PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo will open its 2026 football season Thursday evening under the lights at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl as the sixth-ranked ThunderWolves host Central Missouri in a week zero non-conference, Super Region Four match-up.

Kickoff for Thursday's season opener is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. as the Pack begins its fourth season under head coach Philip Vigil and opens at home for the second consecutive season.

The Pack enters the 2026 season ranked sixth in the Preseason AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll and 10th in the D2Football.com Preseason Top 25 Poll, while Central Missouri received seven votes in the AFCA preseason poll.

Thursday's contest will be the Pack's 63rd season of football, 41st as a four-year program and the 19th season since the program rebooted in 2008. It will also mark the first of six regular-season home games for the ThunderWolves in 2026.

CSU Pueblo enters the season following back-to-back Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships and NCAA Division II Playoff appearances. The Pack went 10-2 overall and a perfect 9-0 in RMAC play for the second consecutive season in 2025 to capture the program's 10th all-time conference championship.

The Pack enters this season having won nine consecutive regular-season games and carries a 25-game RMAC winning streak into the season. That 25-game conference winning streak, which dates to the 2023 season, is the longest active conference winning streak in NCAA Division II football.

Fourth-year head coach Philip Vigil has compiled a 28-7 record at CSU Pueblo and owns a 35-22 career record in six seasons as a collegiate head coach.

While the Pack has enjoyed plenty of success over the past three seasons, Vigil's fourth CSU Pueblo squad will have a much different look after the ThunderWolves graduated 23 seniors from last year's team and had several other players move on to opportunities at higher levels.

Despite the roster turnover, Vigil has been pleased with what he has seen from his team throughout the offseason and fall camp.

"I think the first thing that sticks out about this group is their willingness to work," Vigil said. "We've had great summer attendance, the best since we've been here. Our attitude and effort have been extremely good all summer long, and it's carried over into fall camp."

With numerous faces expected to take on larger roles on offense, defense and special teams, Vigil said one of the primary objectives throughout fall camp has been establishing the identity of this year's team.

"Our challenge this fall camp was making sure that we mesh, making sure that we go back to the basics and really understand what we want our offensive, defensive, and special teams' identity to be and instill that," Vigil said. "We do have some guys that have played a lot of snaps for us who maybe weren't starters, but they understand the standard. I think our staff and these players did a really good job over the last three weeks of getting ourselves ready to start the season."

While many of those players haven't previously entered a season as starters, they will now have an opportunity to step into the spotlight beginning Thursday.

"There's always an excitement to see how these guys will perform," Vigil said. "That's what I'm looking forward to on Thursday. We get an opportunity to see these guys that have worked really hard for their opportunity to be the guy, and I'm excited to see how they play on Thursday with the spotlight on them."

The Pack is coming off a 2025 season in which it featured one of the top offenses in both the RMAC and NCAA Division II. CSU Pueblo led the RMAC in scoring offense at 38.3 points per game and passing offense at 297.8 yards per game, while ranking second in total offense at 443.3 yards per game.

Nationally, the Pack finished eighth in Division II in scoring offense, 11th in passing offense and 18th in total offense. CSU Pueblo also finished seventh nationally with a single-season school record of 307 first downs and 20th in red zone offense after converting on 55 of its 62 trips inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Many of the primary pieces from that offense have departed, including All-RMAC quarterback Roman Fuller and two-time All-American receiver Reggie Retzlaff, meaning the Pack will feature nine new starters, including an entirely new offensive line, a new starting quarterback, a new starting running back and a tight end.

Vigil, though, believes the ThunderWolves have enough talent to continue playing at the standard established by the program.

"We are replacing quite a few guys on the offensive side, but I think our coaches have done a really good job of identifying talent and bringing the right people here and also developing the talent that we've had in the building," Vigil said. "We're going to be new in a lot of places, and our biggest challenge is going to be making sure that we can get that experience as quickly as we possibly can so we can play to our standard."

One area where the Pack does return proven playmakers is at receiver, led by the Pack's two returning offensive starters – junior receiver Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr. (Aurora, Colo./Eastern Washington) and senior receiver Dedrek Taylor-Akins (Fontana, Calif./Northeastern State).

Honeycutt was a Preseason All-RMAC selection after averaging a single-season school-record 19.4 yards per reception last season, which ranked second in the RMAC and 22nd nationally, while Taylor-Akins hauled in seven touchdown passes to rank sixth in the RMAC.

Taylor-Akins closed the 2025 season with six receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in the Pack's 37-24 home NCAA Playoff game setback to UT-Permian Basin.

"Marcellus and T.A. are very special players. They deserve attention, and we're going to try to find ways to get them the football," Vigil said. "But it's not just those guys. We've got a lot of guys around them. Some of our inside receivers have had a great fall camp, our tailbacks have had a really great fall camp, and our tight end room has had a really great fall camp.

"We've got a lot of really talented football players, and there's only one football to go around. We've got to find ways to bring everybody along and utilize everyone's strengths."

Honeycutt and Taylor-Akins have developed into leaders for the Pack, as both were selected to wear single-digit uniform numbers this season. They were joined among the receivers by senior Nate Gravagno (Englewood, Colo./Englewood).

"They've developed into leaders for us," Vigil said. "They're both single digits, including (Nate) Gravagno as well. We had three guys in the receiver room that received single digits on the offensive side, which is pretty spectacular."

One of the biggest questions entering Thursday's opener surrounds who will be throwing the ball to those receivers following the graduation of Fuller, who led the RMAC with 3,471 passing yards and finished with 32 touchdown passes a season ago.

Throughout the offseason, the Pack has had a three-way competition at quarterback, and Vigil said all three candidates have shown they are capable of directing the Pack offense.

The three quarterbacks battling for the starting role this season are sophomore Navi Bruzon (Peoria, Ariz./Highland CC), sophomore Cam McGuire (Dallas, Texas/Woodrow Wilson) and sophomore Evan Powell (San Bernardino, Calif./Chaffey College), and all three are listed as co-No. 1s on this season's first depth chart. McGuire served as Fuller's backup last season as he played in five games and was 11-for-18 passing for 103 yards and rushed the ball 16 times for 91 yards and had one rushing score.

"They all do something different. They're all very special in their own right," Vigil said. "I think they're all championship-caliber quarterbacks. If any one of them is in the game, I feel confident that we should be able to have success.
 
"They've been battling since last spring. We've had an open competition since Roman left, and those three guys have really put us as coaches in a hard position. That's the hard part about quarterback – only one guy gets to play."

Defensively, the Pack returns several experienced players, including sophomore linebacker Johnathan Gonzales (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo County), junior defensive end A.J. Jordan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vista Ridge), senior defensive lineman Micah Lutu (Kalihi, Hawai'i/Saguaro) and senior safety Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview). Rullo, who recorded 60 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, two sacks and seven pass break-ups last season, was named a Preseason All-RMAC selection.

Some other key defensive players returning are senior linebacker Miles Sprague (Holyoke, Colo./Holyoke), junior defensive tackle Ian Ortiz (Deming, N.M./Deming), senior defensive end Jaylen Booth (Merced, Calif./Merced College), senior safety Adam Saleh (Dearborn, Mich./Northern Michigan) and sophomore defensive end Aiden Alefosio (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral).

The Pack defense finished second in the RMAC last season in total defense (323.3 yards per game), passing defense (200.8 yards per game) and rushing defense (122.5 yards per game). CSU Pueblo also led the RMAC with 17 interceptions and finished first in turnover margin at plus-eight.

Nationally, the Pack's 17 interceptions ranked eighth in Division II, while its 26 takeaways were also eighth nationally.

The unit will have a new coordinator this season, but rather than overhaul the defense, Vigil promoted from within in an effort to maintain continuity in scheme and terminology. Linebackers coach Neema Behbahani is the new defensive coordinator as he takes over for the departed Caid Faske, who is now the defensive coordinator at NCAA FCS member Stephen F. Austin.

In addition to Behbahani, the Pack will have several other new coaches on defense as Thomas Pearson comes to CSU Pueblo from Central Oklahoma and will serve as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, while Ben WooChing arrives from Liberty University and will coach the defensive line and serve as the special teams coordinator, and former Pack player Kellen Curtis will serve as the cornerbacks coach after completing his collegiate career in 2025.

"We've kept a lot of the same schematics and a lot of the same verbiage, and that creates a smooth transition for our defensive players," Vigil said. "We have a lot of new guys that maybe played sparingly, and if we can keep the verbiage and the scheme the same that will help them be able to play fast on game day."

Vigil expects speed and pressure to remain hallmarks of the Pack defense.

"What I see is a team that is very fast, a team that wants to pressure and get after the quarterback and find different ways to be able to do that, whether it's rushing four, bringing a simulated pressure or a blitz," he said. "We've been able to really try to wreak havoc on the quarterbacks during fall camp and make it hard on them."

Creating turnovers has also been a major point of emphasis throughout the offseason.

The Pack refers to that philosophy as "AATB" – All About The Ball.

"These guys have made a concerted effort to always be around the ball," Vigil said. "They're not only trying to pick it every time it's in the air, but anytime a ball carrier is around, they are punching, scraping, and trying to get that ball out.

"They've caused probably more turnovers in spring and fall camp than we have since I've been here. As a coach, you get what you emphasize, and we've put a huge emphasis on that. I think realistically, we have an opportunity to potentially even be better from that standpoint."

Special teams, which has been a huge emphasis for Vigil since his arrival at CSU Pueblo, could be one of the Pack's most experienced units entering this season, particularly at kicker.

Senior kicker Jackson Smith (Centennial, Colo./Santa Barbara City College), who was named a Preseason All-RMAC selection, returns after earning Second-Team All-RMAC honors last season as he connected on 16-of-21 field goal attempts and finished with 94 points. He led the RMAC in both field goals per game and field goal percentage (76.2 percent) and ranked second nationally by averaging 1.60 field goals per game.

Smith etched his name in the school record books last season when he connected on a school-record 60-yard field goal at New Mexico Highlands, tied a school record with four made field goals at Black Hills State and set a new single-game school record with 16 points at Black Hills State after making four field goals and four extra points.

"When Jackson walks onto the field, he's Mr. Automatic," the Pack coach stated. "He did an unbelievable job for us last year and has had a great fall camp."

The Pack also welcomes back senior kicker Evan Lyons (Superior, Colo./Monarch), who was the Pack's primary kickoff specialist last season. Lyons comes into the season having recorded 136 career touchbacks on his kickoff attempts, and those 136 touchbacks are the second-most since the program was rebooted in 2008.

"Evan has one of the strongest legs probably at our level," Vigil said. "He's extremely explosive. The ball just jumps off his foot."

For the Pack, one of the biggest keys Thursday will be getting a roster filled with new starters comfortable as quickly as possible.

"We need to be able to settle in early," Vigil said. "When you have a new team with a lot of new faces, you can't be a deer in the headlights. It's, 'Hey, we know what to do, we know how to do it. Let's just go do our job.' Being able to settle in early is going to be a big key for us."

Offensively, Vigil said the Pack needs to get the football into the hands of its playmakers, protect the ball and stay ahead of the chains against Central Missouri's defense.

"First and second down will be huge," he said. "If you're third-and-long against this defense, it's going to be a really long night. Being really good on first and second down will be big for us."

Defensively, the challenge will be limiting Central Missouri's explosive plays and continuing the Pack's emphasis on creating takeaways.

"They're going to be explosive, so being able to limit how much explosiveness they can have is going to be a key for us," Vigil said. "Trying to find turnovers will be important. Last year I think we had three or four turnovers against them, and that really helped us in winning that football game. If we can find the ball again and create some turnovers, that will go a long way in our ability to hopefully come out on top."

CSU Pueblo has traditionally been strong in season-opening games and enters Thursday with a perfect 6-0 all-time record in games played during the month of August. In addition, the Pack is 15-2 in season-opening games and 29-10 all-time in season openers since becoming a four-year school in 1963. The Pack has also been strong at home since the program rebooted in 2008 as CSU Pueblo owns an 84-22 record in the ThunderBowl and has won 10 of its last 11 home season openers.

Thursday will also mark the Pack's first game on the newly installed turf at the ThunderBowl.

"The turf is fantastic," Vigil said. "Rocky Mountain Turf Solutions did an unbelievable job. They were able to get this thing in in three-and-a-half weeks. It looks fantastic, and I think as good as it looks, it plays even better. The guys love the way it feels.

"It's always a special thing to be able to play at the ThunderBowl. When you can play at home for your first game, under the lights and on new turf, that's a special thing."

Thursday's game will mark just the third all-time meeting between CSU Pueblo and Central Missouri, with the series tied at 1-1.

The Pack won last season's meeting 29-24 in Warrensburg, Mo., while Central Missouri earned a 34-9 victory in the first-ever meeting between the programs on Sept. 3, 1983, in Pueblo. CSU Pueblo enters Thursday's game with a 29-29 record against current members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

In last season's meeting, the Pack used a strong defensive effort and timely turnovers to leave Warrensburg with a five-point victory, including outscoring the Mules 19-7 in the second half after trailing 17-10 at the half.

Following Thursday's season opener at home against Central Missouri, the Pack will hit the road for the first time this season as it travels to Hays, Kan., for a 6 p.m. MT game on Thursday, Sept. 3 against Fort Hays State. Fort Hays State, which opens the season with a road game at Angelo State, earned 13 votes in the preseason AFCA Division II Coaches' Poll.

ABOUT CENTRAL MISSOURI
Central Missouri comes into the 2026 season looking to rebound from a 5-6 season a year ago. The Mules finished 5-4 in the MIAA and closed the 2025 campaign by winning two of their final three games.

The Mules were picked to finish fifth in the 2026 MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and fourth in the league's preseason media poll.

"They're one of the top teams in the MIAA year in and year out," Vigil said. "They're extremely explosive on offense. They're going to spread you out, they're going to do a lot of wide splits and they're going to play with a lot of tempo."

Fifth-year head coach Josh Lamberson welcomes back 14 starters, including All-MIAA performers fifth-year senior Shawn Martinez on the offensive line, fifth-year linebacker Drew Kaufman and senior defensive back Malachi Howard.

Lamberson is 29-18 in four seasons at Central Missouri and owns a 30-39 career record as a collegiate head coach. Before taking over at UCM, Lamberson spent two seasons as head coach at Nebraska-Kearney and five seasons as an assistant at Abilene Christian. Lamberson was an All-America quarterback at Northwest Missouri State and was a member of the Bearcats' 2005 NCAA Division II National Championship team.

In 2025, Central Missouri led the MIAA in scoring (32.3 points per game), first downs (291), total offense (464.3 yards per game), passing offense (321.5 yards per game) and third-down conversions (48.6 percent).

Among Central Missouri's key offensive returners is fifth-year quarterback Jordan Pachot, who completed 44-of-71 passes for 561 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions last season. Pachot saw action against the Pack last season and impressed Vigil with his performance.

"Their quarterback that's starting for them right now was a kid that came in during the fourth quarter against us last year, and really kind of picked us apart," Vigil said. "I know that he's talented. I know they're going to have some receivers and running backs that are going to be really special."

In the game against the Pack last season, Pachot was 11-for-20 passing for 160 yards and had one touchdown pass, which was a 3-yard reception to fifth-year receiver Jack Pospisil to give the Mules a 24-23 lead with 8:30 left in the game.

Pospisil, who is a three-time All-MIAA selection and junior receiver Jake Weber are two of the Mules' top returning receiving threats, as Pospisil caught 19 passes for 323 yards in two games before suffering a season-ending injury, while Weber caught 44 passes for 493 yards and had two touchdown receptions.

Defensively, Kaufman returns after averaging 6.5 tackles per game and recording 7.5 tackles for loss last season, while Howard recorded 30 tackles and 12 pass breakups.

The Mules are led defensively by coordinator Rich Wright, someone Vigil knows well from their time together at Northwest Missouri State.

"Rich Wright is somebody I have a lot of respect for," Vigil said. "If you look up defensive football, you're going to see a picture of Rich Wright. He's one of the best coordinators and defensive minds that I've been around and one of the best defensive line coaches I've ever been around. He has a way of being able to get his guys to compete and play at a very high level.

"Now in year two, he's had a year to instill and install his defense and find the personnel that he wants. I know they're going to be really difficult to move the ball against. We're going to have our hands full in Week Zero because I know they're going to be a top contender in the MIAA."

Other top returning defensive players for the Mules are fifth-year safety Abraham Hoskins III and senior defensive end Kyan Franklin. Hoskins tallied 60 tackles and four pass breakups last season, while Franklin recorded 53 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and was credited with three quarterback hurries.

On special teams, the Mules return senior All-MIAA kicker Will Peacock, who was 12-for-15 on field goals and a perfect 43-for-43 on extra points last season, but will break in a new punter as sophomore Brody Graber is listed as the Mules' starter on the depth chart. Graber handled kickoffs last season and averaged 54.1 yards per kickoff and had seven touchbacks.

In the return game, Weber and Pospisil are listed as the two punt returners, while fifth-year receiver Andre Jackson and senior receiver Daylon Washington are the top two kick returners. Last season, Jackson averaged 29.0 yards per kickoff return and Washington averaged 23.5 yards per kickoff return.

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