NORTHWESTERN STATE NORTHWESTERN STATE FOOTBALL

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Blaine McCorkle leads Northwestern State's 99-player roster as the Demons compete in the FCS-level Southland Conference during fall seasons. Located in Alva, Oklahoma—not Louisiana as sometimes confused—Northwestern State has fielded football since the program's founding alongside the university's 1884 establishment. The program operates from a campus serving 6,342 students, placing it among the smaller FCS institutions competing at the Division I level.

Northwestern State's football operation reflects the Southland Conference's competitive landscape, where the Demons face established programs across Texas, Louisiana, and the surrounding region. With 99 players on the roster, McCorkle manages a squad typical of FCS programs that balance scholarship limitations with the demands of competing against larger Group of Five and Power Four opponents in non-conference play. The Demons utilize their home venue for conference matchups and non-conference games throughout the fall season, hosting opponents from one of the most geographically diverse conference footprints in FCS football.

The program continues Northwestern State's long athletic tradition extending back to 1884, when the university first began operations in rural Oklahoma. McCorkle's tenure represents the ongoing investment in maintaining football as a cornerstone sport for the university's athletic department and student-athlete experience.

KEY FACTS

ROSTER (2025-26)

OTHER SPORTS AT NORTHWESTERN STATE

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PROGRAMS

• East Texas A&M Lions
• Houston Christian Huskies
• Lamar Cardinals
• McNeese State Cowboys
• Nicholls State Colonels
• Southeastern Louisiana Lions
• Stephen F. Austin State Lumberjacks
• Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros
• the Incarnate Word Cardinals

MORE FOOTBALL IN LOUISIANA

Browse all NCAA Division I football programs in Louisiana.