In an era of bizarre, geographically-inconvenient superconferences and the loss of regional rivalries, the Sun Belt Conference remains true to the roots of college football. It’s the only FBS league that still consists of divisions. The geography makes sense. Historic rivalries remain, while new ones develop. And the quality of football is only improving.
The Sun Belt drew headlines in 2025 for producing its first-ever College Football Playoff participant, as conference champion James Madison crashed
the field as the No. 12 seed. With more eyes on the Sun Belt than ever, the league looks forward to its follow-up act in 2026, although there is one significant change — Louisiana Tech replaces Texas State.
There’s no shortage of storylines in the Sun Belt West Division. Arkansas State enters with the best retention, Louisiana is ready to serve Lunch, Louisiana Tech is the new kid in class, South Alabama eyes a return to bowl eligibility, Southern Miss enters the Blake Anderson era, Troy begins its division title defense, and ULM hopes its decade-plus bowl drought finally ends.
Here is a team-by-team glance at all seven teams in the division for the 2026 season:
Arkansas State Red Wolves
2025 record: 7-6 overall, 5-3 Sun Belt
2025 postseason: defeated Missouri State in Xbox Bowl, 34-28
Arkansas State’s advantage over the rest of the Sun Belt is continuity. The Red Wolves rank atop the Sun Belt with 10 returning starters. And returning talent will be a strength for an Arkansas State team which won six of its final eight games in 2025, including a second-straight bowl victory under head coach Butch Jones. The Red Wolves were excruciatingly close to the Sun Belt Championship Game, dropping November games to Southern Miss and Louisiana within striking distance of the end zone on the final play. Just securing one of those wins would have changed the team’s fortune.
But those Southern Miss and Louisiana losses were a microcosm of the entire 2025 season — there was a lack of separation in almost every Arkansas State game last fall. Of the Red Wolves’ 13 contests, eight were decided by one score and each of the final 11 were decided by fewer than 14 points. That’s why returning an effective, experienced kicker like Clune Van Andel is such an asset to the team this season.
Despite a strong contingent of experience returning, quarterback is one position Arkansas State must figure out. Jaylen Raynor transferred to Iowa State, and the favorite to inherit the job is Texas transfer Trey Owens, a former 4-star recruit who threw four passes as a Longhorn. Vanderbilt Drew Dickey also joins the room, reuniting with new offensive coordinator hire Garrett Altman, who served as the Commodores’ quarterbacks coach in 2025.
Otherwise, the Red Wolves’ offense, which ranked second in the Sun Belt in passing last year, starts off in good shape. Four starting linemen are back. The two leading rushers, Devin Spencer and Kenyon Clay, remain the team’s running back duo. And although all-time leading receiver Corey Rucker is gone, Chauncy Cobb, Hunter Summers, and Jaylen Bonelli remain in Jonesboro. Cobb is an especially intriguing watch, producing 797 receiving yards and two kick return touchdowns in a breakout 2025.
All three starters back on defense reside in the secondary which is led by safeties AG McGhee and Brandon Barnes. Arkansas State didn’t exactly field an elite defense last year, but the Red Wolves were strong in the pass rush as one of nine programs generating at least three sacks per game. Middle Tennessee transfer defensive tackle Shakai Woods and a slew of FCS transfers will be responsible in maintaining that standard.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
2025 record: 6-7 overall, 5-3 Sun Belt
2025 postseason: lost to Delaware in 68 Ventures Bowl, 20-13
Many of Michael Desormeaux’s seasons at Louisiana have felt strikingly similar. The head coach has finished 6-7 three times, sprinkling in a 10-4 Sun Belt runner-up finish in 2024. The positive for the Ragin’ Cajuns is they don’t bottom out. They own an impressive 8-year bowl streak, but they’ve lost all five postseason matchups since 2022 — four bowls and a Sun Belt title game. In year five, Desormeaux eyes a reversion to the team’s late 2010s/early 2020s standard.
The good news for Louisiana is it found a quarterback. Lunch Winfield accounted for five touchdowns off the bench in the Cajuns’ 54-51 double-overtime comeback vs. Marshall in late September, and the offense took a turn for the better afterward. Winfield fired for 1,555 passing yards and showcased his mobility to the tune of 667 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He particularly gained a rhythm in November, and Louisiana went 4-0 that month to complete the transformation from 2-6 to bowl eligible.
Including Winfield, the Cajuns retain seven primary starters on offense. Shelton Sampson should be one of the top receivers in the Sun Belt this season after a 537-yard campaign where he accounted for half of Louisiana’s receiving touchdowns. Both components of the Elijah Davis and Zylan Perry running back duo are gone, but the team brings back three starting linemen and two starting tight ends which paved the way for the nation’s 31st-ranked rushing attack.
The defense lost nine starters including NFL Draft selection Jaden Dugger, and the lineup only returns defensive tackle Fitzgerald West and All-Sun Belt honorable mention cornerback Brent Gordon Jr. Gordon will be one of the top defensive backs in the Sun Belt after a stellar 2025 which featured 62 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and an interception.
However, there aren’t many portal players to keep an eye on. Louisiana only brought in five transfers this offseason and could realistically field a team of 22 starters that were on the roster last year — which is unprecedented in today’s climate for non-service academies.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
2025 record: 8-5 overall, 5-3 Conference USA
2025 postseason: defeated Coastal Carolina in Independence Bowl, 23-14
Welcome to the Sun Belt, Louisiana Tech! The Bulldogs replace Texas State as the Sun Belt’s 14th member, and it’s a move that makes regional sense. Louisiana Tech will establish in-state conference rivalries with Louisiana (Oct. 10) and ULM (Oct. 17), while making the geography of the league even more convenient.
Louisiana Tech took four years to generate a winning record under head coach Sonny Cumbie, but the Bulldogs finally broke through in their swan song Conference USA season. They finished 8-5 with an Independence Bowl victory over Coastal Carolina and could have hit 10 victories if not for a pair of heartbreaking 1-point defeats in conference play.
The Bulldogs enter the Sun Belt equipped with an established starting quarterback in Blake Baker. Baker started seven games last season before tearing his ACL, but the redshirt junior is expected to return in time for the Week 1 opener. His game offers versatility, throwing for as many as 340 yards and rushing for as many as 103 during the prior year campaign. Trey Kukuk is also one of the most valuable backups in the conference, posting 609 rushing yards on the season while leading Louisiana Tech to Independence Bowl glory.
Louisiana Tech’s most valuable skill position player isn’t a wide receiver or running back. Rather, tight end Eli Finley enters 2026 as one of the best in the nation at his position. He led the Bulldogs with 444 receiving yards last season but surprisingly didn’t log a single touchdown — the team only produced eight passing touchdowns total in 2025, which is an area for improvement. There aren’t too many transfers on offense, but star NAIA running back Jaden Miller, Oklahoma State transfer receiver Talyn Shettron, and Eastern Kentucky transfer receiver Marcus Calwise Jr. may be some of the other key weapons alongside Finley.
Defense was the strength of the 2025 Bulldogs, which allowed just 20.8 points per game. Five opponents scored 14 or fewer, and only one team broke 30 points on Louisiana Tech (Kennesaw State scored 35). One welcome presence in the room is outside linebacker Kolbe Fields. The 2025 Preseason CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, Fields suffered a season-ending injury after producing 39 tackles, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, and a defensive touchdown in just five games.
South Alabama Jaguars
2025 record: 4-8 overall, 3-5 Sun Belt
2025 postseason: did not qualify
From 2022-24, South Alabama produced its first three winning seasons since joining the FBS ranks in 2012. However, the Jaguars couldn’t sustain the newfound success for a fourth-straight year, nosediving to 4-8 last season. South Alabama often looked better than its record implied, providing quality competition to the likes of Tulane and North Texas during its 1-6 start, but those close-calls didn’t translate into wins during Sun Belt play.
Bishop Davenport remains the starting quarterback for a second-straight year, and his first go-around was respectable. He completed an efficient 68.0 percent of passes for 2,073 yards, contributing 12 touchdowns to six interceptions. But the Jaguars didn’t air it out like they did under head coach Major Applewhite in 2024, falling from 69th to 121st in passing attempts per game.
That being said, the bread and butter of the Jaguars’ offense was the run game, and they’ve reloaded well at running back throughout the entire 2020s. Kentrel Bullock leaves, but Keenan Phillips and PJ Martin should be equipped to lead the room after generating 605 and 326 rushing yards, respectively, in 2025. However, the run game experiences significant offensive line turnover. Right tackle Ethan Hubbard is the only returning starter from a unit which ranked 18th in rushing yards per game last fall.
Under Kane Wommack, South Alabama was more of a defensive-driven team. Now it’s more offensive-driven. An improved defense could have brought the Jaguars to bowl eligibility last year, but they ranked 110th in scoring defense, 103 in run defense, and tied for the fourth fewest sacks per game in the FBS.
South Alabama will rely on some FCS transfers to reinvigorate the pass rush, bringing in edge rushers Christian Ross (Holy Cross) and Dylan Chiedo (Furman), alongside defensive tackle Mase Lewis (McNeese). Other impact transfers to watch on this revamped defense include former ULM starting inside linebacker Seidrion Langston, Utah cornerback Jaylen Moson, and Georgia Tech strong safety DJ Moore.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
2025 record: 7-6 overall, 5-3 Sun Belt
2025 postseason: lost to WKU in New Orleans Bowl, 27-16
Southern Miss returns the least amount of production in the Sun Belt. The Golden Eagles enter 2026 with one of the most unrecognizable rosters in the country compared to last year, with center Broderick Roman as the lone returning starter. What Southern Miss yearns for is stability. Head coach Will Hall was fired in 2024. Then Charles Huff revived the program from 1-11 to 7-6 before leaving for Memphis and taking four assistant coaches and 17 players with him.
Thus, Blake Anderson will be the program’s third full-time head coach in a three-year span. The former Arkansas State and Utah State head coach spent last season as Huff’s offensive coordinator, nearly doubling the Golden Eagles’ scoring output from 15.3 to 28.8 points per game, year over year. Last year’s roster featured many moving pieces, but Southern Miss takes roster turnover to an extreme this year, and Anderson must find ways to succeed with the cards he’s been dealt.
There’s a three-way quarterback competition in fall camp between Ethan Hampton, Landry Lyddy, and John White. All three have varying levels of in-game FBS experience, but Hampton has the overall edge. Hampton started 14 games at Northern Illinois, earning his first nod as far back as 2021. He briefly transferred to back up Luke Altmyer at Illinois in 2025 but arrives in Hattiesburg with 2,595 passing yards and 21 touchdowns to his name.
Southern Miss’ roster is a melting pot of transfers across the country, and the team will be tasked with finding its top playmakers from the bunch. Running back features several intriguing options including 2025 UMass leading rusher Brandon Hood, Lousiville redshirt freshman transfer Jamarice Wilder, and returning backup Robert Briggs who posted 304 rushing yards with the Golden Eagles last season. Meanwhile, the receiving corps highlights Big Ten transfers Mario Sanders (Illinois) and Kaden Saunders (Penn State) who are looking for expanded opportunities.
Joe Bolden takes on the defensive coordinator role after spending last year as special teams coordiantor. Similar to the offense, there are a horde of transfers looking to prove themselves in Hattiesburg. Among them is defensive end Jeffery Rush Jr. (Ole Miss) and strong safety Laquon Robinson (Kansas). Another notable add is defensive tackle Xavier McIver, 6’0”, 305-pound seventh-year senior from East Carolina who could dominate Sun Belt offensive lines.
Troy Trojans
2025 record: 8-6 overall, 6-2 Sun Belt
2025 postseason: lost to James Madison in Sun Belt Championship, 29-10; lost to Jacksonville State in Salute to Veterans Bowl, 17-13
Troy earned status as the Sun Belt West favorite in the preseason coaches poll. The top of the Sun Belt West is a familiar place for the Trojans which won the division in 2022, 2023, and 2025. It only took two seasons for Gerad Parker to recapture the standard set by Jon Sumrall’s staff at Troy, and the Trojans gave their all to James Madison in that Sun Belt Championship Game — hanging as close as three points with under five minutes to go.
The Trojans have the continuity to get back to the Sun Belt Championship Game. They retain both quarterbacks Goose Crowder and Tucker Kilcrease, who each provided seven starts during last year’s bounceback campaign. Secondary running back Jordan Lovett and three starters on the offensive line are also back. However, Troy needs more than just continuity on that side of the ball. The offense ranked 95th in scoring (23.5 points per game), 123rd in yardage, and was one of seven units to average under 100 rushing yards per game.
Defense was what led the Trojans to the conference title game in 2025. Only three opponents broke 30 points on Troy, and the team ranked 12th nationally in sacks, 16th in tackles for loss, and 9th in preventing touchdowns in the red zone. One reason for these lofty statistics is First Team All-Sun Belt defensive end Donnie Smith. Named the Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, the 6’4”, 230-pound JUCO product registered 11.0 sacks last year to lead the conference, along with 44 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss.
Smith isn’t the only established star on the roster. Evan Crenshaw was heralded as the Sun Belt Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year after being named one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award. He averaged 45.7 yards per punt and positioned 29 of his 68 attempts within opponents’ 20-yard line. Crenshaw’s abilities allow Troy to succeed through complementary football, and he played a major role in clinching a Sun Belt title game spot.
Even with the quarterbacks, Smith, Crenshaw, and others back, Troy still features a slew of transfers in potential starting spots. Second Team All-MAC offensive tackle Jordon Jones (Ohio) and former 4-star defensive end recruit Kavion Henderson (Arkansas) are among the most anticipated prospects Parker’s staff landed this offseason.
ULM Warhawks
2025 record: 3-9 overall, 1-7 Sun Belt
2025 postseason: did not qualify
Only UMass owns a longer postseason drought than Louisiana-Monroe, which has waited since 2012 to participate in its most recent (and only) bowl game. ULM has cycled through seven-straight losing seasons since it last hit six wins in 2018.
The 2024 season — head coach Bryant Vincent’s first at the helm — appeared to be one of great promise, but it was just a cruel tease. The Warhawks started 5-1 with a shellacking of Vincent’s former program UAB and wins over James Madison and Troy. However, they dropped six consecutive matchups to conclude the year without a bowl appearance, including two one-score defeats. 2025 was a condensed version of the same story. ULM started 3-1 with a quality 12-point win over Arkansas State but fell victim to eight-straight losses to conclude the year.
What advantages can the long-suffering Warhawks find for Vincent’s third season at the helm? One plus is experience at quarterback. ULM is the only Sun Belt team entering 2026 with a third-year starter. Aidan Armenta logged eight starts in 2024 and 11 in 2025, and he showed significant improvement from his first season to his second season as QB1. His completion percentage increased from 54.7 to 58.5 and his touchdown to interception ratio escalated from 9-to-10 to 12-to-8.
ULM is no stranger to housing running back talent, serving as the home for Ahmad Hardy before he became a consensus All-American at Missouri. Rather than a developmental project at tailback, the Warhawks are taking on a reclamation project in Don Chaney Jr., who showed promise at Miami (FL) (2020-23) and Louisville (2024) before spending the 2025 season unrostered. Chaney has 1,030 career rushing yards and could be a game-changer in the backfield.
The defense returns its top two tacklers from 2025. Outside linebacker Noah Flemmings contributed 80 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one touchdown as a Third Team All-Sun Belt selection. Meanwhile, safety Jabari Tiller added 45 tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss. The defense had its moments in 2025, but it will need more prosperous takeaway numbers to take the next step. After only generating nine takeaways, ULM finished a -10 in the turnover battle last season.
Also see: 2026 Sun Belt East Division preview
