Wheeling, W. Va. – In 2025, the Wheeling University Football team continued its climb up the Mountain East Conference (MEC) standings over the past few seasons. The Cardinals would finish tied for third in the conference standings, their highest mark in an 11-game season. As they enter the 2026 season, Head Coach Zac Bruney and his team are looking to take the success one step further, and contend for their first-ever MEC Football Championship.

The 2025 season would be led by the defense, who allowed the fourth fewest points per game in the league at 30.3. After dropping their first two games and allowing 30 points in each contest, the Cardinals defense would come roaring back, leading them to three straight wins. For the remainder of the season, Wheeling would only allow their opponent to reach the 30-point mark three other times. The offense would grow as the season went on, finishing the year averaging 27.82 points per game, while averaging 356.0 yards per game. The Cardinal offense would score 20 or more points in seven of the 11 games during the year, and saved their best performance for last. It came in the regular season finale against West Liberty, where they set the single-game scoring record with 67 points. They were in the race for the MEC title down to the final week of the regular season, and will look to compete for that conference championship in 2026.

After being led by the defense a season ago, the Cardinals will look to a veteran offense to lead the way in 2026. Graduate student Landon Lutz returns at quarterback for the Cardinals, coming off a season that saw him battle through injury. He would throw for 1,072 yards and six touchdowns, to just two interceptions, across nine games played during the year. He would round out the year with a 19-29 effort against West Liberty in the final week of the regular season, throwing for 339 yards and two touchdowns. Lutz has already cemented his name in program history, setting the program record for passing attempts (609) and passing touchdowns (34) a season ago. As he enters 2026, Lutz is chasing even more history, needing just 202 yards to reach the 4,000 yard passing milestone and 381 passing yards to set the new program record. With Lutz coming out of camp back to full health, he looks to use the veteran pieces around him to guide the Cardinal offense in 2026.

His top two targets from a season ago return in Jordan Kaiser and Colin Oberdick, while transfer Manny Ortega-Garcia adds another veteran presence to the fold. Kaiser led the way for the Cardinal receiving corps in 2025, setting a career-high with 32 catches for 589 yards while tying for the team lead with five receiving touchdowns. Oberdick finished right behind him with 40 catches for 442 yards and four touchdowns. Over the middle, the Cardinals will look to tight end Landyn Hores, who split time as the team's starting tight end in 2025. Hores averaged 12.75 yards per catch and pulled in two touchdowns during the season. In the Cardinal backfield, three veteran running backs return after the graduation of Steven Mitchell. Dawaun Green returns after carrying the ball 85 times for 399 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. Behind him, O'Marion Taylor and Rodney James will split the reps to give him a spell. Taylor carried the ball 38 times for 226 yards and two scores, while James had five carries for 45 yards. The offensive line wraps up the offensive side of the ball with graduate student Peyton Hores and redshirt senior Alex Goldeick leading the way.

On the defensive side, the Cardinals will feature a new leader in 2026, with the promotion of Arthur Smith III to Defensive Coordinator. Wheeling lost each of their top six tacklers from a season ago, but in their place step guys who have grown in the program over the last few years. Providing the veteran presence on the defensive side of the ball will be graduate student safety Jamo Walker IV, who is the top returning tackle for the Cardinals. He finished with 45.0 tackles a season ago, 29 solo and 16 assisted, while leading the way with 12 pass break-ups during the season. Walker has been a mainstay in the Cardinals' defensive secondary since the 2022 season, and sits fourth all-time with 16 pass break-ups. Senior Day Day Bates and redshirt junior Vincent Phillips Jr. will join him in that defensive secondary, as the Cardinals look to duplicate their takeaway performance from a season ago, when they finished fourth in the MEC with 12 interceptions.

In the linebacking corps, the Cardinals will be led by Caden Knight and Carter Blake, who each saw their share of playing time in 2025. Blake finished with 5.0 tackles in four games, before having his season ended due to injury, while Knight finished with 20.0 total tackles, three solo and 17 assisted, across nine games. Up front, the Cardinals will be led by Leo Boykins and Adrian Walker, who each spent time on the defensive line last season. Boykins finished with 2.0 total tackles on the season, while Walker racked up 17.0 total tackles, one solo and 16 assisted, while finishing with one tackle for loss. On special teams, the Cardinals will return their two veterans in the punting and kicking game in Conor Fitzpatrick and Brett Jackson. Fitzpatrick would finish 9-16 (56.25%) on field goals during the year, and set the single game record by going 4-5 in field goal attempts against Concord. Jackson stepped in as the punter when Blake went down due to injury, and averaging 34.7 yards per punt and pinning 12 inside the 20 yard-line.

The 2026 season will kick off with three weeks of non-conference play, with two of those being at home. The team opens their home schedule on August 29 in their first-ever meeting against Thomas More, while facing Walsh on the road (9/5) and Lake Erie at home (9/12) before heading into conference play. The Cardinals have the benefit of being home in three of their first four games, with their MEC opener coming on September 19 against Fairmont State at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals end the first month on their bye week, and flip the script in October, where they will be road warriors. They start the month on the road against West Virginia Wesleyan, and make trips to Charleston (10/10), Frostburg State (10/24), and Concord (10/31). Their lone home game during the month comes on October 17, when the Cardinals welcome in West Virginia State for Homecoming & Family weekend. The season wraps up with back-to-back home games to round out November, with the Cardinals welcoming in Glenville State November 7 and West Liberty November 14 for Senior Day.

The Wheeling University Football team kicks off their 2026 season on Saturday, August 29, when they host Thomas More with kick-off at noon.