Football 8/20/2026 4:11:00 PM

Blinn seeking to turn experience, urgency into winning season in 2026

After a 4-5 record in 2025, the Buccaneers enter the new year with a veteran roster, revamped defense, and renewed sense of urgency

Football 8/20/2026 4:11:00 PM

Blinn seeking to turn experience, urgency into winning season in 2026

After a 4-5 record in 2025, the Buccaneers enter the new year with a veteran roster, revamped defense, and renewed sense of urgency

One year ago, the Blinn College football team learned a difficult lesson.

Talent alone wasn't enough.

The Buccaneers finished 4-5 in 2025 and missed the Southwest Junior College Football Conference playoffs by a narrow margin. Now, as Ryan Mahon enters his 10th season as Blinn's head coach, the Bucs believe they have the experience, depth and continuity necessary to change that.

More importantly, they have learned what it takes to win.

"You can't just show up and expect to win," sophomore quarterback Jack Emerson said. "You have to learn what it takes to win and commit to it."

That commitment has been evident throughout the offseason, as Blinn enters 2026 with a veteran core on both sides of the ball and a renewed sense of urgency brought on by a dramatically more challenging schedule.

The Bucs will find out immediately where they stand.

Blinn opens the season at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cub Stadium against conference rival Kilgore College in a non-conference matchup that gives both teams an opportunity to make an early statement. The Rangers will return to the schedule Sept. 26 when the teams meet again in Kilgore for their conference schedule.

"The good thing about playing Kilgore to start is playing a legitimate opponent," Mahon said. "We're opening with a very good football team, and we know it, and that has forced the issue in how we're doing everything as a football team."

The unusual opener has changed the tenor of Blinn's preparation.

"There is no sitting back," Mahon added. "We're playing to win right out of the gate. The sense of urgency is there."

That urgency extends to a roster that returns a significant amount of experience, particularly on offense.

Blinn averaged 32 points per game last season, and the Bucs have the pieces to be even more dangerous this season.

At the center of it is Emerson, who returns for his sophomore season after throwing for 1,372 yards and 14 touchdowns with six interceptions as a freshman. Emerson was forced into action quickly last season, and the experience came with its share of growing pains, but Mahon believes those early challenges helped accelerate his development.

"What's neat about him is he has grown so much," Mahon said. "We threw him into the fire, and he answered the call and made it through."

Mahon also described Emerson as a "field general" on the gridiron.

For Emerson, the biggest difference entering his second season is simply comfort.

He knows the offense; he knows his coaches; he knows his teammates; and he has experienced the speed of the college game firsthand.

"I'm way more comfortable in the system," Emerson said. "Knowing the coaches, players, and having my first season under my belt, along with having a feel for the speed of the game, I just feel more comfortable and ready for what's to come."

That comfort extends to the players surrounding him.

Blinn returns a deep group of receivers, including Travaris Turner-Smith, Tyler Harrington, Savion Conteh, Jayphon Duncan, and Maurice Starr. Harrington led the team with five touchdown receptions last season.

Mahon said the competition among the receivers has been one of the strengths of preseason camp.

"It's healthy competition in practice," he said.

The running back room is similarly deep, with Bryson Batts, Lorenn Johnson, Chad Gasper and Samaj Gatson giving Blinn several options.

Batts, a sophomore who transferred from Army, rushed for 358 yards and two touchdowns in only four games after joining the team late last season. Gasper, meanwhile, is a freshman transfer from Florida.

"The depth is a luxury," Mahon said. "It gives us a ton of options. More toys to play with."

Mahon expects the Bucs to take advantage of that depth, particularly in the running game.

The plan is to establish the run, control the clock, and keep defenses from settling into one look.

"We're constantly reloading every single play," Mahon said.

That approach starts up front, where much of Blinn's offensive line returns.

"We live and die by the offensive line," Mahon said. "I'm fired up about them."

The continuity should allow the Bucs to build on what they began last season rather than starting over.

"We have the ability to expand on things we started in 2025 because of our experience," Mahon said. "We have seasoned players who have absorbed packages and playbooks."
Emerson has noticed the difference, too.

The offense has added new packages, more motion and other wrinkles, while maintaining much of the foundation from last season.

"Play calling and scheme are night and day," Emerson said. "Some new packages, infusion of motion, and other wrinkles. Same but different in a lot of ways."

If Blinn is going to make the jump from a near-.500 team to a playoff contender, improvement on defense will be critical.

The Bucs allowed nearly 30 points per game last season after the unit went through significant upheaval following the departure of defensive coordinator Drew Coleman just days before the season opener.

Legendary coach Danny Palmer took over the defense, but the sudden transition came with growing pains as the players adjusted to his coaching style and defensive scheme.

Now Palmer has had an entire offseason to establish his system. And this time, the players are his.

Palmer's philosophy centers on an aggressive defense built around constant movement and creating turnovers.

"He recruited the guys that he wanted," Mahon said. "He hand-picked the kids he wanted. He's shaped the defense in his image."

That image includes plenty of size, length and speed.

The Bucs return several players who should provide experience, including sophomore linebacker Caleb Allen, who finished second on the team with 70 tackles last season.

Defensive end Kamrun Berry also returns after recording 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 3 ½ sacks as a freshman.

In the secondary, sophomore Aidan Sharp returns after recording 37 tackles and an interception.

Allen said the difference between last season and this year's defense is that the players now have a much better understanding of Palmer's expectations.

"Last year was more about us trying to find out who we were in the midst of the season," Allen said.

The spring and summer have been about learning the defense — and learning to play it fast.

"Just play hard, play fast, and play physical because everyone you play is trying to bust you in the mouth," Allen said.

That physicality is accompanied by a greater emphasis on fundamentals.

Allen said one of the biggest lessons from 2025 was that junior college football doesn't allow players to rely solely on athletic ability.

"The fundamentals are so important," he said. "It's not high school where you can just be physically gifted and get by on that. Skill and attention to detail matter. Every rep is
important; every technique is important."

That attention to detail could be particularly important against a schedule that offers little room for error.

Blinn will play its first four games at home, but the schedule provides little opportunity for a slow start. After opening against Kilgore, the Bucs have a bye before welcoming No. 4 Tyler Junior College to Brenham for their conference opener Sept. 5. No. 13 Snow College then joins the SWJCFC schedule, replacing Northeast Oklahoma A&M College. Blinn will host the Badgers at 3 p.m. Oct. 3.

Snow brings a strong tradition to the conference, and the matchup will renew a bowl rivalry that dates back to 2017, when the Badgers defeated Blinn 43-41 in the El Toro Bowl.

For Mahon, the schedule reflects the conference as a whole.

"They're all quality opponents," he said. "Every team is going to give you 100%. Getting through this conference is a grind."

The answer, he believes, is consistency.

"We have to go win our week every single week," Mahon said. "We have to be consistent and play our game. Don't get out of what we do. Control what we can control and don't make the game bigger than it needs to be."

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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