JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Aug. 28, 2026) – The ETSU football team will kick off the 2026 season on Saturday when it welcomes Campbell to Johnson City. Kickoff between the Buccaneers and Campbell is set for 5:30 p.m.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, August 29
Time: 5:32 p.m. ET
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. | Bank of Tennessee Field at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium
Teams: Campbell (0-0, 0-0 CAA) at (RV) ETSU (0-0, 0-0 SoCon)
Weather: 85 degrees, mostly sunny
Live Video: ESPN+
TV Crew: Keith Brake (pbp), Mark Hutsell (analyst), Kennedy Story (sideline)
Live Audio: WXSM-AM 640
Radio Crew: Jay "Voice of the Bucs" Sandos (pbp), Matt Wilhjelm (analyst), Robert Harper (sideline), Don Helman (stats)
Live Stats: ETSUBucs.com (Statbroadcast)
X:
@ETSUFootball
THINGS TO KNOW – Please click
HERE for all the "Things to Know" for Saturday's matchup with the Camels, presented by Citizens Bank.
YEAR TWO FOR HEAD COACH WILL HEALY – Head Coach Will Healy will begin his second season leading the Bucs on Saturday. Healy guided the Bucs to a 7-5 record a season ago, which included a 5-3 mark in conference play. ETSU, which also went 7-5 in 2024, has posted back-to-back seasons of seven or more wins for the first time since 1996-97. The Bucs were predicted to finish third in the SoCon Preseason Poll and had nine players earn Preseason All-SoCon honors, the most in the league.
BUCS THAT ARE BACK – Like most college football teams, ETSU's roster went through a major overhaul during the offseason. That said, the Bucs do have nine Preseason All-Conference players on their squad. Running back Jason Albritton, offensive lineman Will McCraw, tight end Charlie Browder, defensive lineman Brenden LeBlanc, safety Mike Jenkins, and kicker Ewan Johnson all collected First Team honors, while linebacker Dre Delinois, nickelback Jivon Oggs, and long snapper Brock Winstead were named to the Second Team.
YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR THE BUCS – While those All-SoCon players will provide leadership for the Bucs both on and off the field, ETSU will have plenty of youth on its roster in 2026. Of the 108 players currently on ETSU's roster, 69 are underclassmen (63.8%). Additionally, 36 of those players could make their college football debuts against Campbell. A couple of those youngsters projected to start for ETSU on Saturday are quarterback Mason Mims, offensive lineman Sam Browder, and defensive end KJ Gillespie.
TALKING STREAKS TO START THE SEASON – ETSU will attempt to protect a pair of streaks on Saturday against Campbell. First, the Bucs have won four straight games dating back to last season, which is the longest active winning streak by a Division I football program in the state of Tennessee. Another streak the Bucs will look to build upon is their success in home openers at Greene Stadium. ETSU is 9-0 all-time in home openers since 2017 and has won those contests by an average of 31.7 points.
ABOUT CAMPBELL - Campbell will begin the 2026 season on Saturday against the Bucs, looking to have a bounce-back campaign after compiling a record of 2-10 in 2025. The Camels earned wins against Bryant (50-48 in double overtime) and Hampton (38-21) last year. Despite the 2-10 record, Campbell was close to flipping several of its games last season, as six of its 10 losses were by one score or less. In the annual CAA Football Preseason Poll, the Camels were picked to finish eighth in the 13-team conference ahead of Bryant, Sacred Heart, Albany, North Carolina A&T, and Hampton.
SERIES REWIND AGAINST THE CAMELS – Saturday's game will be the first-ever matchup between ETSU and Campbell. The Camels, who are members of the CAA, have faced off against several other SoCon schools in recent years. Campbell dropped one-score games to Furman (28-24) and Western Carolina (42-35) last fall. Furthermore, Campbell, who will face Western Carolina a week after it faces ETSU, has faced at least one SoCon school every season since 2022. In those games, Campbell has compiled a record of 3-2.
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