August 26th, 2026 5:00pm
The wait is over. After a long offseason of roster turnover, coaching shuffles, and offseason hype, Gulf South Conference football finally kicks off again this week, and if last year's parity is any indication, 2026 promises to be another dogfight from top to bottom. Valdosta State opens Thursday night at home against Emory & Henry, looking to prove last season's 6-5 finish was a floor, not a ceiling, while West Alabama heads to Montgomery for a Sunday night showdown with Tuskegee, hoping a healthier defense can close the gap that opened up during a rocky 2025. Delta State, fresh off a 7-3 campaign and one of the league's most explosive offenses, gets things started Friday at Northeastern State. Three different storylines, three different challenges — but the same question hanging over every program in the conference: who's ready to take the next step? Buckle in. Gulf South football is back.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
Thursday, Aug. 27
Emory & Henry at No. 15 Valdosta State | Valdosta, Ga. | 7:00 PM | AUDIO | STATS | VIDEO
Valdosta State opens its 2026 season on Thursday against Emory & Henry at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium, looking to build on a 2025 campaign that saw the Blazers go 6-5 overall. The Blazers represented the Gulf South in the NCAA Division II Playoffs after averaging 29.64 points and 366.2 total yards per game on offense. Senior quarterback Jameson Holcomb returns under center after completing 129 of 211 passes for 1,539 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, giving Valdosta State a proven arm atop an attack that totaled 4,028 yards and combined for 40 touchdowns (26 rushing, 14 passing) in 2025. Anchoring the other side of the ball is junior outside linebacker Julius Pascal, who led the Blazers with 88 total tackles, including six for loss, and headlines a defense looking to open the year with a statement performance against the Wasps.
Emory & Henry is fresh off an 8-3 season a year ago, finishing third in the final SAC standings behind a potent offense that outscored opponents 430-200, an average of 39.1 points per game against just 18.2 allowed. Senior quarterback Cole Lambert returns under center after completing 56 percent of his passes for 1,568 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, giving the unit a steadying presence under center for an offense that produced 31 rushing touchdowns to go with 17 through the air. On defense, junior defensive lineman Connor Roberts headlines the returning group after racking up 41 tackles, nine for loss, and 3.5 sacks to go with two fumble recoveries in 2025, giving Emory & Henry a proven disruptor up front as it opens the season on the road against Valdosta State.
Prediction: Valdosta State
Friday, Aug. 28
Delta State at No. 23 Northeastern State | Tahlequah, Okla. | 1:00 PM | AUDIO | STATS | VIDEO
Delta State faces a tough test to start the 2026 season as the team travels to Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. A year ago, the Statesmen finished 7-3 and averaged 36.4 points per game while holding opponents to 19.9, piling up 4,114 total yards of offense (1,650 rushing, 2,464 passing) against just 3,165 allowed. Redshirt sophomore running back Nick Clark returns as the team's top rusher after carrying 130 times for 531 yards and 11 touchdowns a season ago, giving Delta State a proven ball carrier to anchor its ground game. On defense, senior defensive back Tavian Moore is the headliner after totaling 51 tackles, six for loss, an interception, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in 2025, giving the Statesmen a versatile playmaker in the secondary as they open the year on the road against the River Hawks.
Nine wins a year ago, and one of the most explosive offenses in the country, carry Northeastern State into its 2026 opener at home against Delta State — the River Hawks piled up 5,298 total yards and 483 points (40.25 per game) in 2025 while their defense held foes to just 18.5 points a contest. Senior Donnie Smith returns at quarterback after a monster season, throwing for 3,045 yards and 23 touchdowns on a 169.44 efficiency rating, and he'll again be the engine behind an attack that averaged better than 441 yards per game. The secondary is stacked too: senior Marvelous Owens is back after leading the River Hawks with seven interceptions a year ago, a ball-hawking presence that should give NSU an early edge as it looks to open the season 1-0 against the Statesmen.
Prediction: No. 23 Northeastern State
Sunday, Aug. 30
West Alabama vs Tuskegee (Red Tails Classic) | Montgomery, Ala. | 8:00 PM | AUDIO | ESPN2
Sunday’s matchup will be the 6th Annual Red Tails Classic. In 2021, ESPN Events launched an event featuring Tuskegee University with the creation of the Red Tails Classic – a college football event showcasing Historically Black Colleges and Universities – in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen who fought in World War II.
West Alabama and Tuskegee open the 2026 season together in Montgomery for the Red Tails Classic on Aug. 30, with the Tigers looking to improve on a 5-4 finish in 2025 in which they scored 306 points (34.0 per game) but gave up almost as much on the other side, allowing 269 points (29.9 per game) and 3,578 total yards. Up front, redshirt senior Exavier McDowell returns as the club's top returning pass rusher after racking up a team-high 3.0 sacks last season, giving the Tigers a proven presence to build their defensive line around. On offense, senior running back Brayden Jenkins is back after rushing for 433 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025, and he'll shoulder a bigger workload now that West Alabama's leading rusher and passer from a year ago is gone.
Tuskegee heads to Montgomery to open its season against West Alabama, looking to turn the page on a rocky 2025 that ended 4-7 with the Golden Tigers managing just 17.9 points and 289.7 total yards a game while their defense gave up 25 points and nearly 354 yards per contest. Redshirt sophomore wideout EJ Hall gives the offense a proven big-play option after leading the team with 30 catches for 681 yards and five touchdowns last season, a 22.7-yard average per grab that made him one of the SIAC's more dangerous downfield threats. On the other side, sophomore defensive back Varian Terry is back after racking up 37 tackles in his first year in Tuskegee, and he'll be asked to help steady a defense that has to replace its top three tacklers from a year ago.
Prediction: West Alabama