Fresh off their SWAC Championship and Celebration Bowl victory, Jackson State finds itself regarded as one of the best teams in the FCS. Stats Perform recently revealed their FCS Top 25 list, with Jackson State being listed at #17. Their 2025 preseason ranking is higher than where they finished last season, which was at #18. Also, Jackson State is the sole HBCU ranked in the Top 25, though Tennessee State and North Carolina Central received votes.

The Tigers had a phenomenal season that culminated in championship glory last season. Jackson State ended the season with a 12-2 record, going undefeated in conference play at 8-0. Their only FCS loss came against Grambling State University on September 21, though it was classified as a non-conference game. Jackson State won the SWAC Championship in dominant fashion over Southern University and then secured a wire-to-wire victory over South Carolina State University in the Cricket Celebration Bowl.

They improved the team drastically with several key transfers and recruits joining the team this offseason. Perhaps the most interesting piece added was former Edward Waters and Mississippi Valley State wide reciever Nate Rembert. Rembert, an All-SWAC First Team honoree, announced on New Year’s Day that he’s committing to T.C. Taylor and the Tigers. This decision comes after he entered the transfer portal on December 4th.

The sophomore wide receiver had an outstanding season with the Delta Devils, racking up 70 catches, 1,038 yards, and four touchdowns. Eventually, Rembert announced that he was once again entering the transfer portal in April but decided to stay with Jackson State to contend for another conference championship. His addition will certianly boost Jackson State's offense, which averaged 189.3 passing yards per game while notching 27 passing touchdowns last season. The high levels of production in their offensive unit was thanks to the performances of standout talents such as wide receiver Isaiah Spencer and running backs Joanes Fortilien and Ja’Naylon Dupree.

The full Stats Perform Top 25 List is below.

RankTeam2024 RecordConference
1North Dakota State14-2MVFC
2Montana State15-1Big Sky
3South Dakota State12-3MVFC
4South Dakota11-3MVFC
5UIW11-3Southland
6Illinois State10-4MVFC
7Montana9-5Big Sky
8UC Davis11-3Big Sky
9Rhode Island11-3CAA
10Tarleton State10-4UAC
11Mercer11-3SoCon
12Idaho10-4Big Sky
13Villanova10-4CAA
14Lehigh9-4Patriot
15Sacramento State3-9Big Sky
16Abilene Christian9-5UAC
17Jackson State12-2SWAC
18Western Carolina7-5SoCon
19Northern Arizona8-5Big Sky
20Southern Illinois4-8MVFC
21Tennessee Tech7-5OVC-Big South
22Monmouth6-6CAA
23Stephen F. Austin7-5Southland
24Stony Brook8-4CAA
25Richmond10-3CAA; now Patriot
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