Old Dominion Monarchs 2026 College Football Preview
Posted June 8, 2026
2025 Recap
Record – 10-3
ATS – 8-5
The Monarchs finished their 2025 campaign on an absolute HEATER — winning their final six games in a row, including a big win over USF in the Cure Bowl to finish at 10–3. The only blemish on an otherwise excellent campaign was getting absolutely TORCHED in back‑to‑back games against Marshall and JMU — 111 combined points allowed — which knocked them out of the East division race. Still, ten wins and a bowl victory is a massive accomplishment for Ricky Rahne and the men from Norfolk.
Now the question is: can they take the next step and actually win the East.
Old Dominion Monarchs 2026 Outlook
OFFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Sun Belt):
- Scoring: 32.0 PPG (#3 Sun Belt)
- Total Offense: 454.7 YPG (#2 Sun Belt)
- Rushing: 238.3 YPG (#2 Sun Belt)
- Passing: 216.4 YPG (#7 Sun Belt)
- Sacks Allowed: 20 (#3 Sun Belt)
Those are great offensive numbers — top three in the Sun Belt in scoring, total offense, rushing, and sacks allowed. The biggest storyline on offense is replacing dual‑threat star Colton Joseph, who was an absolute menace last year (2,600+ passing yards and over 1,000 rushing, 34 total TDs!). That’s a tall order.
Quinn Henicle took over the QB duties late in the year and helped lead the Monarchs to the Cure Bowl win. He’s a dangerous runner, but the big question is whether his ability to MATRICULATE the ball with the air attack can hold up over a full season. Washington St transfer Jaxon Potter is also in the mix — he’s a tall quarterback with a HOSE who can make all the throws. If he wins the job, ODU could actually have an even more dangerous passing attack than last year, depending on how the WR room shakes out (see more below).
Either way, the no‑huddle, tempo‑based spread identity remains intact under new OC Kody Cook (promoted from WR coach). The ground game should stay potent. Devin Roche is a dynamic back (630 yards, 5.7 YPC, 4 TDs), and the mobile‑QB situation makes the run game even more dangerous — though at 5‑7 and 172 pounds, Roche will likely share carries.
The biggest concern is at wide receiver. Each of the top three producers (all with 600+ yards) transferred to Power 4 schools (!). The good news is that HC Ricky Rahne has a strong track record in the portal. Keep an eye on Sidney Mbanasor, who had a CUP of COFFEE with the team last year — the 6‑5 target impressed our MONARCHS WR INSIDERS this spring. Other than that, there are a lot of complete unknowns.
Up front, the offensive line is undergoing a near‑total rebuild. The Monarchs will be working with a new starting five, and they went out and added significant size and length through the portal. One of the more notable additions is Raykwon “Bobcat” Goldthwaite (6‑8, 305 from North Alabama), who has a legitimate chance to step in at left tackle. This is a potential area of concern on offense, along with the unproven WR corps.
DEFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Sun Belt):
- Scoring Defense: 18.5 PPG (#2 Sun Belt)
- Total Defense: 331.5 YPG (#2 Sun Belt)
- Rush Defense: 140.1 YPG (#2 Sun Belt)
- Pass Defense: 191.5 YPG (#2 Sun Belt)
- Sacks: 39 (#1 Sun Belt)
Those numbers are absolutely staggering, yo — #2 in the Sun Belt in scoring defense, total defense, rush defense, and pass defense, plus #1 in sacks. That’s a dominant performance by any standard, and there’s every reason to believe this will be one of the best stop units in the Sun Belt again in 2026.
DT Chris Forbes is a key returning starter up front and will anchor a solid defensive line that also added some quality transfers. At LB, Mario Thompson is back after a medical redshirt in 2025. He was a force in 2024 (third on the team in tackles with 4 sacks), and his return gives this group real juice. Add in Mississippi St transfer Montrell Chapman, and we’re not worried about the middle of the defense.
The secondary is the CROWN JEWEL. The Monarchs were #26 nationally in pass‑efficiency defense last year — an excellent ranking for a Group of Six squad — and the returning pieces are very talented. Six of the top nine players from last year’s unit are back, and two players to keep an eye on are safety Mario Easterly, who led the team in tackles LY, and corner Zion Frink (6 PBU, INT).
SPECIAL TEAMS
There’s a battle between a pair of good PK options as we approach press time. Holdover Nathanial Eichner (7‑10 FG LY) will try to hold off promising youngster and FAU transfer Andrew Nelms (no attempts LY). Reliable punter Ian Brandt is back for duty, and the best news of all just might be the retention of their SPICY punt returner Devin Roche (19‑265, 13.95 YPR).
Schedule Analysis
Overall — The Monarchs enter 2026 with momentum and a favorable conference docket — they host JMU, Marshall, AND Georgia Southern in East division play, which is a massive scheduling advantage. The non‑conference slate has a genuine DANGER ZONE with a trip to Blacksburg, where James Franklin and the Hokies will be looking to avenge a blowout loss to ODU last year.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot — at Georgia St (Oct 3)
Nasty SANDWICH spot of the highest order. The Monarchs come off their YUUUGE home game with JMU and have a challenging road trip to face Appalachian St up next. This doesn’t look like a great spot to back the road favorite.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – June 8
Over 7.5 -115
Under 7.5 -115
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
This looks like a slam dunk IF they can find a way to go 3–1 in non‑conference play. The most likely scenario is that they go 2–2, and we give them a good shot at 6–2 in FUN BELT play given their favorable schedule.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Old Dominion’s football program only began its transition to FBS after the 2012 season — making their 10-win campaign in 2025 all the more impressive for a program still relatively young at the highest level of college football. Their only previous 10-win season came in 2016, when they also won the Bahamas Bowl.
Back in 1932, when ODU was still the Norfolk Division Braves, the team once played YOUR Miami Hurricanes by mistake. A letter from Miami meant for their parent school, William & Mary, somehow ended up at the Norfolk Division. They assumed the game was for them, showed up, and got handled 6–2 — proving that even back then, the Canes were out here absolutely DOMINATING everyone, even teams that weren’t on their schedule. That’s some elite TRIVIA ARTILLERY right there — DEFCON‑1 material, bay-bee.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
Old Dominion is a LEGIT force in the Sun Belt East, and this could be the year they make a really serious push in the FUN BELT. The defense will be stout once again — and HC Ricky Rahne is one of the sharpest coaches in the Group of Six. The home conference schedule is also very favorable.
The biggest wildcard remains the quarterback situation. If Quinn Henicle or Jaxon Potter can manage the offense efficiently and limit mistakes, this team has the talent to make a serious run. The September 19th home game against James Madison looms as the biggest regular-season test — win that one and the Monarchs put themselves in prime position. We expect another fine season out of the men in Norfolk.
ODU! ODU!