BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Concord University football team has been slotted eighth in the Mountain East Conference Coaches' Preseason Poll that was announced Tuesday afternoon by the league office.
THE POLL
| Place |
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Charleston (7) |
63 |
| 2. |
Fairmont State (1) |
52 |
| 3. |
Glenville State (1) |
49 |
| 4. |
Frostburg State |
44 |
| 5. |
West Virginia State |
38 |
| 6. |
Wheeling |
31 |
| 7. |
West Liberty |
21 |
| 8. |
Concord |
17 |
| 9. |
West Virginia Wesleyan |
9 |
2025 SCHEDULE
The Mountain Lions begin the year with back-to-back non-conference contests as they visit UVa.-Wise (August 30) and Bluefield State (September 6). Defending MEC Champion and preseason favorite Charleston awaits in the MEC opener September 20. The long-awaited home opener will be September 27 versus West Liberty. October begins with a trip to Frostburg State (October 4). Homecoming is slated for October 11 versus West Virginia State. After playing Glenville State October 18, CU hosts West Virginia Wesleyan October 25. Concord visits Wheeling November 1 before the final home game of the year against Fairmont State November 8. The last game of the regular season is another non-conference tilt at Ferrum November 15.
THE RETURNERS
Concord returns four of its top 12 tacklers from a season ago. Junior defensive back
Nehemiah Scott was fourth on the team with 59 stops while adding 4.5 tackles for loss and a team-best seven pass break-ups. Graduate defensive lineman
Jaylen Dollar racked up 49 tackles with two for loss. Sophomore defensive lineman
Xavier Ellison finished the season strong as 17 of his 26 tackles came in the final three games of the year. Joining Scott in the secondary is junior
Elijah Copes who has played in 19 career games. Last season, Copes had 20 tackles and three pass break-ups. Junior linebacker
Brodee Rice has made 89 career tackles in 21 games in the Maroon and Gray.
The most experienced offensive player is on the line with junior
Aidan Parsons having started 18 career games on the interior of the offensive line with his most playing time coming at left guard. Senior quarterback
Kameron Howard played in eight games last season as he threw for 1,259 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 52 percent of his passes. The top returning receiver is sophomore
Zion Odoms who collected 200 yards and three touchdowns last fall.
THE NEWCOMERS
A whole new coaching staff is in place for the Mountain Lions, led by first-year head coach Cody Edwards. The Haysi, Virginia native comes to CU after a coaching stint at Division I Western Carolina where he was the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. Prior to WCU, Edwards was the defensive coordinator at Division II Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tennessee. Justin Zimmerman takes the reigns as Concord's offensive coordinator. Dante Johnson will be in charge of the defensive line as well as being the co-defensive coordinator. Peyton Cox will oversee the offensive line, and DeAirus Whitney will coach in the secondary, highlighting some of Edwards' first staff members.
Coach Edwards brought in nearly 100 new players for fall camp. Among the notables are a host of Limestone transfers, after Limestone closed at the conclusion of the spring 2025 semester. Among those new Mountain Lions that saw playing time for the Saints last fall include a pair of defensive backs Monroe Ingraham and Jonathan Williams, running back Stanley Horn and defensive lineman Michael Herbert, who also played at West Virginia Wesleyan.
In-state product Robert Shockey (formerly of Cabell Midland and Parkersburg South High Schools) transferred from Marshall to compete for time at quarterback. Princeton, West Virginia native and former Kennedy Award Winner (given to the top high school player in West Virginia) Dom Collins is back in Mercer County after spending last season at West Virginia University. Corey Radcliff, who tallied 64 tackles over the last three seasons at Tusculum, will help bolster the secondary. And former Glenville State tight end Aaron Tate, who started his career at Marshall, will contribute to the special teams, after appearing in every game for GSU last season as the long snapper.
2025 MEC Football Preseason Countdown
The MEC will preview the 2025 football season with a preseason countdown beginning on Friday, Aug. 15 via the conference's social media channels and YouTube page. The countdown will feature an exclusive 1-on-1 interview with each of the league's nine head coaches.
Friday, August 15 — West Virginia Wesleyan's Dwayne Martin
Monday, August 18 — Concord's Cody Edwards
Tuesday, August 19 — West Liberty's Roger Waialae
Wednesday, August 20 — Wheeling's Zac Bruney
Thursday, August 21 — West Virginia State's John Pennington
Friday, August 22 — Frostburg State's Eric Wagoner
Monday, August 25 — Glenville State's Mike Kellar
Tuesday, August 26 — Fairmont State's Luke Barker
Wednesday, August 27 — Charleston's Michael Tesch
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