One Word to Describe Each SoCon Football Team Entering 2026

GREENVILLE, S.C. — College football media days are about storytelling and projecting. Teams send their top players and coaches to represent their school and tell stories that provide insight into their programs while projecting their performance in the upcoming season. But can those stories be condensed into one word? I think so.

That’s why I asked every SoCon football representative at 2026 media day to describe their team entering this season in one word. Yet, before we get to the teams, we have to start with the commissioner of the conference, Michael Cross.

Commissioner Michael Cross — It’s All Here

“It’s All Here” is a SoCon motto, but for Cross it’s more than that. It’s an indicator that the conference has everything a student-athlete could want from resources and academics to on-field performance. When it comes to on-field play this football season, Cross is hoping the “it’s all here” motto showcases the talent of the teams in the conference.

“We are an unbelievably competitive conference,” said commissioner Cross. As the polls start to take shape, as the voters get into their business and as the NCAA committee starts to dissect who’s worthy of postseason opportunities, I’m very confident and comfortable that we will see our teams perform in an exceptional way this year that will allow us to have multiple teams in the postseason.”

The SoCon hasn’t had multiple postseason teams since 2023 when Chattanooga and Mercer both made it. Could 2026 be the year that changes?

If the teams live up to their one-word descriptions, it might just be. Here’s the best one-word preview of each team in the SoCon.

Chattanooga — Obsessed

Chattanooga is coming off a 5-7 season, the first losing season of Rusty Wright’s tenure as head coach. As the Mocs look to return to their winning ways, there’s an obsession with success amongst the players.

“Obsessed with the game. Obsessed with the goal. Obsessed with each other and what we’re trying to accomplish,” offensive lineman Devin Lively described.

The goal is to win and return to the postseason for the first time since 2023. To do so will take an obsession with attention to detail from guys like Preseason First-Team All-SoCon linebacker Zion Rutledge as he tries to take the next step in his game after a 100-tackle season.

“A lot of it is looking back at the things that I was strong at and the things that I was weak at,” said Rutledge. “It’s making those strengths unbeatable and making those weaknesses, trying to turn those into strengths.”

As weaknesses turn to strengths, losses can turn to wins. Even with a losing overall record, Chattanooga still finished .500 in conference play a season ago. 2026 could turn things around.

“We’ve got a chance to have a good football team. We’ll see,” coach Wright said.

Mercer Bears — Attack

Head coach Joel Taylor has taken over the reins for Mercer football this fall, and he’s brought a new acronym to Macon. 

Attack.

Attitude, Toughness, Togetherness, Accountability, Character and Knowledge.

Those six words are what define the Mercer program’s mindset entering 2026 as back-to-back SoCon football champions.

“All six of those things are all controllable,” Taylor said. “We don’t have to worry about what the scoreboard’s gonna be. We don’t have to worry about the referee making a bad call. You don’t have to worry about your playing time. Just control what you can control, attack the day.”

It was echoed by Preseason First-Team All-SoCon offensive lineman Brody Balliew, who gave “attack” as his one-word description of the 2026 Bears.

“That’s our mentality. That’s one thing that coach Taylor brought with him, and I think that has really stuck with the team,” Balliew said. “Attack everything we do. Whether that’s a run, a lift — anything team-wise, we try to attack everything."

Yet, it’s more than just an acronym. There’s an intentionality behind what Mercer’s doing.

“Every school in the conference gets the same amount of time to prepare for the games. It’s about what you do in that time,” said defensive lineman Cam Moore. 

Both Moore and Balliew are a part of the 12 transfers that followed coach Taylor from West Georgia to Mercer. They’re carrying over a mindset to help continue a winning culture as Mercer attempts to become the first SoCon team to become outright conference champions in three consecutive years since Furman won four in a row from 1980-1983.

ETSU — Prove-It

Yes, I know prove and it are two separate words, but in this case think of it as a compound modifier in the phrase prove-it season. That’s exactly what 2026 will be for ETSU as the Buccaneers look to build off of a 7-5 season to start the Will Healy era.

ETSU was voted No. 3 in the SoCon preseason poll after last season’s success, but there’s more to accomplish.

“I’ve got a bunch of questions about how it feels to be picked third. Well... it’s not first,” said coach Healy. “Prove it that we’re good enough. Believe that we can do what we set out to do. If that’s the mentality, then we’ll be just fine.”

The expectations are different after closing 2025 with four straight wins. One side of the ball that stands out is the defense. Four players earned preseason all-conference honors, including defensive lineman Brenden LeBlanc on the first team.

“We’ll be tough. We’ll be really hard to beat, and I think we have a lot of experience,” LeBlanc said.

With more veterans on the squad this year, ETSU will look to make a postseason run for the first time since 2021.

Furman — Confident

It’s easy to be confident when you have the best returning defensive player in the FCS on your squad, and that’s exactly the case for the Furman Paladins. Furman will see Buck Buchanan Award runner-up Joshua Stoneking back on the field after he led the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss a year ago.

However, it’s not just one player that has the team confident entering 2026. It’s the preparation from the whole team.

“I think when you prepare well, you have confidence,” coach Clay Hendrix said. “I think they have a lot of confidence in their teammates and good leadership.”

As starting center and preseason Second-Team All-SoCon honoree Chris Luna puts it, the team is very detail-oriented entering 2026. He’s taken more of a leadership role this season, making sure that the details are focused on every day.

“One of our strength coaches says, ‘the tip of the spear has to be sharp.’ The center’s always the tip of the spear,” Luna said. “The little things always matter in every single game.”

There’s also a competitive side amongst the team in practices, especially in the trenches where guys like Luna can compete against a Buchanan finalist day-in and day-out. The competition continues to grow the team’s confidence.

“Going against Josh every day has made me 100 percent better,” Luna said. “That’s one thing that the Furman culture prioritizes, making each other better. Iron sharpens iron.”

“We have grown together throughout the spring,” Stoneking said. “We’ve grown together as brothers, and I think that’s going to help a lot with our practices and going into games with some energy.”

There's confidence in Furman’s locker room this year from their practice habits. If practice truly makes perfect, the Paladins could be in for a big year in 2026.

Samford — Determined

Samford went 1-11 in 2025. They’ll have a new coach in John Grass this fall — with a new mindset too. The Bulldogs are determined to put last season behind them in 2026.

“We’re a very determined group. I’ve seen a different side of guys and a different side of myself that I haven’t seen before that this coaching staff, coach Grass, has brought out of me,” preseason Second-Team All-SoCon safety Jalen Nelson said. “I feel like we’ll come together and show people what they're not expecting.”

Currently, the expectations for Samford are for the Bulldogs to finish eighth in the SoCon in 2026. At least that’s what the preseason predicted order of finish says. Yet, the Bulldogs aren’t going to let preseason predictions deter them from turning the program around.

“Every week it’s Samford vs. Samford at the end of the day,” Nelson said.

“We’ve just been working,” preseason First-Team All-SoCon wide receiver Preston Bird emphasized. “It’s given me a lot of confidence. I feel like we’re just a hungry group right now. We’re trying to come for everything they say we can’t have.”

There’s a determination among the Bulldogs as they try to learn how to win. They have a good teacher for winning in coach Grass, as he comes from Clemson under coach Dabo Swinney, who’s won College Football Playoff titles, and Jacksonville State, where he led multiple deep playoff runs as head coach.

“You can talk about a lot of things, but you gotta be able to do it. I think we put the work in and that’s how we establish our culture,” Grass said.

It’s only year one of the Grass era in Birmingham, but if a winning culture is established, the sky could be the limit for this determined group.

“You can become a national contender at Samford. That’s our goal, and that’s what we want to do.

Tennessee Tech — Motivated

Tennessee Tech is a motivated group in 2026 after losing a home playoff game in the first round last year. Whether it’s returnees like wide receiver Tre Holloway or one of 45 transfers like defensive back Chris “Cee” Rhodes, the Golden Eagles want to surpass last season’s success.

“We got a little taste of the playoffs, and now we want to reach that again. We want more,” Rhodes said. “We don’t want just a slice of the cake. We want the whole cake.”

“Losing that playoff game at home to North Dakota has been a driving factor for all of us coaches and players,” head coach Bobby Wilder said. “You gotta play the game and win. We didn’t answer the call.”

Beyond last season’s disappointment, there’s an added level of motivation that comes with proving the Golden Eagles belong. Tennessee Tech is the newest member of the SoCon and has already been voted the No. 2 team in the conference. TTU wants to show it belongs among the conference’s best.

“We’re the new kids on the block,” Holloway said. “We’re surrounded by great teams. We know that to become what we want to become as a program and get to where we want to get to, it takes stacking days and the discipline and togetherness to achieve that goal.”

Tennessee Tech wants to be more than just 2025’s one-year-wonder. They want to be a consistent winner atop the FCS. With a motivated mentality, coach Wilder thinks they can get there.

“I really like the mentality of this team. They want to win,” coach Wilder said. “The guys who return from last year are motivated to do better than losing in the first round of the playoffs, and the new guys look at it as, ‘I got an opportunity to be a part of something special’”.

The Citadel — Blue-Collar

“Blue-Collar Bulldogs. That’s just who we are,” said The Citadel head coach Maurice Drayton once he heard the word running back Rhyder Poppell used to describe the team entering 2026.

While both could’ve just said that “blue-collar” phrase to literally describe the blue on the collars of the uniforms, it’s not what it refers to here. It refers to a grittiness and toughness that The Citadel plays and prepares with. 

“We grab our lunch pail like coach Drayton says. We go to work every day. We work on getting one percent better and improving,” Poppell said.

The Citadel is a team that led the SoCon in rushing with over 210 yards per game on the ground while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. No team can do that without physicality and soundness that allows you to run the ball effectively play after play.

“It’s a toughness you can see on film,” coach Drayton said.

The toughness has slowly improved The Citadel from 0-11 in coach Drayton’s first year in 2023 to going 3-5 in SoCon play in each of the last two seasons. With a blue-collar focus, the Bulldogs are hoping to finally break through and land a winning record for the first time this decade.

“We just have a 1-0 mentality. Every day. With everything that we do,” said coach Drayton. “The mailman’s gotta go to work. He doesn’t go to work sometimes. He goes to work every day.”

VMI — Brotherhood

VMI has gone 1-11 in both 2024 and 2025. Head coach Ashley Ingram has taken over from Carson-Newman. He has used a goal of establishing a brotherhood to change the culture for the Keydets.

“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.”

Ingram brings over experience from a long stint at Navy, so he knows the importance of brotherhood at a military institution. So much so that it’s written across the shirts that players wear. It’s early, but Ingram’s doing all he can to revitalize the VMI program.

“It’s been a burst of new energy. When he came in, we were all very excited. He has a record of proven success,” said preseason Second-Team All-SoCon offensive lineman Bryce Burnett.

The sense of brotherhood has been more than just coach-led during the turnaround process. Players are doing their part to create camaraderie amongst the Keydets too.

“A big goal of ours has been to get the guys around each other to create some chemistry beyond the football field so when you get onto the field you're playing with guys that you love, guys that you respect,” said preseason Second-Team All-SoCon linebacker Isaiah Grevious. “I feel like that kind of chemistry... that will help you win football games”

Winning football games is what it’s all about. VMI doesn't want to settle for another one-win season in 2026. Brotherhood is nice, but winning is even better.

“We want to put a program and a team on the field that makes VMI very proud. We want to reflect what the place is all about. Toughness, edge, discipline. And then we want to win,” said Ingram. “We didn’t come here to pat ourselves on the back. We didn’t come here to put on a good show. We came here to win.”

Western Carolina — Feasting

Western Carolina’s preseason Second-Team All-SoCon wide receiver AJ Colombo described the 2026 Catamounts as “hungry”. Preseason First-Team All-SoCon defensive back Ken Moore Jr. described the 2026 Catamounts as “thirsty”. Together, they combined to say “feasting.”

This is a Western Carolina team that’s starving for a taste of the FCS playoffs for the first time since 1983. That’s a 43-year playoff drought in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Despite all of the All-American honors, all-conference honors and records set by the Catamounts in recent years, the playoffs have been the one thing to escape them.

“Accolades and stats, it’s all cool and all, but my main thing is I want to win,” said Moore. “I want to go to the playoffs. I want to get a ring. I want to get a trophy for the team.”

Team is a word that head coach Kerwin Bell also acknowledged. While Western Carolina may not have the superstar player of the years past, Bell still sees 2026’s team as a talented group filled with quality players. Together, this year’s talent could end the hunger for a playoff appearance.

“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.”

Wofford — Relentless

Wofford is coming off its first winning season under head coach Shawn Watson after closing the season with a 6-1 stretch and on a four-game win streak. The strong finish has led to a relentless pursuit of success for the Terriers in 2026.

“There’s definitely momentum carried over. We’re trying to keep improving any way we can and keep getting better to keep the confidence,” Preseason First-Team All-SoCon defensive back Eli Campbell said.

“The way we finished our season. The veterans that we’ve brought back. The reason they came back... we’re pursuing something we all came there to do,” said Watson. “Wofford has one of the great football traditions in all of FCS history. [The goal is] to get it back and that’s where our commitment is.”

The tradition included seven SoCon championships and ten FCS playoff appearances. After five one-score losses last season, Wofford believes it’s on the verge of getting back to the postseason.

“[There is] 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.”

A relentless and motivated Terrier football team could be the difference in a one-score game going the way of Wofford in the future.