Revival

[Captain Canada]

Golden Flashes putting finishing touches ahead of "transformative" season

KENT, Ohio - As Kent State University flies through Spring Camp with the season on the horizon, the deeper questions approaching the 2026 season are starting to rear some answers. Some positive, some … not so much.

The insertion of new offensive coordinator Khalil Prince, replacing Clay Patterson early this year, has infused a new level of hesitant excitement on campus. His spread, quarterback-friendly offense, has pushed some of the roster players to improve as the Golden Flashes look to improve on their 5-7 record achieved last season as they look to now compete in the Mid-American Conference.

The team will only go as far as junior quarterback Dru DeShields will take them is the running analysis from pundits post-Spring camp. Not exactly the most earth-shattering diagnosis, but the quarterback fields adequate stats last season during the team’s 5-7 run under former offensive coordinator, Clay Patterson. He started in 11 games and threw for 2,030 passing yards and 18 touchdowns to only three interceptions. He added three touchdowns on the ground, but DeShields isn’t known for his legs. Though, it is worth mentioning he has been working on throwing on the run and picked up some speed through the off-season.

“Coach Prince wants me to be able to extend plays with my legs - give some of the athletes out there the opportunity to make some plays when the playcall breaks down. Being able to add that dimension to my game could be a real difference maker for us out there.” said DeShields during his post-practice press availability.

In the backfield, the team turns over a lot of their room. Out goes the likes of leading rusher Gavin Garcia (647 rushing yards, 4.4 AVG, 3 touchdowns), who opted to hop into the portal and land elsewhere while backup Jordan Nubin (253 rushing yards, 1 touchdown) disappointed after being named a Pre-season Phil Steele All-Mac Third team member and promptly returned to Minnesota via the portal as well.

Judging by the approach during spring ball, the Golden Flashes will be going with a running back committee, with former Illinois State transfer Mason King coming over for his final collegiate season. Former three-star Cincinnati commit Jakorion Caffey adds a touch of blazing speed and shiftiness to the running back room. True sophomore Desmond Baldwin and leading remaining rusher senior Donovan Delaney Jr. round out the rotation along with redshirt sophomore Ayden Harris.

The offensive weapons through the air is vast and it begins and ends with the athletic capabilities of senior Da’realyst Clark. The reigning MAC Special Teams Player of the Year is fresh off leading the nation with two kick return touchdowns. He donned the Jet Award Preseason Watch List as one of the nation’s top returners, but will need to star as a wide receiver for Kent State to compete.

“He’s walking, talking electricity and we’re going to need him to be a more well-rounded player for this offense,” said Coach Prince. “He’s up to the challenge and we’re looking forward to what he can bring to the team in this offensive scheme.”

Joining him is sophomore wide receiver Wayne Harris, the team’s returning leader in receiving yards now that Cade Wolford has transferred to Cincinnati and Da’Shawn Martin has made his way to Virginia. Ardell Banks and his 6-foot-4 frame will be instrumental in down-the-field play considering Clark (5-foot-10) and Harris (5-foot-9) aren’t the typical jump ball-winning receiver archetype. Tight end Terik Mulder returns after a decent season with 19 catches for 198 receiving yards and a score to finish out his high school career.

Sophomore tackle Tyler Meadows - a gargantuan and intimidating athlete standing at 6-foot-8, 340 pounds - is expected to anchor the Golden Flashes offensive line on the DeShields’ blind side. The team, however, is led by left guard and offensive captain Dustyn Morell. He returns for one more go-around and enters the 2026 season as a Pre-season All-MAC Second team after starting 11 games for the Golden Flashes last year. The remainder of the offensive line, namely on the right side, remains a rotating question mark of bodies looking to cement the look.

The team continues to sort out the details and figure out what their finished product will look like as Week 1 continues to roll closer and closer towards the horizon. Kent State will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks to start their season.

[Captain Canada]

Kent State Schedule Analysis

KENT, Ohio - With College football finally right around the corner, it is time to take a look at Kent State's upcoming season schedule to see how the Golden Flashes can build off their 5-7 "successful" season last year as they look to contend in the Mid-American Conference under head coach Mark Carney. The Golden Flashes may start the season with two giant tests, but do they have enough pieces available to return a MAC Championship back to Kent for the first time since 1972?

The hardest game of the year comes undoubtedly in Week 3 when the Golden Flashes travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the top-ranked school in the nation in Ohio State. Quarterback Julian Sayin is a Heisman-caliber quarterback, their defense is thunderous, and they have arguably the best football player in college football in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. That one ... might get ugly.

But things might get a bit easier in their first real MAC conference test when they take on Ohio University in Week 5, who finished 9-4 last season and are just a season removed from a dominant performance over Miami to win the MAC championship. The team has a trio of strong defenders in true freshman outside linebacker Charlie Christopher, junior safety DJ Walker, captain and senior linebacker Michael Molnar.

The team will be extra motivated when they travel down to Tampa, Florida to take on South Florida two weeks later. Notably, new offensive coordinator Khalil Prince formerly coached down in Tampa for the Bulls and though he has been the ultimate professional, had a smirk printed on his face when posed the question on how he would prepare to coach against his old team. Being able to represent a coach the offense has reportedly bought into early will be a sight to see for a promising Golden Flashes team.

The season will be considered a success if the Golden Flashes retain the Wagon Wheel in their rivalry matchup against Akron in Week 8 and come off their bye and snag a rivalry week victory on the road against Bowling Green. Ideally, KSU wants to be challenging for a MAC championship by the end of the season, but two tough games against SEC member South Carolina and the Buckeyes in their first three games is tough. Not to mention having reigning MAC champions Western Michigan and runners-up Miami University on the schedule as well. A bowl game would be nice, wouldn't it?

Week	Opponent	Last Year
0	OFF	--
1	at South Carolina	(4-8, 1-7)
2	vs Wofford College	(6-6, 5-3)
3	at Ohio State	(12-2, 9-0)
4	vs Ball State	(4-8, 3-5)
5	vs Ohio	(9-4, 6-2)
6	at Western Michigan	(10-4, 7-1)
7	at South Florida	(9-4, 6-2)
8	vs Akron	(5-7, 4-4)
9	at Sacramento State	(7-5, 5-3)
10	OFF	--
11	at Bowling Green	(4-8, 2-6)
12	vs Miami (OH)	(7-7, 6-2)
13	at Eastern Michigan	(4-8, 3-5)
14	OFF	--

[The JZA]

Ugly start to be expected with Ohio State & South Carolina jumping out early, but should be smooth sailings afterwards.

[Soapy]

Tougher schedule than I anticipated but I think you guys can get around 8 wins

[redsox907]

Ohio State in W3 is going to be pornographic. Bring some Vaseline

depending on how the defense plays, 8 wins is doable in the MAC

[Captain Canada]

Ugly start to be expected with Ohio State & South Carolina jumping out early, but should be smooth sailings afterwards.

Tougher schedule than I anticipated but I think you guys can get around 8 wins

Ohio State in W3 is going to be pornographic. Bring some Vaseline

depending on how the defense plays, 8 wins is doable in the MAC

Y'all do know this was a team that - before last season - won one game in two years, right?

We gon' be fighting for our lives out here

[Captain Canada]

(0-0, 0-0 MAC) @(0-0, 0-0 SEC)

Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026
7:00 PM
Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, SC)
SEC Network

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Fanduel Odds

Kent State Golden Flashes +34.5 (-108) | o.51.5 (-115) | +3500 ML
South Carolina Gamecocks -34.5 (-112) | u51.5 (-105) | -20000 ML

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Injuries
None

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Players To Watch


Bill Connelly, ESPN: The easy picks are clearly the elite trio from South Carolina. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers had Heisman hype going into last season, and despite a disappointing 4-8 record for the Gamecocks, comes back as one of the more interesting players in College football. He returned to school to improve his NFL portfolio and has top flight wide receiver Nyck Harbor around as an elite threat. Junior edge rusher Dylan Stewart is one of the most highly-touted players in the nation and is looking to start his pre-draft campaign off with a bang.

On the other side, wide receivers Da'realyst Clark and Wayne Harris separate themselves as the standout threats for Kent State. Not far behind them is Ardell Banks. All three are top-flight receivers perfectly capable of taking the top off of a defense and will leave a South Carolina defense that had a few decent showings last year with their hands full.

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Last Season Results

Week	Opponent	Results	Week	Opponent	Results
0	OFF	--	0	OFF	--
1	cs	W 21-17	1	vs Virginia Tech	W 24-11
2	at #24 Texas Tech	L 62-14	2	vs S. Carolina St.	W 38-10
3	vs Buffalo	L 31-28	3	vs Vanderbilt	L 31-7
4	at #7 Florida State	L 66-10	4	at #23 Missouri	L 29-20
5	BYE	--	5	vs Kentucky	W 35-13
6	at #5 Oklahoma	L 44-0	6	BYE	--
7	vs UMass	W 42-6	7	at #11 LSU	L 20-10
8	at Toledo	L 45-10	8	vs #14 Oklahoma	L 26-7
9	vs Bowling Green	W 24-21	9	vs #4 Alabama	L 29-22
10	at Ball State	L 17-13	10	at #7 Ole Miss	L 30-14
11	at Akron	W 42-35 OT	11	BYE	--
12	vs Central Michigan	L 28-16	12	at #3 Texas A&M	L 31-30
13	at Northern Illinois	W 35-31	13	vs Coastal Carolina	W 51-7
14	BYE	--	14	vs Clemson	L 28-14

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Experts Evaluations


Tom Fornelli, Writer: "Though Kent State has some impressive weapons and Dru DeShields seems solid after finally getting healthy after THREE ACL surgeries, South Carolina is going to take it to them. Can't envision this one being close."


Richard Johnson, Writer: "I'm not going to be so bold as to think the Golden Flashes have any sort of shot here, but picking Kent State to cover isn't the most wild pick of the Week 1 slate. Coach Khalil Prince's offensive philosophy is 'slow and methodical'. If that KSU defense shows any resolve, they might be able to avoid a blow-out here."


Chris Hummer, 247Sports Writer: "This is basically a transfer portal try out for some of Kent State's more talented underclassmen. Dylan Stewart and LaNorris Sellers might make this one R-rated.

[redsox907]

:damn:

you cooking with the preview.

make sure you bring the donut pillow

[YaBoyRobRoy]

sexy preview, this is probably one where you just hope everyone stays healthy, good luck!

[Soapy]

hide ya kids