan Jay'viar Suggs, No. 90, defensive lineman, sophomore, 6'3", 299 pounds, Flint, Michigan Abe Swanson, No. 41, linebacker, 6'1", 222 pounds, St. Charles, Illinois Cody Tierney, No. 18 wide receiver, sophomore 5'10", 190 pounds, Grand Rapids, Michigan Jaylon Tillman, No. 8, wide receiver, sophomore, 6'0", 208 pounds, Plainfield, Illinois Jahdae Walker, No. 17, wide receiver, sophomore, 6'4", 185 pounds, Cleveland Damon Wesley, No. 1, linebacker, senior, 5'11", 225 pounds, Indianapolis
2023
The 2023 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Scott Wooster, the Lakers compiled an 11–2 record (6–0 in conference games), won the GLIAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 569 to 215. The Lakers lost in the season opener to Colorado Mines and in the Division II quarterfinals to eventual national champion Harding.
The team's statistical leaders included: Quarterback Cade Peterson completed 151 of 241 passes (62.66%) for 2,116 yards, 20 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 157.16 quarterback efficiency rating. Running back Tariq Reid tallied 770 rushing yards on 154 carries for an average of 5.0 yards per carry. He also ranked second on the team in scoring with 90 points on 15 touchdowns. Wide receiver Cody Tierney tallied 35 receptions for 669 yards (19.11 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. Kicker Josh Gorball was the team's leading scorer with 103 points on 10 field goals and 73 extra point kicks. Abe Swanson led the team with 90 total tackles.
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2024
The 2024 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represented Grand Valley State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2024 NCAA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Scott Wooster, the Lakers compiled an 11–2 record (6–1 in conference fames), finished second in the GLIAC, and outscored opponents by a total of 384 to 208. The Lakers lost in the regular season to Ferris State and in the Division II playoffs to Harding.
Quarterback duties were split between Avery Moore (72-of-129 for 1,007 yards) and Ike Udengwu (54-of-97 for 765 yards). Moore also tallied 538 rushing yards. Running back Khalil Eichelberger led the team with 789 rushing yards. Kicker Matthew Bacik was the leading scorer with 83 points (13 field goals and 44 extra points).
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2025
The 2025 Grand Valley State Lakers football team represents Grand Valley State University as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2025 NCAA Division II football season. Scott Wooster is expected to lead the team in his third season as the Lakers' head coach.
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References