by Stan Becton

GREENVILLE, SC — The 2026 SoCon football season is rapidly approaching and after the conference media day, excitement for the upcoming season is higher than ever. After talking with 30 players and coaches from every SoCon team, plus commissioner Michael Cross, here are some numbers to know entering the 2026 season.

0

 The number of sacks allowed by the newest Western Carolina transfer Aaron McIver last season at Gardner-Webb per PFF. He earned Second-Team All-OVC honors last fall before joining the Catamounts.

Quotables

 “We lost two or three of our own offensive lineman in the portal. We felt like Aaron... we had to have him this year,” head coach Kerwin Bell said. “He’s very important for us to come in and stabilize our offensive line.”

1

 Only one defensive starter is not back with Chattanooga this year. The Mocs allowed the fewest pass yards per game in the conference last year, but had the fifth-worst run defense and allowed 33 points per game. With more experience returning, Chattanooga hopes to be improved on defense in 2026.

Quotables

 “We were not good defensively at any point in time last year,” head coach Rusty Wright said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football for us playing this year. We’re way ahead on that side of the ball compared to where we were at this time last year.”

2

 Mercer has won two-straight SoCon football titles. The Bears are going for a three-peat in 2026.

Quotables

“You’ve got to get lucky. The ball has to bounce your way some games. Another thing is health. Just having that depth will be important. The next thing I think is preparation. I tell our kids all the time you’re not preparing for a game; you’re preparing for a moment. The last piece I think we’ve gotta do is execute,” head coach Joel Taylor said. “Those four things I think we have to do well if we want to repeat.” 

3

 Tennessee Tech has a three-headed quarterback battle this offseason. Jax Leatherwood was named Preseason Second-Team All-SoCon, but he remains in an open competition with Zolten Osborne and Richie Munoz

Quotables

 “Jax is tall. He can see over the line and get me the ball in certain aspects. We have Zolten. He is a great improviser. He can use his feet to make plays, extend plays. We have Richie Munoz who came last year and he’s another guy who can use his feet as well,” wide receiver Tre Holloway said. “They all can get me the ball and get the other receivers the ball. We have a great room and I love the competition that they’re building within each other.”

“They’re all very unique quarterbacks in that they all have statistics,” head coach Bobby Wilder said. “All three of them have the ability to take this team to a championship. We’re going to take this competition into preseason camp and we’re going to let it play out.”

4

 ETSU blocked four punts last year.

Quotables

 “What’s the teaching? Are you teaching fear of running into the kicker or are you teaching aggressiveness to go and block punts? For us, our mentality is we’re coming after you,” head coach Will Healy said. “That’s like having four turnovers.”

5

 Five of Wofford’s six losses were by one possession last year.

Quotables

 “It’s no worse feeling than walking off the field losing by one point,” offensive lineman Dillon Porter said. “We definitely were on the brink of something special. Those five games... we definitely feel close. We won’t forget those.”

“We were on the verge of getting there... but we weren’t doing the little tiny things that it took,” said Coach Shawn Watson. “We needed to play cleaner. We needed to start fast. And we needed to finish”

9

 Wofford quarterback J.T. Fayard threw nine touchdowns in his last three games as Wofford went on a four game win streak and 6-1 run to close the season. However, Fayard is in a quarterback competition this offseason with Ethan Drumm after the latter went down with an injury last season.

Quotables

 “J.T.’s going to have the first shot at it,” coach Watson said. “In all fairness to Ethan, he got hurt. He didn’t lose the job because of performance, he lost the job because of injury. We want to see where he’s at in his development.”

10

 The number of teams in the SoCon after Tennessee Tech joined. Conference realignment has taken college sports by storm in recent years and the SoCon has joined the fray.

Quotables

 “You want to think about expansion in one of two ways. One is much better than the other,” commissioner Cross said. “You want to expand out of opportunity which is a positive. You don’t want to expand out of necessity which puts you on defense.”

“From a football standpoint, it’s the fifth ranked conference out of 13 FCS conferences. The OVC was ninth. From that standpoint, it's a stronger conference for us football wise to join,” coach Wilder said.

11

 The number of losses from VMI in the past two seasons. Back-to-back 1-11 seasons led to Ashley Ingram taking over as head coach. One of his first initiatives since taking the role is to build a winning culture.

Quotables

 “Our philosophy is simple with football,” head coach Ashley Ingram said. “If we can be the closest football team in the country, a true brotherhood... if we can care about each other, if we can lay it on the line for each other... we think that’s going to be the key to us winning.”

15

 Wofford had 15 interceptions in 2025. The Terriers also had 10 forced fumbles and five defensive touchdowns.

Quotables

 “Every day we’re punching at the ball. Every play we’re punching at the ball. It’s really just an effort thing. Takeaways are just effort,” free safety Eli Campbell said.

17

 ETSU tight end Charlie Browder caught 17 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns last year, his first with the Buccaneers. The preseason First-Team All-SoCon honoree will be a pivotal target for the winner of ETSU’s quarterback battle between Michigan transfer Jadyn Davis, Louisville transfer Mason Mims and returnee Jake McNamara (last year’s starter Cade’s younger brother).

Quotables

 “I wanna be as consistent as I can for those guys because I know they have so much else going on outside with the whole competition,” Browder said. “I just want to be a security blanket for those guys. When stuff’s breaking down and plays don’t go the right way, they know where 88’s going to be.”

25

 That’s how many points Tennessee Tech lost by against North Dakota in last year's FCS playoffs (31-6). Now the Golden Eagles are motivated to bounce back in 2026.

Quotables

 “Last year the standard was to aim high and this year it’s to aim higher,” defensive back Chris “Cee” Rhodes said. “We always talk about that loss because that’s the threshold we have to get over if we want to be a great team.” 

“Losing that playoff game at home to North Dakota has been a driving factor for all of us coaches and players,” coach Wilder said.

31

 The number of total games The Citadel running back Rhyder Poppell played as a dual sport athlete last year. He’s on both the football and baseball teams

Quotables

 “It’s time consuming, but it’s fun,” Poppell said. “It’s like I have two families built in. Both sets of teammates are amazing and I know what I’m getting when I come from football to baseball and from baseball to football”

“Rhyder manages himself,” head coach Maurice Drayton said. “I don’t have to police him. He understands time management. He understands where to be and what to do and how to listen to his body.”

38

 The number of points Western Carolina scored per game last season. The Catamounts have consistently been one of the high-powered offenses in the FCS across the last three seasons, winning seven games in each.

Quotables

 “Whoever wins the starting quarterback job will be up for player of the conference because in our system they do the things that are going to make you successful,” coach Bell said.

43

 That’s how many years it’s been since 1983, the lone FCS playoff appearance from Western Carolina.

Quotables

 “We had the talent. We’ve had the ability to do it. We just haven’t finished those games,” said Coach Bell. “Just like Michael Jordan did when he was young: he had to learn how to get over the Detroit Pistons, past the Lakers. But once you have that experience now you draw on that experience. I think our team is ready to take that experience and take us to a point where we can get over the top.”

“It would be great [to end the playoff drought],” defensive back Ken Moore Jr. said. “Not even just for the team but for everyone. For fans. For the people that live in Cullowhee. It would bring a lot of energy back to the city.”

45

 The number of transfers this year for Tennessee Tech. With all of the new pieces, Coach Wilder has used an emphasis on a strong culture to make sure his team bonds quickly.

Quotables

 “They know the threshold so perfectly between friend and coach,” Rhodes said. “It made me feel comfortable and they breathe confidence into you which makes you more comfortable to play for you.”

“Two years in a row we've recruited 60 new players out of 120,” coach Wilder said. “You can’t overlook your culture. You’re asking young men to gel in eight months and then go out and play for each other.”

46

 That’s how many passes former Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens completed in a row for an NCAA record in 2025. He’s gone to the FBS now and the Catamounts will have to replace him as Thomas and Lee battle it out.

Quotables

 “[Taron] had as great a year as I’d ever seen. 38 touchdowns. Two interceptions. Over 70% completion percentage. So we lost a lot,” coach Bell said. “I’ve got two guys that really are the kind of players that I’m gonna want at that position. What they are, they’re Hall of Fame point guards. They distribute the ball at a very high, efficient rate.”

“I think no matter who it is, they have that edge, they have that dog. In this offense, no matter what you’re going to put up big numbers and I’m excited to see what we do,” wide receiver AJ Colombo said.

61

 The number of receptions from Western Carolina wide receiver AJ Colombo in 2024 which led the SoCon. After missing the 2025 season after an injury, Colombo is back with Catamounts this fall.

Quotables

 “It was motivating. I had to find out a lot about myself in that period of time. I got closer with God and kind of found the silver lining in everything,” Colombo said on his time off.

72

 That’s the number of wins new Samford head coach John Grass had at Jacksonville State from 2015-2021. He spent the last few years as an analyst at Clemson before returning to the head coach seat this year.

Quotables

 “I think God made me to be a head football coach. I’ve been a head coach most of my career so it’s good to be back and leading men and leading people,” coach Grass said.

79

 The team-leading amount of tackles for Furman last year, impressively set by Joshua Stoneking from his defensive line position.

Quotables

 “He’s one of those guys where you say do like he does it,” said head coach Clay Hendrix. “For him it starts with his preparation and how he practices.

81

 The amount of times The Citadel and VMI have played in their rivalry known as The Military Classic of the South. The Citadel has won the last two Silver Shako trophies.

Quotables

 “It truly does not matter what your records are or what your season is at that point in time. When The Citadel plays VMI, we get after each other,” coach Drayton said. “It’s hard to beat the opponent in that game three times in a row.”

119

 The number of points from votes Furman’s Joshua Stoneking finished with during his runner-up finish in Buck Buchanan voting. That’s 14 points behind winner and Mercer Bear Andrew Zock, despite Stoneking’s 14.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss leading the FCS.

Quotables

 “There’s definitely a chip on my shoulder to go win it this year,” Stoneking said. “I definitely was disappointed that I lost that, but Zock was a good player. He deserved it too.”

210

 The average rushing yards per game from The Citadel last year — the most in the SoCon.

Quotables

 “It’s no surprise we wanna run the ball and we have our identity in running the football. We take pride in what we do,” said Poppell. “Don’t be fooled, we led the conference in rushing but we want to score any way we can.”

“I’m really high on our offensive line. We’ll be able to move the line of scrimmage and anytime you can move the line of scrimmage you’ll get first downs and with first downs you’ll eventually get touchdowns,” coach Drayton said.

375

 That’s the amount of pounds that ETSU defensive lineman Brenden LeBlanc bench pressed... in high school! That’s a Brother Martin High School Bench Press Record. He’s now up to 415.

Quotables

 “You gotta know how to use it. A lot of people don’t think bench press... it doesn’t really apply to every position. It does to mine,” LeBlanc said. “The ability to work hard and then to allow yourself to use that on the field is huge.”

485

 Western Carolina leads the FCS with an average of 485.1 offensive yards per game under head coach Kerwin Bell from 2021-25.

Quotables

 “I try to recruit the same kind of player with the same qualities. I don’t get stuck on size or physical ability,” said coach Bell. “If I have a truckload of players with the same quality, when I plug the next one in he’s going to play the same way.”

740

 The number of days between Mercer head coach Joel Taylor’s departure as a defensive coordinator for the Bears to becoming Mercer’s newest head coach. Taylor left for a head coach job at West Georgia before ultimately returning to Macon.

Quotables

 “I just think Mercer is a place of growth,” said coach Taylor. “I think we can build something that can be really special and that’s what drew me back to Mercer.”

4,075

 The record for punt yardage from VMI punter Ben Shrewsbury. He was named a 2026 Preseason First-Team All-American by Stats Perform.

Quotables

 “I hope he doesn’t get to punt as much this year as he did last year. I’ll go on record and say if he punts 84 times this year, we probably won’t have a good year,” joked coach Ingram. “Ben Shrewsbury’s a great player. One of the best in the country, if not the best.”