Victory Sports Network ‘NAIA 99’
SEWARD, Neb. – A 2025 First Team All-GPAC receiver and kick returner, Concordia University, Nebraska’s Adam Van Cleave has been named to Victory Sports Network’s ‘NAIA 99,’ a preseason watch list that recognizes the top returning players in the country entering the 2026 season. Stated VSN, “Compiled from coaching surveys, All-Conference and All-American honors, previous production, and extensive preseason research, this watchlist highlights the athletes expected to have the biggest impact this fall.”
The 2026 campaign will mark Van Cleave’s fourth season inside the Bulldog Football program. The Columbus, Neb., native racked up 1,346 all-purpose yards and 11 total touchdowns in 2025. As a receiver, he hauled in 63 catches for 726 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 310 yards and four scores and returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown at Morningside.
On the Concordia Football program’s all-time lists, Van Cleave ranks seventh in receptions (135), eighth in receiving touchdowns (12) and ninth in receiving yards (1,578). The Lakeview High School product has compiled 2,858 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns in 21 career collegiate games. Van Cleave spent his first year as a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a ’26 Concordia graduate with a degree in Accounting.
The 2026 Concordia Football season will kick off underneath the lights inside Bulldog Stadium on Aug. 29. The season opening gametime versus Waldorf is set for 7 p.m. CT.