62 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #62 Brian Wheat

                                                                                                       

It's now 62 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #62 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#62 Brian Wheat

Position  Offensive Line

Height 6-3
Weight 310
Class Freshman
Hometown Jacksonville, Fla.
High School West Nassau HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Signed during the early period in December and enrolled at WCU mid-year … Helped lead West Nassau High to the state championship after a 9-1 regular season as a senior ... Originally committed to Mercer ... Also played basketball as a prep.

A Look at the Campbell Fighting Camesl

The 2026 Campbell University football team enters the 2026 season with high intrigue under a re-tooled coaching staff. 

Campbell finished the 2025 football season with an overall record of 2–10 and a 2–6 record in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) conference play. While it was a challenging season, the team was highly competitive in conference play, suffering four heartbreaking losses by a touchdown or less. The Cats are 1-3 overall all verses the Camels, but are 1-0 in Buies Creek, N.C.

thanks to a 42-35 win last season.

Following the 2025 season, head coach Braxton Harris initiated a complete overhaul of the defensive coaching staff. This decisive change came after a 2–10 campaign heavily defined by late-game collapses, where the Fighting Camels dropped seven separate games in which they held a fourth-quarter lead.

 
Roster & Coaching Outlook

Quarterback Stability: Rising sophomore Kamden Sixkiller returns to build on his strong 2025 performance, where he notably logged 258 passing yards in the season finale.

Skill Positions: Key offensive pieces like receiver Randall King (who posted 121 receiving yards in late 2025) and running back Ethan Lawrence provide established firepower.

Staff Reinforcements: The defense gets a strategic boost with the hiring of Blaine Miller as the Defensive Run Game Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach.

Season Keys to Success

Surviving the Gauntlet: The early three-game stretch against ETSU, Western Carolina and Florida will test the roster's depth and resilience.

Defensive Identity: Coach Blaine Miller must rapidly develop the interior defensive line to stop CAA rushing attacks.

Offense: The Sixkiller Era Takes Flight
Offensive Coordinator Matt Kubik heads into the fall with a clear vision: a balanced, high-tempo attack built around sophomore quarterback Kamden Sixkiller.

Quarterback Room: After securing the starting job as a freshman, Kamden Sixkiller (#6) enters 2026 with high expectations. He showed elite poise in the 2025 finale against Towson, throwing for 258 yards and a touchdown. 

The Ground Game: Running backs Ethan Lawrence (#23) is a prototypical dual-threat back, logging 66 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 15 receiving yards in late-season action last year. 

Offensive Line: Veterans Andrew Guthrie (#78) and Mason Merriwether (#55) anchor the left side of the line. The focal point of Fall Camp will be replacing departed talent at guard to ensure Sixkiller remains clean in the pocket.

Defense: Rebuilding the Front

Defensive Coordinator Brandon Butcher is tasked with making the Fighting Camels stouter at the point of attack. To aid this, Campbell hired Blaine Miller as the Defensive Run Game Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach.

Defensive Line: The interior will lean heavily on 305-pound space-eater Jordan Jones (#98) and Logan Wright (#99) to plug rushing lanes.

Linebackers: DaVonyae Pettis (#37) givesCampbell exceptional speed in the second tier. He excels at scraping sideline-to-sideline, which will be vital against the CAA's heavily favored spread-option elements..
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Secondary: The secondary should be the strength of the defense. Safeties Evan Spivey (#0) and Chase Arrington (#4) are physical ball-hawks who limit explosive plays. Cornerback Javian Drake (#22) is expected to shadow opposing wideout threats on an island.👟

Special Teams: Consistent & Battle-Tested

Special Teams Coordinator Koy McFarland brings back a highly dependable kicking game that relieves immense pressure on the offense.

Kicking: Placekicker Alex Crabb (#38) is exceptionally accurate from inside 40 yards, boasting a clean 100% field goal rate in high-stakes pressure situations late last year.

Return Game: Randall King handles both punt and kickoff return duties, giving Campbell an explosive field-position generator on every change of possession.

63 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #63 Thomas Guerrero

                                                                                                       

It's now 63 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #63 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#63 Thomas Guerrero

Position  Punter

Height  5-9
Weight  160
Class  Redshirt Freshman
Hometown  Greenville, S.C.
High School  Greenville HS

2025 (Freshman): Did not see game action, remaining eligible for a redshirt.

Prior to Western Carolina: Three-year varsity letterwinner … Punted 53 times in 32 games over his final two seasons at Greenville High, amassing 2,018 yards for an average of 38.1 as a junior and senior … Credited with 13 punts dropped inside the opponent's 20-yard line by MaxPreps … As a placekicker over his sophomore and junior seasons, finished 120-of-124 on PATs and was 7-of-12 on field goals for a two-year total of 141 points.

64 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #64 Konrad Henderson

                                                                                                       

It's now 64 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #64 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#64 Konrad Henderson  

Position Offensive Line

Height 6-3
Weight 320
Class Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown Alpharetta, Ga.
High School Chattahoochee HS

College:  Guilford College

2025 (Redshirt Freshman): Did not see game action.

Prior to Western Carolina: Played in three games along the offensive line at Guilford College in 2023;

High School: Was a Region 6 AAAAA honorable mention at Chattahoochee High..

65 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - Rudi Small

                                                                                                       

It's now 65 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown will highlight another member of the coaching staff:

No player is currently assigned to #65, so we will highlight another member of the WCU coaching staff:

Rudi Small

Title   Assistant Coach / Running Backs / Recruiting Coordinator

Rudi Small, the all-time leading rusher in Jacksonville University football history, was tabbed to coach the Catamount running backs, joining the Western Carolina coaching staff in the spring of 2021.

Over his first three years, Small mentored 2022 SoCon Freshman of the Year, Freshman All-America, and two-time All-Southern Conference selection in tailback Desmond Reid. Reid was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award.

Small earned his coaching start as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2014, parlaying that experience into an assistant coaching position at Valdosta State in 2016. Working alongside his former position coach at Jacksonville – current WCU assistant coach Kerry Webb – Small helped coach the Blazers’ running backs at Valdosta State and was on staff during the 2018 undefeated season and national championship run.

Small led the Dolphins in rushing from 2007-2010 with three-consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2008 (1,364), 2009 (1,074), and 2010 (1,145) – six of the top 10 individual season records in program history. A Walter Payton Award candidate in 2010, Small finished his career with 4,073 career rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns. He continues to hold the Jacksonville record for all-purpose yards in a career with 5,765, career touchdowns with 49, and career points with 294 scored over his four-year career.

A former Trinity Catholic High product, Small matched a Jacksonville record with five rushing touchdowns against UNC Pembroke on Sept. 22, 2007, a 55-10 home victory for the Dolphins.

Small is a two-time graduate of Jacksonville University, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management in 2012 and his Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Organizational Leadership Learning in 2016.

He and his wife, Evelyn, were married on August 3, 2014.

66 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - Ty Phillips

                                                                                                       

It's now 66 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown will highlight another member of the coaching staff:

No player is currently assigned to #66, so we will highlight another member of the WCU coaching staff:

Ty Phillips

Title  Assistant Coach/Bandits

Ty Phillips serves as an assistant football coach/bandit coach at Western Carolina.

Prior to WCU, he was the defensive line coach at Georgia Military College. 

A former nose tackle for Georgia Southern University, he was on the coaching staff at the junior college level until 2024.  

His coaching background and professional journey include his current role at Western Carolina; Assistant Coach/Defensive Line at Georgia Military College (Milledgeville, GA). 

Prior Experience: Assistant Football Coach at McDonough High School

Playing Career: Standout nose tackle and collegiate athlete at Georgia Southern University.

67 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #67 Steven Hamby

                                                                                                       

It's now 67 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #67 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#67 Steven Hamby

Position  Offensive Line

Height 6-5
Weight 320
Class Redshirt Junior
Hometown Statesville, N.C.
High School Statesville HS

2025 (Redshirt Sophomore): Played in 11 of the team’s 12 games on the season with seven starts along the offensive line, missing the regular-season finale at VMI … Helped guide a Catamount offense to record numbers in 2025 along the offensive line, finishing with a school-record 5,920 total yards, including 4,268 passing yards and 1,652 yards on the ground … Named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team.

2024 (Redshirt Freshman): Saw action in five games on special teams and as a reserve along the offensive line … Did not record any official statistics … Made his collegiate debut against Wofford (Oct. 5) ... Named to the 2024-25 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and Received a SoCon Commissioner's Medal.

2023 (Freshman): Dressed for a couple of home games during the season, but did not see game action ... Expected to take a redshirt ... Named to the 2023-24 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and Received a SoCon Commissioner's Medal.

Prior to Western Carolina: Three-year varsity starter including at right tackle as a sophomore and left tackle his junior and senior seasons ... Team captain as a senior ... Was a two-time All-Western Foothills Athletic Conference selection and a three-time All-County selection along the offensive line ... Named first-team 3-A All-State on the offensive line as a senior while also earning All-State honors as a junior ... Selected to the 2022 North Carolina High School Bluesheet All-State Academic Team in 2022 ... Selected as an alternate for the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl ... Played for the North Team in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl game in January 2023 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. ... Also wrestled as a prep where he won the conference heavyweight championship as a junior and qualified for the state tournament.

68 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #68 Aidan Cooper

                                                                                                       

It's now 68 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #68 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#68 Aidan Cooper

Position  Offensive Line

Line Height  6-4 

Weight  285 

Class  Redshirt Freshman 

Hometown  Charlotte, N.C. 

High School  Butler HS

2025 (Freshman): Did not see game action, remaining eligible for a redshirt.

 
Prior to Western Carolina: Joined the Catamount football team as a walk-on … Played multiple positions along the offensive line … Also played rugby as a prep.

69 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #69 Cole Cooke

                                                                                                       

It's now 69 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #69 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#69 Cole Cooke

Position: Offensive Line

Height  6-8
Weight  325
Class  Redshirt Freshman
Hometown   Fort Myers, Fla.
High School  Riverdale HS










2025 (Freshman): Did not see game action, remaining eligible for a redshirt.

Prior to Western Carolina: Named to the News Press first-team All-Area offense as a senior after helping his high school rush for 2,579 rushing yards with 20 touchdowns … Chosen for the Rotary South All-Star game … Selected as one of the top 10 Florida prospects along the offensive line by FLAVARSITY through Rivals.com … Was ranked among the News Press “Big 15” in back-to-back years after just starting to play football as a freshman … Also played defensive line, recording 21 tackles including 15 solo stops, five TFLs with a sack in 2023 … Listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and a two-star recruit by Rivals.com … Originally committed to FAU.

Tracking the Cats - Kyle Pifer - WCU Athletics Director

70 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - Parish Metzger

                                                                                                       

It's now 70 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown will highlight another member of the coaching staff:

No player is currently assigned to #70, so we will highlight another member of the coaching staff:

Parish Metzger

 Title:   Assistant Coach / Quarterbacks

Parish Metzger, a former Western Carolina quarterback, Parish Metzger returned to his alma mater during the summer of 2025 to assist with the quarterbacks and wide receivers. He spent the previous season working alongside former WCU offensive coordinator Kade Bell at the University of Pittsburgh. In the spring of 2026, Metzger took control of the Catamount quarterback room as an assistant coach, leading the QBs.

A 2024 graduate of Western Carolina University, Metzger played in two games as a reserve for the Catamounts during 2022 before moving to the coaching side, where he spent the next two seasons. He completed three of his seven career pass attempts for 36 yards and a touchdown. Making his collegiate debut against Presbyterian in '22, Metzger tossed his first career touchdown pass on an 18-yard strike to DeAndre Tamarez late in the third quarter. He was named to the 2022-23 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll as a redshirt freshman.

Originally from Matthews, N.C., Metzger began his prep career at Providence High before finishing at Butler High, where he threw for 2,534 yards over his final two seasons.

71 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #71 Sawyer Nelson

                                                                                                       

It's now 71 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #71 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#71 Sawyer Nelson

Position Offensive Line
Height 6-3
Weight 270
Class Freshman
Hometown Lenoir, N.C.
High School Hibriten HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Joined the Catamount football program as a preferred walk-on ... Four-year varsity letter winner along the offensive and defensive line, playing mostly at ... Three-time all-conference selection as a sophomore, junior, and senior.

Personal: Is the son of Paula Seagle and and Tyler Nelson, with stepfather Dustin Seagle ... Has a sister, Gracy Nelson.

72 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - #72 Andrew Threatt

                                                                                                       

It's now 72 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day. 

Today we highlight the Catamount player currently assigned to #72 on the WCU Preseason Roster:

#72 Andrew Threatt

Position  Offensive Line

Height  6-6
Weight  285
Class  Graduate Student
Hometown  Charlotte, N.C.
High School  Metrolina Christian Academy

College:  Gardner-Webb

Prior to Western Carolina: Mid-year transfer from Gardner-Webb 

At GWU… Played in 25 games between 2023-25 along the offensive line with 19 starts … Was a second-team All-OVC-Big South Association selection in 2025 … Named to the 2025 FCS All-North Carolina team by NC Football News … Originally attended the United States Naval Academy out of high school, but did not see game action; 

At Metrolina Christian: Was a two-time North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association All-State selection as a junior and senior … All-Conference lineman who served as team captain his senior year. 

Personal: Is the son of Amy and Rob Threatt.

73 Days to WCU Football Kickoff - Jeremy King

                                                                                                       

It's now 73 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 29, 2026, against the  Eastern Kentucky Colonels in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown will highlight another member of the coaching staff:

No player is currently assigned to #73, so we will highlight another member of the coaching staff:

Jeremy King

 Title:   Assistant Coach / Offensive Line

Jeremy King, spent the 2023 season as an offensive line assistant at the University of Georgia, joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff as the offensive line coach in January 2024.

A four-year starter along the offensive line at Valdosta State from 2014-18, King played three seasons under WCU head coach Kerwin Bell and won an NCAA Division II National Championship in 2018. A three-time team captain, King was an all-conference and All-America selection in 2018, finishing as a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award given to the NCAA Division II lineman of the year.

After graduating, King played in the Indoor Football League with the Green Bay (Wis.) Blizzard before transitioning into coaching back as his alma mater.

King comes to Cullowhee after spending the past year as an offensive line graduate assistant at the University of Georgia. Before moving to Athens, he coached for two years at his alma mater, Valdosta State, earning his start as an offensive line graduate assistant. He earned a full-time coaching role with the Blazers in January 2022 as the running backs coach through February 2023.

Originally from Macon, Ga., King graduated from Valdosta State in December 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned a Master of Public Administration from VSU in May 2023.