2026 Liberty
5–1 (2–0 Conference USA), coached by Jamey Chadwell. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Ball State 51–15Sep 19
By 36 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Gardner-Webb 24–23Sep 12
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | at James Madison | L 13–20 | 18% |
| Sep 12 | vs Gardner-Webb | W 24–23 | 78% |
| Sep 19 | vs Ball State | W 51–15 | 65% |
| Sep 24 | at Coastal Carolina | W 34–17 | 48% |
| Oct 2 | at Delaware | W 30–14 | 49% |
| Oct 8 | vs Sam Houston | W 35–3 | 78% |
| Oct 22 | at Kennesaw State | Preview | 61% |
| Oct 31 | vs Florida International | Preview | 68% |
| Nov 7 | at New Mexico State | Preview | 67% |
| Nov 14 | vs Middle Tennessee | Preview | 79% |
| Nov 21 | vs Western Kentucky | Preview | 67% |
| Nov 28 | at Missouri State | Preview | 63% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
- Record
- 5–1
- Conference
- 2–0 shared first in Conference USA
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 187–92
- Coach
- Jamey Chadwell
- Elo
- 1544 +94 this season
- SP+ rating
- 7.3 No. 49 of 138; offense No. 56, defense No. 38, special teams No. 88
- SRS
- 3.8 No. 53 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- 38% of last season’s EPA, No. 71 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 109 roster talent No. 79 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Newland Isaac
- Defensive coordinator
- Shawn Quinn
- Offense
- No-huddle spread option
- Defense
- Multiple
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.25 | 50% | 1.12 | 19th of 138 |
| Defense | -0.01 | 34% | 1.36 | 21st of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.17 off 0.06 def | 47% off 38% def | — | 29th off 36th def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 45% | 11.6 yds | 18% | 3.60 | 11% |
| Defense | 35% | 8.3 yds | 10% | 2.70 | 22% |
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 | 3.7 | own 33 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 2.3 | own 26 | 19% caused |
CORE rating 13.8, 22nd of 138 (offense 8.2, defense -5.6).
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 | Deshawn Purdie QB | 1,050 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Deshawn Purdie QB | 8 TD |
| Rushing yards | Kam Davis RB | 524 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ethan Vasko QB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Makai Jackson WR | 515 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Makai Jackson WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Aidan Vaughan LB | 33 tkl |
| Sacks | Brenton Williams RB | 2 sacks |
| Interceptions | Deuce Spurlock LB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Ellis Alloway LB | ★★★ | No. 1114 |
| Jakobe Dejesus WR | ★★★ | No. 1211 |
| Malcolm Gaston OL | ★★★ | No. 1263 |
| Tony Arnett S | ★★★ | No. 1654 |
| Macaiden Brown S | ★★★ | No. 1754 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.845 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Offensive line | 5 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Defensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.870 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.851 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.805 |
| Whole class | 17 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
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 107
The 2026 roster107 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 26
The 2026 portal Kam Davis RB | ★★★ | from  Florida State |
 Makai Jackson WR | ★★★ | from  Indiana |
 Alex Birchmeier OL | ★★★ | from  Penn State |
 Ashton McShane CB | ★★★ | from  Boston College |
 D-Icey Hopkins S | ★★★ | from  Georgia State |
 Jude Foster OL | ★★★ | from  Ole Miss |
 Kanye Udoh RB | ★★★ | from  Arizona State |
 Refeno Vangates WR | ★★★ | from  North Carolina Central |
| Ashton Whitner S | ★★★ | from  Ball State |
 Deshawn Purdie QB | ★★★ | from  Wake Forest |
| John Custis DL | ★★★ | from Emory & Henry |
 Kelsey Johnson TE | ★★★ | from  Baylor |
And 14 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 20
 Donte Lee Jr WR | ★★★ | to  Texas Tech |
| Devin Henderson S | ★★★ | to  App State |
| Evan Dickens RB | ★★★ | to Boston College |
| Michael Merdinger QB | ★★★ | to  Minnesota |
| Christian Bodnar CB | ★★★ | to  Oklahoma State |
| Dexter Ricks Jr. CB | ★★★ | to  Texas State |
| Eli Hall DE | ★★★ | to  UAB |
| Jayden Bradford QB | ★★★ | to  South Florida |
| Ryan Manis LS | ★★★ | to  Louisville |
| Da’Jy’Quwan Jackson-Payne OT | ★★★ | to  Southern Miss |
| Malachi Fannin-Render RB | ★★★ | to  James Madison |
| Brenton Williams DE | ★★★ | returned to  Liberty |
And 8 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2026 Conference USA standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Jacksonville State | 3–0 | 5–2 | |
| Liberty | 2–0 | 5–1 | |
| Western Kentucky | 2–1 | 3–4 | |
| Middle Tennessee | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
| Florida International | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
| New Mexico State | 1–1 | 2–4 | |
| Missouri State | 1–1 | 2–4 | |
| Delaware | 0–2 | 2–4 | |
| Kennesaw State | 0–2 | 1–5 | |
| Sam Houston | 0–2 | 1–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.