Conway, Ark- The 2025 season brings a new look to Central Arkansas football — and Head Coach Nathan Brown believes that's exactly what the program needs.
"There's going to be a lot of new faces, a lot of new numbers to learn, but I think it's a good thing," Brown said. "We've had a good run of retention here and a talented football team the last couple of years. We just haven't been able to really push through at the end of the season. And that's been really our Achilles heel."
Brown sees the roster changes — from transfers to freshmen — as a much-needed "recharge."
"It's about bringing in new faces, whether it's through the transfer portal, junior college route, or freshman to go along with a lot of returning players," he explained. "I think it's a good time… I feel like we're in a very advantageous spot right now with the depth and talent that we have. It's just not real established yet. There's a lot of talent… that hasn't proven itself yet. And that's the fun part for us as coaches."
Arkansas Roots Run Deep
For Brown, keeping in-state players is always a priority — and in 2025, UCA will field nearly 60 Arkansans.
"It starts with Arkansas," he said. "I love keeping in-state kids in-state… that adds buzz to your team, that adds excitement with friends and family that can get to games, especially home games. That's always a priority for me as a head coach — getting talented football players, student-athletes from the state of Arkansas."
A Mantra for the Season
Brown and his staff have boiled their team culture down to two key ideas: "H.A.R.D" and "Unity."
"We break it down on the acronym H.A.R.D.," he explained. "Heart, attitude, respect, and discipline. If we can have great heart, a great attitude, great respect, and obviously discipline, then success is usually going to follow."
But this year, the overarching theme is unity. "I felt like we lost a little bit of unity the last couple of years," Brown admitted. "When you look at the teams that win championships and have success, usually the coach is talking about how unified they are. Especially in football — it's the ultimate team game. If you don't have unity within your offense, defense, and special teams, then you're probably not going to have a bunch of wins follow you."
The Challenge Ahead
The Bears open with a tall task — a road trip to SEC country. "If you take the first game against Missouri, that's a mountain in itself," Brown said. "They've got more scholarships. They recruit the top talent in the country. Missouri's won 21 games in two years. So I put that Missouri game in its own category, but we are going up there to compete and make it a 4 quarter game."
The rest of the non conference slate, though, will be crucial for postseason hopes. "As far as the other three non conference games, they're important. And we treat them like a conference game," Brown stressed. "If we're in the top third of the conference and we handle business in those non conference games, then we're a playoff team and that's the goal- the playoffs."
He highlighted in-state rival Arkansas–Pine Bluff, plus road trips to Lamar and Sacramento State — both playoff-caliber opponents. "Those games may not seem like a big deal in September, but in November, they may be the difference in getting a playoff bid or not," he said.
A Team That's Easy to Like
For all the unknowns, one thing is certain: Brown genuinely enjoys coaching this group.
"There's a difference in liking and loving a team," he told his players. "I really liked this team. They're enjoyable. They're fun to coach. They're like sponges — they soak up what we're trying to teach. They don't have a ton of egos, and that's a plus in the coaching world."
The Bears may be young, but their coach sees the potential for something special. "It doesn't mean that they don't have tough days, but they've been fun," Brown said. "For me, it's been more pleasant knowing that I get to get up and coach a fun team. This team's been unique to this point… I don't know what it's going to result in, but they're enjoyable to go to work with every single day."
Tomorrow: Part 2- Special Teams