BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The 2026 football season gets underway Saturday, Sept. 5, as the Illinois Wesleyan Univeristy football team treks to Albion College for a non-conference clash. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET
    Illinois Wesleyan enters the 2026 season looking to continue its ascent under the direction of head coach Jared Williamson. The Titans posted a 4-6 record in  their first season with Williamson at the helm. Albion welcomes the Green and White with hopes of bouncing back from a 3-7 record in 2025. The Britons had posted seven-or-more wins in each of their previous seven seasons.
    Fans can tune into a a live stream provided by Albion athletics, while live stats will also be available for the contest. Links can be found on the football schedule page of iwusports.com.

IT'S BUILDING: For the first time since 2019, Illinois Wesleyan received votes in a national poll. The Titans found themselves in the receiving votes category of the AFCA Preseason Poll released a few weeks ago. IWU, which garnered two points, were one of four CCIW programs in the conversation. North Central topped the poll, with Wheaton checking in at No. 5. Augustana reeled in six points and joined the Titans in the receiving votes category.
SEPTEMBER: Illinois Wesleyan has compiled a 36-15 record in the month of September since 2010. IWU went 2-1 in the month last season, with the Titans' lone loss during the stretch coming against Central to begin the year.

THE ALL-AMERICAN: Senior Zach Hansen tops the depth chart at long snapper following a 2025 season in which he snagged All-American honors. Hansen was voted a Second Team All-America selection.
    Hansen is the first All-America honoree of head coach Jared Williamson's tenure. He was the first Titan to be named an AP All-America pick since Trevor Staley repeated as a second team standout in 2018, while he marked IWU's first All-American since Jahari Scott was a D3football.com Fourth Team selection in 2023. Additionally, Hansen is the highest All-America selection for Illinois Wesleyan since Mike Murphy was listed as a first teamer following the COVID-altered season in 2021.

BATTLING THE BRITS: Illinois Wesleyan and Albion have met on the gridiron twice previously ahead of Saturday's showdown, with IWU claiming victory in both bouts. The Titans won the initial meeting, 23-20, in Michigan Nov. 23, 1996. Nearly 20 years later, the Green and White registered an 35-27 victory at Albion Sept. 13, 2014. The 21st-ranked Titans took advantage of five Albion turnovers to move to 2-0 on the season in the 1000th game in IWU football history.  Artie Checchin had five receptions, including TD catches of 18 yards and 26 yards, with a total of 74 yards while junior wide receiver Fernando Lozano led the Titans with 84 receiving yards on five grabs.

OLD FACE, NEW PLACE: Titan football fans will see a familiar face leading the Britons Saturday, Sept. 5, when IWU takes the field at Albion. Now in his fourth season, Travis Rundle will coach against IWU for the first time in his head coaching career. Rundle, who served as Illinois Wesleyan's Defensive Coordinator/Head Strength & Conditioning Coach from 2011 to 2016, left Bloomington for the head coaching position at Sewanee before taking the helm at his alma mater in 2023.

OPENING ON THE ROAD: For the second time since the 2019 season, the Green and White will begin its season on the road. In 2019, IWU kicked off the year with back-to-back road games. The season began at UW-La Crosse, where the Titans fell in overtime, before dropping their CCIW opener at Wheaton, Sept. 21. In 2024, IWU began the year with a trip to Central (Iowa).
    The last time Illinois Wesleyan won its season opener on the road came during the 2016 campaign, when the Titans edged past Nebraska Wesleyan, 17-13, Sept. 10, in Lincoln, Neb. After trailing by 10 points at halftime, Jack Donegan threw touchdown passes to Austin Wagner and Austin Harrell to lead the Green and White comeback. Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore ran for a game-high 120 yards, while Kyle Venhuizen notched seven tackles with three TFLs and a pair of sacks in the triumph.

THEY'RE BAAAACK: The Green and White saw three Titans pull in All-CCIW honors in 2025. Will Nazha and Matt Hansen hauled in first team status, with Dermot Smyth securing second team honors. All three return for IWU in 2026.

RISING THE RANKS: Entering his final season donning the Green and White, Dermot Smyth is climbing Illinois Wesleyan's career ranks. Over 26 games on the field for the Titans, Smyth has thrown for 5259 yards and 49 touchdowns. He has added 856 rushing yards and 21 TDs on the ground.
    Smyth eclipsed the 5000 career passing yards mark at Augustana, Nov. 1, 2025 becoming just the eighth Titan to do so in program history. He is listed throughout the IWU record book entering his senior season as Smyth is tied for seventh all-time in passing touchdowns (49) alongside Tom Monke, while he is also tied for fourth with Kurt Swearingen in rushing scores (21). His 417 completions are eighth-most all-time.

ESTABLISHING HIMSELF: Will Nazha put together a breakout year in 2025, establishing himself as one of the top wide receivers in the CCIW. Nazha led the conference and was 17th nationally with 150.8 all-purpose yards per game. The Barrington, Ill. native was top-50 in Division III in receptions per game (7.10 - 18th nationally), receiving yards per game (92.8 - 32nd nationally), and total receiving yards (928 - 42nd nationally). He was seventh in the CCIW with seven TDs.
Furthermore, Nazha's 928 receiving yards were the most since Charlie Hamilton finished the 2022 season with 940 yards.

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAINS: Earning the prestigious honor of captain for Illinois Wesleyan in 2026 is a veteran group that includes seniors Matt Hansen, Dermot Smyth, Marcheon Griffin, Joe DeMaio, and Nathan Frank alongside junior Mac Brennan. Hansen, Smyth, and DeMaio earned the designation for the second straight year, while Griffin, Frank, and Brennan are first-time representatives.

WITH A WIN…: With a win, Illinois Wesleyan will come out on top in its season opener for the first time since 2022. In the last 16 full seasons, IWU boasts a 11-6 record in lid lifters with a 5-3 mark when opening on the road. The Titans are in search of their first non-conference road win since the 2016 season.

CCIW PRESEASON POLL: Illinois Wesleyan was predicted to finish fourth in the annual CCIW Preseason Coaches Poll. IWU's 45 points were behind North Central (64), Wheaton (57), and Augustana (47). Carroll (32) rounded out the top-five. Carthage (29), North Park (25), Millikin (17), and Elmhurst (8) filled out the final four slots, respectively. Of the nine first-place votes, NCC pulled in eight, while Wheaton snagged one.

ON THE HORIZON: Following its trip to Michigan, the Titans will return to the friendly confines of Tucci Stadium for their final non-conference bout of the season Saturday, Sept. 12. Illinois Wesleyan will recognize its large senior class prior to a 1 p.m. kickoff against Trine University.