We continue to countdown towards the 2026 football season where Liberty will look to make it back to a bowl game while also competing for a CUSA title.
As we have done the past several years, we will rank Liberty’s top 26 football players entering the 2026 season. In today’s era of the transfer portal and NIL, putting together a list like this is much more challenging than it was previously as a large portion of the two-deep and roster has been turned over from the previous year. With that being said, we begin the list today with our rankings of players 26-21. Stay on the lookout for the rest of this countdown in the coming days.
26. RB Kam Davis
Davis is the first running back to appear on this list. Liberty has completely remade its running back room following the 2025 season. Whoever establishes himself as the lead back in this offense, will end up being a top 10 player, at minimum, and Davis certainly has the potential to take over in that role. Coming out of high school, Davis was a consensus four-star prospect. He was ranked as the No. 3 running back prospect in the country and No. 8 overall prospect from Georgia by Rivals. The Florida State transfer played the past two seasons with the Seminoles, including a redshirt campaign, and has three years of eligibility remaining. As a freshman in 2024, Davis had 52 rushes for 173 yards, finishing second on the team while adding two receptions for 21 yards. He had a season-high 14 rushes for 63 yards in a game at Duke. In 2025, Davis ran 8 times for 51 yards and one touchdown over four games.
25. TE Caleb Ryan
Ryan is a 5th year senior and former walk-on who was one of two players (both make this list) that represented the Flames in Arlington, Texas at 2026 CUSA Media Days, proving that the program respects the veteran tight end. Ryan has seen his role over the previous two seasons, playing in 10 games in 2024 before becoming a fixture on the field for Liberty’s offense in 2025, playing in all 12 games. He finished last season with 4 receptions for 87 yards
24. QB Deshawn Purdie
Will Purdie emerge as Liberty’s starting quarterback? The former Wake Forest and Charlotte transfer QB will be looking to separate himself during training camp as the team’s leader both on and off the field. Purdie threw for 618 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions in 8 games, while making 2 starts, for the Demon Deacons in 2025. Purdie is a 6’4″, 228 pound athlete from Baltimore, Maryland and Milford Mill Academy. He was a three-star recruit out of high school with over 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns during his final two seasons at Milford Mill. In 2024, as a freshman at Charlotte, he appeared in nine games with six starts. He completed 100 of his 200 pass attempts while throwing for 1,802 yards, and 10 touchdowns as a true freshman, also adding a rushing touchdown. After his true freshman season at Charlotte, Purdie entered the transfer portal. He picked up numerous offers including Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. He originally committed to Florida before switching to Wake Forest. Arriving in Winston-Salem, Purdie completed with former Auburn and South Carolina quarterback Robby Ashford, before losing the battle for the starting spot prior to the start of the 2025 season. Purdie has the raw ability to be a dynamic playmaker for the Flames. Can he put it all together?
23. TE LaKelsey Johnson
Johnson transferred to Liberty from Baylor after playing in 37 games over the prior four seasons for the Bears. He looks to be a key piece of the Flames’ tight end room this fall, a group looking to replace a couple of key contributors. Johnson had 23 receptions for 174 yards and a touchdown during his Baylor career, while playing in 11 games in 2025. Johnson started four games in 2022 as a true freshman, hauling in nine receptions for 61 yards including a touchdown catch against No. 4 TCU. He then started four games in 2023, finishing that season with 11 receptions for 80 yards. Johnson was limited to just four games in 2024 due to injury. Now, he’s looking to finish his career on a high note with the Flames in 2026.
22. DE Michael Floyde
Liberty is hopeful that Floyde can create some pass rush the team has lacked for much of Jamey Chadwell’s tenure in Lynchburg. Floyde, a transfer from Garden City Community College, played in 11 games in 2025, finishing with 47 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, three pass breakups, and a forced fumble. Originally from Henderson, Nevada, Floyde also had offers from Central Michigan, Louisiana-Monroe, Nevada, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, and Western Michigan before settling on the Flames. Floyde is a name that head coach Jamey Chadwell has frequently mentioned during the off-season as one who has the potential to make a big impact on the field this fall.
21. WR Darius Copeland
Copeland has almost become an after-thought in Liberty’s offense to many outsiders. Understandably so after he played in 10 of 12 games last year for the Flames, finishing the year with just two touches for 5 yards. He’s had a very interesting career arc. After redshirting in 2023 and playing in just one game, Copeland was all the hype during the 2024 training camp. It looked like he was setting himself up to be an integral part of the team’s offensive plans. He played in each of the first three games, including two starts, having 5 receptions for 38 yards and one carry for 7 yards. Unfortunately, Copeland, who has battled injuries throughout his football career, suffered an injury early in 2024 and would miss the rest of the season. Can he return to his early 2024 self for the Flames this season? One item of information that says he can is head coach Jamey Chadwell singling Copeland out from the entire team as one of five Liberty players he selected for the CUSA Preseason Player Watch List, doing so as a return specialist.
