The 2025 FCS football season is fast approaching, so we’re going inside each conference race. With multiple teams likely playoff-bound, here’s our United Athletic Conference preview.
There’s been shuffling among FCS conferences for who ranks the best after the Missouri Valley and Big Sky, and, until recently, CAA Football.
The United Athletic Conference stepped forward with that claim last year. Abilene Christian won the league title and was joined in the FCS playoffs by Tarleton State (both teams won in the first round) and Eastern Kentucky. Southern Utah, which had an FBS win at UTEP, just missed out on the postseason.
Many of last year’s UAC offensive standouts are being replaced this season, including all 10 players who scored 10 or more touchdowns, but it’s full of potential breakout players. Plus, in what’s becoming more of a rarity in college football, the UAC didn’t have any head coaching change this past offseason.
Following is a preview of the upcoming United Athletic Conference season.
Predicted Order of Finish
*-FCS Playoff Qualifier; Ranking from Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. *Tarleton State (10-4, 6-2; Preseason No. 10) – Coach Todd Whitten’s Texans punctuated their fifth straight winning season on the FCS level (and seventh straight overall) with a first playoff bid and victory in their first year of eligibility. Quarterback Victor Gabalis (an impressive 14.94 yards per completion) was a unanimous choice for UAC preseason offensive player of the year, and running back Braelon Bridges and wide receiver Cody Jackson will thrive in larger roles. The defense is more experienced than the offense, featuring five of last year’s top nine tacklers in defensive end Brandon Tolvert (11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks), linebackers AJ Owens, Ty Rawls and Bam Smith, and cornerback Kasyus Kurns (five takeaways).
2. *Abilene Christian (9-5, 7-1; No. 16) – The defending champs have three of the UAC’s top-four returning tacklers in linebacker and preseason defensive player of the year Will Shaffer, edge rusher Chris Wright and defensive backs Dorian Plumley and Tyson Williams. Quarterback Stone Earle, the 2022 starter, returns after stints at North Texas and Marshall, set to target tight end Jed Castles while trying to keep the offense as the league’s best (averages of 469.6 yards and 33.8 points). But coach Keith Patterson’s squad is replacing the FCS leaders in rushing yards (Kayvon Britten) and receiving yards (Darius Cooper).
3. Southern Utah (7-5, 6-2) – While coach DeLane Fitzgerald and the Thunderbirds must replace Targhee Lambson, who led the FCS in rushing yards per game (160.2), redshirt senior Braedon Wissler (1,352 rushing yards, 68 receptions) has enjoyed a productive career. A wrist injury sidelined QB Bronson Barron for the second half of last season, but he’s highly experienced (he passed for over 5,000 yards in the 2020-22 seasons at Weber State). Edge rusher Lando Brown will be too good to keep under the radar.
Win-loss projections for United Athletic Conference teams in the 2025 regular season, according to Opta Analyst advanced data. (Graphic by Graham Bell)4. Eastern Kentucky (8-5, 6-2) – Coming off a playoff season, the Colonels will face Tarleton State, Abilene Christian and Southern Utah at home. Former UAlbany QB Myles Burkett was added to a lineup that boasts players who are primed to command a larger spotlight, including defensive back Jaheim Ward, linebacker Braden Sullivan (91 tackles), running back Brayden Latham and WR Marcus Calwise Jr. (42 receptions as a freshman).
5. North Alabama (3-9, 3-5) – UNA handed Abilene Christian its only conference loss last season. Top rushers Jayvian Allen (545 yards, five TDs) and Jalen Fletcher are back to operate behind sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Walker. Season-opening QB Ari Patu was lost to injury after just three games last year (he passed for 328 yards in a loss to Illinois State). The Lions seek to defend the run better after allowing 175+ rushing yards to seven different opponents. They had an ugly minus-13 turnover margin.
6. Central Arkansas (6-6, 3-5) – UCA, which disappointed as the UAC preseason favorite last year, is replacing significant talent, including Buck Buchanan Award recipient David Walker. The strength of the team is up front – literally – with offensive linemen Will Diggins and Jamal Mull. At defensive tackle, Bradley Clark (5.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks) will come out of the shadow previously cast by Walker. Dillon Walker headlines an experienced secondary.
7. Austin Peay (4-8, 3-5) – The Governors had three-game losing streaks to both begin and end coach Jeff Faris’ first season – one year after they won the UAC title. Their lineup will look as different as any in the conference. Mississippi State QB transfer Chris Parson seeks to get the offense on track, while the team’s top returning tacklers, defensive end Davion Hood and cornerback Ellis Ellis Jr. (three interceptions), ranked just eighth and ninth, respectively, a year ago.
8. West Georgia (4-7, 1-7) – After beginning their FCS era with an upset of Samford, UGA didn’t beat another Division I opponent until their final game last year (Utah Tech). New offensive and defensive coordinators will change the look, but the Wolves hope QB Davin Wydner will continue to be efficient (156.2 passer rating) as he targets WR T.J. Lockley (team-high 51 receptions). Leading tacklers Jay Carter and Micah Thurman return at linebacker.
9. Utah Tech (1-11, 1-7) – Following yet another difficult nonconference schedule, the Trailblazers seek a better path in the UAC. Their offense returns 11 players who made at least five starts, but there’s just two back on defense. Dual-threat QB Reggie Graff accounted for 1,909 yards of total offense and 14 total TDs, while WR Shamar Garrett is an all-purpose threat. Out of 129 FCS teams, the offense ranked 118th on the ground and the defense was last while allowing 271.5 rushing yards per game.
How the UAC Predicted the Race
2025 United Athletic Conference Preseason Poll.Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and Eastern Kentucky were 2024 FCS playoff qualifiers. pic.twitter.com/27Lxi1vv2j
— FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) July 16, 2025Five Players to Watch
Lando Brown, DE, Southern Utah (Buck Buchanan Award preseason nominee) – One year after arriving as a junior college transfer, Brown is set to build off last season’s 10 TFLs, 10 QB hurries and four sacks. Victor Gabalis, QB, Tarleton State (Walter Payton Award preseason nominee) – The UAC preseason offensive player of the year ranks third in passing yards (7,323) and second in TD passes (58) among active FCS quarterbacks. Chandler Kirton, OL, Austin Peay – Highly decorated academically, Kirton remains with the Governors as a grad student and with 35 consecutive starts. Will Shaffer, QB, Abilene Christian (Buck Buchanan Award preseason nominee) – The UAC preseason defensive player of the Year had 123 tackles last season – the high among returning FCS defensive players. Jaheim Ward, DB, Eastern Kentucky – Austin Peay’s loss was EKU’s transfer gain last year as Ward had a banner campaign (66 tackles, two interceptions, nine pass breakups) with the Colonels.Must-See Matchups
UAC: Tarleton State at Abilene Christian (Nov. 1) – ACU’s 35-31 win last year clinched the UAC title. The thriller included six lead changes and two ties, with Tarleton going ahead in the final two minutes before the Wildcats scored the winning touchdown with 19 seconds left. Nonconference: Abilene Christian at UIW (Sept. 27) – A matchup of 2024 conference champs, with Southland power UIW holding serious national title aspirations this season. Chattanooga at Tarleton State (Sept. 20) – One of the better first-time matchups of the FCS season. FBS: Abilene Christian at Tulsa (Aug. 30) – ACU, which scored 51 points in an overtime loss at Texas Tech to open last season, must be salivating over a Tulsa squad that surrendered 42.5 per game.UAC Fast Fact
The UAC is a partnership of ASUN and Western Athletic Conference schools that began in 2021. To date, 14 different schools have been involved in the five seasons. The membership is at nine for a third consecutive season, but two programs, Southern Utah and Utah Tech, will depart after this season to join the Big Sky Conference.
Graphic by Matt Sisneros.Top photo, from left, from Southern Utah, Tarleton State and Abilene Christian Athletics.
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United Athletic Conference Predictions: Who Will Build on Last Year’s Breakout? Opta Analyst.
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