The Unexpected Contender: How West Georgia Is Poised to Shake Up the FCS in 2026

A longtime Division II mainstay, West Georgia made the jump to the FCS back in 2024, joining the United Athletic Conference (UAC). It was a move that, while noteworthy for the program itself, didn’t really make waves on the national scene. The FCS typically adds one or two teams from the lower ranks every season and usually it takes them a while to compete. In their first DI season, the Wolves were essentially a non-factor, going 4-7 and finishing tied for last with Utah Tech at the bottom of their league.

Last season, however, it all flipped. Behind a very balanced offense and stout defense, West Georgia came out of the woodwork and was a legitimate player in the UAC. They reached several program milestones in 2025 including an 8-3 record and a #22 ranking in the national polls by season’s end. Had they been eligible for the postseason, UWG had a real case to be in the playoffs in just their second year at the FCS level. It was a success that got noticed by many as has been made evident over this offseason.

Former head coach Joel Taylor was named the new head man at Georgia’s other FCS program in Mercer. The Bears are back-to-back SoCon champions with expectations of being back in the postseason again this year. Standout quarterback Davin Wynder, who threw for 1,667 yards and accounted for 18 touchdowns got scooped up by Louisville in the transfer portal. Latrelle Murrel ran for nearly 900 yards and is on his way to Kennesaw State. Defensive back Kyeaure Magloire authored 42 tackles and two interceptions and is now with Arkansas.

Those are all big losses, of course, but there is still plenty of reason to be excited for Wolves fans heading into this fall. The school has made several big moves since the end of last year including the hiring of Steve Englehart as the next head coach. Englehart comes over from Presbyterian where he guided the Blue Hose to a terrific season in their own right last year. Presbyterian, a non-scholarship program, notably took down the likes of Furman and Mercer en route to a ten-win season.