2025 Indoor Football League season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 2025 IFL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Indoor Football League |
| Sport | Indoor American football |
| Duration | March 21 – August 23, 2025 |
| Teams | 14 |
| TV partner | CBS Sports Network |
| Streaming partner | IFL Network |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Green Bay Blizzard |
| Eastern runners-up | Quad City Steamwheelers |
| Western champions | Vegas Knight Hawks |
| Western runners-up | San Diego Strike Force |
| 2025 IFL National Championship | |
| Date | August 23, 2025 |
| Venue | Tucson Arena |
| Champions | Vegas Knight Hawks |
| Runners-up | Green Bay Blizzard |
The 2025 IFL season is the 17th season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The season began on March 21, 2025, with the Jacksonville Sharks defeating the Massachusetts Pirates during the IFL Opening Weekend. The regular season concluded on July 27. The playoffs will conclude with the 2025 IFL National Championship, the league's championship game, in Tucson Arena at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona, on August 23.
Expansion
The IFL announced that one team would be established:
- On October 24, 2023, the IFL announced the addition of an expansion team in Indianapolis, Indiana who would play at the brand-new Fishers Event Center starting in 2025.[1] On December 15, the team was named the Fishers Freight.[2]
Dormancy
The IFL announced that three teams were going dormant:
- On October 16, 2024, the Duke City Gladiators owner Gina Prieskorn-Thomas announced that the team would be dormant. She stated there were problems with the team's marketing strategies due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[3]
- On October 16, 2024, the Frisco Fighters announced that they would be entering dormant status without specifying why.[4]
- On October 30, 2024, the Sioux Falls Storm announced that they would be going dormant due to their inability to find a secure location to field a team.[5]
Player movement
Rule changes
The following rule changes were approved at the IFL annual league meeting on January 13–14 in Phoenix, Arizona:[6]
- Any kicked ball that passes through the end zone without touching the field of play will now be marked at the kicking team’s 20-yard line. The previous adjustment to the 25-yard line has been removed for consistency.
- If a team leading by 14 points or fewer has possession of the ball during the last minute, they must gain positive yardage; otherwise, the clock will stop. The former rule requiring positive yardage in the final 60 seconds of the game has been reinstated.
- A linebacker who declares a blitz may now rush from inside or outside the alley. The league has eliminated the restriction on linebackers blitzing outside of the alley.
- Defensive linemen are now permitted to execute twist moves.
- The 1-yard grace for wide receivers in motion crossing the line of scrimmage has been removed. A receiver’s foot crossing the line at the snap will now be considered a false start. Other body parts, such as the knee, hand, or head, will not determine the penalty.
Regular season
The season will be played over a 19-week schedule, beginning on March 21, 2025, and ending on July 27, 2025. Each of the league's 14 teams will play 16 games, with three bye weeks.
Regular season standings
Coaches poll
| Wk 2 [7] |
Wk 3 [8] |
Wk 4 [9] |
Wk 5 [10] |
Wk 6 [11] |
Wk 7 [12] |
Wk 8 [13] |
Wk 9 [14] |
Wk 10 [15] |
Wk 11 [16] |
Wk 12 [17] |
Wk 13 [18] |
Wk 14 [19] |
Wk 15 [20] |
Wk 16 [21] |
Wk 17 [22] |
Wk 18 [23] |
Final [24] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Rattlers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Bay Area Panthers | 3 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Fishers Freight | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
| Green Bay Blizzard | 9 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| Iowa Barnstormers | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Jacksonville Sharks | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Massachusetts Pirates | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Northern Arizona Wranglers | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Quad City Steamwheelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| San Antonio Gunslingers | 11 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| San Diego Strike Force | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Tucson Sugar Skulls | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Tulsa Oilers | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Vegas Knight Hawks | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| No change in ranking |
Postseason
2025 IFL playoffs
| 4 | Jacksonville | 41 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Quad City | 57 | |||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Quad City | 64 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Green Bay | 71 | |||||||||||
| Eastern Conference Championship | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Tulsa | 26 | |||||||||||
| Aug 23 – Tucson Arena | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Green Bay | 58 | |||||||||||
| IFL Playoffs Round One | |||||||||||||
| 2 | Green Bay | 61 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Vegas | 64 | |||||||||||
| 2025 IFL National Championship | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Vegas | 36 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Bay Area | 31 | |||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Vegas | 74 | |||||||||||
| 3 | San Diego | 68 | |||||||||||
| Western Conference Championship | |||||||||||||
| 3 | San Diego | 49 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Arizona | 48 | |||||||||||
Awards
| Award | Winner | Position | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Max Meylor | Quarterback | Green Bay Blizzard | [25] |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Josh Tomas | Running Back | Bay Area Panthers | [26] |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Joe Foucha | Defensive Back | Bay Area Panthers | [27] |
| Special Teams Player of the Year | Antonio Wimbush | Kick returner | Vegas Knight Hawks | [28] |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Ron Brown Jr. | Running Back | Arizona Rattlers | [29] |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Caleb Streat | Defensive Back | Iowa Barnstormers | [30] |
| Coach of the Year | Cory Ross | Head Coach | Quad City Steamwheelers | [31] |
| Assistant Coach of the Year | Matt Behrendt | Offensive Coordinator | Green Bay Blizzard | [32] |
| IFL National Championship Most Valuable Player | Jayden de Laura | Quarterback | Vegas Knight Hawks | [33] |
All-IFL teams
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Players of the Week
The following were named the top performers during the season:
| Week | Offensive | Defensive | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1[34] | Daquan Neal QB (Quad City) |
Malik Jones DB (Jacksonville) |
Tyler King KR (Jacksonville) |
| 2 | No awards given | ||
| 3[35] | Dalton Sneed QB (Arizona) |
Alan Arslanian LB (Quad City) |
Andrew Mevis K (Green Bay) |
| 4[36] | T. J. Edwards QB (Tulsa) |
Joe Foucha DB (Bay Area) |
Devin Hafford KR (Fishers) |
| 5[37] | T. J. Edwards QB (Tulsa) |
JaQuez Jackson LB (Tucson) |
Axel Perez K (Bay Area) |
| 6[38] | Max Meylor QB (Green Bay) |
Caleb Streat DB (Iowa) |
Kyle Kaplan K (Quad City) |
| 7[39] | Joshua Tomas WR (Bay Area) |
Taylor Hawkins DB (Tulsa) |
Kevin Macias K (Tucson) |
| 8[40] | T. J. Edwards QB (Tulsa) |
Ahmad Lyons DB (Tucson) |
Quian Williams KR (Iowa) |
| 9[41] | Max Meylor QB (Green Bay) |
Andre White LB (Green Bay) |
Quian Williams KR (Iowa) |
| 10[42] | T. J. Edwards QB (Tulsa) |
Javaris Davis DB (Jacksonville) |
Antonio Wimbush KR (Vegas) |
| 11[43] | Joaquin Collazo QB (San Antonio) |
Atoa Fox DB (San Diego) |
Antonio Wimbush KR (Vegas) |
| 12[44] | Nate Davis QB (San Diego) |
Nicholas Harris DB (Quad City) |
Kyle Kaplan K (Quad City) |
| 13[45] | Max Meylor QB (Green Bay) |
Jamyest Williams RB (Tucson) |
Kyle Kaplan K (Quad City) |
| 14[46] | Tyler Huff QB (Jacksonville) |
John McMullen DL (Tucson) |
Antonio Wimbush KR (Vegas) |
| 15[47] | Ron Brown Jr. RB (Arizona) |
Aaron Jackson DB (Fishers) |
Dylan Barnas K (Jacksonville) |
| 16[48] | Kenji Bahar QB (Massachusetts |
Tre Henry DL (Tucson) |
Kevin Macias K (Tucson) |
| 17[49] | Max Meylor QB (Green Bay) |
Michael Miller DB (San Antonio) |
Josiah King KR (Fishers) |
| 18[50] | Sam Castronova QB (Tulsa) |
Bryce Hampton DB (Vegas) |
Andrew Mevis K (Green Bay) |
| 19[51] | Sam Castronova QB (Tulsa) |
Jaylin Swan DL (Fishers) |
Kyle Kaplan K (Quad City) |
Head coaching changes
Off-season
| Team | Departing coach | Incoming coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishers Freight | — | Dixie Wooten | |
| Massachusetts Pirates | Rod Miller | Ameer Ismail | After one season, an 8–8 (.500) regular season record, and a 2024 IFL National Championship appearance, Miller left Massachusetts and joined the San Diego Strike Force as their associate head coach and defensive coordinator on October 11, 2024.[52]
On November 25, the Pirates hired Ameer Ismail as their head coach, this will be his second stint with the team. Ismail previously served as the head coach of the Bloomington Edge in 2017, Massachusetts Pirates in 2018, and the Iowa Barnstormers from 2020–2021. He has compiled a 34–16 (.680) regular season record and is 0–3 (.000) in three playoff appearances.[53] |
| Northern Arizona Wranglers | Les Moss | Ron James | On August 31, 2024, Moss stepped down as the head coach of Northern Arizona after leading the team to two playoff appearances, an IFL National Championship title, and a 28–19 (.596) regular season record.[54]
James was hired as Northern Arizona's head coach on September 16, after serving five seasons as the head football coach of Juan Diego Catholic High School. This is James' seventh indoor football head coaching job, serving as the head coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators from 2005–2006, Utah Blaze from 2010–2013, Pittsburgh Power in 2014, Portland Steel in 2016, Tampa Bay Storm in 2017, and Atlantic City Blackjacks in 2019. In his time as an Arena Football League (AFL) head coach, James compiled a 74–77 (.490) regular season record, two AFL Coach of the Year awards, and an ArenaBowl XXX appearance.[55] |
In-season
| Team | Departing coach | Incoming coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Pirates | Ameer Ismail | Frederick Griggs | On March 9, 2025, Griggs was elevated from associate defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach to head coach after Ismail failed to report to camp, citing that he was looking for coaching jobs on the outdoor spring circuit.[56] |
| San Antonio Gunslingers | Tom Menas | James Fuller | On March 31, 2025, Menas was relieved of his duties as general manager and head coach. Fuller was elevated from assistant head coach and offensive coordinator to head coach. [57] |
| Massachusetts Pirates | Frederick Griggs | Tom Menas | On April 30, 2025, Griggs was relieved of his duties as interim head coach and defensive coordinator, hiring Menas to take both roles. [58] |