UNI football head coach Todd Stepsis shares ‘Panthers strength’ in honoring Parker Sutherland

Of all the things former UNI football freshman Parker Sutherland was, his head coach made sure to share that Sutherland was a ray of light.

Head coach Todd Stepsis held a press conference Monday morning, opening up about Sutherland for the first time since the school announced Sutherland’s death Saturday morning. Sutherland was 18 years old.

“If I could have 110 Parkers I would,” Stepsis said, visibly emotional. “We’re not going to be able to replace him, but who he is as a person — he always had a smile on his face, he always made people feel good about themselves — it’s not about replacing him, but finding something extra inside to help fill that gap and close that void with him being gone.”

Stepsis said Sutherland had collapsed during a Thursday morning workout, during what the team called “muddy days.” Stepsis said the team had finished going through a typical warmup Thursday morning when Sutherland collapsed. The warmup was consistent with one the team does regularly, Stepsis said.

The head coach made sure to thank the medical staff on campus and at the hospital that rushed to Sutherland’s aid during his opening statement.

“Our people were right there, doing everything they’ve been trained to do without hesitation,” Stepsis said. “The hospital staffs were fantastic. The family had a number of people that are in the medical field … and they just went on and on about how well everyone was treated, the quality of care and the attention that they got.”

He also said the entire UNI football team intends to go to Sutherland’s funeral together.

“They want to play for Parker, they want to live like Parker,” Stepsis said. “They want to impact like he did.”

Stepsis shared that the program intends to honor Sutherland once the football season begins, but added that nothing will be made official until Sutherland’s family approves it.

Sutherland, originally from Iowa City, was a freshman tight end at UNI and appeared in four games in 2025. He was a graduate of City High School, where he was a tri-sport athlete and was an all-state second team honoree for football his senior year.

Since the school made the announcement, programs and individuals have extended public condolences across the state of Iowa and beyond. Gov. Kim Reynolds posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter), and Stepsis said the university has embraced the saying “Panthers strong,” over the last few days.

“We wear these shirts that say ‘Panther strength,’ and it really has been on full display everybody from the moment it happened,” he said. “Our team, they're sad, they're fighting through a lot of things right now, emotionally, but they also understand that by us continuing to have joy and optimism and gratitude, to be here, to play football, to have this logo on their chest, it's not going to disrespect Parker in any way and their family, but it's going to honor them.”

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