Mercer to host East Texas A&M in 2026 FCS Kickoff opener

Mercer will step into the national spotlight at home when the Bears host East Texas A&M in the 2026 FCS Kickoff, a Week Zero opener that will put one of the subdivision’s most visible showcase games on campus for the first time.

The game is set for Saturday, August 29, 2026, at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia, with kickoff at 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. CT, on ESPN. It will be the ninth annual FCS Kickoff and the first time the event will not be played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, a shift that turns the opener into a true Mercer home-date instead of a neutral-site stage.

That matters for more than logistics. Mercer will enter 2026 as the two-time defending Southern Conference champion, coming off an 11-win season that included an 8-0 mark in league play, a third straight FCS playoff trip and the program’s first back-to-back outright SoCon titles since 2008. The Bears also will bring back five starters on offense and 23 other letterwinners, giving first-year head coach Joel Taylor a roster with recent championship expectations already attached to it. Taylor was hired Dec. 11, 2025, after previously serving as Mercer’s defensive coordinator from 2020 to 2023.

East Texas A&M brings a different kind of storyline, but one with national value of its own. The Lions will enter their fourth season under coach Clint Dolezel after finishing 3-9 in 2025, a year that included games against two ACC opponents and three FCS playoff teams. Their appearance in the FCS Kickoff will mark the third straight year the program opens on a national linear broadcast, a signal that the Lions are trying to turn visibility into momentum as they continue building their brand.

Both schools have now completed their 2026 schedules, and each will play 12 games. That fits the broader FCS calendar, since beginning in 2026 all FCS teams can start in Week Zero and play 12-game schedules without creating an irregular season structure.

The matchup also comes with the kind of first-time curiosity that can shape September perception before conference play even starts. Mercer and East Texas A&M have never met, which adds another layer to a game that already carries rankings and résumé implications. The FCS Kickoff has long served as an early measuring stick for contenders, and Mercer’s return to the event keeps the Bears in that conversation while giving East Texas A&M a chance to make an immediate impression on a national audience.

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller called the game another “Macon Moment,” saying the world can take part. For Mercer, East Texas A&M and the city of Macon, the opener is more than a schedule line. It is an early statement about where each program stands on the FCS map.