JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - As the 2026 FCS season hits its midway point, the United Athletic Conference is making waves nationwide behind explosive offenses and standout individual performances.With teams and players that have made themselves ones to look out for, the UAC is just getting started.
Having at least two teams in the Top-25 Weekly Polls all season, the UAC has established itself as one of the premier FCS conferences. All eight have received votes during the season while Austin Peay, Tarleton State and West Florida have been staples in the polls.
Pacing the country with 509.7 yards per game, Tarleton State stands as one of just four undefeated teams remaining in FCS football. Ranking as the top offense in the country, the Texans are putting up an average of 7.78 yards per play while climbing the polls up to No. 2 this week.
Senior signal-caller Kaden Anderson anchors that top-ranked offense, leading the conference with over 282 passing yards per game and 15 passing touchdowns through the team’s first six games. The senior is averaging 295.33 yards of total offense per game, ranking him in the top-10 in FCS.
While Tarleton State commands attention in Stephenville, conference rival Austin Peay is generating plenty of excitement of its own through a high-powered aerial attack. One of the most dangerous offenses in the air, the Govs have climbed up to a No. 12 ranking in the most recent Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll. Austin Peay currently ranks second in passing yards per completion (16.51) and third in the country in team passing efficiency (172.26).
Led by quarterback Chris Parson, who ranks second in FCS with a 180.85 passing efficiency and 16.77 passing yards per completion, leads all UAC quarterbacks in scoring (38 points) and total offensive yards (1,898). Parson is also the only UAC quarterback in the top-10 in the country in points responsible for (110).
A freshman making a name for himself this season is Austin Peay’s Denver Harper. The wide receiver/kick returner is the top freshman in the conference with all-purpose yards in a single game this season (227 vs. New Haven) and is tied with Johnson with three 100+ receiving yard performances this year. Harper is one of just four freshmen ranked in the top-25 in FCS in all-purpose yards and is the leading scorer for the UAC this season with 8.57 points scored per game.
An aggressive defense has led North Alabama to four wins this season and ranking in the top-5 FCS in team sacks per game (3.17) and team tackles for loss (8.7). The Lions defensive line has continued to disrupt opponents offensive schemes, allowing a conference-low 103.7 rushing yards per game this season. Avery Howard currently leads the UAC with a conference-best three sacks in a single game while averaging just over one sack per game this season.
On the offensive side of the ball, North Alabama’s Xavier Johnson has broken out as one of the top freshman receivers in the country as he currently ranks fifth in the country in receiving yards (606) and receiving yards per game (101.0). The redshirt freshman leads the conference in yards, yards per game, yards per reception and all-purpose yards (703) and is one of just four freshmen ranked in the top-25 in FCS in all-purpose yards.
West Florida has been the FCS story of the season; tabbed as the Stats Perform FCS Team of the Week in Week Zero, the Argonauts stunned the football community with back-to-back top-25 wins to start their Division I debut. UWF took a 34-31 win over No. 16 Southern Illinois in the team’s season-opener while cruising to a 42-14 victory over No. 24 Central Arkansas the following week for the program’s first UAC win.
A bounce-back from the start of the season, Abilene Christian has won three of its last four games and sits atop the UAC with two conference wins. The Wildcats have leaned heavily on their defense, holding UAC opponents to just 10.5 points per game and an impressive 0.273 percent on third down conversions.
To add even more proof that the UAC is a premier conference, it was announced that 11 players at eight different positions were named to the Phil Steele FCS Mid-Season All-America Teams while Joshua Sales Jr. from Austin Peay was named as the FCS Mid-Season Offensive Lineman of the Year.
FCS Mid-Season Offensive Lineman of the Year: Joshua Sales Jr., OT, Austin Peay
First Team
Joshua Sales Jr., OL, Austin Peay
Denver Harper, PR, Austin Peay
Second Team
Kaden Anderson, QB, Tarleton State
Avery Howard, DL, North Alabama
Ashtyn Williams, LB, Central Arkansas
Third Team
Marquis Willis, WR, Tarleton State
Kaleb Brown, LB, Tarleton State
Avian Rice, DB, Tarleton State
Dillon Williams, DB, Abilene Christian
Denver Harper, AP, Austin Peay
Fourth Team
Xavier Johnson, WR, North Alabama
Kelton Crisp, DL, Austin Peay
Requests for interviews should be directed to:
Claire Johnson, Senior Director, Strategic Communications & Content
Unisun Sports // claire.johnson@unisunsports.com
About the United Athletic Conference
The United Athletic Conference (UAC) was established in 2023 as a single-sport football conference through a partnership between the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and the former Western Athletic Conference. In 2026, the ASUN and UAC formed Unisun Sports to further strengthen the conference, which now features eight football-playing member institutions: Abilene Christian University (Abilene, Texas), Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tenn.), the University of Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Ky.), the University of North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), Tarleton State University (Stephenville, Texas), the University of West Georgia (Carrollton, Ga.) and the University of West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.).