2026 Conference USA Media Day Notes and Storylines
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Conference USA held its annual media days in Arlington, TX on July 20-21.
Commissioner Judy MacLeod and all 10 CUSA head coaches took the podium in Arlington, discussing key storylines ahead of the 2026 football season. Here are highlights from each speaker at the media days:
CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod
Conference USA commissioner Judy MacLeod took the podium in Arlington, TX to discuss several hot topics surrounding college football. She led off talking about the Protect College Sports Act, a bill which is currently on the Senate floor. Provisions of the bill involve new requirements for NIL, the establishment of a one-time transfer policy and five-year eligibility standard, a restriction for head coaches from accepting other positions during a season, and the establishment of a limited antitrust exemption for schools or conferences to consolidate their media rights at the agreement of 75 percent of FBS institutions.
While MacLeod stated the bill isn’t perfect for the CUSA, she agrees with many of its provisions.
“It’s desperately needed,” MacLeod said. “The state law preemption. The agent regulation. Codifying transfer and eligibility regulations. The student-athlete protections in there. We’ve got to have something in there, because this is just not working and it’s not sustainable. We don’t know what the final legislation will actually look like, but we do understand it’s a compromise.”
Another topic at the forefront of the sport is College Football Playoff expansion. The CUSA is one of two leagues — along with the MAC — to never qualify for the CFP. However, MacLeod didn’t fully express support or disdain for playoff expansion, wanting more information of how expanding the field would affect things like the existence of the CUSA Championship Game.
“We haven’t settled on a number yet, and we don’t believe we have all the facts and the intended and unintended consequences by changing the number — how that would affect us and how that would affect our championship game and what’s important to us,” MacLeod said. “But what is important to us is our student-athletes have a chance to earn their way in by their performance on the field, and that will continue to be important to us.”
For the first time since 2022, the CUSA did not add any new members. However, the conference was still subject to realignment as it lost longtime staples Louisiana Tech (to the Sun Belt) and UTEP (to the Mountain West). MacLeod spoke on the topic of realignment, stating comfortability with the current 10-team league.
“People ask, ‘Are you gonna stay at 10?’ We’re always going to explore,” MacLeod said. “But we’re gonna do it in a very strategic way. We’re very happy with the 10. It’s a very committed group that’s working very well together, but it is something that we examine and explore.”
Delaware head coach Ryan Carty
Delaware prepares for year two of FBS membership, and year one exceeded all expectations. The Fightin’ Blue Hens finished 7-6 and defeated Louisiana in the 68 Ventures Bowl, needing no adjustment period to acclimate to the highest level. One reason for Delaware’s instant success was the play of quarterback Nick Minicucci. Minicucci entered 2025 as the backup, but a Week 1 injury to starter Zach Marker presented him an opportunity to flourish, and that, he did. The quarterback ranked sixth in the FBS with 3,683 passing yards, adding 23 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns to a loaded stat-line. Head coach Ryan Carty is comfortable with his quarterback’s abilities, but he thinks there’s still room for the Preseason CUSA Offensive Player of the Year to grow.
“I think Nick would tell you the same thing, ‘Can I get better at processing?’” Carty said. “One more year in this offense, one more year with the people around him — similar offensive line and running backs. ‘Can I continue to process better?’ The faster we can get from read to read to read, the less sacks we’ll take, the less turnovers we’ll have. Those are the things Nick puts an onus on himself to do and we do as coaches to make sure we can continue to get better from start to finish. The preparation side of it is something I think Nick will continue to get better at, even though it’s something he already does very well.”
FIU head coach Willie Simmons
FIU hadn’t seen a winning season since 2018. That is until head coach Willie Simmons took the reins of the program in 2025. The former Duke running backs coach walked into a 4-8 locker room but understood the Panthers showed much more potential than their record implied. He believed camaraderie was the secret to resurrecting FIU football, and it showed in the win column last fall. The Panthers produced their first winning record in seven years, highlighted by wins over arch rival Florida Atlantic and 9-win teams WKU and Jacksonville State.
“I took over a team that had a lot of talent,” Simmons said. “The reigning conference Defensive Player of the Year, a Third Team All-American receiver, a two-time starting quarterback — a lot of those guys left the program. But when I spoke to the team, they said it wasn’t for a lack of talent. They felt they were a talented team but a disconnected team. Our main goal, main priority was getting connected. I think we’ve done a good job of that, and it’s growing more and more every day, so I think the growth of them I’ve seen in that regard is what I’m most pleased about.”
Jacksonville State head coach Charles Kelly
Jacksonville State produced the nation’s leading rusher in 2025. No player exceeded Cam Cook’s 1,659 yards on the ground last season, and the Gamecocks benefited as a result of the star tailback — winning nine games and serving as the host of the CUSA Championship. Cook transferred to West Virginia this season, and there is a massive vacancy head coach Charles Kelly and his staff must fill at running back. Returning backups Khristian Lando, Andrew Paul, and Justus Savage are among the potential Cook replacements. The Gamecocks have produced a top-3 rushing offense in all three years of FBS, but Kelly still remains unsure if the 2026 team will find a bellcow back or operate under a committee approach.
“Cam Cook was a great player for us,” Kelly said. “He did a lot for our university, but we’ve got a lot of good players in our program. I felt like last year, the running back room was the strongest room on our football team and I still believe that. Will there be one guy that comes out like Cam did last year and has a big year? I don’t know that, but I do think we have guys who are capable of that. I think we have receivers on the outside that are gonna create a little more mismatches in one-on-ones which is gonna open up the run game a little more. You will never replace a Cam Cook. He’s just that kind of player, but I’m confident in the guys we have that they’re gonna be able to be productive and do the things we need to do to run the football.”
Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack
Kennesaw State wears the conference’s crown. In head coach Jerry Mack’s first year on campus, the Owls saw a meteoric rise from 2-10 to 10-4, highlighted by the program’s first-ever CUSA championship at 10-4 — defeating Jacksonville State in a thrilling, down-to-the-wire title game. Defending the crown won’t be easy as four of the Owls’ six First Team All-CUSA selections transferred and another graduated. But Kennesaw State kept star inside linebacker Baron Hopson in house. Hopson is the reigning CUSA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, fresh off a season where he ranked fifth in the FBS with 138 tackles. Mack spoke about retaining Hopson and his belief that relationships build championships.
“Relationships still matter,” Mack said. “These guys really gravitate toward those relationships they have with coaches. If you talk to B-Hop, he’d tell you the same thing. He graduated with an engineering degree. He’s from the state of Georgia. He’ll probably end up going into the Hall of Fame at Kennesaw State one day. That is his home. That is his place. He’s made his standard, made his mark at Kennesaw State University. The way we develop those relationships inside our building, as you can see, that’s what gave us a chance to be really, really successful last year. It’s gonna continue to be our brand and give us a chance to be successful going forward. There’s a lot of turnover in college football, but we’re always gonna have an opportunity to retain some guys that feel like they want something a little bit different than just a financial gain.
Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell
Liberty joined the FBS in 2017. It took until 2025 for the Flames to experience their first losing season at the highest level. It was an uncharacteristic season for head coach Jamey Chadwell and Liberty, which became so accustomed to winning throughout the 2020s decade. There was a stark drop-off in offensive success as Chadwell’s signature spread option attack finished 26th in rushing, after ranking first and fourth in 2023 and 2024, respectively. They also committed the 17th-most turnovers in the country, which was another factor contributing to a surprising 4-8 finish. Chadwell believes the elimination of the spring transfer portal window created more cohesiveness within his current offense, which can allow it to operate with more discipline and poise in 2026.
“Why weren’t we as good as we needed to be?” Chadwell said. “You look back and we turned the ball over way more than we ever have and had a lot of penalties. There’s a lot of discipline and detail things that typically is not representative of the type of offense we’ve been. I’m confident this group will be better as far as knowing what to do, doing it the right way, and not putting ourselves in bad positions where we can’t be explosive. We’ll be better than we were last year. There’s not much worse than we could have been last year.”
Middle Tennessee head coach Derek Mason
Middle Tennessee’s 2025 became one to forget from the get-go. The Blue Raiders were eviscerated 34-14 by FCS Austin Peay in the opener — becoming the only FBS team to lose to FCS competition by multiple scores in 2025. Middle Tennessee then stumbled to a 1-9 start, but the team captured some November magic and currently rides a 2-game win streak. One reason for the shift was Roman Gagliano. The redshirt freshman quarterback started the final three contests of 2025 and fared 2-1, averaging 304 passing yards per start and delivering seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Blue Raiders seek their first winning season since 2022, and head coach Derek Mason believes the rising quarterback is a reason they can achieve that.
“Roman Gagliano was my first recruit,” Mason said. “I had history with Roman, understood who he was, but it was just gonna take time. I knew I had a good young quarterback, but he just needed to sit and watch. Aaron Rodgers had to sit behind Brett Favre. It’s important to sit and watch, get reps and see how guys work. Roman’s done that. He’s ready. He’s been ready. We sort of pulled the cork a little late, but when we pulled it, all he did was show exactly who he is and what he’s capable of. He’s a talented young man, but he’s still a young guy — looks like a 6-year old every day he walks into the building. He walks in with his football and his backpack ready to go. His spirit is so infectious in our building. When you sit down and spend three minutes with Roman Gagliano, all you’re gonna see is a smile and all he does is work. When you have the guy whose gonna touch the ball on every snap working the hardest, showing up first, and leaving last, the chances of you being pretty good are probably high.”
Missouri State head coach Casey Woods
Nine of the 10 coaches from the 2025 CUSA are back. The only one that isn’t is Ryan Beard, who left Missouri State for Coastal Carolina in December. Replacing Beard is former SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods. The 43-year old prepares for his first head coaching job after directing the Mustangs’ offense for four seasons, notably qualifying for the College Football Playoff in 2024. During that 2024 season, Woods oversaw a quarterback battle between Kevin Jennings and Preston Stone, which went several weeks into the season. Now at Missouri State, UTEP starter Skyler Locklear and Duke transfer Henry Belin IV are currently engaged in a camp battle. Woods discussed how his previous experience handling QB competition can help at Missouri State.
“What we were able to create (at SMU) is guys that were pulling for each other,” Woods said. “And I think we’ve done a fantastic job here. Henry and Skyler have pulled for each other, they’ve learned the offense together, they get out and understand both of them’s value and their role. I think both of them have the confidence to move the ball and both of them have the confidence to win games. First and foremost, it’s always all about the team. I’ve never seen a championship game finish and somebody get up there and talk about how good they played. They talked about how their team came together and what that was about. We’re displaying early signs of that from two guys. One of them has got to run away with the job, and one of them has got to be prepared to play. Just like the 2024 (SMU) season, we started with one guy, went to a different guy, and we went to the College Football Playoff that year.”
New Mexico State head coach Tony Sanchez
New Mexico State remains in search of its first winning season under Tony Sanchez. But the third-year head coach is more optimistic about his roster outlook this year when compared to last year, due to the Aggies’ ability to retain and recruit at a higher level. Last year, New Mexico State ranked bottom 15 in the country in returning production, and this year it jumped approximately 50 spots up the ladder, retaining three offensive starters and six defensive starters. Sanchez acknowledges it’s hard to retain star talent in the CUSA, but New Mexico State’s increased investment in its players helped with retention efforts this offseason.
“We have a lot of players coming back,” Sanchez said. “Defensively, we return two safeties, a corner, both inside linebackers, two defensive ends, and a d-tackle that were here last year and all had opportunities to leave. A year ago, the conversations were hard because we just did not have the ability to keep the talent that we did this year — keeping guys like (wide receiver TK) King or bringing in a guy like (Furman transfer quarterback) Trey Hedden, bringing in a guy like (Delaware State transfer running back James Jones) or (Iowa transfer running back TJ) Washington. It gave us the ability to compete in recruiting. If you don’t have any chips, it’s hard to get in the game. Now this year, we have some chips, we can play some poker.”
Sam Houston head coach Phil Longo
There’s the famous GIF where Donald Glover’s character in “Community” walks into a room with pizza boxes, and everything is on fire. That is essentially how head coach Phil Longo entered year one at Sam Houston. The Bearkats not only lost nearly every starter, but they didn’t even have a stadium — taking refuge for home games at Shell Energy Stadium, located 70 miles south of campus in downtown Houston. The chaos overwhelmed Sam Houston as the Bearkats’ record stumbled from 10-3 in 2024 to 2-10 in 2025. In 2026, the theme of the program is stability. The entire core coaching staff remains in Huntsville except offensive line coach AJ Hopp, and the Bearkats will once again play on campus in a renovated Bowers Stadium.
“We went through all kinds of adversity last year,” Longo said. “The tip of the iceberg was 12 away games and 58 guys in the portal when I first got there. Hiring the staff and all that stuff, no stadium — we had all the excuses, and we went through a very tumultuous, adversity-driven season. It was the most bizarre and most challenging I’ve ever had. I am super thankful for the work our players did from the 2025 roster. The reason I’m thankful is because they did everything we asked, and our team fought last year through a lot of adversity. That is the blueprint and the foundation that we have enjoyed this year. It was just about football this spring… We were done recruiting January 23, and that gave us an opportunity to enjoy the staff that was coming back.”
WKU head coach Tyson Helton
Tyson Helton is gearing up for his eighth season at Western Kentucky. He has been with the Hilltoppers longer than seven of 10 CUSA teams have been in the conference. However, that doesn’t mean WKU is the beacon of stability. Helton is constantly with a revolving door at offensive coordinator. Bodie Reeder, who joined the staff this spring after a 2-year stint at Middle Tennessee, will be the Hilltoppers’ seventh different OC in seven years — a lineage which includes notable names such as Ben Arbuckle and Zach Kittley. In what has become a yearly offseason tradition for Helton, he mentioned what he looks for when hiring his offensive coordinator.
“I’ve been very fortunate to be apart of this profession my whole life, so you make a lot of connections, meet a lot people, and learn a lot of different ways to do things,” Helton said. “I’ve been very blessed to find people that were like-minded people, that believed in what I want the blueprint to be when it comes to all our coordinators. I do a lot of work watching a lot of film from all different levels whether that’s high school or different levels of college, trying to stay on top of talented people that would fit our program. I think it’s an attribute to Western Kentucky that so many coaches that were highly talented that got opportunities to go to other places. I’m very proud about that. I think that’s part of my job, to be honest, is to help them get where they want to go. When I was an assistant my No. 1 job was to make the head coach successful, and in return, I would be successful.”
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