FAIRMONT, W. Va. - Frostburg State University, the reigning Mountain East Conference Co-Champion has been selected as the preseason favorite for the 2026 season following a vote of league head coaches.
The Bobcats finished the 2025 season 11-3, concluding at the NCAA DII Football Championship Quarterfinals. Frostburg State earned eight of the nine first place votes.
The announcement of the MEC preseason football poll precedes the Football Preseason Countdown, which begins today. The MEC will feature each of its nine football head coaches on official MEC social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube each weekday until the season opener, on August 27. A season preview interview with each MEC head coach will be shared on the aforementioned channels. The full schedule can be found below.
Frostburg State earned a ranking of 14th by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and 20th by D2football.com. The Bobcats led the MEC in scoring defense, allowing only 21.3 points per game. Additionally, Frostburg State topped the league with 27 sacks and 15 interceptions.
Frostburg State returns multiple key players, including honorable mention All-American Owen Doyle, alongside first-team all conference teammates Max Heineman, Rainer Halveland, Carter Mazalewski.
Charleston, which was picked 2nd in the preseason poll, shared the 2025 MEC Co-Championships with Frostburg State, finishing 8-3 overall with a 7-1 mark in MEC play. The Golden Eagles return first-team All MEC selections Jamarious Pegues, Nesta Owens and Caleb Barringer. The Golden Eagles finished first in the MEC in scoring offense, averaging 36.2 points per game.
Fairmont State, which was picked 3rd in the preseason poll, returns starting quarterback Nino Marzullo. He had a passing efficiency of 132.6 a season ago. Additionally, the Falcons welcome back first-team all conference kickers Emmanuel Richardson and Ethan Vargo-Thomas.
After the top three, West Virginia State was picked to finish fourth, followed by Wheeling, Glenville State, Concord, West Liberty and West Virginia Wesleyan.
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2026 MEC Football Preseason Poll
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Rank
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School (First Place Votes)
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Voting
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1.
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Frostburg State (8)
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64
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2.
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Charleston (1)
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57
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3.
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Fairmont State
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41
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4.
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West Virginia State
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39
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5.
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Wheeling
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36
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6.
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Glenville State
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32
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T-7.
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Concord
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22
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T-7.
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West Liberty
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22
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9.
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West Virginia Wesleyan
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11
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* Coaches were not permitted to vote for own team
2026 MEC Football Preseason Countdown
The MEC will preview the 2026 football season with a preseason countdown beginning on Friday, Aug. 14 via the conference’s social media channels and YouTube page. The countdown will feature an exclusive 1-on-1 interview with each of the league’s nine head coaches.
Friday, August 14 — Frostburg State’s Eric Wagoner
Monday, August 17 — Charleston’s Mike Tesch
Tuesday, August 18 — Fairmont State’s Luke Barker
Wednesday, August 19 — West Virginia State’s John Pennington
Thursday, August 20 — Wheeling’s Zac Bruney
Friday, August 21 — Glenville State’s Jake Casteel
Monday, August 24 — Concord’s Cody Edwards
Tuesday, August 25 — West Liberty’s Chad Salisbury
Wednesday, August 26 — West Virginia Wesleyan’s Mike Kellar
An archive of the 1-on-1 interviews will also be available by returning to this page from Aug. 14-26 (see below).
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