Jacksonville St Gamecocks 2026 College Football Preview
Posted June 2, 2026
2025 Recap
Record – 10-4
ATS – 7-7
Another deep run for the Gamecocks — making the CUSA Championship Game for the second consecutive season. This time, however, the Owls from Kennesaw St had other ideas, and the COCKS couldn’t GIT‑R‑DONE in the big game. A bit of context — four of their conference wins came by a field goal or less, so there were plenty of close shaves along the way. They bounced back from the title game loss in style, taking down Troy in the Salute to Veterans Bowl with QB Caden Creel earning Bowl MVP honors.
HC Charles Kelly delivered a fine first year in Jacksonville. Now the question is whether he can get them all the way.
Jacksonville St Gamecocks 2026 Outlook
OFFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (CUSA):
- Scoring: 28.1 PPG (#4 CUSA)
- Total Offense: 408.7 YPG (#2 CUSA)
- Rushing: 246.7 YPG (#1 CUSA)
- Passing: 162.0 YPG (#12 CUSA)
- Sacks Allowed: 24 (#3 CUSA)
The great news is that starting QB Caden Creel is back, and he’s proven he can run this offense effectively — 62% completion rate, a 9–4 TD/INT ratio, and a staggering 1,075 rushing yards and 7 TDs LY. The dood is a PROBLEM on the ground, and he earned Bowl MVP honors for a reason. The Gamecocks have led CUSA in rushing in each of the last two seasons, and that identity remains firmly intact.
The CHASM to fill is at RB after losing superstar Cam Cook — who led the entire FBS (!) in rushing LY with 1,659 yards, 5.6 YPC, and 16 TDs before heading to West BY GOD Virginia. There is no returning RB with more than 200 yards from LY, which sounds alarming, but Jacksonville St has a remarkable track record of generating elite production at the position. Holdovers Andrew Paul and Justus Savage get their shot, and Creel’s legs give the entire run game a significant schematic advantage.
The THROW GAME is not exactly the Gamecocks’ calling card — dead last in CUSA in passing LY — but 6‑foot‑8 (!) big‑play WR Deondre Johnson is back, and that’s a YUUUGE retention (30‑724, 6 TD, 24.1 YPC LY). The dood is a mismatch nightmare. Former Murray St specimen Darius Cannon (726 yards LY) adds depth and pop, but they’ll need to find a replacement for reliable TE Pearson Baldwin (26‑302, 2 TD). The OL has experienced returnees supplemented by portal additions and should continue to be one of the better run‑blocking units in the conference.
DEFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (CUSA):
- Scoring Defense: 25.2 PPG (#3 CUSA)
- Total Defense: 378.8 YPG (#3 CUSA)
- Rush Defense: 144.3 YPG (#3 CUSA)
- Pass Defense: 234.5 YPG (#6 CUSA)
- Sacks: 28 (#3 CUSA)
The back two levels of this defense are loaded, and that’s great news for the COCKS. The LB unit is a genuine team strength — Mac Sanders led the team in tackles and TFL (11.5) and returns alongside Walker O’Steen (#2 in tackles) to give HC Kelly one of the best LB tandems in the conference. The secondary is arguably the best in CUSA — the CB combo of Tre’Quan Fegans and Jaheim Jenkins is experienced and talented, and TURNOVER MACHINE safety Caleb Nix (4 INT, 3 fumble recoveries LY) is the kind of playmaker who changes games.
The DL is the area of concern — top sack producers Emmanuel Oyebadejo and Darrell Prater combined for 9 sacks LY and are gone, leaving a genuine PENETRATION question mark. There are some returnees with upside, but no confirmed difference‑maker has emerged up front as we approach press time. How quickly a true pass rusher emerges will be the defining question of the defense heading into fall camp.
SPECIAL TEAMS
One of the best kicking combos in the conference — all‑CUSA PK Garrison Rippa (21–28 FG, 4–5 from 50+ LY) is one of the most reliable kickers in the Group of Six, and punter Conor Donaghy gives them exceptional balance in the kicking game. This is a legitimate team strength that will come in handy in close games — which Jacksonville St seems to specialize in.
Schedule Analysis
Overall — The second‑easiest schedule in the country per ESPN (#137), which sets them up beautifully for another deep run. No killers in the four non‑conference games, though the opener at North Dakota State — making their FBS debut — will be a major challenge. They miss Liberty in conference play, which is a significant gift, and the home conference schedule is BUTTERY SOFT. The two big challenges are road trips to defending champ Kennesaw St and Western Kentucky.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot — at North Dakota St (Aug 29)
The Bison are making their FBS debut and will be JACKED UP — the FargoDome is going to sound like a jet engine stuffed inside a GRAIN SILO. This program has spent a decade and a half bullying the FCS, and half of the FBS still has PTSD from scheduling these doods in the 2010s and 2020s.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – June 2
Over 7.5 +105
Under 7.5 -135
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
This just might be the most talented team in CUSA. They’ll probably need to go 6–2 in conference play to clear the number, but that feels well within reach given the roster, schedule, and overall trajectory of the program.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Jacksonville, Alabama sits in Calhoun County, about 75 miles northeast of Birmingham. With roughly 14,500 residents, the town basically revolves around Jacksonville St University, which started as a teachers college in 1883.
For nearly 50 years, Jacksonville St’s teams were known as the Eagle Owls. In the mid-1940s, a group of fans pushed to change the mascot because they felt it was hard for the school’s image to “soar like an eagle” when the team was named after something that sounded like a turkey. By 1947, the Gamecocks were born — and they’ve been crowing ever since. Trivia BOMBS, bay-bee.
Jacksonville St and the University of South Carolina are the only two schools in the country that use the Gamecock as their mascot. Both even have a costumed mascot named Cocky. The two programs finally met on the field for the first time in 2023, and the COCKS from South Carolina prevailed by a score of 38-28. At this point, it would be too easy to make a joke involving the movie, LUNCH WAGON WOMEN, and we simply refuse to go there.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
Jacksonville St is going to be a force once again. They’ve made the title game in each of the last two campaigns, and we see no reason why they can’t punch their ticket once again. The offense loses Cam Cook but retains the dual‑threat brilliance of Creel, the 6‑foot‑8 nightmare that is Deondre Johnson, and an OL that’ll move people off the ball. The stop unit is one of the best in the conference, and the schedule is kind.
HC Kelly is a proven winner. The one wildcard is generating PENETRATION from the DL — if that unit finds a difference‑maker, the Gamecocks are going to be very dangerous indeed. We’ll call for a third consecutive trip to the CUSA Championship Game.
GO COCKS GO!