Two-Time Defending UAC Champs Start Spring Practice Tuesday

Will Shaffer during the FCS Playoffs second round game at Stephen F. Austin on December 6, 2025

Photo by: Aly Bayliss

Two-Time Defending UAC Champs Start Spring Practice Tuesday

3/15/2026 12:23:00 PM | Football

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By: Evan Nemec

The back-to-back United Athletic Conference champion Abilene Christian football team begins its 2026 spring practice schedule on Tuesday afternoon.

The Wildcats will practice 12 times over a four-week stretch. The team will not hold an official spring game.

ACU, which won the UAC and reached the second round of the FCS Playoffs in each of the past two seasons, must find new starters at several positions including quarterback and linebacker.

Forty-nine players are expected to return from the 2025 squad and head coach Keith Patterson and his staff announced the signings of 40 additional players in February. That signing class included 17 players from the NCAA Transfer Portal (16 of which enrolled at ACU for the spring semester) and 23 from high schools.

All three quarterbacks who took snaps last season – starter Stone Earle, and backups Quayde Hawkins and Cade Fennegan – have exhausted their eligibility, leaving redshirt freshman John David Baker as the only returner. However, the Wildcats signed four quarterbacks: Emmett Brown, who transfers from Coastal Carolina, Midland-native Marcos Davila, who transfers from Nebraska, Tucker Parks from Western Kentucky, and Wichita Falls Memorial H.S. senior Joe Castles.

Patterson expects to sign another 17 players in the transfer portal to reach the 105-man roster limit.

ACU's leading rusher from last season, Rovaughn Banks, Jr., returns for his redshirt senior season. Banks carried the ball 142 times for 687 yards (4.8 per carry) and three touchdowns in 2025. Receivers Dallas Dudley and Raydrian Baltrip, and tight end Itty Henry return.

The Wildcats had to replace their entire starting offensive line during the 2025 offseason but will be in better shape this spring. ACU has two All-UAC linemen back with center Colter Lynch (2^nd Team), and right tackle Luke Roaten (1^st Team) surrounding right guard Landon Roaten.

Defensively, ACU has lost its top seven tacklers. Most notable is the departure of All-America linebackers Will Shaffer and Rashon Myles, Jr. Three-year starting safety Dorian Plumley intercepted a team-high five passes and was also named 3^rd Team All-America by FCS Football Central.

The Wildcats should be strong up the middle with defensive linemen Kortlin Rausaw and Chris Herpin back. The two combined for 6 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hurries.

Incoming defenders who could make an impact include transfer safeties Plae Wyatt (Rice) and Dillion Williams (Central Arkansas), and cornerback Colin Brazzell (Tennessee).

ACU's defense will be directed by new coordinator Sam Bennett, who most recently worked for three seasons as UIW's linebackers coach. He also was the defensive coordinator in 2025, and coached two 1^st Team All-Southland Conference linebackers during his time with the Cardinals.

The special teams unit includes returning kickers Brandon Perez and Kyler Meschi, and punter Hugo Nash.

The Cats begin the 2026 season with back-to-back in-state road games: Aug. 29 at Lamar, and Sept. 5 at Texas Tech. ACU welcomes Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 12), Mercer (Sept. 26), Central Arkansas (Oct. 10), West Georgia (Oct. 31) and Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 21) to Wildcat Stadium.