After two decisive victories in three games to open the 2026 college football season, Kentucky State University is eyeing a spot in the FCS (Division II) top 25 rankings. Playing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), the Thorobreds are 2-1 after a 30-3 road win over the Clark Atlanta Panthers this past weekend.
Kentucky State, which will host Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, opened the campaign with a 41-14 victory over Central State, fell the following week 34-15 to FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I -AA) program Southern University of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The Jaguars are led by Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, a New Orleans, Louisiana native who is in his first season as the team’s head coach.
Last season, under SIAC Coach of the Year Felton Huggins Jr., Kentucky State made its first ever appearance in the DII playoffs. Their regular season mark of 9-2 was the best they registered since 1935. The Thorobreds lost to Newberry College of Newberry, South Carolina, 45-14 in the first round.
The SIAC Benedict Tigers already occupy a spot in the top 25 at No. 22. They came away with an emotional 24-20 win against the Shorter Hawks in Rome, Georgia, on Saturday with the memory of Willie Washington deeply etched in the minds and spirits of the collective Benedict community.
Washington, who was the school’s athletic director, passed away on August 31. Coming to Benedict in 1988 as both the head basketball coach and athletics director, Washington transformed the Tigers into one of the most well-operated and successful athletic departments among HBCU institutions.
Assuming the role of Benedict’s full-time AD in 1998, Washington led the sports department’s transition from competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference back to its original home, the SIAC, in the early 2000s.
Under his stewardship, the SIAC Hall of Famer grew the athletics department from eight to 14 teams and oversaw more than 50 SIAC championships achieved by the various programs.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Willie Washington,” said SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman, Ed.D on September 1 via a press release.
His induction into the SIAC Hall of Fame and the award that now bears his name speak to the respect he earned and the legacy he leaves behind.”
The Tigers will face Fort Valley State University on Saturday.
