91 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #91 Jackson Banks

It's now 91 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.

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

Today we will highlight a Defensive Lineman:  

#91 Jackson Banks

Position Defensive Line 

Height 6-2 

Weight 265 

Class Redshirt Sophomore 

Hometown Broxton, Ga. 

College Old Dominion

High School Coffee HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Started his collegiate career at Mississippi Gulf Coast in Perkinston, Miss., before transferring to Old Dominion …

-at ODU: Did not see game action in 2024

-at MGCCC: Played in 10 games with 15 tackles and half a sack as a true freshman; 

High School: Graduated with a 3.87 GPA and finished his senior season with 37 tackles including 10 for loss, five sacks, a fumble recovery, two QB hurries, and a safety that came in the state playoffs … Played for coach Mike Coe. 

Personal: Is the son of Denise and James Banks … Has a brother, Nicholas.

92 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #92 Brandon Joseph II

It's now 92 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.

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

Today we will highlight a Defensive Lineman:  

#92 Brandon Joseph II

Position Defensive Line 

Height 6-3 

Weight 290 

Class True Freshman 

Hometown Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

High School St. Thomas Aquinas HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Credited with 45 total tackles with 16 solo stops over his final two seasons, according to MaxPreps.com … Had six tackles for loss and six sacks, adding 15 hurries … Won a Florida 3M title in 2022 … Listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.

 

WCU Home Kickoff Times Announced

 

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations

93 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #93 Adrian Stone

It's now 93 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.

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

Today we will highlight a Defensive Lineman:  

#93 Adrian Stone

Position Defensive Line 

Height 6-4 

Weight 290 

Class Redshirt Freshman 

Hometown Fort Myers, Fla. 

High School North Fort Myers HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Named first-team News-Press All-Area as a senior … Selected to play in the FACA All-Star Classic … Listed as one of the top defensive players in southwest Florida entering the 2023 season … As a junior, tallied 78 tackles including 30 solo stops and 13 tackles for loss … Added 18 hurries, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and a PBU … In 2020, was invited to the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl.

94 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #94 Jaden Meeks

It's now 94 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.

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

Today we will highlight a Defensive Lineman:  

#94 Jaden Meeks

Position Defensive Line 

Height 6-1 

Weight 215 

Class Redshirt Freshman 

Hometown Charlotte, N.C. 

High School Julius L. Chambers HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Over his final two years as a prep, credited with 122 total tackles over 21 games played with 69 solo stops and 18 for loss with 10 sacks … Was selected the Friday Night Lights Defensive Lineman of the Year as a senior.

95 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #95 Stephen Brantley

It's now 95 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.

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

Today we will highlight a Kicker:  

#95 Stephen Brantley

Position Punter 

Height 6-2 

Weight 220 

Class Junior 

Hometown Pilot Mountain, N.C. 

High School East Surry HS

2023 (Freshman): Played in all 11 games handling the punting and placekick holding duties on special teams … Punted 31 times for a combined 1,248 yards with four touchbacks … Ranked sixth in the SoCon with a 40.3 yard per punt average … Posted a single-game career-high of five punts three times … Recorded seven punts of 50+ yards with nine kicks downed inside the opponent 20-yard line on the season … Also kicked off eight times for 430 total yards with a touchback, recording a career-high seven kickoffs against ETSU (Nov. 11) … Averaged 53.8 yards per kickoff … Made his collegiate debut in the season-opener at SEC-foe Arkansas (Sept. 2) in Little Rock, punting a career-high five times … Matched his career-best with five punts at Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 16) and at Chattanooga (Oct. 7) ... Named to the Coaches 2023 SoCon All-Freshman team … Punted seven times in WCU’s annual Spring Game, averaging 42 yards per boot including a long of nearly 60 yards, while also handling the placekick holding duties for both squads ... Named to the 2023-24 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Joined the Catamount football team as a preferred walk-on … Played defensive end, tight end, H-back, and kicker/punter as a prep ... Was a third-team HighSchoolOT.com All-State special teams selection and a first-team 2-A All-State… As a senior, recorded 18 punts for a 41.2 yard per kick average with eight downed inside the opponent 20-yard line ... Had touchbacks on 14 of his 19 kickoffs while also hitting a 45-yard field goal … Also added 24 receptions for 299 yards and four touchdowns … As a junior, punted 17 times for a 40.1 yard per kick average with six downed inside the opponent 20-yard line … Over three seasons, recorded 50 kickoffs with a 54.5 yard per kick average and 21 touchbacks ... Credited with 6.5 tackles as a kicker/punter ... Named the Foothills 2-A Specialist of the Year and a Kohl's National Top Performer of the Week in 2022 ... Won the Kohl's Eastern Showcase Punting competition in May 2022, earning a 5-start punter rating with Kohl's kicking ... 10th-ranked punter in the nation by Kohl's in 2023, earning Kohl's Blue-Grey All-America selection in 2022-23 ... Finalist for the Under Armour All-America selection at the Kohl's National Scholarship Camp ... Named 2022 MaxPreps Small Town All-American football second-team defense as a punter.

Personal: Is the son of Deborah and Bryant Brantley ... Is one of six children ... Has a cousin and her husband who attended WCU ... Intends to major in construction management at WCU.

96 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #96 Christian Lowery

It's now 96 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.

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

Today we will highlight a Kicker:  

#96 Christian Lowery

Position Kicker 

Height 5-11 

Weight 185 

Class Senior 

Hometown Acworth, Ga. 

High School Harrison HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Was a mid-year transfer from the University of Cincinnati where he spent two seasons (2021, 2022)

at Cincinnati: Appeared in six games over two seasons, finishing 21-of-21 on PATs including 20 successful tries as a freshman in 2021 … Kicked one extra point in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl in 2022 … Made a career-best five PATs against both ECU and Houston in the AAC Championship game … Was 2-for-4 on field goals including hitting a 32-yarder against Navy … Scored 26 career points over two seasons;

Harrison High: Made nine of 11 field goal attempts and put 57 of his 95 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks for the 2019 Georgia Class 6A championship team … Made a 40-yard field goal in the championship game against Allatoona … Averaged 34.1 yards per punt … Was rated as the No. 34 overall kicker by Kornblue coming out as a prep.

97 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #97 Caleb Bradford

It's now 97 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

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

Today we will highlight a Defensive Lineman

#97 Caleb Bradford

Position Defensive Line 

Height 6-1 

Weight 265 

Class Redshirt Senior 

Hometown Canton, N.C. 

High School Pisgah HS

2023 (Redshirt Sophomore): Did not see game action during the season … In WCU’s annual Spring Game, recorded an interception and a touchdown for a second consecutive season, jumping underneath a route and then followed a caravan of blockers to rumble 80 yards for a score.

2022 (Redshirt Freshman): Did not see game action during the season … Deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage and returned the interception for a touchdown early in WCU’s annual Spring Game, adding two tackles in the final intrasquad scrimmage of the spring.

2021 (Freshman): Did not see game action, taking a redshirt.

Prior to Western Carolina: Played offensive guard and defensive tackle as a prep at Pisgah High for head coach and former Catamount Brett Chappell ... Was selected first-team 2AA All-State as a senior while also collecting the Mountain Six Conference Lineman of the Year award.

Personal: Full name is William Caleb Bradford ... Is the son of Vicki and Dean Bradford ... Has an older sister, Taylor Watkins.

98 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #98 Jackson Hensley

It's now 98 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

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

Today we will highlight a Defensive Lineman

#98  Jackson Hensley

Position Defensive Line 

Height 6-4 

Weight 260 

Class Sophomore 

Hometown Maiden, N.C. 

High School Maiden HS

2023-24 (Freshman): Did not see game action ... Named to the 2023-24 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Joined the Catamount football team as a preferred walk-on … Played defensive end and offensive tackle as a prep where he was a three-year varsity letter winner … Recorded 95 career tackles with 52 solo stops including seven tackles for loss with five sacks … Tallied a pass deflection, a blocked field goal, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown … Also played basketball as a prep.

Personal: Is the son of Candy and Stephen Hensley.

99 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - #99 Jordan Cardentey

It's now 99 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb University Runnin' Bulldogs in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

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

Today we will highlight a Defensive Lineman

#99 Jordan Cardentey

Position Defensive Line 

Height 6-0 

Weight 265 

Class Redshirt Freshman 

Hometown Atlanta, Ga. 

High School Creekside HS

Prior to Western Carolina: Named second-team all-region as a junior and first-team all-region as a senior defensive lineman ... Finished with 56 tackles including 16 for loss with eight sacks as a senior ... Forced and recovered three fumbles while also recording an interception ... Played for head coach Maurice Dixon at Creekside High in Fairburn, Ga., advancing to the third round of the state playoffs as a junior and state runner-up as a senior.
 
Personal: Jordan "Supa" Cardentey ... Is the son of Martha Marisol Hernandez and Sergio Cardentey ... Has two younger siblings - Aubrey and Jaslyn ... Father, Sergio, wrestled for the Cuban national team.

100 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff

Welcome to the fifteenth annual 100 day countdown to kickoff.    

We hope you have enjoyed the countdown in past years as much as we do bring it to you. During the countdown, we'll highlight the player whose number corresponds to that day in the countdown. Since the official 2025 Catamount Football Roster has not yet been published, we'll use the 2025 Catamount Spring Football Roster for jersey numbers, until the new roster is posted, at which point we'll switch to the official roster for the remainder of the countdown.

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It's now 100 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb University Runnin' Bulldogs in EJ Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

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

As is our custom, we'll kick off day #100 with the Catamount Head Football Coach Kerwin Bell.

Kerwin Bell
                                                    

Title: Head Football Coach

Hometown: Mayo, Fla
Alma Mater: University of Florida
Graduated: 1987

An accomplished player who worked his way from walk-on to All-American to the National Football League, and a 12-year veteran head coach who won a combined four conference championships and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship, Kerwin Bell was named the 14th head football coach at Western Carolina University by Director of Athletics Alex Gary on April 27, 2021.

“We talk every day about Catamount Athletics having a winning mentality and the confidence to believe we can bring championships to our university,” said Gary. “Kerwin is a proven winner and has shown the ability to build successful programs. We are thrilled to welcome him and his family to Cullowhee.”

Bell comes to Cullowhee having served as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida under head coach Charlie Strong in 2019. He most recently walked off the field as a head coach following the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship, leading the Valdosta State Blazers where he coached for three seasons, twice making playoff appearances.

“I am excited and honored to be named the new head football coach at Western Carolina University,” said Bell. “We are coming here to win championships on the field and help mentor the young men who are in our program. I am ready to get started building this into a championship program that the Catamount Nation can be proud of.”

Over a 12-year head coaching career, Bell led the football programs at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jacksonville University (2007-15). He did this coming on the heels of a 13-year playing career in professional football that included several stops in the NFL and the Canadian Football League.

Bell served three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State where he also guided the offense. He led the Blazers to a 27-7 record during his tenure including a school-record 15 straight victories, two Division II playoff appearances, and won both a conference and a national championship in 2018. He was named the 2018 Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year and the Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year after leading VSU to a 14-0 record – the first unbeaten season in program history that included a thrilling 49-47 victory over Ferris State in the D-II National Championship game. Picked fifth in their conference in the preseason and the No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, the Blazers finished No. 1 nationally in the final AFCA Division II poll.

Bell’s 2018 offense led the nation in scoring (52.0 ppg), ranked second in first downs (341), and was fourth in total offense (523.9 ypg), red-zone offense (.901), and pass efficiency (167.37). The Blazers scored 728 points on the year, the most in NCAA Division II history, as they posted 7,334 yards (3,676 rushing/3,658 passing) and 7.9 yards per play on the year.

Within Bell’s system, VSU sophomore quarterback Rogan Wells finished as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the Division II Player of the Year, and was named both the Region Two and Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Wells accounted for 50 touchdowns on the year (including one receiving), led the nation in points responsible for (300), was second in passing touchdowns (38) and points responsible for per game (21.4 ppg), 10th in passing yards (3,075), 12th in passing efficiency (160.6) and 25th in total offense (271.9 ypg). He finished second on the team with 732 yards rushing and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.

Additionally, senior offensive linemen Jeremy King was the runner-up for the Gene Upshaw Award presented to the most outstanding Division II lineman.

Bell led VSU to runner-up conference finishes in his first two years guiding the program and went 8-3 with a playoff appearance in his first season at the helm in 2016 as the Blazers led the nation with 27 interceptions on defense.

Prior to Valdosta, Bell led Jacksonville University for nine seasons, guiding the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program to a 66-35 record and three Pioneer Football League (PFL) championships. Serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as well as head coach, Bell was named the 2008 PFL Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after leading the Dolphins to a 9-4 seasonal record and conference title.

He also led Jacksonville to a school-best 10-1 record and conference championship in 2010 as the Dolphins led the nation in total (486 ypg) and scoring (42.2 ppg) offense. JU also posted a 9-2 overall mark and won a conference title in 2014.

Before taking over the Jacksonville program, Bell led Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla., for six seasons (2001-06), earning a Florida 2B state title in 2005 and runner-up finish in 2006. His coaching career began in earnest at the end of his professional playing career as he served as the offensive coordinator for two seasons while still a player for the Toronto Argonauts (2000-01).

Originally from Mayo, Fla., Bell was a quarterback at the University of Florida from 1983-87 where he completed over 57 percent of his 953 pass attempts for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns. A former walk-on, Bell concluded his collegiate career as the SEC Player of the Year in 1984 after leading Florida to a 9-1-1 record and a conference championship, and both a first-team All-SEC selection and All-America honorable mention in 1985, a season that saw the Gators earn the programs first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the Associated Press poll. Garnering a second honorable mention All-America honor in 1986, Bell was a 1987 team captain and earned the program’s Fergie Ferguson Award.

Bell was ranked the No. 26 Greatest Gator of all-time from the first 100 years of football at Florida in 2006 by The Gainesville Sun. Bell later served as a graduate assistant for the 1990 season under Steve Spurrier at Florida after earning a degree in psychology in 1987.

He was selected in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, beginning his 13-year professional career that saw stops with the NFL teams in Miami, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Indianapolis as well as stops in the Canadian Football League, where he passed for 19,538 yards and 101 touchdowns in nine seasons, and the World League of American Football (WLAF).

Married in 1986 while both students at UF, Bell and his wife, Cosette, have three children: Kade, Kolton, and Kenzley.

Kylr Pifer - Our New AD Press Conference

starts at about the  9:30 mark...

 

Tracking the Cats w/baseball HC Alan Beck

 

2025 SoCon Baseball Championship

 

Tracking the Cats w/Chad Gerrety

 

Fill the Western Sky - Facilities