The 2026 SoCon football season is almost here, bringing another year of high-stakes matchups and FCS playoff implications across the conference.
From returning title contenders to breakout stars ready to emerge, the race for the SoCon championship is expected to be as competitive as ever.
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With plenty of talent returning and new storylines developing throughout the league, there will be no shortage of must-watch games this fall.
Before the season kicks off, here are five things to know about SoCon football in 2026.
Who Competes In The SoCon Conference
- Chattanooga Mocs
- East Tennessee State Buccaneers
- Furman Paladins
- Mercer Bears
- Samford Bulldogs
- Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
- The Citadel Bulldogs
- VMI Keydets
- Western Carolina Catamounts
- Wofford Terriers
2026 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
- Mercer (6) - 76
- Tennessee Tech (3) - 70
- ETSU (1) - 61
- Western Carolina - 58
- Chattanooga - 48
- Furman - 46
- Wofford - 36
- Samford - 23
- The Citadel - 22
- VMI - 10
Preseason All-Southern Conference Honors
- Offensive Player of the Year: Brayden Smith, WR/RS, Mercer
- Defensive Player of the Year: Joshua Stoneking, DL, Furman
Preseason First Team All-SoCon
First team offense
- QB - Quentin Hayes, The Citadel
- RB - Jason Albritton, ETSU
- RB - Leo Boehling, VMI
- OL - Tyler Heggins-Hill, The Citadel
- OL - Will McCraw, ETSU
- OL - Brody Balliew, Mercer
- OL - Tyler Murray, Mercer
- OL - Aidan Donald, Chattanooga
- TE - Charlie Browder, ETSU
- WR - Brayden Smith, Mercer
- WR - Preston Bird, Samford
First team defense
- DL - Brenden LeBlanc, ETSU
- DL - Joshua Stoneking, Furman
- DL - Kobe McInnis, Mercer
- DL - Orlando Daniels, Chattanooga
- LB - Raleigh Herbert, Furman
- LB - Jyarius Carter, Mercer
- LB - Zion Rutledge, Chattanooga
- DB - Mike Jenkins, ETSU
- DB - Kam Baah-Slay, Chattanooga
- DB - Ken Moore Jr, Western Carolina
- DB - Eli Campbell, Wofford
First team specialists
- PK - Ewan Johnson, ETSU
- P - Ben Shrewsbury, VMI
- LS - Tommy DiLiegro, The Citadel
- RS - Brayden Smith, Mercer
Preseason Second Team ALL - SoCon
Second team offense
- QB - Jax Leatherwood, Tennessee Tech
- RB - Marcus Harris, Tennessee Tech
- RB - Gerald Modest, Wofford
- OL - Chris Luna, Furman
- OL - Noah Watts, Samford
- OL - Eric Nunez, Tennessee Tech
- OL - Bryce Burnett, VMI
- OL - Zach Watson, Western Carolina
- OL - Reggie Houston, Wofford
- TE - Gerard Grewe, Tennessee Tech
- WR - Josh Williams, Chattanooga
- WR - AJ Colombo, Western Carolina
Second team defense
- DL - Demetrius Baldwin, Furman
- DL - Elihu Lipscomb, Furman
- DL - Ky Tayo, Chattanooga
- DL - Ramon McCollough, Wofford
- LB - Dre Delinois, ETSU
- LB - Isaiah Grevious, VMI
- LB - Wyatt Ward, Wofford
- DB - Jivon Oggs, ETSU
- DB - AK Burrell, Furman
- DB - Josh Tarver, Furman
- DB - Jalen Nelson, Samford
Second team specialists
- PK - Sam Spence, Wofford
- P - Heath Jehu, Chattanooga
- LS - Brock Winstead, ETSU
- LS - Aidan Barr, Samford
- RS - Caleb Easterling, Furman
Archived Footage On FloCollege
Video footage from all games will be archived and stored in a video library for FloCollege subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
Watch The 2026 College Football Season On FloCollege
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