UT Martin and returning rusher leader Tommy Ansley were predicted to win their fifth Ohio Valley Conference title in the last six years Friday in Nashville. (Photo by UTMsports.com)
By Barry Bottino
Being atop the Ohio Valley Conference football standings is a familiar place for UT Martin and veteran head coach Jason Simpson.
But this season, in which the Skyhawks welcome more than 50 new players to the roster, being predicted to win the OVC and garnering six of the eight first-place votes in the league’s preseason poll came as a surprise.
“I saw that we were picked first. How do you know that?” Simpson said at OVC media day Friday in Nashville. “We’ve got 53 new guys. I used to be able to sit in this chair and tell you the schools that I knew were going to have a good team. That’s gone now.”
Martin has won four of the last five league championships.
In the era of the transfer portal, with dozens of rosters spots changing throughout the country, Martin’s transfer class includes 11 defensive backs and eight linebackers and defensive linemen. Six transfers arrived from FBS programs.
“We’re the type of defense that can be relentless,” returning defensive tackle Broderick Tommie said.
Offensively, the team added seven wide receivers and two quarterbacks.
Last season’s leading rusher, Tommy Ansley (565 yards, two touchdowns), said the Skyhawks will be productive at a number of offensive positions.
“We’re not going to be reliant on one guy,” Ansley said. “One game it might be one guy, and the next game it might be somebody totally different that you’ve never heard of. That’s going to be our superpower this year.”
Prairie State Pigskin published stories Friday on Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois from their appearances in Nashville. Here are reports from other OVC programs:
SEMO seeks a rebound
Eight defeats a season ago left Southeast Missouri bruised and battered, which led to a change this off-season for the Redhawks.
“Depth is something we’ve really tried to prioritize,” SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz said. “We had a lot of injuries the last two years.”
The results last fall led to only the third losing season since 2018 for the Redhawks. Last week, SEMO was predicted to finish second in the OVC poll and even garnered a first-place vote.
“Last year wasn’t a great year for us,” said wide receiver Jobe Bryant, a sophomore who had 18 catches last season. “We want to respond and have a lot better year.”
The ground game and secondary on offense and defense, respectively, will be important areas to watch.
“The biggest area where we are going to improve is to run the football,” said Matukewicz, whose team rushed for barely over 1,000 yards in 2025 and averaged 2.7 yards a carry.
Outside linebacker McCoy Casey expressed confidence in the defensive backfield. “Our secondary is going to be where we see the most improvement,” he said. “We’ve always had DBs, but not the depth at DB. We can rotate through (our reserves) and be alright.”
Lindenwood climbs ranks
After its first winning season in OVC play last season at 5-3 (6-6 overall), Lindenwood was picked to finish third in the league and earned a first-place vote.
The Lions, however, battled consistency last fall, said linebacker Jacob Waller.
“In the past, we’ve struggled playing four quarters,” he said. “Starting off strong will be our biggest challenge.”
That was especially true in the third quarter, where the Lions were outscored, 93-68 in 2025.
Running back is a strength, thanks to returnees Steve Hall and Jared Rhodes, who combined for 15 TDs and nearly 1,300 yards last season.
“We have so many weapons,” Hall said. “Defenses won’t know who to stop on that day.”
Quarterback is a big question mark as four players – including Campbell transfer Jed West and sophomore returnees Pops Battle and Hoyt Gregory – compete for the job. Battle has the most experience, completing one pass in four appearances last season.
G-W offense leads the way
After a 7-5 season a year ago that included an upset win against No. 18 Western Carolina to start the season, Gardner-Webb is predicted to finish fourth in the OVC.
Surpassing that spot will depend on a team that comes together quickly. In February, new head coach Kris McCullough’s program announced the addition of 39 recruits, including 31 from the transfer portal.
Five of the transfers are from McCullough’s former school, Division II University of Texas Permian Basin.
“We are an older bunch with a lot of transfers,” McCullough said. “These guys have a ton of experience, but they don’t have a lot of experience together.”
Senior quarterback Cole Pennington, who threw for 1,601 yards and seven TDs while splitting playing time last season, is back along with Carson Gresock, who rushed for 14 touchdowns and nearly 800 yards. This month, Gresock was named to the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list.
“We have a very balanced offense,” Pennington said. “We can attack defenses from all different angles.”
Getting defensive at CSU
Charleston Southern, which was predicted to finish fifth, boasts a productive linebacker group led by senior Steve Zayachkowsky, who piled up a league-leading 109 tackles last season.
This month, he was named to the Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list for the honor given to the best defensive player in FCS. Zayachkowsky sees his position group as a plus, with six players who earned playing time last season.
“The biggest strength of our defense is experience,” he said. “I see us as emerging. We’re going to shock some people, for sure.”
Junior Taivon Snipe, who is taking on a bigger role this season, is encouraged to play alongside Zayachkowsky. “When I look to my right and see Steve, that obviously gives you a lot of confidence,” he said.
Head coach Gabe Giardina said he expects the conference race to be defined by parity.
“We’ve been in eight one-score games the last two seasons,” he said. “Those are characteristics of any team across the league.”
Time on TSU’s side?
Tennessee State head coach Reggie Barlow was hired last April, giving the coaching staff four months to prepare for the season.
This year, there’s one big plus for the Tigers, who were 2-10 last season and picked last in the OVC poll.
“Time,” Barlow said. “We didn’t have a chance to have an off-season last year.”
That time could be a major benefit for the offense, which scored 16 points or fewer in seven games last fall.
“It gave us some trust on and off the field,” running back Zack Simmons-Brown said.
Linebacker Sammy Taylor added: “We’ve had a winter, a spring and a summer together. That makes me confident in what we have going on.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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