Special season ticket early-bird pricing lasts through Jan. 17
1/13/2025 5:00:00 PM
By: Daniel Hooker, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations
Cullowhee, N.C. – Twelve games for a second-consecutive season, equally split between E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field and six road contests that include four in Southern Conference play and a pair of instate nonconference matchups highlight Western Carolina's 2025 Catamount football schedule that was finalized and today officially released.
Kickoff times and additional game day promotions for WCU's six home dates, as well as a full broadcast schedule, will be announced later. All nine SoCon schools are slated to broadcast home games on ESPN+, if not selected for national or regional broadcast.
Riding the momentum from its third-consecutive winning season – its longest string since three in a row from 1992 through 1994 – and a second-straight seven-win campaign, the Catamounts will enjoy six home games on their 2025 schedule, the most at EJ Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field since 2019.
WCU welcomes a pair of nonconference foes to Cullowhee in regional rival Gardner-Webb for the season-opener on Saturday, Aug. 30, and Elon in the backend of the home-and-home on Sept 13. The Catamounts upset No. 22 Elon last season in Elon, N.C., while the Runnin' Bulldogs visit western North Carolina for the first time since 2019.
Between the two home dates, Western Carolina travels down I-40 for a weekend meeting with first-year head coach Jake Dickert and Wake Forest out of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Sept. 6. The fourth all-time series meeting between the Catamounts and Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium is the first since 1991 with the two other meetings coming in the 1982 and 1983 seasons.
Western Carolina opens Southern Conference play at home as it welcomes the Samford Bulldogs to Cullowhee on WCU's Family Weekend slated for Sept. 20. The Catamounts scored a historic 47-42 road win over the Bulldogs in Birmingham back in November, halting a 10-game winless drought on the road in the series with the first series road victory since 1969. The Catamounts have won two straight over Samford, claiming the 2023 home meeting 30-7.
Before closing the season with seven straight league games, WCU plays its final nonconference game of the regular season in the return matchup with Campbell in the first-ever meeting in Buies Creek. The Catamounts look to avenge last year's 24-16 home defeat in the program's first NCAA Division I meeting.
Beginning on Saturday, Oct. 4, and interrupted only by the team's scheduled bye week on Oct. 25, the Catamounts play seven SoCon games including four on the road and three at home. In addition to the Samford game, Western Carolina's favorable home schedule includes a visit from chromatic rival Furman on Oct. 11 in the lone home game in October. Back-to-back home dates in November have Mercer (Nov. 8) coming to Cullowhee for the 2025 Homecoming game before the regular-season home finale in the mountain-rivalry match-up with ETSU for the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" trophy game on Nov. 15.
WCU's bye week is sandwiched between road games in opposite directions as the Purple & Gold heads to the South Carolina Lowcountry to meet The Citadel in Charleston on Oct. 18 before traveling to the Scenic City of Chattanooga, Tenn., to face the Mocs on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Catamounts conclude the 2025 regular season on the road in Lexington, Va., seeking a 12th series victory away from home in the 16th matchup at Foster Stadium.
SoCon games commence on Saturday, Sept. 6, in a battle of the Bulldogs as The Citadel visits Samford in Birmingham, Ala. Wofford hosts defending league champion Mercer on Sept. 13, before a two-game slate on Saturday, Sept. 20, as Mercer visits The Citadel and the Catamounts host Samford coming off last year's thriller in the regular-season finale on the road.
The league's first full slate of games comes on Oct. 4 as four SoCon games will take place with each Saturday from Oct. 18 to Nov. 15 to also feature four head-to-head SoCon games. Regular-season play wraps up for all nine SoCon squads on Saturday, Nov. 22, with the opening round of the FCS playoffs starting the following weekend. Three league games are set for the final day of the regular season.
The unofficial opening of the 2025 SoCon football schedule begins with SoCon Media Day on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Greenville, S.C. Details regarding the event will be released on a future date.
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Catamount Athletics continues to offeran early-bird ticket special for a limited remaining time, concluding on Friday, Jan. 17. This special offer provides the most affordable season ticket pricing for the six-game home schedule in 2025. Season tickets start at just $96 for adults and $66 for youth 12 and under for all six home dates. A Catamount Family Four Pack that includes two adult reserved season tickets, and two youth reserved season tickets is just $250 – that's less than $11 per ticket. Fans can purchase season tickets online atCatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
This special ticket price will be available throughFriday, Jan. 17. For WCU's returning season ticket holders, the 2025 renewal deadline to secure the same seats as last year isWednesday, April 30.
For Catamount Club members who had a season parking pass this past season, game day parking passes may also be renewed at this time. The cost is $60 and the deadline for renewal isWednesday, April 30.For those looking to get a pass in the Catamount Club season parking lots for the first time or those looking to change their parking location, please contact CJ Mitchell in the Catamount Club at (828) 227-3047 or by email atmitchellc@wcu.edu.Catamount Club members are also reminded to renew their annual membership to take advantage of pregame hospitality perks byMonday, June 30, 2025.
Currently amidst the recruiting of both mid-year transfers and incoming freshmen for next fall, Western Carolina head coach Kerwin Bell and his staff turn their attention to the traditional National Signing Day slated for the first Wednesday of February, this year on Feb. 5, 2025. The Catamount Club will also sponsor a special National Signing Day reception on Saturday, Feb. 15, for select Club members in Room 204 at WCU's Health and Human Sciences Building (HHS – 3971 Little Savannah Rd.) that is expected to include a Facebook LIVE video stream.
The Catamounts open their annual 15-practice spring drills in March with the team's Spring Game slated for Saturday, April 5. Additional information including the schedule of WCU's spring practices will be released at a later date.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports, FB.com/WesternCarolinaFootball), Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsfb).
2025 Western Carolina Football Schedule:
Sat., Aug. 30 – GARDNER-WEBB – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Sept. 6 – at Wake Forest – Winston-Salem, N.C.
Sat., Sept. 13 – ELON – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Sept. 20 – SAMFORD * (WCU Family Weekend) – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Sept. 27 – at Campbell – Buies Creek, N.C.
Sat., Oct. 4 – at Wofford * – Spartanburg, S.C.
Sat., Oct. 11 – FURMAN * – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Oct. 18 – at The Citadel * – Charleston, S.C.
Sat., Oct. 25 – Bye Week
Sat., Nov. 1 – at Chattanooga * – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Sat., Nov. 8 – MERCER * (WCU Homecoming) – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Nov. 15 – ETSU * (Blue Ridge Border Battle) – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Nov. 22 – at VMI * – Lexington, Va.
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