Liberty will kickoff the 2026 season against James Madison in 44 days as the Flames are hoping to get back to a bowl game while also hoping to get back in the mix to win the Conference USA championship.
Jamey Chadwell enters his fourth season as Liberty’s head coach and will do so with several questions for this year’s team than there were a year ago. Still, many questions remain surrounding the program and fall camp will provide insight into many of these when it gets underway.
Here are our 44 questions for Liberty football entering the 2026 season.
1. What to expect from Jamey Chadwell’s return as play-caller?
2. Will the defense make a jump in Year 1 under Shawn Quinn?
3. How quickly will all the new pieces on the field gel into a team unit?
4. Are Jamey Chadwell’s health concerns and scare fully behind him?
5. Will one quarterback stake his claim as the starter for the team for the duration of the season?
6. Whoever is the quarterback, can the Flames improve from its production at the position in 2025?
7. Who will step into the roles left vacated with several departures at running back?
8. Can Jaylon Coleman live up to the off-season hype he has generated thus far?
9. Will one of the incoming transfers at running back become Liberty’s next 1,000 yard rusher?
10. Can Kanye Udoh or Kam Davis live up to the billing with their incredibly high potential?
11. Will the wide receivers step up from their drop in production we have witnessed the past couple of years?
12. Can Makai Jackson return his production level at Appalachian State and emerge as a top threat for the Flames at receiver?
13. Is Rashawn Cunningham able to quickly see his FCS All-American status rise into a reliable threat for Liberty in CUSA?
14. Will Darius Copeland return to his pre-injury stats of early 2024 where it looked like he was ready to step into being one of the team’s top offensive weapons?
15.Who will emerge as the top targets in the passing game?
16. How good can this offensive line be behind four returning starters and several incoming transfers?
17. Is the defensive line ready to take a step up in its production, particularly with its ability to rush the quarterback?
18.Will Brenton Williams be the type of edge rusher the Flames have missed the past few seasons?
19. Will Aaron Hester emerge as a weapon on the defensive edge like the team thought it was getting from the former Florida State transfer?
20. Will this year’s linebacker crew end up being the deepest the program has ever seen at the FBS level?
21. Who will emerge as the team’s top linebackers alongside Derrell Farrar?
22. How big of an impact will injuries play on the team this season?
23. How big of an impact will the tight ends have on the offense?
24. Who becomes the go-to playmaker on offense?
25. How will Liberty perform in its toughest games, beginning with the opener at JMU?
26. Can the Flames avoid another slow start to the season that plagued the team to begin 2025?
27. Can the secondary create more game changing plays?
28. Will Elijah Hopkins stay healthy and be an impact player at corner?
29. Who will emerge alongside Hopkins at corner among so many new faces?
30. Will D-Icey Hopkins step up and be a team leader from his spot at safety despite being a new face?
31. How quickly will the secondary be able to gel with all the incoming players?
32. Who will be the biggest challengers in Conference USA?
33. How many one score games will Liberty have this season and can the Flames have more success in those this season?
34. Will a kicker be able to establish himself quickly?
35. Can the rushing offense control games late and wear teams down?
36. Which opponent will be the best Liberty plays this season?
37. How many true freshman will play this year?
38. Who will emerge as the team leader in tackles?
39. Will the defense force more negative plays?
40. How will the team handle the expectations and some scrutiny around it after the first three seasons under Chadwell?
41. Was 2025 a blip on the radar or a sign of greater troubles?
42. Can the Flames get back in the mix for a CUSA Championship this fall?
43. Will the Flames get back to a bowl game after missing one in 2025?
44. How will we remember the 2026 season?
