THE OPENING KICKOFF
Colorado Mesa has been one of the more reliable teams in the RMAC when it comes to getting off on the right foot. The Mavericks have gone 8-2 in season openers over the last 10 years (2016–2025), with their only losses coming in 2025 (41-14 at Central Washington) and 2023 (10-30 vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville). They've shown a willingness to travel for high-profile openers in recent years, making road trips to Ellensburg, Wash. and Kingsville, Texas in back-to-back seasons — winning one and losing one.

For 2026, CMU flips back to home for the opener, hosting NSIC power Minnesota State on Thursday, August 27 at Stocker Stadium. It will be the first time the Mavericks have opened the season at home on a Thursday night since the 2021 season when they defeated William Jewell 40-3.

The home opener story is a bit more complicated. Colorado Mesa went through a rough stretch in front of their own crowd to start the season, dropping four straight home openers from 2020 through 2023. The 2024 loss to Central Washington extended what became a long drought — the Mavericks hadn't won a home opener since September 2, 2011, a span of more than a decade. They finally snapped that skid in 2025, topping Eastern New Mexico 28-7 on September 6 at Stocker Stadium. With the season opener and home opener being the same game in 2026 against Minnesota State, the Mavericks will look to carry that momentum forward and get the home crowd fired up from the very first snap of the season.

Last 10 Season Openers
Aug. 28, 2025 at Central Washington L, 14–41
Aug. 29, 2024 at TAMU–Kingsville W, 16–13
Sep. 2, 2023 vs. TAMU–Kingsville L, 10–30
Sep. 1, 2022 at William Jewell W, 37–14
Sep. 2, 2021 vs. William Jewell W, 40–3
Oct. 10, 2020 vs. Chadron State W, 10–7 (OT)
Sep. 7, 2019 at South Dakota Mines W, 37–33
Sep. 1, 2018 vs. South Dakota Mines W, 36–33
Aug. 31, 2017 vs. Western Colorado W, 49–23
Sep. 3, 2016 at Western Colorado W, 34–14
*2020 season shortened/delayed due to COVID-19; no games played before October

Last 10 Home Openers
Sep. 6, 2025 vs Eastern New Mexico W, 28–7
Sep. 14, 2024 vs. Central Washington L, 12–28
Sep. 2, 2023 vs. TAMU–Kingsville L, 10–30
Sep. 17, 2022 vs. South Dakota Mines L, 17–31
Sep. 2, 2021 vs. William Jewell W, 40–3
Oct. 10, 2020 vs. Chadron State W, 10–7 (OT)
Sep. 14, 2019 vs. Eastern New Mexico L, 37–44
Sep. 1, 2018 vs. South Dakota Mines W, 36–33
Aug. 31, 2017 vs. Western Colorado W, 49–23
Sep. 10, 2016 vs. Chadron State W, 47–33

MAVERICKS VS. MAVERICKS
In their week one matchup with Minnesota State, we will feature a Mavericks against Mavericks matchup. There are only four NCAA schools that have Mavericks as their mascot as UT Arlington, Mercy, and Omaha join Colorado Mesa and Minnesota State with Maverick mascots.

Something will have to give in this matchup as Colorado Mesa is 8-2 in their last 10 home openers and Minnesota State hasnt lost a season opener since 2011 when they fell to Northern Michigan 31-24 in Marquette.

KNOW YOUR FOE
Minnesota State is coming off a season where they made the NCAA Division II playoffs and advanced to the Super Region III final before falling to eventual national champion Ferris State. They won two road playoff games against Findlay and UIndy, the number two and three seeds respectively. 

This year appears to be the shampoo version of the Minnesota State Mavericks...Rinse and repeat. They are picked to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) receiving 10 of the 14 first place votes in the overall poll and collected all six possible votes in the NSIC South Division poll. Sophomore linebacker Jefferson Mobry was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the NSIC after leading the team in tackles (72) and interceptions (4). He earned D2CCA All-Region Second Team honors in his freshman season. 

The Mavericks return their top three rushers from a year ago in Sam Backer (980), quarterback Mitchell Thompson (704), and Carter Henderson (674). Backer was named to the NSIC Preseason Players to watch list as he finished with 19 touchdowns including 11 on the ground in the postseason. Thompson finished with 11 touchdowns on the ground just four shy of what he had through the air in 2025. 

Joining Mobry on the defensive side are Antoine Johnson and Amaun Williams. Johnson will team up with Mobry in the second level after playing in 13 games last season. He finished with 62 total tackles and two sacks during his freshman season in 2025. Williams played in 13 games last season after transferring over from Wisconsin. He will be one of four seniors that are projected to start in the defensive backfield.

THE OUTLOOK
For the first time in awhile, the offense could be the strength of the team. Colorado Mesa returns 10 of their 11 starters on offense with many pointing to the cohesion on the offensive line as being the focal point. The weapons on the outside are the other thing that has people excited about this offense. Trek Keyworth, Noah Greer and Bryson Brown are all back and expected to contribute. The group also has a familiar face returning to the Grand Valley in Ky Oday Jr. 

Defense has always been a strong suit with the Mavericks and dont expect a dropoff. If they can stay healthy and the defensive backs can develop, they could once again put up strong defensive numbers. 

SIGNAL CALLERS
The Mavericks head into the 2026 season with redshirt senior Cole Hansen as the starter. Hansen started six games last season including the final three with his final start against NCAA playoff contender Western Colorado. In that game he threw for a career-high 332 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the season 99-for-164 for 1,318 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions. 

Fellow redshirt senior Liu Aumavae will begin the season as the backup after starting five games during the 2025 season. The San Diego State transfer threw for 739 yards and five touchdowns during his redshirt junior season. He threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns against CSU Pueblo at Stocker Stadium in 2025.

Some injuries leading up to the season opener may scramble the quarterback situation a little. Stay tuned to see who steps onto the field on Thursday night. 

With Bronco Hartson moving to running back, it appears Dayton Tafoya is the likely number three quarterback. Tafoya is no stranger to the RMAC as he started his career at Black Hills State before transferring to Modesto JC. 

WEAPONS CACHE
The Mavericks will begin the season with a treasure trove of weapons on the outside with the team's top five receivers returning to the lineup. In fact, 123 of the Mavericks 168 total catches last season return in 2026.

Redshirt junior Trek Keyworth was the Mavericks leading receiver last season after catching 38 passes for 645 yards and five touchdowns. He saved his best for last as he hauled in 11 catches for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Western Colorado on November 15.

A pair of speedsters in Noah Greer and Bryson Brown return to the lineup after combining for 31 catches for 565 yards and four touchdowns. Brown and Greer each had long rushing touchdowns last season as well.

Alex Turpin and Colton Mills-Younger led the tight end group in 2025 and are back for another round in 2026. Turpin finished with 22 catches for 180 yards and four scores while Mills-Younger had 15 grabs for 175 yards and a touchdown.

IN THE TRENCHES
Its not often that you can say that you return your entire starting offensive line from one year to the next but that exactly what the Mavericks will be doing. Of the 55 total starts a team could have on the offensive line, Colorado Mesa will return 53 of them. 

Preseason All-RMAC selection Cooper Mumford returns to man one of the tackle positions for the fourth straight season. Mumford has played in and started 29 games in his career and has only missed three games in his career which all came during his freshman season. The two-time Second Team All-RMAC selection leads the crew that allowed less than a sack per game in 2025.

Senior Calem Grimble is the guard on the left side of the line and returns for his final season. He has played in 32 games and started 30 games during his career. He earned All-RMAC honors the last two seasons, earning Second Team honors in 2025. 

Seniors Max Kibbee and Kaden Butts will anchor the center and right guard positions respectively. Kibbee enters the season with 23 games played under his belt while Butts played in all 11 games last season bringing his career total to 19. 

Zach Dibella played in and started all 11 games at right tackle in 2025 which brings his career total to 25. The redshirt junior is a three-time NFF Academic All-Colorado selection.

THE UNKNOWNS
The one unknown on the offensive side of the ball is in the backfield where the two-headed monster of Aiden Taylor and Brandon Belgrave graduated. Along with those two, Myles Newble graduated which marks the team's three leading rushers from a year ago are all gone.

Quarterback Cole Hansen (139 yards), Noah Greer (128 yards) and Bryson Brown (95 yards) are the Mavericks three top returning rushers. All of whom dont have running back as their primary position.

Jalen Hankins is listed as the starter going into week zero with converted quarterback Bronco Hartson listed as the backup. Between the two of them they have one carry in their Colorado Mesa career. 

Jaden Thermidor, Exander Carroll, and Amari Brown could also factor into the backfield during the season.

TACKLE MACHINES
The most veteran group on the Maverick defense that returns is the linebacking corps led by All-RMAC recipient George Soppe. The Lakewood, Colo. native led the Mavericks in tackles in 2025 with 95 and added four pass break-ups. He had a season-high 14 tackles against Eastern New Mexico early in the season.

Joining Soppe in the middle is Jake Sinz who transferred in from San Diego State prior to last season. Sinz played all 11 games and made six starts and finished the season with 61 total tackles and a sack during the season.

Flanking them on the outside will be a combination of Payton Wainwright, Noah Williams and Braiden Vaughn. All three saw action and started games last season. Williams finished the season with 41 tackles while Wainwright had 21 and Vaughn finished with 15 total tackles.

GIBBY IS ELITE
Colorado Mesa safety Gibson Leafgreen was named to the D2Football.com Preseason Elite 100 second team, one of the top honors for NCAA Division II football entering 2026. The senior anchors a Mavericks secondary built around Colorado Mesa's trademark stout defense and physical run game. Last season, Leafgreen posted 56 total tackles (third on the team), two interceptions and a sack.

PRESEASON POLLS & ALL-RMAC
Colorado Mesa was picked to finish fifth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing in a tie for fourth-place during the 2025 season. The Mavericks finished 6-5 last season and 5-4 in the conference, tied with Colorado School of Mines whom they defeated on October 24. 

Colorado Mesa earned a total of 52 votes that came with a second place vote and a third place vote as voted on by the league's 10 sponsoring schools.

CSU Pueblo was picked to repeat as the RMAC Champion with 80 points including eight first place votes and one second place vote. Western Colorado was picked second with 69 total points with one first place votes, five second place votes and two third place votes. Colorado School of Mines was picked third with 62 points on two second place votes and four third place votes.

2025 NCAA Playoff team Chadron State was picked fourth with 60 points on one first place vote, one second place vote, and three third place votes. 

The Mavericks had four players named to the Preseason All-RMAC team. Three of the four selections came on the offensive side of the ball with Alex Turpin earning a spot at tight end and seniors Calem Grimble and Cooper Mumford earning spots across the offensive line. Turpin played in all 11 games in 2025 and caught 22 passes for 180 yards and four touchdowns while Grimble and Mumford played in and started all 11 games on the left side of the offensive line.

Senior defensive back Gibson Leafgreen was named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team on the defensive side of the ball. In 2025, he played in 11 games and finished with 56 total tackles, four passes defended and two interceptions. 

EYES ON THE SCHEDULE
• Season opener at home on a Thursday night
Colorado Mesa will host NSIC power Minnesota State on Thursday August 27 at 6:00 PM to open the season. It will be the first meeting between the two schools and will be the first time the Mavericks have opened the season on a Thursday at home since the 2021 season when they defeated William Jewell 40-3.
• Back-to-back road trips to open conference play
The following two weeks the Mavericks will have their longest two game road trip of the season — first at Eastern New Mexico on September 5, then at South Dakota Mines to open RMAC play on September 12.
• Gauntlet of 2025 playoff teams
The Mavericks will take on three straight 2025 NCAA Playoff teams — Western Colorado (home, Sept. 19), CSU Pueblo (road, Sept. 26), and then Chadron State (home, Oct. 3). That's a brutal three-week stretch right in the heart of the schedule.
• Six home games 
The schedule features six home games and five road games for the upcoming season, with three of the final five games at home and the two final road games being the shortest trips of the season. 
• Halloween Matinee 
A Halloween afternoon kickoff will feature the Mavericks taking on New Mexico Highlands at Stocker Stadium on Saturday October 31, with many different spooky promotions expected and the possibility of a special surprise.
• Bye week placement
The bye falls on October 10, right after that brutal playoff-team gauntlet — a fortunate breather before the back half of the conference schedule. The entire Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will observe a bye during that week with practice and meeting times varying throughout the week.
• Beyond 2026
Colorado Mesa and West Texas A&M announced a four-year football schedule agreement beginning in 2028, with games scheduled for August 24, 2028 (at Canyon, TX), August 23, 2029 (at Grand Junction), August 29, 2030 (at Canyon), and August 28, 2031 (at Grand Junction). Coach Kochevar has a personal connection there — he served as West Texas A&M's defensive coordinator from 2016–18.

WHAT'S NEW THIS YEAR 
• Coach to player communication
Beginning this year in Division II, coach to player communication is legal and will be available in all games the Mavericks play in. The technology uses encrypted radio and in-helmet speakers that allow coaches to communicate to players on the field. The individuals will be allowed open communication until there are 15 seconds left on the play clock each play.

Colorado Mesa utilizes CoachComm communications systems with the coach's communications and has their solution for the Coach to Player system.

• Tailgate Time
Colorado Mesa will introduce premium tailgating this year with different level options. The premium package includes a 10x20 space that includes tent, tables, chairs, bottled water, two coolers and 40lbs. of ice while the select package comes with a 10x10 space that includes tent, tables, chairs, bottled water, cooler and 20lbs. of ice. The final option is the traditional tailgate where you get one reserved parking spot used to tailgate at your own will.

All of this is brought to us by our friends at FCI Constructors.

• Five-for-5
On August 5, the NCAA approved a new age-based or clock eligibility model that allows student-athletes a streamlined five-year period to compete, starting upon full-time enrollment or after turning 19. 

This new rule replaces complex redshirt tracking and waivers and takes full effect for incoming cohorts starting in the fall of 2027. This rule also eliminates most traditional extension waivers outside of the major exceptions of military service, religious missions or pregnancy.