2026 Kent State
2–5 (1–2 Mid-American Conference), coached by Mark Carney. The season’s Wikipedia article records 2–4, over six games to the seven on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Wofford 36–15Sep 12
By 21 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Ohio 10–13Oct 3
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| 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.
- Record
- 2–5
- Conference
- 1–2 tied for 8th in Mid-American Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 84–224
- Coach
- Mark Carney
- Elo
- 1370 −18 this season
- SP+ rating
- -22.6 No. 132 of 138; offense No. 137, defense No. 124, special teams No. 135
- SRS
- −13.0 No. 116 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- 64% of last season’s EPA, No. 36 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 122 roster talent No. 130 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Clay Patterson
- Defensive coordinator
- Cherokee Valeria
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.14 | 32% | 1.22 | 135th of 138 |
| Defense | 0.23 | 49% | 1.24 | 118th of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | -0.03 off 0.19 def | 34% off 46% def | — | 133rd off 124th def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 37% | 9.0 yds | 16% | 2.40 | 22% |
| Defense | 53% | 8.8 yds | 16% | 3.30 | 15% |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 1.8 | own 26 | 18% allowed |
| Defense | 4.4 | own 32 | 15% caused |
CORE rating -16.2, 128th of 138 (offense -11.3, defense 4.9).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Dru Deshields QB | 1,140 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Dru Deshields QB | 4 TD |
| Rushing yards | Mason Blakemore RB | 202 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Dru Deshields QB | 3 TD |
| Receiving yards | Wayne Harris WR | 383 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Brandon White RB | 1 TD |
| Tackles | Hayden Dawahare LB | 33 tkl |
| Sacks | Jaihien Roy DL | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jaihien Roy DL | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Daiveon Taylor LB | ★★★ | No. 1474 |
| Lennox Lemon CB | ★★★ | No. 1654 |
| Zymir Reed WR | ★★★ | No. 1846 |
| Brendyn Smith WR | ★★★ | No. 1914 |
| William Johnson III OL | ★★★ | No. 2052 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.854 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.842 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.827 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.800 |
| Whole class | 18 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 111
The 2026 roster111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 11
The 2026 portal Davion Pritchard CB | ★★★ | from  Pittsburgh |
 Hayden Dawahare LB | ★★★ | from  Kentucky |
 Nate Gregory LB | ★★★ | from  Coastal Carolina |
| Rocco Nicholl LB | ★★★ | from  South Florida |
| Ethan Thanthanavong QB | ★★★ | from Defiance College |
 Jakorion Caffey RB | ★★★ | from  Cincinnati |
| Javier Willis WR | ★★★ | from Tiffin University |
 Norey Johnson S | ★★★ | from  Houston Christian |
 Quan Rhodes-McKee LB | ★★★ | from  Duquesne |
| Dylan Armentrout RB | ★★ | from Defiance College |
 Mason Blakemore RB | from  Illinois State |
Transfers out 15
 Cade Wolford WR | ★★★★ | to Cincinnati |
| Dashawn Martin WR | ★★★ | to  Virginia |
| Ashton Rivera OL | ★★★ | to  California |
| Jaire Rawlinson CB | ★★★ | to  West Virginia |
| Nylan Brown LB | ★★★ | to  Washington State |
| C.J. Montes QB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jamond Mathis DE | ★★★ | to  Texas Tech |
| Junior Diallo OT | ★★★ | to  Tennessee Tech |
| Devin Kargman QB | ★★★ | to  Maryland |
| Garrett Masterson OT | ★★★ | to Tennessee Tech |
| Canaan Williams LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Gavin Garcia RB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
And 3 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2026 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Western Michigan | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 3–1 | 4–4 | |
 Toledo | 2–1 | 5–2 | |
 Buffalo | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Bowling Green | 2–1 | 2–5 | |
 Central Michigan | 1–2 | 3–4 | |
| Ball State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
| Kent State | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
 Massachusetts | 1–3 | 4–3 | |
| Sacramento State | 0–4 | 1–6 | |
| Akron | 0–3 | 1–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.