A year after Delaware State turned a last-place projection into a contender, the question now is, who can replicate it?
In a college football era shaped by the transfer portal and quick roster rebuilds, a single offseason can change the entire look of a program.
Here are three teams that finished at or near the bottom of the standings in 2025 that might be primed to make a jump this season.
Is it finally Morgan State’s time?
Morgan State is the most natural fit in the MEAC. Though the Bears finished 4-8 last season, five of their losses were by one score. That can be looked at in one of two ways. Either Morgan State was just flat-out unlucky. Or these outcomes were indicative of a team that found ways to beat itself too often.
Under Damon Wilson, Morgan State has seemingly been an offense away from challenging for the MEAC championship.
Maybe the Bears find lightning in a bottle among a quarterback group that includes senior FBS transfer Cameron Edge, Division II signal-caller Ade Olanegan, graduate student Raeden Oliver, or one-time promising quarterback Tahj Smith.
Maybe the Bears can ride running back Jordan Barnett, who posted 1,200 yards and 17 TDs in 2025 to victory.
The MEAC schedule will be a true test to navigate, as the Bears play three of their final four regular-season games against defending HBCU national champion South Carolina State, Delaware State, and North Carolina Central. If Morgan State can survive that slate, they will deserve to win.
Alabama A&M leaps in Year 2 of Sam Shade?
Alabama A&M presents a similar case in the SWAC. The Bulldogs went 1-7 in conference play and 4-8 overall, a mark that left them behind the front-runners but not without a foundation to build on. The challenge is less about talent than execution: cleaner quarterback play, better red-zone efficiency, and a more reliable defense could push them into the middle of the division race quickly under second-year coach Sam Shade.
The Bulldogs struggled in all those areas last season. The defense was No. 11 out of 12 teams in red defense. The offense posted 23.4 points per game, good for 10th in the league. Only Mississippi Valley State and Southern — teams that won a combined two games — scored fewer.
The silver linings might be that Alabama A&M figures to have Quad Brown back under center to settle the offense, and that Shade would have (hopefully) acclimated himself and the roster (which includes three Auburn transfers and six overall from the Power Four level) to the SWAC to leap in 2026.
Southern from worst to SWAC West first?
Southern is the sneaky pick to round out the trio. The Jaguars’ 2025 season went down as simply one of the worst in its proud history.
The boldest (and most controversial) way Southern masked the bitter taste of a 2-win, SWAC West last-place finish was to hire Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as coach.
While Faulk was criticized for being yet another so-called “celebrity coach” with no experience and not doing enough to promote the Southern football brand, the ex-NFL running back has quickly made a splash on the recruiting trail.
He was able to flip three-star tight end Isaiah Pina, who had been committed to Virginia Tech. Faulk then landed quarterback Vashaun Coulon, safety Rayheinz Henry, cornerback Devin Duplessis, linebacker Roger Gradney, and edge rusher Bryson Jennings to fortify a roster that includes team-leading rusher Trey Holly.
While recruiting wins and roster overhaul aren’t guaranteed to translate into victories on the field, Faulk has laid the foundation that gives Southern a better chance in 2026.
