Over the next six weeks — every Tuesday and Thursday through late June — I’ll have a first look opponent preview for each of WVU’s 12 regular season opponents. I’ve been digging through spring game footage, press conferences, and whatever else I could find to get a real idea of who these teams are right now, before depth charts get shuffled in August and everything changes anyway.
Here’s our first look at the Mountaineers’ second opponent of the season, UT Martin.
Game Vitals
When: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Virginia
Series Record: This will be the first meeting between West Virginia and UT Martin.
2025 Record: 6-6 (6-2 OVC)
Head Coach: Jason Simpson (21st season)
Preview
Jason Simpson has been at UT Martin for 21 years and has won four Ohio Valley Conference championships in the last five seasons. At the FCS level, the Skyhawks are a legitimately good program. Last season, UT Martin opened at Oklahoma State and lost 27-7 — and that Oklahoma State team went on to finish 1-11. All six of UT Martin’s wins came against OVC opponents. They’re built to beat OVC teams, and they do it well.
The offseason brought a lot of turnover to the program. Keyshawn Johnson, the Skyhawks’ best defensive player and a 2025 AP FCS All-American, transferred to Syracuse. Simpson signed 47 new faces to fill the gaps, including Jamauri Brice — the nephew of former NFL All-Pro Vic Beasley — who redshirted at Georgia Tech without seeing the field but was a highly coveted recruit coming out of high school and gives UT Martin a legitimate weapon at receiver if he can translate that talent to the college game.
The quarterback situation is unsettled. Julian Calvez has never started a college game. He spent time at Grambling State before transferring to UT Martin, where he played backup to Jase Bauer last season. Calvez finished 15-of-22 for 104 yards and a touchdown in limited action. The spring game was the first real extended look at him as a starter, and he made the most of it, going 8-of-14 for 97 yards and two scores. Freshman Tate Surber pushed him, showing the most comfort throwing the ball down the field. The job looks like it’s Calvez’s to lose, but it’s not locked up.
The running back room was the brightest spot for the offense in the spring game. Boise State transfer Greg Ard led the spring game with 14 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. Chris Franklin and Tommy Ansley both flashed alongside him, and it looks like the Skyhawks’ backfield might be the most ready-to-go unit on the roster when September arrives.
Defensively, newcomer Brylan Jordan was the standout of the spring game, finishing with 13 tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss. He transferred in from Bethel, a small NAIA school about 45 minutes down the road in McKenzie, Tennessee, where he finished with 65 tackles and earned All Mid-South Conference honors in 2025. It’s a significant jump from NAIA to FCS, but Jordan looked like he belongs and gives the Skyhawks something to build around.
Way Too Early Prediction
This is a program that got beaten by 20 by a historically bad Oklahoma State team that won one game all year. Jason Simpson will have his guys ready and they won’t roll over, but the talent gap will just be too much for the Skyhawks to hang in there.
West Virginia 52, UT Martin 7
.redcircle-link:link { color: #ea404d; text-decoration: none; } .redcircle-link:hover { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:active { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:visited { color: #ea404d; }
Powered by RedCircle Subscribe Now! Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music RSS
.redcircle-link:link { color: #ea404d; text-decoration: none; } .redcircle-link:hover { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:active { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:visited { color: #ea404d; }Powered by RedCircle
