VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a national championship runner-up finish in 2024, new Valdosta State head football coach Graham Craig announced the 2025 schedule Monday.
The schedule features five home games at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium where the Blazers have won 14 of the last 16 games played there and eight-straight. In addition, VSU will play its first neutral site regular season game since 2018 and play its first Division I opponent since 2003.
The season gets underway on Aug. 30 at historic Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., versus Clark Atlanta in the inaugural Week Zero Labor Day Classic. Fort Valley State will face West Alabama also that day in Birmingham following the VSU game.
The Blazers travel to Johnson C. Smith out of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) on Sept. 6, followed by a bye week and then a trip to Chowan on Sept. 20.
The 2025 home slate begins on Sept. 27 versus UNC Pembroke at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, followed by a home matchup with Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. in a rematch of the 2023 NCAA Quarterfinals.
VSU then returns to the road at Division I and Football Championship Division (FCS) foe The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. The Citadel is a member of the Southern Conference and will be the first meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. VSU's last game versus a Division I opponent was on Sept. 6, 2003, in a thrilling 45-17 victory at Florida Atlantic.
The Blazers return home to host North Greenville on Oct. 25 beginning a stretch of three of the final four games at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. November opens as VSU entertains West Alabama on Nov. 1, followed by a home matchup with Delta State on Nov. 8. The 2025 regular season concludes at West Florida on Nov. 15.
The 2025 NCAA Division II Football Playoffs expand this year from 28 to 32 teams and the playoffs begin on Nov. 22, culminating in the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championship Game scheduled for Dec. 20 at McKinney ISD Stadium in McKinney, Texas.
Check back with vstateblazers.com in the coming weeks for information on tickets for the 2025 season and for all things Blazer football.
