Kent State Golden Flashes
Mid-AmericanKent, OHDix Stadium
2026: 2–5 (1–2 Mid-American). Last: lost at South Florida 29–2. Next: Akron, Saturday, Oct 24, 1 p.m. ET.
- L 0–57at South Carolina
- W 36–15Wofford
- L 3–59at No. 6 Ohio State
- W 26–13Ball State
- L 10–13Ohio
- L 7–38at Western Michigan
- L 2–29at South Florida
- Oct 24Akron
- Oct 30at Sacramento State
- Nov 10at Bowling Green
- Nov 17Miami (OH)
- Nov 24at Eastern Michigan
- Outfitted by Under Armour
Kent State has played football since 1920 and is officially 371–614–28; 723 of its 1,013 games are in our file. They have won one Mid-American Conference title (1972), counting shared titles. Since 1957, the NFL Draft has taken 22 players from here in its first seven rounds, 0 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 coach from Kent State. Doug Martin (2004–2010) won more games here than any other coach: 29. The most-played rival is Ohio: 63 meetings, Ohio leads 40–21–2. This season, under Mark Carney, they’re 2–5.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 371–614–28 official; 235–483–5 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 1–3 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 5 ranked
- Elo now
- 1370 125th of 138 FBS
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 131 · Composite No. 125 in FBS, Oct 17. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 1 last in 1972
- Bowl record
- 1–4 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 68 since 1904, 723 games
Identity
- Fight song
- Fight on for KSU
- Mascot
- Flash
- Student section
- Flash’s Flock
- Apparel
- Under Armour
2026 season 2–5
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | at South Carolina | L 0–57 | 26% |
| Sep 12 | vs Wofford | W 36–15 | 61% |
| Sep 19 | at 6Ohio State | L 3–59 | 10% |
| Sep 26 | vs Ball State | W 26–13 | 59% |
| Oct 3 | vs Ohio | L 10–13 | 38% |
| Oct 10 | at Western Michigan | L 7–38 | 22% |
| Oct 17 | at South Florida | L 2–29 | 20% |
| Oct 24 | vs Akron | Preview | 64% |
| Oct 30 | at Sacramento State | Preview | 59% |
| Nov 10 | at Bowling Green | Preview | 39% |
| Nov 17 | vs Miami (OH) | Preview | 41% |
| Nov 24 | at Eastern Michigan | Preview | 37% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Future schedule
2027–30- 20271 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- at Notre Dame
Kent State’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of May 20, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
On the 2026 team
- Dru Deshields1,140 passing yards, 4 TD (leads Kent State in passing yards)
- Wayne Harris29 catches, 383 yards, 1 TD (leads Kent State in receiving yards)
- Rocco Nicholl31 tackles, 3 sacks
- Hayden Dawahare33 tackles, 2 sacks (leads Kent State in tackles)
- Joel Cordoba33 tackles, 1 sack
- Da’Realyst Clark23 catches, 269 yards, 1 TD
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Kent State.
Around the program
- Apparel
- Under Armour · Independently corroborated
- CFB Uniform Database; read 2026-10-10
- Kent State Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Mascot
- Flash · Official source
- Kent State University; read 2026-10-10
- Student section
- Flash’s Flock · Official source
- Kent State Golden Flashes; read 2026-10-10
- Offensive coordinator
- Clay Patterson · Official source
- Kent State Golden Flashes; read 2026-10-10
- Defensive coordinator
- Cherokee Valeria · Official source
- Kent State Golden Flashes; read 2026-10-10
Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.
The apparel deal
Under Armour, from 2015. Multi-year. Under Armour's first all-school partner in the MAC, announced in November 2015. The current term hasn't been confirmed here.
- Kent State Athletics, Nov 12, 2015: Multi-year deal covering all 18 varsity teams
- Kent State University, Mar 16, 2017: Calls Under Armour the official athletics apparel partner
Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.
Program strength since 1904
Best seasons everOn Bluesky
In its 29-2 loss to USF on Saturday, Kent State became the first team since 2020 to score exactly two points in an FBS vs FBS game. USF also scored a safety to end the game. #Safetygami
Read on Bluesky
From reporters and writers who cover college football, linked to their posts on Bluesky.
More coverage
- USF finds its footing in convincing win over Kent State, usforacle.com,
- South Florida will look to end two-game skid against Kent State in final homecoming game — Kent State Vs South Florida, el-balad.com,
- Kent State vs. South Florida Oct. 17: TV, Stream, iheart.com,
- Lowry's 3TDs pace Western Michigan to another win over Kent State 38-7, winnipegfreepress.com,
- Kent State faces defending champion Western Michigan after 13-10 loss — Kent State Vs Wmu, el-balad.com,
Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Carney | 2025–2026 | 7–12 |
| Kenni Burns | 2023–2024 | 1–23 |
| Sean Lewis | 2018–2022 | 24–31 |
| Paul Haynes | 2013–2017 | 14–45 |
| Darrell Hazell | 2011–2012 | 16–10 |
 Doug Martin | 2004–2010 | 29–53 |
 Dean Pees | 1998–2003 | 17–51 |
| Jim Corrigall | 1994–1997 | 8–35–1 |
| Pete Cordelli | 1991–1993 | 3–30 |
| Dick Crum | 1988–1990 | 7–26 |
 Glen Mason | 1986–1987 | 12–10 |
| Dick Scesniak | 1983–1985 | 8–25 |
| Ed Chlebek | 1981–1982 | 4–18 |
| Ron Blackledge | 1978–1980 | 8–25 |
 Dennis Fitzgerald | 1975–1977 | 18–16 |
| Don James | 1971–1974 | 25–19–1 |
| Dave Puddington | 1968–1970 | 9–21 |
| Leo Strang | 1964–1967 | 17–20–2 |
| Trevor Rees | 1960–1963 | 8–12–1 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Ohio
21–40–2 † in 63
- 2015 L 0–27
- 2016 L 10–14
- 2017 L 3–48
- 2018 L 26–27
- 2019 L 38–45
- 2021 W 34–27
- 2022 W 31–24
- 2023 L 17–42
- 2024 L 0–41
- 2026 L 10–13
Lost the last three.
- Bowling Green
16–47 in 63
- 2016 L 7–42
- 2017 L 16–44
- 2018 W 35–28
- 2019 W 62–20
- 2020 W 62–24
- 2021 W 27–20
- 2022 W 40–6
- 2023 L 19–49
- 2024 L 6–27
- 2025 W 24–21
Won the last one; holds the Anniversary Award.
Next: Nov 10
- Miami (OH)
16–46 in 62
- 2014 L 3–10
- 2015 W 20–14
- 2016 L 14–18
- 2017 W 17–14
- 2018 L 6–31
- 2019 L 16–23
- 2021 W 48–47
- 2022 L 24–27
- 2023 L 3–23
- 2024 L 7–34
Lost the last three.
Next: Nov 17
| Opponent | Games | KENT record |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 63 | 21–40–2 † |
| Bowling Green | 63 | 16–47 |
| Miami (OH) | 62 | 16–46 |
| Western Michigan | 48 | 12–35–1 |
| Akron | 46 | 19–26–1 |
| Toledo | 42 | 16–26 |
| Eastern Michigan | 36 | 19–17 |
| Central Michigan | 35 | 9–26 |
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file. Each series page gives both.
Rivals the program names: Akron, Bowling Green.
Trophies it holds: Anniversary Award (Bowling Green, since 2025), Wagon Wheel (Akron, since 2025). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (98)
Every program Kent State has played, A to Z, with Kent State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Air Force 1–1
- Akron 19–26–1
- Alabama 0–2
- Arizona State 0–1
- Arkansas 0–1
- Arkansas State 0–1
- Army 2–2
- Auburn 0–1
- Ball State 9–25
- Baylor 0–1
- Boston College 0–3
- Bowling Green 16–47
- Bucknell 1–0
- Buffalo 13–16
- Cal Poly 1–0
- Central Connecticut 1–0
- Central Michigan 9–26
- Cincinnati 0–5
- Clemson 0–1
- Coastal Carolina 1–0
- Colorado 0–1
- Dayton 6–2
- Delaware State 3–0
- Eastern Kentucky 0–1
- Eastern Michigan 19–17
- Florida 0–1
- Florida State 0–1
- Fresno State 0–1
- Georgia 0–2
- Hawai’i 1–1
- Howard 2–0
- Illinois 0–2
- Illinois State 2–0
- Indiana 0–1
- Iowa 0–3
- Iowa State 1–6
- Kansas 1–1
- Kansas State 0–1
- Kennesaw State 1–0
- Kentucky 0–7
- Liberty 2–0
- Long Island University 1–0
- Louisiana 0–1 †
- Louisville 6–6
- LSU 0–0 †
- Marshall 10–17
- Maryland 0–1
- Massachusetts 2–1
- Merrimack 1–0
- Miami (OH) 16–46
- Michigan State 0–1
- Minnesota 0–2
- Monmouth 1–0
- Murray State 1–0
- Navy 0–5
- NC State 1–2
- Nevada 0–1
- New Hampshire 1–0
- North Carolina A&T 0–1
- Northern Illinois 7–23
- Ohio 21–40–2 †
- Ohio State 0–4
- Oklahoma 0–2
- Ole Miss 0–1
- Penn State 0–7
- Pittsburgh 0–8
- Purdue 0–1
- Rutgers 1–2
- Saint Francis 0–1
- San Diego State 0–2
- South Alabama 1–2
- South Carolina 0–2
- South Florida 0–1
- Southeast Missouri State 1–0
- Syracuse 1–2
- Tampa 0–1
- Temple 2–4
- Tennessee 0–1
- Texas A&M 0–1
- Texas Tech 0–1
- Toledo 16–26
- Towson 1–0
- UCF 2–3
- UConn 0–2
- UL Monroe 1–0
- Utah State 2–1
- UTEP 1–0
- Virginia 0–1
- Virginia Tech 1–2
- VMI 1–0
- Washington 0–1
- West Virginia 0–4
- Western Michigan 12–35–1
- Wisconsin 0–1
- Wofford 1–0
- Wyoming 0–1
- Xavier 7–4–1
- Youngstown State 4–4
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.
Conference titles
1, counting shared titles- Mid-American Conference 1
- 1972
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1920–1931
- Ohio Conference 1932–1942 and 1946–1950
- Mid-American Conference since 1951
Kent State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time).
Consensus All-Americans 1
| 2012 | Dri Archer APB |
Led the nation 3
| 2012 | Dri Archer yards per carry (9.0) |
| 2002 | Josh Cribbs yards per carry (7.7) |
| 1997 | Eugene Baker receptions (103 catches) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 0
- Coaches
- 1
| 1998 | Don James coach here, 1971–1974 |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 22 since 1957
- First-round picks
- 0
Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.
The school
Kent State University at Kent- Enrollment
- 26,374 20,841 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Kent, Ohio
- Public or private
- Public Research 1
- Founded
- 1910
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $45,388 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Official accounts
- Football
- X @KentStFootballInstagram @KentStFootballFacebook KentStFootball
- Athletics department
- Instagram @kentstathleticsFacebook KentStAthletics
Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones kentstatesports.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2–5 | 1–2 | Mark Carney | 1370 | -22.6 | ||
| 2025 | 5–7 | 4–4 | Mark Carney | 1331 | -19.3 | ||
| 2024 | 0–12 | 0–8 | Kenni Burns | 1185 | -33.0 | ||
| 2023 | 1–11 | 0–8 | Kenni Burns | 1263 | -26.3 | ||
| 2022 | 5–7 | 4–4 | Sean Lewis | 1449 | -13.1 | ||
| 2021 | 7–7 | 6–2 | Sean Lewis | 1444 | -6.4 | ||
| 2020 | 3–1 | 3–1 | Sean Lewis | 1502 | -7.5 | ||
| 2019 | 7–6 | 5–3 | Sean Lewis | 1461 | -10.2 | ||
| 2018 | 2–10 | 1–7 | Sean Lewis | 1268 | -20.4 | ||
| 2017 | 2–10 | 1–7 | Paul Haynes | 1250 | -20.2 | ||
| 2016 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Paul Haynes | 1331 | -12.0 | ||
| 2015 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Paul Haynes | 1303 | -11.9 | ||
| 2014 | 2–9 | 1–6 | Paul Haynes | 1326 | -13.7 | ||
| 2013 | 4–8 | 3–5 | Paul Haynes | 1455 | -13.8 | ||
| 2012 | 11–3 | 8–0 | Darrell Hazell | 1605 | -0.1 | ||
| 2011 | 5–7 | 4–4 | Darrell Hazell | 1418 | -10.4 | ||
| 2010 | 5–7 | 4–4 | Doug Martin | 1415 | -7.6 | ||
| 2009 | 5–7 | 4–4 | Doug Martin | 1391 | -11.9 | ||
| 2008 | 4–8 | 3–5 | Doug Martin | 1353 | -8.5 | ||
| 2007 | 3–9 | 1–7 | Doug Martin | 1314 | -12.4 | ||
| 2006 | 6–6 | 5–3 | Doug Martin | 1385 | -6.2 | ||
| 2005 | 1–10 | 0–8 | Doug Martin | 1287 | -19.0 | ||
| 2004 | 5–6 | 4–4 | Doug Martin | 1444 | -10.0 | ||
| 2003 | 5–7 | 4–4 | Dean Pees | 1358 | -12.1 | ||
| 2002 | 3–9 | 1–7 | Dean Pees | 1261 | -19.1 |
Every season back to 1904 (43 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 6–5 | 5–3 | Dean Pees | 1417 | -3.8 | ||
| 2000 | 1–10 | 1–7 | Dean Pees | 1209 | -25.0 | ||
| 1999 | 2–9 | 2–6 | Dean Pees | 1241 | -17.7 | ||
| 1998 | 0–11 | 0–8 | Dean Pees | 1184 | -30.7 | ||
| 1997 | 3–8 | 3–5 | Jim Corrigall | 1268 | -13.3 | ||
| 1996 | 2–9 | 1–7 | Jim Corrigall | 1225 | -26.6 | ||
| 1995 | 1–9–1 | 0–7–1 | Jim Corrigall | 1191 | -30.4 | ||
| 1994 | 2–9 | 2–7 | Jim Corrigall | 1234 | -19.3 | ||
| 1993 | 0–11 | 0–9 | Pete Cordelli | 1205 | -27.4 | ||
| 1992 | 2–9 | 2–7 | Pete Cordelli | 1253 | -22.8 | ||
| 1991 | 1–10 | 1–7 | Pete Cordelli | 1235 | -17.5 | ||
| 1990 | 2–9 | 2–6 | Dick Crum | 1258 | -25.0 | ||
| 1989 | 0–11 | 0–8 | Dick Crum | 1253 | -29.1 | ||
| 1988 | 5–6 | 3–5 | Dick Crum | 1447 | -7.0 | ||
| 1987 | 7–4 | 5–3 | Glen Mason | 1467 | -3.8 | ||
| 1986 | 5–6 | 5–3 | Glen Mason | 1345 | -15.6 | ||
| 1985 | 3–8 | 2–6 | Dick Scesniak | 1319 | -9.0 | ||
| 1984 | 4–7 | 3–6 | Dick Scesniak | 1355 | -10.4 | ||
| 1983 | 1–10 | 1–8 | Dick Scesniak | 1245 | -14.5 | ||
| 1982 | 0–11 | 0–9 | Ed Chlebek | 1241 | -17.2 | ||
| 1981 | 4–7 | 3–6 | Ed Chlebek | 1360 | -9.4 | ||
| 1980 | 3–8 | 3–6 | Ron Blackledge | 1310 | -15.9 | ||
| 1979 | 1–10 | 1–8 | Ron Blackledge | 1255 | -18.7 | ||
| 1978 | 4–7 | 2–6 | Ron Blackledge | 1371 | -16.1 | ||
| 1977 | 6–5 | 5–4 | Dennis Fitzgerald | 1463 | -1.7 | ||
| 1976 | 8–4 | 6–2 | Dennis Fitzgerald | 1514 | 3.2 | ||
| 1975 | 4–7 | 1–6 | Dennis Fitzgerald | 1411 | -5.6 | ||
| 1974 | 7–4 | 2–3 | Don James | 1565 | 7.6 | ||
| 1973 | 9–2 | 4–1 | Don James | 1628 | 23.6 | ||
| 1972 | 6–5–1 | 4–1 | Don James | 1477 | 4.6 | ||
| 1971 | 3–8 | 0–5 | Don James | 1331 | -11.1 | ||
| 1970 | 3–7 | 1–4 | Dave Puddington | 1386 | -9.6 | ||
| 1969 | 5–5 | 1–4 | Dave Puddington | 1422 | |||
| 1968 | 1–9 | 1–5 | Dave Puddington | 1341 | |||
| 1967 | 5–5 | 2–4 | Leo Strang | 1499 | |||
| 1966 | 4–6 | 2–4 | Leo Strang | 1477 | |||
| 1965 | 5–4–1 | 3–2–1 | Leo Strang | 1472 | |||
| 1964 | 3–5–1 | 1–4–1 | Leo Strang | 1389 | |||
| 1963 | 3–5–1 | 1–5 | Trevor Rees | 1380 | |||
| 1962 | 3–6 | 2–4 | Trevor Rees | 1331 | |||
| 1961 | 1–1 | Trevor Rees | 1333 | ||||
| 1960 | 1–0 | Trevor Rees | 1225 | ||||
| 1904few games on file | 0–1 | 1190 |
Officially 371–614–28 since 1920 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 235–483–5 (723 of its 1,013 games are on file). Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1905–59: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.