Elon Football Releases 2026 Schedule, Opens Season Against Glenville State

Elon football will open its 2026 season on Thursday, Aug. 27 at Rhodes Stadium against Glenville State at 7 p.m., marking the Phoenix's earliest season opener since 2020. The addition of that 12th game completes a schedule built around a mid-October trip to Stanford for the program's lone Power Four matchup of the season.

Game times for nine of Elon's 2026 football games were announced by the Coastal Athletic Association on Wednesday afternoon. Game times and television designations for the remaining contests, Sept. 5 at Davidson, Sept. 19 vs. Sacred Heart, and Oct. 17 at Stanford, will be announced at later dates.

After the Glenville State opener, Elon begins a two-game road stretch, traveling to Davidson on Sept. 5 before opening CAA play on Sept. 12 at Rhode Island. That Davidson matchup carries some recent history: the Phoenix dominated visiting Davidson 55-7 on a rainy early September Saturday last season. The Phoenix return to Rhodes Stadium on Sept. 19 to host Sacred Heart in their conference home opener and remain in Elon on Sept. 26 for a CAA matchup against Maine. The Sept. 26 Maine game doubles as Family Weekend, and the Oct. 10 home date against former Southern Conference rival Wofford serves as Homecoming.

League play continues on Oct. 3 with a road trip to New Hampshire, closing a stretch of four consecutive CAA games. Then comes the marquee nonconference date: Elon travels to Stanford on Oct. 17 for its first-ever West Coast road game, which will also mark the fourth consecutive season the Phoenix have faced an ACC opponent. The Phoenix enter their open date on Oct. 24 before resuming conference play.

Elon's game at North Carolina A&T is set for 1 p.m. on Oct. 31, Halloween. Back-to-back home games follow against Hampton on Nov. 7 and Campbell on Nov. 14 before the regular-season finale at Towson on Nov. 21, a team Elon defeated 17-3 on the road in 2025.

The 2026 campaign will be Tony Trisciani's eighth season at the helm in Elon. He enters 2026 coming off a 6-6 overall, 4-4 CAA record in 2025 and holds a 38-37 overall mark at the school. His roster faces a significant transition: Trisciani lost multiple defenders to FBS programs in the transfer portal, including edge rusher Kahmari Brown to Iowa and defensive back Brycen Scott to Louisville. At quarterback, starting quarterback Landen Clark transferred to LSU after a recruiting battle among multiple Power Four programs. Key additions include quarterback Brady Stober from Samford, a two-time conference player of the year who threw for more than 9,000 yards during his prep career at Hickory High.

The Phoenix haven't been to the playoffs since 2022, but with upper-echelon teams William & Mary and Villanova leaving the CAA, the door could be open for Elon to end that drought in 2026.