This is the third piece in a five-part series taking a look at Liberty football entering 2026 fall practices. Be sure to check back for the rest of this series throughout the week as we tackle a variety of Liberty football topics.
There are many question marks on this year’s Liberty football team, and that’s no surprise. Teams all over the country are facing the same challenges in today’s world of the transfer portal. Still, there are a few positions where the Flames have known commodities and should be strengths on the team as training camp prepares to start.
Offensive Line
Aaron Fenimore, DJ Geth, and Joep Engbers lead what should be the strength of Liberty’s offense, especially in the early parts of the season while the rest of the units find their way. Fenimore is entering his third year as the team’s starting center. Geth cemented his spot as a starter last year and has all-conference expectations. After transferring from Illinois, Engbers emerged last season and solidified the left guard spot. Other returners in Christian Williams and Austin Anderson have starting experience, as well, while Penn State transfer Alex Birchmeier may have the highest ceiling of the group. Others that are fighting for playing time and could emerge this season to add depth include Erwil Anthony, Brandon Edozie, Kevin Evehe, Jude Foster, and Val Erickson.
Linebacker
For first year linebacker coach Teddy Gallagher, he inherits what should be a very strong unit. Led by Derrell Farrar, who should be a team leader and one of the team’s top tacklers, the Flames have a deep and talented linebacker corp. Aidan Vaughan is another veteran leader that is very reliable. Deuce Spurlock and Micah Pollard have been in the system for some time now, and have incredibly high ceilings where they could develop into all-conference level performers. Dillano Glaud played some as a freshman last year after Joe Carter went down to injury, and he should be fighting for significant playing time again this fall. We still haven’t mentioned SMU transfer Kyle Ferm or true freshman Ellis Alloway who was the talk of the team in the spring.
Running Back
When looking at the rest of the position groups after the first two listed above, the only position where I feel I can confidently say I believe Liberty will have a strong position group this season is at running back. Are there plenty of question marks for that group? Certainly, but this coaching staff has proven many times before that they can field a quality product regardless of who is in the room. Additionally, Liberty has several capable backs on the roster that have the abilities to be able to emerge and prove that this group is one of the best, not just in the Group of Five, but in the country.
