Barton head coach Chip Hester would describe himself as an old-school college football coach.
He’s been around D2 football in our state since the 1990s and like many of his contemporaries would prefer to follow the former ways of roster building – identify high school talent, develop guys over four years, ride juniors and seniors to wins and, hopefully, championship contention.
But Hester has decided not to fight the new landscape that has emerged the past few seasons. He’s embracing it instead.
“I’m kind of an older coach, and so I love the four-year system. I love that,” Hester said after Saturday night’s Barton spring game. “But I’ve kind of just accepted the fact that that’s not what it is. So we want to develop these young people as quickly as we can. And do the best and put together a team as best as we can.”
Barton fans got the first look at what the 2026 Bulldogs have in store on Saturday night at Truist Stadium in Wilson – a lot of new faces, but another competitive bunch ready to leave its mark in the school’s second season in Conference Carolinas.
A pipeline of talent moving up
Hester is leaning into a new timeline: recruit, develop and reload—even if players don’t stay long. That approach has produced notable results the past few seasons.
Barton has quietly become a program that develops players capable of moving to higher levels, including the professional ranks:
- WR Kameron Johnson → made the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster in 2024, 2025
- RB Jordan Terrell → Division II All-American has played in the CFL
- LB Keno Jones → Reigning Conference Carolinas Co-Defensive Player of the Year → joined the Troy Trojans, who play in the same conference as App State
- DB Savionne Rogers → Transferred to an FCS program (The Citadel)
- Edge Jalile Elliott → signed with one of the newest FBS teams, Missouri State
In today’s landscape, upward movement is more common but it still reinforces Barton’s ability to identify and prepare talent. Despite finishing 3-8 in the standings, the Bulldogs put eight players on the all-conference team in 2025, including five first-teamers.
“When it’s all said and done, it’s about trying to help young people,” Hester said. “Some folks it’ll work out great for … some others, it won’t.”
Next wave: Spring shows progress amid change
Barton’s spring game reflected both progress and transition. Hester said the Bulldogs lost 15 players to the portal but added 17 newcomers, creating a roster filled with fresh faces.
“Welcome to college football 2026,” he said.
For the final scrimmage of spring, Hester mixed starters, reserves and newcomers across both the white and blue teams rather than separate offense-defense or first string-second string. Then, across four quarters, he set both sides free to compete in a balanced, competitive format.
The scoring was low (only one offensive touchdown), but Barton showed flashes on both sides of the ball.
“I think we’ve got some talent all over the place,” Hester said. “Now it’s about, can we come together as a team?”
Key names to watch
Several players stood out during the spring, Hester said:
- Cam Estep (transfer from UNCP), Nazir Garrett and Brandon Quinn showed promise at quarterback
- Dakauri Davis and Jayden Brown helped lead the running back room
- Diverse WR group features depth and playmaking ability, including Jaylen Neal and Jaiden Lee
- Linebackers Xayvion Brady and Bryan Charles flashed defensively
Quarterback Al Lee, a former Reidsville state champion who has played in 13 games the past two seasons, missed the spring game due to injury. “Hopefully, he’ll be back in August,” Hester said.
What it means
Barton isn’t trying to hold on to players forever.
Instead, the Bulldogs are building a model that embraces movement – developing players quickly, competing now and trusting that the next group is already on the way.
In the portal era, that might be the most sustainable path forward at the small-college level. For Barton, the question is whether the Bulldogs can use this method to produce more wins on the scoreboard and against conference opponents.
The next time Barton takes the field will be Week 0 in late August with a road trip to Virginia State, one of the CIAA’s top programs. Barton’s home opener comes the following Saturday, Sept. 5 against Shaw, also of the CIAA.
Bluefield College (NAIA) and West Alabama also await on the non-conference schedule, along with league games against Chowan, UNC Pembroke, North Greenville, Erskine, Shorter and Ferrum.
Hester and company are ready for the next wave of challenges.
“There are a lot of new guys, a lot of new faces out here this spring,” the coach said after the spring game. “But I like where our team is culture-wise. They competed hard against each other tonight, and they’ve been working really hard. And I like where we are.”
👉 Read more about the 2026 Conference Carolinas football schedule, including Barton, UNC Pembroke and Chowan.
