Conference USA Media Days kicked off on Monday with all 10 member institutions’ football representatives descending upon Texas Live in Arlington, Texas. On Tuesday, all 10 head coaches met with the media to discuss the upcoming 2026 football season. Here is one main takeaway for each team during these media sessions:

Delaware

More Eyes on the Blue Hens Now in the CUSA and FBS than when in the CAA and FCS

Delaware head coach Ryan Carty – “I appreciate the platform we have gotten by Conference USA and our administration. There is some validation for why we made the leap. It has helped us in recruiting. We have brought in another caliber of athlete as we have gotten closer to the transition. We are excited about where we are going.”

FIU

Panthers Looking to Take Next Step in Year 2 Under Coach Simmons

FIU head coach Willie Simmons – “We are a lot deeper at every position. We are excited about the depth on our roster. A new look secondary. The transfer portal gives and takes away. A lot of new faces on defense, but you will learn their names quickly. They are really talented.”

Liberty

Flames With Eyes Set on CUSA Championship After Letdown in 2025

Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell – “Probably more than anytime personally, looking forward to this season. It’s no secret last year wasn’t obviously the type of program, type of team, type of season we wanted to have. It was because of me and not being able to be the type of head coach I need to be to help us have a chance to be successful. For us to get back this year, myself to get back and be healthy, have a chance to hopefully win a conference championship again, that’s what our ultimate goal is. We are looking forward to that as a team. Being able to represent Liberty in the way that they need to be represented. Last year was not that. It’s frustrating because when you are the main reason for that and I was. Looking forward to getting back out and getting this right back on track.”

Kennesaw State

Owls Excited to Build off Last Year’s Championship

Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack – “Last year for us, was an outstanding year. We talk about constantly what it meant for our University and our community, as far as everything in winning a championship in our 2nd year (in CUSA). Everything that we had to overcome. Anytime you win a championship there are a lot of things you have to overcome. Everyone wants to talk about what happened last year, we are more than willing to talk about that, but this team and this program right now, we have our eyes straight forward. We are trying to set ourselves apart and make sure we have a great standard, a great foundation and try to do this thing consistently as we grow Kennesaw State’s program.”

Jacksonville State

Gamecocks Want to Live Up to the Standard Set in the Program

Jax State head coach Charles Kelly – “The expectations are high. We know that. We are prepared for that. We are excited about the team we have coming back. We have five starters coming back on offense, six on defense, our specialists are coming back. We feel like we have done a good job in recruiting. We had an opportunity to bring some guys in through the transfer portal. We are excited about where we are at.”

Middle Tennessee

Blue Raiders are ‘All In’ for Coach Mason’s 3rd Season

MTSU head coach Derek Mason – “The Blue Raiders are excited about what’s on the horizon. ‘All In’ has been the mantra for us since January. Six months into a new facility, turning over the roster, and getting to a place where only two guys on the roster remain from what we started with.”

Western Kentucky

Hilltoppers Preparing for Challenging Opening Slate that Includes Trips to Georgia, Indiana

WKU head coach Tyson Helton – “It’s a great opportunity. Those are the type of games you look forward to. Those are the type of games we have had success in the past. We’ve come away with some big wins and been close in other ones. We get another opportunity this year to play the best of the best. Early in the season, you learn a lot about your team. It’s about competing for championships. It’s an opportunity. Our guys are always excited to go to those places. The name of the game is winning, not playing and competing, winning. We are going to go there, compete, and try to win a football game.”

New Mexico State

Aggies Want to Get Back to a Bowl Game after Two-Year Drought

NMSU head coach Tony Sanchez – “It’s one game at a time. We need to go 1-0. We have high expectations. Our goals are never going to change. We want to beat our rivals in New Mexico. We want to make sure we are undefeated at home. We want to go to a bowl game. We want to play for a conference championship. “

Missouri State

Bears Hope to Make a Splash Under First-Year Head Coach Casey Woods

Missouri State head coach Casey Woods – “This is an opportunity I have prayed about my entire life. In classic God fashion he delivered a product that is way bigger than I could even dream of. It is so cool to be there right now. It starts in Springfield. We have a population just past 500,000. There is real resource there. There are people there that are passionate about having a winner, specifically in football. We have 27,000 students and an aggressive goal to get that above 30,000. We have a rare opportunity, and it’s rare, to do it better than it’s ever been done before in the history of our school. That is ultimately what led me to this school. We want to win a championship. We want to recruit better than has ever been done before, and we want to have an impact on our community.”

Sam Houston

Bearkats Happy to Have 2025 in the Rear-View

Sam Houston head coach Phil Longo – “We are very excited about this season primarily because of some normalcy. We went through all kinds of adversity last year. The tip of the iceberg was 12 away games, 58 guys in the portal. When I first got there, hiring the staff, all of that stuff, no stadium. We had all the excuses. We went through a very, very tumultuous, adverse-driven season. It was the most bizarre, most challenging I have ever had in 2025. It was just about football this spring. I think we are one of nine countries in the program that have all their coaches back. There is some continuity and stability we are enjoying with the staff now. We enjoyed 92 players on campus this spring. In my 37 years coaching, it’s my most I’ve ever had in spring. That gave us an opportunity to build culture a little sooner and have a little continuity with the players. Last year, we brought in 36 players in June just to fulfill the roster.“