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2026 Western Carolina

3–⁠4 (1–⁠2 Southern Conference).

Schedule and results

Western Carolina in 2026, game by game: won vs. Eastern Kentucky 45–21; lost at Campbell 19–28; lost at Cincinnati 10–62; won vs. Presbyterian 58–14; lost at East Tennessee State 31–58; won vs. Tennessee Tech 44–20; lost at Mercer 14–17+44−52Won 45–21 vs. Eastern Kentucky+24Eastern KentuckyLost 19–28 at Campbell-9CampbellLost 10–62 at Cincinnati-52CincinnatiWon 58–14 vs. Presbyterian+44PresbyterianLost 31–58 at East Tennessee State-27East Tennessee …Won 44–20 vs. Tennessee Tech+24Tennessee TechLost 14–17 at Mercer-3Mercer
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 29vsEastern KentuckyW 45–⁠2163%
Sep 6atCampbellL 19–⁠2860%
Sep 12atCincinnatiL 10–⁠6221%
Sep 19vsPresbyterianW 58–⁠1456%
Sep 26atEast Tennessee StateL 31–⁠5848%
Oct 3vsTennessee TechW 44–⁠2040%
Oct 10atMercerL 14–⁠1735%
Oct 24vsChattanoogaPreview60%
Oct 31atFurmanPreview56%
Nov 7vsWoffordPreview59%
Nov 14atSamfordPreview73%
Nov 21vsThe CitadelPreview77%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

Record
3–⁠4
Conference
1–⁠2 tied for 6th in Southern Conference
AP now
Unranked
Points
221–⁠220
Coach
—
Elo
1356 +11 this season
SP+ rating
—
SRS
−27.3 No. 33 of 128 in FCS
Recruiting class
No. 174
Offensive coordinator
Rylan Wells
Defensive coordinator
Nick Reveiz

Leaders

Passing yardsLex Thomas QB1,693 yds
Passing touchdownsLex Thomas QB8 TD
Rushing yardsJosh Perry RB455 yds
Rushing touchdownsJosh Perry RB5 TD
Receiving yardsA.J. Colombo WR414 yds
Receiving touchdownsJai Boyd WR4 TD
TacklesJoshua Collins LB38 tkl
SacksCaleb Turner-Allen DL3 sacks
InterceptionsJayden Cornelius CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2026 class

Santana Carlos WR★★★No. 1708
Jermiyah Douglas CB★★★No. 2022
Mouhamadou Mane WR★★★No. 2052
Davon Washington WR
Dylan Harris TE

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2026 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Receivers23.00.854
Defensive backs13.00.851
Whole class33.00.853

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 117

The 2026 roster

117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 68 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 5

The 2026 portal
Aaron McIver OL★★★from Gardner-Webb
Ja’Torian Mack S★★★from App State
Andre Jackson Jr. CB★★★from Hampton
Jake Young TEfrom Charlotte
Noah Lospinoso TEfrom Warner University

Transfers out 16

Hasaan Sykes CB★★★to Kentucky
Jordan Thompson LB★★★to Coastal Carolina
Taron Dickens QB★★★to Northern Illinois
James Tyre WR★★★to North Texas
Bo Simpson-Nealy S★★★to Florida Atlantic
Elijah Collins OL★★★to Sam Houston
Justin Wallace DE★★★to Memphis
Ken Moore Jr. S★★★returned to Western Carolina
Malik Knight WR★★★to Pittsburgh
Jackson Banks DL★★★to Southern Miss
Emmet Rhoades LS★★★to South Carolina
Zayveon Wells S★★★to South Carolina State

And 4 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2026 Southern Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
East Tennessee State3–⁠05–⁠2
Tennessee Tech4–⁠16–⁠1
Mercer3–⁠16–⁠2
Wofford3–⁠25–⁠3
Chattanooga3–⁠24–⁠3
Western Carolina1–⁠23–⁠4
Furman1–⁠22–⁠5
Samford1–⁠31–⁠6
The Citadel0–⁠32–⁠5
VMI0–⁠30–⁠7

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.