# Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Conference USA · Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, TN
Head coach: Derek Mason · year 3 · 6-18 at MTU · 33-73 career over 10 seasons
Offense: Spread · Defense: 3-4

## 2026 outlook

- 2025 record: 3-9 (2-6 in conference)
- National title odds: +125000 (#84 on the futures board)
- Season win total: 3.5 (over priced -148)
- Returning starter games: 26%
- Schedule difficulty: 118th-hardest of 138 FBS teams

## Returning production by unit

| Unit | Returning games | Games back | Depth back |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Skill offense | 33% | 22/67 | 7/15 |
| Offensive line | 0% | 0/55 | 3/12 |
| Defensive front | 29% | 24/83 | 8/18 |
| Secondary | 37% | 21/57 | 7/14 |

## Roster movement

- Key returning: Kalen Woods (SAF), Jackson Lowe (CB), Reggie Johnson (OLB), Roman Gagliano (QB), Zeion Simpson-Smith (DT)
- Key departures (with destination): Juwon Gaston (SAF), Nicholas Vattiato (QB), Brandon Buckner (OLB), Damonte Smith (NT), Jekail Middlebrook (RB) – UVA
- Key arrivals (with previous school): Antonio Martin (RB) – KSU, Ricky Lee (CB) – SAC, James Johnson (SAF) – USC, Brennan Smith (OL) – MSST, Reese Tripp (OL) – MINN

## Depth chart

### Offense

- WR-X: Markus Allen, Tyree Patterson, Kason Stokes
- WR-Z: AJ Jones, Landon Collins
- WR-SL: Cam'ron Lacy, Hogan Wasson, Zaidyn Moore
- LT: Reese Tripp, Tim Jacobs, Kyle Larkin
- LG: Adrian Crespin, Chris Moreno
- C: Otto Janse Van Rensburg, Quentin Butler
- RG: Alex Gale, Trevaris Edwards
- RT: Brennan Smith, Diego Blattler
- TE: Tayvion Galloway, Evan Poticher, Jadin Hambrick
- QB: Roman Gagliano, Peter Costelli, Stanley Anderson-Lofton, Rocco Williams
- RB: Antonio Martin, Terrence Brown, DJ Taylor, Austin Clemons

### Defense

- DE: Aidan Butts, Tiyyan Robinson, Matthew Blomquist
- NT: Felix Hixon, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Archie Roseman V
- DT: Zeion Simpson-Smith, Justin Bodford
- EDGE: Reggie Johnson, Mathias Malaki-Donaldson, Kaven Call
- WLB: Ashton Taylor, Jaiyden Thompson, Micah Smith
- MLB: Korey Smith, Jayson Lowe
- LCB: Jason Hardy, Aidan Singleton, Devan Carlisle
- SS: Christofer Noble, James Johnson, Locke Kennedy, Justis Haggard
- FS: Kalen Woods, Jordan Chestnut, Bryce Williams
- RCB: Jackson Lowe, Ricky Lee, Camari Hall
- NB: Dyson McCutcheon, Gumbo Gaskins, KJ Miniefield

### Special Teams

- PT: Ashton Logan, Aden Caine
- PK: Dominic Bourgeois, Wyatt Joyce
- KO: Dominic Bourgeois, Wyatt Joyce
- LS: Connor Dougherty
- H: Ashton Logan, Aden Caine
- PR: Terrence Brown, Cam'ron Lacy
- KR: DJ Taylor, Cam'ron Lacy

## 2026 schedule

| Week | Opponent | Site | TV | Spread |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Murray State Racers (FCS) | Home | ESPN+ | MTU -21.5 |
| 2 | Marshall | Away | ESPN+ | – |
| 3 | Nevada | Home | ESPN+ | – |
| 4 | Jacksonville State | Away | ESPN+ | – |
| 5 | Kansas | Away | – | – |
| 7 | Delaware | Home | CBS Sports Network | – |
| 8 | Florida International | Away | CBS Sports Network | – |
| 9 | Kennesaw State | Home | CBS Sports Network | – |
| 10 | Western Kentucky | Home | ESPN Networks | – |
| 11 | Liberty | Away | CBS Sports Network | – |
| 12 | Sam Houston | Away | ESPN Networks | – |
| 13 | New Mexico State | Home | ESPN Networks | – |

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Source: SharpData OS – https://www.sharpdataos.com/cfb/teams/middle-tennessee
Depth chart updated 2026-08-11. Odds shown are point-in-time snapshots.