Offense
The quarterback room loses Amari Odom to Syracuse. He is a major loss, as he was a big part of what the Owls did last season. There is a competition between transfers Rickie Collins (Syracuse) and Landon Varnes (JUCO). The two were pretty even after spring ball.
The running back room will see a lot of new faces. The additions of Triston Morgan (D2 Benedict), Latrelle Murrell (West Georgia), and Boogie Woods (JUCO) are huge. Morgan ran for 809 yards for a Division 2 playoff team, while Murrell ran for 893 yards for a solid FCS program.
The wide receiver room returns some experience in Javon Rogers and Davis Bryson. Rogers could emerge as WR1. The additions of Keon Davis (D2 Virginia Union), Devaughn Slaughter (Tennessee State), Dylan Gary (Georgia Southern), Brayden Monroe (Northern Colorado), Zion Booker (Tulsa), and tight end Reed Jesiolowski (JUCO) are massive.
The offensive line room returns experience in JaDarious Lee and Nikola Milovac. The additions of Darius Neals (Tennessee State), Mateo Guevaro (Middle Tennessee State), Precious Ekeh (Central Connecticut State), Luke Duska (Elon), and Mike Wallace Jr. (JUCO) provides great depth to this unit.
Defense
The defensive line room returns experience in Marcus Peterson, Donovan Westmoreland, Jaiden Grimes, and Ugonna Nwoha, among others. The additions of Devin Morgan (Buffalo) and Jaiden Crawford (Arkansas Pine Bluff) provide great depth to this unit.
The linebacker room returns experience in Baron Hopson and Tywon Christopher. Hopson recorded 72 tackles last season and is a playmaker. The additions of Alfred Thomas (Towson), Corey Kelly (Baylor), Jecari Bryson (Gardner-Webb), Josh Anglin (Tulsa), and Kai Russell (D2 Wingate) are crucial for this unit.
The secondary returns experience in Isaac Paul, Tyler Halium, Kody Jones, Alexander Ford, Ethan Tookes, and Tay’vion Lawson. The additions of Ja’Lyen Judson (UAB), Cam Miller (Memphis), Maliki Wright (Duke), Perry Fisher (UAB), Luke Evans (Miami OH), Kaleb Gray (West Virginia), and Tony Williams Jr. (UCF) are big.
Specialists
The kicking duties will belong to Daniel Kinney, who was very productive before an injury. Punting duties will belong to Arizona State transfer Matt McKenzie, who has performed well in a small sample size.
2026 Schedule
- 9/3 West Georgia
- 9/12 Georgia State
- 9/19 at Tennessee
- 9/26 at Arkansas State
- 10/7 Jacksonville State
- 10/14 at Missouri State
- 10/21 Liberty
- 10/28 at Middle Tennessee State
- 11/7 Delaware
- 11/14 at Sam Houston
- 11/21 Florida International
- 11/28 at Western Kentucky
Final Analysis
The Owls were one of the surprise stories in college football last season. Going from two wins to 10 wins in one season. Jerry Mack led the Owls to a 10-4 record and a CUSA Title. The roster has flipped and we’ll see how well they recruited the roster. The Owls won’t sneak up on anyone this season.
