Edward Waters will be the team to beat in the SIAC.
The Tigers have been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the conference, and the program swept the league’s top individual honors ahead of the 2026 season.
Last season, Edward Waters showed tremendous progress despite a last-minute coaching change from Torriano Morgan to Brian Jenkins Jr.
They finished with a 5-5 overall record, including a 3-0 start to the season, highlighted by a 41-38 win over the then-reigning CIAA champion Virginia Union.
Senior running back Johntarrious Thomas was named SIAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while junior linebacker Trevon French earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
Both players are key returners for an Edward Waters program looking to build on recent momentum and assert itself as the conference’s top contender.
Thomas, a senior from Gadsden County, Florida, anchors an offense expected to be among the most productive in the league. He rushed for 717 yards and scored four TDs a year ago on 7.5 yards per carry.
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On the defensive side, French, who tallied 74 tackles and three sacks a year ago, leads a unit that figures to play a major role in the Tigers’ championship aspirations.
Edward Waters sits atop a competitive preseason poll that features several traditional SIAC powers in pursuit. The 2025 SIAC championship runner-up Benedict was picked to finish second, followed by Tuskegee in third and reigning conference champion Albany State in fourth.
Kentucky State rounds out the top five, with Allen, Miles and Fort Valley State occupying the middle of the projected standings. Savannah State and Clark Atlanta complete the top 10, while Central State, Morehouse and Lane were slotted in the final three positions.
With both the preseason player awards and the top spot in the predicted order of finish, Edward Waters enters the season with heightened expectations and a clear target on its back as the SIAC title race begins to take shape.
