After being ranked No. 3 by d3football.com in the preseason top 25, the UW-Whitewater football team finished their 2024 season with an underwhelming 6-4 record that left them well out of the playoffs for the first time since 2017. In addition to a week three loss to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, the Warhawks were bested by three WIAC teams: UW-Stout, UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse.
Whitewater was hindered by injuries across the board including – potentially most impactful – senior running back Tamir Thomas who only received carries in six games of his final season with the program. Thomas finished the season with 456 rushing yards, five touchdowns on the ground and one receiving.
“I think that it was a ‘bummer’ in our standards,” Thomas said. “There’s lessons to be learned from this and this is the type of the season that you take [going] forward, learn what makes a successful team and make sure you don’t emulate the same stuff that caused the problems this year.”
As a vital part of Warhawk football in the last four years, Thomas added that he is proud to be part of such a storied program and thinks that there are positives to be pulled from this past season.
“The feeling around the locker room was sad but at the same time we learned from it,” he said. “Our team chemistry bonded over how the season was going. For most teams, a season like this would break a team apart. But for us, it kind of did the opposite. It was bitter-sweet when it came to this season.”
Similarly, second-year head coach Jace Rindahl was happy with the resilience that the team showed throughout the season, specifically in the final game of the season that resulted in a 48-7 dominant victory over UW-Eau Claire on the road.
“Proud of the guys, going up to Eau Claire and playing the way we played,” Rindahl said. “[For] four quarters all three phases played at a high level. Proud of the seniors for being part of this and buying into a new head coach.”
Throughout the entire season, Rindahl added, the team stayed focused on their next opponent – no small feat throughout the course of three months worth of high intensity and competition.
“We’re really process oriented so we try and focus on the day by day, get a little bit better … you don’t always get the results that you want, you just learn from it and find a way to move forward,” he said. “Proud of the guys for sticking together – we fought.”
While Thomas will not be a part of the program in 2025, he believes this resilience and mentality is what will help the Warhawks bounce back to their expected form next season.
“They learned from it, they know exactly what is going to happen,” he said. “We’re going to be aware of it and know what’s happening so we can fix our mistakes earlier on. Plus on top of that I think next year is going to be really big for guys like [Tyler] Vasey, our explosive athletes and just getting them the ball.”
Vasey, a sophomore do-it-all wide receiver, proved to be a key factor of the Warhawk offense and kick-return unit. In addition to 401 all-purpose yards and a touchdown on offense, Vasey took three kick-offs to the endzone for scores, a momentum-shifting pop that Whitewater will be looking for more of in 2025.
But Vasey isn’t the only player that Thomas thinks will take a step forward in 2025. He said that he expects all of Whitewater’s skill positions to “blow up” next year. Junior wide receiver Brian Wilterdink, Thomas said, performed well and he thinks may take an even bigger step next season.
Thomas also expects the Warhawks to have an arsenal at the running back position despite his absence in 2025. He said that Whitewater will have at least four running backs that are all capable of 1,000 yard seasons (like Thomas’s 1,400-yard season in 2023), including Brian Stanton, Noah Battle, Ty Schultz and Darrick Hill.
On top of the returning Warhawk talent, the coaching staff is already on the lookout for available recruits and transfers to fill the void of departing senior cornerstones of the program.
“I think we lose a little bit of talent in all the rooms – offense, defense, special teams – so you have to keep recruiting, developing, and keep building the program one step at a time,” Rindahl said.
Whitewater will also be training with a chip on their shoulder this season and expecting leadership from returning members.
“It’s going to be a collective group, it’s going to be a team effort, it’s going to be the seniors of next year’s class on the front end and leading us through the off-season as we train,” Rindahl said.
So despite a disappointing season, there seems little for Warhawk football fans to be worried about as the team looks to return to its usual form in 2025.
“The scheme is [going to be] tailored around the players more and you’ll see it,” Thomas said. “I think next year is going to be a good year … to be honest I see this team going pretty deep in the playoffs next year.”
