PUEBLO, Colo. – The Colorado State University Pueblo football officially reported for the start of the 2025 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 2 as preseason practice for the ThunderWolves began on Monday, Aug. 4 with an 8:30 a.m. practice inside the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl.

CSU Pueblo's players reported to campus on Aug. 2 as they moved into the dorms in the morning and after lunch, the players received their equipment, had a team meeting, dinner in the cafeteria and the freshman/transfers and newcomers had a meeting in the evening, before having an NCAA Compliance meeting, team meetings, head shot photos, a team dinner and a walk-through without footballs on Sunday, Aug. 3, prior to Monday's first on-field workout for the 2025 season.

After conducting its first practice of the season on Monday, the team will practice each day with group 1 practicing from 8:30 a.m.-10:20 a.m. and group 2 practicing from 10:10 a.m.-11:50 a.m. for the first three days of fall camp, before holding one practice session on Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m.-11 a.m. On Saturday, Aug. 9, the Pack will conduct its first scrimmage, which will be in full pads and is scheduled to begin at 2:10 p.m. and will run for nearly two hours.

During the second week of fall camp (Aug. 11-Aug. 17), the team will alternate evening and afternoon practices as they will practice on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7-9 p.m. and conduct practices from 2:10-4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Those practices will lead into a second scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 6:30-8 p.m.

On the third week of fall camp (Aug. 18-Aug. 24), the team will once again alternate evening and afternoon practices as they will practice on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9 p.m. and practice on Tuesday and Thursday from 2:10-4 p.m.

The Pack, who went 10-2 overall and claimed its ninth all-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title after going 9-0 in league play and earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Playoffs from Super Region Four, will shift to morning practices from 7-8:30 a.m. during the week once fall semester classes begin on the CSU Pueblo campus on Monday, Aug. 25.

Third-year Pack head coach Philip Vigil welcomes back 65 lettermen, including 17 starters from last season's team that finished the season ranked No. 8 in the final AFCA/Division II Coaches poll. Vigil's 2025 team has eight starters back on offense, five starters on defense and four on special teams.

Among the top returning offensive starters for the Pack are redshirt senior receiver Reggie Retzlaff (Corona, Calif./Riverside City College), who was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Year, a consensus All-American and a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist after setting single season school records for receptions (67), receiving yards (1,228) and receiving touchdowns (12). In addition to Retzlaff, four of the Pack's five offensive linemen return – senior Arthur Braach (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East), junior Tyler Ethridge (Midlothian, Texas/Midlothian), senior Jaiden Jones (Dallas, Texas/Tyler JC) and senior Domingo Prince II (Aurora, Colo./Cherry Creek), along with senior tight end Tyler Dvorak (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek), senior quarterback Roman Fuller (Decatur, Texas/University of Tulsa) and senior receiver Zack Rakowsky (Loveland, Colo./Loveland). Retzlaff, Ethridge and Prince were named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team on offense.

Meanwhile, on defense, the top returning starter is junior linebacker Gary Seidenberger (Fredericksburg, Texas/Fredericksburg), who led the team in tackles a season ago with 87 and also added 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass break-ups and one interception. In addition to Seidenberger, the other returning defensive starters are senior defensive back Keith Mckaney (Avondale, Ariz./Desert Edge), junior defensive lineman Jusiah Sampleton (Giddings, Texas/Giddings), senior defensive back Peyton Shaw (Savannah, Texas/Midwestern State) and senior defensive back Ben Wilson (Pearland, Texas/Midwestern State). Seidenberger, Mckaney, junior defensive back Donovan English (Pomona, Calif./Colony) and junior defensive back Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview) were all named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team on defense.

The Pack's top special team returners are Rakowsky at punt returner, junior Moosah Alsaffar (Aurora, Colo./Grandview), at kick returner, senior Regan Baker (Brisbane, Australia/Idaho State) at punter and junior Evan Lyons (Superior, Colo./Monarch) at kicker. Rakowsky and senior long snapper Brayden Starmer (Mesa, Ariz./Western New Mexico) were named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team on special teams.

CSU Pueblo kicks off the 2025 season with a 6 p.m. RMAC home game in the ThunderBowl on Thursday, Aug. 28 against South Dakota Mines, before remaining at home for a 6 p.m. game the following Thursday (Sept. 4) against Fort Hays State. The Pack's first road game is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 11 in Warrensburg, Mo., against the University of Central Missouri at 6 p.m. MT. The Pack will host Fort Lewis College for its annual Homecoming/Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m.

Here is the 2024 preseason practice schedule for the Pack football team (schedule is subject to change and all practices will be held at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl).

Practice #1 (Monday, Aug. 4) – 8:30 a.m. (Group 1) / 10 a.m. (Group 2) – helmets
Practice #2 (Tuesday, Aug. 5) – 8:30 a.m. (Group 1) / 10 a.m. (Group 2) – helmets
Practice #3 (Wednesday, Aug. 6) – 8:30 a.m. (Group 1) / 10 a.m. (Group 2) – shells
Practice #4 (Thursday, Aug. 7) – 8:30 a.m. - shells
Practice #5 (Friday, Aug. 8) – 8:30 a.m. - shells
Practice #6 (Saturday, Aug. 9) – 2:10 p.m. (Scrimmage #1) – full pads
Practice #7 (Monday, Aug. 11) – 7 p.m. – full pads
Practice #8 (Tuesday, Aug. 12) – 2:10 p.m. – shells
Practice #9 (Wednesday, Aug. 13) – 7 p.m. – full pads
Practice #10 (Thursday, Aug. 14) – 2:10 p.m. – shells
Practice #11 (Friday, Aug. 15) – 7 p.m. – helmets
Practice #12 (Saturday, Aug. 16) – 6:30 p.m. (Scrimmage #2) – full pads
Practice #13 (Monday, Aug. 18) – 7 p.m. – full pads
Practice #14 (Tuesday, Aug. 19) – 2:10 p.m. - shells
Practice #15 (Wednesday, Aug. 20) – 7 p.m. – full pads
Practice #16 (Thursday, Aug. 21) – 2:10 p.m. - shells
Practice #17 (Friday, Aug. 22) – 7 p.m. - helmets
Practice #18 (Saturday, Aug. 23) – 6:30 p.m. – full pads
Practice #19 (Monday, Aug. 25) – 7-8:30 a.m. – Game Week
Practice #20 (Tuesday, Aug. 26) – 7-8:30 a.m.
Practice #21 (Wednesday, Aug. 27) – 7-8:30 a.m.
Game #1 (Thursday, Aug. 28 vs. South Dakota Mines) – 6 p.m. kickoff