Gardner-Webb football was picked to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll Thursday, one day before the Runnin’ Bulldogs take center stage at OVC Football Media Day in Nashville.
The Bulldogs received 30 points in voting by the league’s head coaches, finishing behind near unanimous favorite UT Martin, Southeast Missouri and Lindenwood.
Gardner-Webb tied with Lindenwood for third place in last year’s OVC race with a 5-3 conference mark, 7-5 overall. Defending champion Tennessee Tech went 8-0 in the OVC last year but moved to the Southern Conference heading into this season.
2026 OVC Preseason Poll
- UT Martin (6 first-place votes) – 47
- Southeast Missouri (1) – 38
- Lindenwood (1) – 37
- Gardner-Webb – 30
- Charleston Southern – 26
- Western Illinois – 23
- Eastern Illinois – 14
- Tennessee State – 9
Eleven Bulldogs Earn Preseason Recognition
Gardner-Webb placed 11 players on the OVC preseason Players to Watch lists, chosen by coaches.
Offense
- QB Cole Pennington
- RB Carson Gresock
- WR Jalile Bost
- TE Collin Carroll
- OL Will Fitzpatrick
- PK Andrew Bontekoe
Defense
- DL AJ Mebane
- LB Tre Yanez
- DB Josiah Harris
- P Aidan Bonde
- LS Jacob Mull
Pennington, Harris Will Represent Bulldogs
Quarterback Cole Pennington and defensive back Josiah Harris will represent Gardner-Webb during Friday’s OVC Football Media Day at the Hilton BNA Nashville Airport.
First-year head coach Kris McCullough will join his players in meeting with the media.
RB Carson Gresock Collecting Preseason Honors
Gardner-Webb senior running back Carson Gresock was one of 30 players nationally named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List earlier this week by Stats Perform. The award is given to the top offensive player in the FCS.
Gresock is coming off an all-conference season in 2025. He rushed for 798 yards and a team-high 14 touchdowns. This is Gresock’s second preseason honor. He also was named to the Lindy’s Sports 2026 All-FCS Team (second team).
Return to OVC Branding
The 2026 season marks the return of the conference’s football branding to simply the Ohio Valley Conference after three seasons competing either as the Big South/OVC Football Association or OVC/Big South. Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern are the last remaining schools from the old Big South football conference.
What’s Next
In the coming days, the Runnin’ Bulldogs will open fall camp and will get ready for the season opener, a Thursday night, Aug. 27 road trip to Austin Peay.
NC Football News will have additional news and notes from Friday’s OVC Football Media Day later this week. Readers also can find more Gardner-Webb football content in our Substack newsletter, Small-College Saturdays.
👉 View Gardner-Webb’s 2026 football schedule
