Two positions will set the ceiling for Kennesaw State’s 2026 season. We’ve already talked enough about one of them: The dead-heat quarterback race between Rickie Collins and Landon Varnes. KSU’s official account posted video of both QBs taking reps with what appear to be the ones, so the best we can do is wait for an answer. Everywhere else on offense, I already feel pretty confident the Owls upgraded or at least found a solution to maintain a similar level.
Marc Mattioli’s defense is about as stable as a G6 conference champion can reasonably expect, ranking top 40 in returning snap counts for the DL and linebackers, plus enough experience at the back end between the returners and imported talent. The only unit that looks like a true mystery is the Rush hybrid DE/OLB, typically manned last season by Rod Daniels (545 snaps) or Donovan Westmoreland (374), with some cameos from Jamar Rucks. Daniels and Rucks both exhausted their eligibility, and there are questions about Westmoreland’s injury status entering fall camp. The ensuing camp battle ranks only behind QB in terms of influence on the team’s upside.
Before diving into some of the candidates, let’s also downplay the Elijah Hill loss a bit, or at least recalibrate the conversation. KSU won’t be able to replace Hill, nor should the staff necessarily try to duplicate the winning scratch-off ticket that was his true freshman season. The odds of finding a player who can play only 29% of snaps, rack up 9 sacks, and make first-team All CUSA are so slim that it’s not worth thinking about in a “next man up” context. You have to know you can force third-and-long before worrying about what happens when you know the opponent is throwing.
