Elon enters the 2026 football season with its highest preseason expectations since joining the Coastal Athletic Association in 2014.
The Phoenix were picked third in the CAA preseason coaches poll, released Wednesday during the opening of the league’s virtual football media day. Elon also placed six players on the preseason first-team All-CAA squad – and two more on the honorable mention list.
Defending regular season champion Rhode Island was the unanimous pick to win the conference again. Monmouth edged Elon for second place. Campbell earned its highest preseason polling as a CAA member, landing in eighth. North Carolina A&T was voted 12th out of 13 teams.
📊 2026 CAA Football Predicted Order of Finish
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches)
1. Rhode Island (12 first-place votes) 144
2. Monmouth 119
3. Elon 115
4. New Hampshire 106
5. Stony Brook (1 first-place vote) 105
6. Towson 93
7. Maine 88
8. Campbell 56
9. Bryant 50
10. Sacred Heart 49
11. UAlbany 35
12. North Carolina A&T 28
13. Hampton 26
🏈 Elon poised to contend
Elon joined the CAA in 2014 and has never been picked this high in the preseason (and they missed second place by just four points). The school’s previous best came in 2019, coach Tony Trisciani’s first at the helm, when the Phoenix were voted fourth. Elon has been picked fifth twice, in 2023 and 2018.
Part of the Phoenix’s surge up the standings can be attributed to a changing CAA landscape, which has seen traditional league heavyweights like James Madison, Delaware, Richmond, William & Mary and Villanova move to other conference destinations or other divisions (James Madison and Delaware are now FBS)
But it is also based on Elon’s consistency in the Trisciani era – conference records of .500 or better in five consecutive seasons – and the caliber of players the team brings back this year.
All six of Elon’s preseason first-team all-conference selections made the postseason conference honors list in some form a year ago:
- RB Jimmyll Williams (Elon)
- FB/HB Dylan Magazu (Elon)
- OL Tim Hogan (Elon)
- LB Brodie Carroll (Elon)
- SAF Tony Hart III (Elon)
- PK Luke Barnes (Elon)
Wide receiver Landyn Backey and defensive lineman Dillon Pardue also earned honorable mention All-CAA, giving Elon a solid eight-player contingent in the preseason spotlight.
Elon’s schedule brings the toughest conference test right out of the gate – Sept. 12 at Rhode Island. Trisciani’s team misses preseason second-place Monmouth and fifth-place Stony Brook. But the Phoenix will have to play fourth-place New Hampshire and teams 6-8 in the preseason balloting (Towson, Maine and Campbell).
Campbell Rising Up the Ranks
Campbell joined the CAA in 2023 and has been steadily climbing the preseason prediction ladder – 12th in 2023, 11th in 2024, 10th last year and now eighth. The Camels finished 2-10 a year ago during a tough-luck season in which several games got away in the fourth quarter.
Linebacker DaVonyae Pettis, who has been voted a team captain for 2026, made the All-CAA honorable mention list. The Camels return four starters total on defense and six on offense, and might be a surprise team to keep an eye on.
Preseason recognition for @DavonyaeP 🫡#FightAsONE | #RollHumps 🐪🏈 pic.twitter.com/ad8fhiM8cB — Campbell Football (@GoCamelsFB) July 22, 2026
North Carolina A&T With Something to Prove
The Aggies came into the CAA in 2023, the same year as Campbell. The proud HBCU has had a rough go of it so far, but showed promise in coach Shawn Gibbs’ debut season – including a comeback win over Campbell that included a punt return touchdown and kickoff return touchdown from preseason All-CAA specialist Elijah Kennedy.
Kennedy was first-team as a punt returner and an honorable mention selection as a kickoff returner. Veteran offensive lineman Andrew Dorsey joins Kennedy on the honorable mention list.
Congratulations to Elijah Kennedy on being named preseason All-CAA as a punt returner and earning honorable mention as a kickoff returner. 👏🏾
Shoutout to Andrew Dorsey for earning preseason All-CAA honorable mention as an offensive lineman. 💪🏾#AggiePride 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/95LKnJciBd — N.C. A&T Athletics (@NCATAGGIES) July 22, 2026
What’s Next?
The CAA held the first half of its virtual media day on Wednesday and will conclude with another session Thursday that includes Campbell, Elon and North Carolina A&T representatives.
NC Football News and our affiliate Substack newsletter, Small-College Saturdays, will have more content from CAA media days in the days ahead.
View 2026 North Carolina FCS Schedules, including the state’s three CAA teams – Campbell, Elon and North Carolina A&T.
