STERLING, Kan. – Reggie Langford Jr. finished his first year as the Sterling College Head Football Coach in 2024, but did not go through a full offseason as he was hired in June 2024. Now, Langford has gone through a full offseason and is looking to take his alma mater to another level on the gridiron.
The 2024 season finished less than ideal with a 2-9 overall record, 2-3 against Bissell Division foes. However, most of the woes came in the early portion of the season, especially against a tough Kessinger Division. The two wins were close wins against Ottawa and Saint Mary late in the season. Langford did not let the end result dampen his spirits, saying that the staff and players bought in to the culture he is trying to aim the program towards.
Langford also mentioned that he used the first year as a learning curve. 2024 was his first season as the head coach of a college program and just his second as a head coach in his career (Nickerson High School, 2021). The coach said what he learned the most is how important development is at the NAIA level.
The program did graduate 31 seniors, but did retain eight who were able to use a fifth year of eligibility. Despite the losses, Langford said a lot of starters return from 2024, mentioning that the starters will be talented but young.
The quarterback position on offense will be up for grabs. The Warriors had two QB’s that earned lots of snaps, Jordan Slocum and Rocklin Baptista. Sterling also brings in transfer Jayden Briscoe, who used to play at Bethel before transferring to Lamar University. Langford said the hope is to have one main guy at the QB position, but that will be determined during fall camp.
The offense does lose their star running back Kendrick Bell due to graduation. Bell was a first team all-division running back in 2024, rushing for 555 yards and five touchdowns. However, Bell will be a part of the coaching staff as a Grad Assistant RB coach.
The defense will see a new defensive coordinator, and Langford has shown a lot of praise saying he did great dynamic adjustments in the spring. He also doubled down with the defense that they will be talented, but young.
As the season gets closer to beginning, Langford mentioned some players to look for:
Langford is seeing growth with the program, looking to take it a step up from when he took over in 2024. The coach has been impressed with the growth and development over the spring and summer and is excited to see how it transcends into the season.
Ad Astra Radio will bring another year of coverage of Sterling College Football on 100.3 KNZS “Kansas Rocks”. Scott Hogan will be on the call for every snap of the 2025 season.
Schedule:
- Sat., Aug. 30: TABOR
- Sat., Sep. 6: at Evangel
- Sat., Sep. 13: OTTAWA
- Sat., Sep. 20: at Bethany
- Sat., Sep. 27: AVILA
- Sat., Oct. 4: at Bethel
- Sat., Oct. 18: SOUTHWESTERN*
- Sat., Oct. 25: at Kansas Wesleyan*
- Sat., Nov. 1: SAINT MARY*
- Sat., Nov. 8: at Friends*
- Sat., Nov. 15: at McPherson*
BOLD indicates home games at Smisor Stadium in Sterling.
* indicates Bissell Division opponents.
