| Old Dominion (0-0) at Indiana (0-0) | |
| Date | Saturday, Aug. 30 • 2:30 p.m. • Bloomington, Ind. • Memorial Stadium |
| Where to Watch | FS1 |
| Listen | ODU Sports Network |
| Series | First Meeting |
| Game Notes | Old Dominion Indiana |
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion Football opens the 2025 season on Saturday, August. 30 at Indiana. The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. on FS1. The game is also available on ESPN Radio 94.1.
• The Monarchs went 5-7 overall in 2024 and 4-4 in Sun Belt Conference play. ODU defeated four teams that played in bowl games in 2024, including a 30-27 win at Bowling Green, 24-14 win over Texas State, a 47-19 Thursday night thrashing over Georgia Southern, and a 40-32 season-finale win at Arkansas State.
• Quarterback Colton Joseph earned Sun Belt honorable mention honors after completing 133 of 222 passes for 1627 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 647 yards and was fourth in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. His first career start came against Virginia Tech but was pulled after two series. He then came in during the third quarter at Bowling Green and led ODU to a come-from-behind victory over the Falcons.
• Quarterback Quinn Henicle started the season finale at Arkansas State for the ailing Joseph, rushing for 206 yards and two scores and also throwing for two touchdowns. Henicle’s 92-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game was the longest run in program history and the longest by a quarterback in Sun Belt history. ODU ran for a school record 406 yards against the Red Wolves.
• Joseph is ODU’s leading returning rusher with 647 yards and 11 scores, but the Monarchs also return Devin Roche who had 43 carries for 274 yards and two touchdowns.
• Wide receiver Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding is the only returning wide receiver to catch a pass last season, hauling in two passes for 18 yards and a touchdown. The two receptions by a wide receiver are the third fewest in the country, next to Utah State (zero) and Stanford (one).
• ODU Head Coach Ricky Rahne is in his sixth season overal and fifth on the field. He had to hire just one new full-time coach, cornerbacks coach Kresean Reed.
Captains
Head Coach Ricky Rahne named five captains for the 2025 season.
Colton Joseph: Joseph took over as starting quarterback last year at Bowling Green and is a first-time team captain as a redshirt sophomore.
Zach Barlev: A transfer from Illinois last season, Barlev started all 12 games last year. A third-team all-conference performer last season was preseason All-Sun Belt in 2025.
Jeremy Mack: A transfer from Colorado, Mack missed all of his first season at ODU in 2023 due to an injury. He missed time due to injury in 2024 but is a special teams standout.
Koa Naotala: Former walk-on earned a scholarship in 2023. Earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors last year after leading team in tackles. Second-straight season as a captain.
Kris Trinidad: A fifth-year senior from Richmond, Trinidad earned all-conference honors a season ago after leading ODU in sacks and tackles for loss.
Random Notes About Captains
Linebacker Koa Naotala is the only two-time captain of the group.
This is the first time in Ricky Rahne’s head coaching tenure a specialist has not been named a captain. All of ODU’s specialists, except holder Ian Brandt, are new.
Naotala is ODU’s first former walk-on to be a captain since Brandon Addison in 2017.
Sixth Year Monarchs
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, college football players playing more than five seasons was rare. Since the 2020 season did not count towards eligiblity that number has increased. This year ODU has two players in their sixth seasons of college football.
Safety Nickendre Stiger played two seasons at Snow College before playing three seasons at Kansas State.
Linebacker Seth Naotala, the older brother of Koa, transferred to ODU last season after playing four years at James Madison.
Sixth-Year Monarchs
Seth Naotala
Nickendre Stiger
Seventh Year Wonder
Center Ryan Joyce is in his seventh season of college football. Joyce transfers to ODU from Fordham, where he played for ODU Offensive Coordinator Kevin Decker. Two of his first five seasons ended in injury and 2020 he played just three rams for the Rams. He leads the ODU offensive line with 46 career starts.
Keeping it Close
Over the last two seasons, Old Dominion leads the country with 20, one-score games played (8 points or less). The next closest team has played 14 (Northern Illinois). ODU is 9-11 in those games. Dating back to the final game of the 2022 season, 21 of the last 26 games ODU has played have been decided by one score. The Monarchs played an FBS record 11 one score games in 2023.
Koa Leads the Way
Linebacker Koa Naotala started 11 games at linebacker last year and led ODU and finished 10th in the Sun Belt with 88 tackles.
A former walk-on, Naotala earned second team All-Sun Belt honors last season and had four double-digit tackle games on the year.
His 18 tackles against ECU was his second career double-digit tackle game as he had 14 tackles in the Famous Toastery Bowl against WKU.
Naotala’s 18 tackles are the fifth most in a single-game in program history.
More than One
Koa’s older Seth, joined the team the Monday prior to last season’s season-opener at South Carolina.
Prior to transferring to ODU, Seth played four seasons at James Madison for Indiana Head Coach, Curt Cignetti.
Seth had a career high 26 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack last season.
Just Two
Sophomore wide receiver Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding is ODU’s leading returning wide reveiver from 2024, with two catches. ODU has the third fewest returning receptions from a season ago with only Utah State (zero) and Stanford (one) having less.
ODU brought in a host of junior college receivers to compete for playing time, including Tre Brown and Ja’Cory Thomas, as well as Tulane transfer Sidney Mbanasor.
ODU’s leading returning pass catcher is Devin Roche who had seven receptions a season ago.
He’s Still Here
The 2024 football season would have been the final collegiate season for defensive tackle Ricardo Williams Jr., however, the ruling that allowed Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an extra year also applied to Williams.
Williams played two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast before transferring to Georgia State in 2023. He played in 13 games for the Panthers and recorded three tackles. He joined the Monarchs in 2024 and again played in every game, and notching 20 tackles and a sack. Williams called the decision “life changing”. He did change his number from 91 to 94.
An Athletic Family
Tight end Dawson Johnson is the youngest son of Jeff and Sandi Johnson, and all four of their sons have played Division I athletics.
Dylan played lacrosse at the University of Denver and also won a gold medal with Team USA. Another brother, Dakota, also played lacrosse at Denver while Dustin played football at Northern Colorado and Ohio. Last year with the Bobcats Dustin had 77 tackles. Johnson is a redshirt freshman transfer tight end from the University of Florida.
Up Next
ODU hosts North Carolina Central in the home opener on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale here.