North Carolina A&T closed its 2025 football season on Saturday afternoon with a 55–17 loss on the road to Elon. That ending a frustrating season by finishing 2–10 overall and 2–6 in CAA play. It marks the program’s third-consecutive losing season, and its fourth in the last five years. That’s a stark contrast to the standard Aggie fans grew accustomed to during the program’s championship run less than a decade ago.
Elon set the tone immediately, returning the opening kickoff to the A&T 29 and scoring on the very next play. The Phoenix exploded for 17 points in the first quarter and led 34–10 by halftime, capitalizing on short fields, explosive plays, and A&T turnovers. Quarterback Landen Clark torched the Aggies with 231 passing yards and four touchdowns, adding 105 yards and two more scores on the ground. Elon finished with 468 total yards, averaging 6.8 yards per play.
A&T showed brief life in the second quarter behind quarterback Nelson Layne, who connected with Michael Carlock-Williams for touchdown passes of 29 and 31 yards — two of the few big offensive moments the Aggies produced. Layne finished with 160 passing yards but was sacked nine times as the Aggies struggled to protect him against Elon’s pressure.
North Carolina A&T likely to experience more change
The struggles weren’t isolated to Saturday. Over the course of the season, A&T was outscored 523–246 and gave up an average of 43.6 points per game while allowing opponents to rack up 5,614 yards of offense — nearly 468 per contest. Offensively, the Aggies averaged just 280.2 yards per game, including only 104.3 on the ground.
There were bright spots in the final box score: Elijah Kennedy turned in another strong all-purpose performance and A&T’s defense managed three sacks. But as was the case all year, big plays allowed, inconsistent execution, and difficulty sustaining drives proved too much to overcome.
Now, with the season officially closed, North Carolina A&T enters a critical offseason. Head coach Shawn Gibbs has made it clear the program will evaluate roster needs, staff direction, and long-term strategy. Heading into year two of his regime it will work to stop the slide and reestablish its footing in the CAA. The Aggies still possess talent, tradition, and a passionate fan base — but after three straight losing seasons, the climb back to relevance has never felt more urgent.
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