Wildcats Head to Arlington for UAC Football Kickoff
7/16/2026 9:21:00 AM | Football
ARLINGTON, Texas – The back-to-back United Athletic Conference champion Abilene Christian Wildcats will take part in the UAC Football Kickoff on July 21 at Texas Live! in Arlington.
Representing ACU will be Keith Patterson, who enters his fifth season as head coach, redshirt senior offensive tackle Luke Roaten, and redshirt senior defensive tackle Kortlin Rausaw. The trio will be interviewed on the ESPN+ live broadcast of the event from 12:34-12:44 p.m. They will also take part in promotional sessions for the UAC involving social media and photo and video shoots.
WATCH: 2026 UAC Football Kickoff on ESPN+
There will also be a live edition of the ACU Sports Podcast featuring Patterson, Roaten and Rausaw streaming on YouTube starting at 10:30 a.m.
The media day event begins at 11 a.m. with the revealing of the preseason poll and Preseason All-UAC Team, as voted on by the head coaches. Each of the conference's eight teams will then take turns rotating through various stations and have the opportunity for 1-on-1 interviews with media members in attendance.
Jeff Bacon, CEO of Unisun Sports, the alliance between the UAC and Atlantic Sun Conference, will be interviewed on the broadcast from 12:00-12:08 p.m.
Texas Live! will remain open to the public during the event and fans are welcome to attend. Guests wishing to dine or reserve seating directly in front of the broadcast stage must obtain a table through the Texas Live! host stand. Doors open at 10 a.m.
UAC Kickoff Broadcast Schedule on ESPN+
11:00 a.m. – Preseason Poll & All-UAC Awards
11:10 a.m. – North Alabama
11:22 a.m. – Eastern Kentucky
11:34 a.m. – Central Arkansas
11:46 a.m. – West Florida
12 p.m. – Jeff Bacon, CEO Unisun Sports
12:10 p.m. – Austin Peay
12:22 p.m. – West Georgia
12:34 p.m. – Abilene Christian
12:46 p.m. – Tarleton State
Representing ACU will be Keith Patterson, who enters his fifth season as head coach, redshirt senior offensive tackle Luke Roaten, and redshirt senior defensive tackle Kortlin Rausaw. The trio will be interviewed on the ESPN+ live broadcast of the event from 12:34-12:44 p.m. They will also take part in promotional sessions for the UAC involving social media and photo and video shoots.
WATCH: 2026 UAC Football Kickoff on ESPN+
There will also be a live edition of the ACU Sports Podcast featuring Patterson, Roaten and Rausaw streaming on YouTube starting at 10:30 a.m.
The media day event begins at 11 a.m. with the revealing of the preseason poll and Preseason All-UAC Team, as voted on by the head coaches. Each of the conference's eight teams will then take turns rotating through various stations and have the opportunity for 1-on-1 interviews with media members in attendance.
Jeff Bacon, CEO of Unisun Sports, the alliance between the UAC and Atlantic Sun Conference, will be interviewed on the broadcast from 12:00-12:08 p.m.
Texas Live! will remain open to the public during the event and fans are welcome to attend. Guests wishing to dine or reserve seating directly in front of the broadcast stage must obtain a table through the Texas Live! host stand. Doors open at 10 a.m.
UAC Kickoff Broadcast Schedule on ESPN+
11:00 a.m. – Preseason Poll & All-UAC Awards
11:10 a.m. – North Alabama
11:22 a.m. – Eastern Kentucky
11:34 a.m. – Central Arkansas
11:46 a.m. – West Florida
12 p.m. – Jeff Bacon, CEO Unisun Sports
12:10 p.m. – Austin Peay
12:22 p.m. – West Georgia
12:34 p.m. – Abilene Christian
12:46 p.m. – Tarleton State
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