Last week, we continued our American Conference Preview series with UTSA and the conference’s parliament of Owls. This week, we’ll conclude the series with a look at East Carolina, UAB, Tulsa, and Charlotte.
Let’s go Around the American to see what’s what.
East Carolina Pirates
East Carolina is undergoing a deep rebuild on offense after the departure of QB Katin Houser, 7th-round draft pick WR Anthony Smith, and leading rusher RB London Montgomery. Miami (FL) QB Emory Williams should give the quarterback position some upside. Williams sat behind Cam Ward and Carson Beck and made two starts for the Hurricanes.
The Pirates defense returns many pieces from a stellar unit that allowed just 20 points per game in 2025. LB DJ Johnson had 66 tackles last season, while Appalachian State transfer LB Zyeir Gamble joins him after making 76 stops for the Mountaineers that same year. The defensive line should wreak havoc. D-Linemen Janiyah Robinson, Rion Roseborough, and Kendrick Dujour combined for 18.5 tackles for loss last season.
Defense has been this Pirates team’s strength for a long time. If they can again stop the run and get after the quarterback, they could win some games in 2026. However, they’ll have to take the next step on offense to truly threaten for the conference title. It feels like we’ve been saying that for a good, long time now, and with all the new pieces on that side of the ball, we’ll probably be saying that again next year, too.
Make Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Rowdy!
— ECU Football (@ECUPiratesFB) March 3, 2026
Get your season tickets today 🏴☠️ #ItTakesAllOfUshttps://t.co/rr2hK7Z7Wb pic.twitter.com/W715dSbzmb
UAB Blazers
UAB looks to capitalize on their late 2025 surge under Head Coach Alex Mortenson. QB Ryder Burton showed potential in relief of Jalen Kitna last year. He threw for 708 yards last season, including 251 in the upset win over Memphis. Highly-touted former 4-star prospects WR CJ Smith and RB Rod Robinson will join him on offense. Defensive linemen Chris Burge (32 tackles, 5 TFLs) and 2025 First-Team All-MEAC selection Blanche Gold (45 tackles, 14 tackles for loss) lead a defense mostly starting from scratch this year.
Like ECU, UAB feels like one of those teams that’s always a year away, though in UAB’s case, it’s a year away from bowl eligibility. It’s a little hard to believe that they’ll turn the corner in a competitive American Conference in 2026 behind yet another rebuilt offense, but anything is possible. One of these years, though, they’ll have to show us if they want us to keep believing.
Defensive Postcards from Scrimmage 1️⃣#WinAsOne | #NEWBlazers 🔥🐉 pic.twitter.com/WTOVcHX7WX
— UAB Football (@UAB_FB) August 16, 2026
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa has a similar build to UAB. Head Coach Tre Lamb’s team will also depend on a young quarterback that showed promise in 2025. QB Baylor Hayes threw for 2,158 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman and engineered wins over Oklahoma State and Army.
While 1,000-yard rusher Dominic Richardson is gone, Old Dominion transfer RB Trequan Jones (792 rushing yards, 7.5 yards per carry) and former 4-star recruit Damari Alston should have no issues replacing him. Hayes will also have another former 4-star recruit in WR Jimmy Calloway to target this season.
The Golden Hurricanes look poised to contend for a bowl this year. They have all the pieces, but we’ll see if they can put them together. About the only reason to be skeptical, really, is that it feels like we say that about them every year.
Friday Flicks 📸#ReignCane pic.twitter.com/c5UKQM9u1E
— Tulsa Football (@TulsaFootball) August 14, 2026
Charlotte 49ers
The Charlotte 49ers have nowhere to go but up after a miserable 1-11 campaign in Head Coach Tim Albin’s first year. Both 2025 starters, QBs Grayson Loftis and Conner Harrell, return after combining for 2152 yards and 12 touchdowns. That’s not bad, but the 49ers’ running game must improve if the team wants to contend in a more serious way in the conference. They averaged just 82 rushing yards per game last season on less than three yards per carry.
Luckily, the 49ers brought in a bunch of pieces to improve that. RB Chance Williams comes to the Queen City with an 878-yard season at Grambling under his belt back in 2023. Offensive lineman Mathias Nielsen should also make an immediate impact after earning All-Conference honors three times and blocking for two 2,000-yard rushers at Virginia Union.
Linebacker Kadin Schmitz (66 tackles) and cornerback CJ Clinkscales Jr. should improve a defense that allowed 36 points per game. Still, that’s a defense that needs a lot of improvement.
𝟰𝟵 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗳𝗳 ⛏️
— Charlotte Football (@CharlotteFTBL) July 18, 2026
Football season is almost here ⏳
Youth tickets are just $5 vs The Citadel 🎟️
🔗 » https://t.co/j9dpttHii5 pic.twitter.com/tUeULZHfnt
Final Thoughts
No matter who ends up raising the Conference Championship Trophy come December, the American Conference race promises to be one of the most exciting in the country. Once again, it appears that the league’s champion has the inside track to the College Football Playoff, even after the so-called Pac-12’s return. East Carolina is perhaps the only team we previewed this week with a legit chance to get into the actual championship race, but all of these teams could make a push towards bowl eligibility and competitiveness in the conference.
No. 46 Jon Rhattigan in on the stop on 4th down with the blitz from the right side 👏🏴☠️ https://t.co/BUsmiFkPsC
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 15, 2026
Go Army! Beat Bryant!!!
