Offense
The quarterback position belongs to Roman Gagliano. He started the final three games of the season going 2-1 and putting up a good fight in the 100 Miles of Hate rivalry game. He threw for 1,005 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions and really ignited this offense.
The running back room returns the dynamic DJ Taylor, who rushed for 7.7 yards per carry (on 26 carries) as a freshman. The additions of Terrence Brown (D2 Saginaw Valley State) and Antonio Martin (Kansas State) are big. Martin rushed for 1,228 yards under new Offensive Coordinator Anthony Scelfo in 2024 at Southeastern Louisiana.
The wide receiver room returns experience in AJ Jones, Cam’Ron Lacy, and Landon Collins. The additions of Markus Allen (Mississippi State) and Hogan Wasson (D2 Central Missouri) help bolster this unit. Wasson has proven production at the Division 2 level. Lacy is the fastest player on the team.
The offensive line room returns some experience in Otto Janse Van Rensburg and Alex Gale. The additions Chris Moreno (Monmouth), Brennan Smith (Mississippi State), Adrian Crespin (D2 Virginia Union), Tim Jacobs (D2 Ohio Dominican), Trevaris Edwards (West Florida), and Reese Tripp (Minnesota) are crucial for this offense.
Defense
The defensive line room returns experience in Reggie Johnson, Felix Hixon, Zeion Simpson-Smith, Aidan Butts, and Mathias Malaki-Donaldson. The additions of Kavan Call (East Tennessee State), BJ Ausmer (JUCO), Justin Bodford (Missouri), and Emmanuel Gyamfi (JUCO) provide much needed depth to this unit.
The linebacker room returns some experience in Korey Smith but will really need young players to emerge. There is hope Jaiuden Thompson, Malik Love, Elijah Carney, and Micah Smith can do that. Ashton Taylor transfers in from Jackson State, where he was a starter for two seasons.
The secondary returns experience in Devan Carlisle, Jackson Lowe, Christofer Noble, Kalen Woods, and Jordan Chestnut. The additions of Dyson McCutcheon (Washington), James Johnson (USC), Ricky Lee III (Sacramento State), and Jason Hardy (D2 Grand Valley State) are significant for this unit.
Specialists
Punter Ashton Logan returns after a very solid season. The kicking role will belong to D3 Susquahanna transfer Dominic Bourgeois. It may be a step up, but boy was he productive. DJ Taylor is also a valuable weapon as a return man.
2026 Schedule
- 9/5 Murray State
- 9/12 at Marshall
- 9/19 Nevada
- 9/26 at Jacksonville State
- 10/3 at Kansas
- 10/13 Delaware
- 10/20 at Florida International
- 10/28 Kennesaw State
- 11/7 Western Kentucky
- 11/14 at Liberty
- 11/21 at Sam Houston
- 11/28 New Mexico State
Final Analysis
This could be a make-or-break year for Derek Mason at Middle Tennessee. The coaching turnover, along with the roster, year-in year-out makes things difficult. The offense was productive in two wins to close out the season. There is hope that it carries over into 2026.
