THE CITADEL (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) at Wofford (0-0, 0-0 SoCon)
Saturday, Aug. 29 | 6 p.m.
Gibbs Stadium | Spartanburg, S.C.
Game Notes: The Citadel | Wofford | Southern Conference
Follow Live: Live Stats | Watch | Listen | Tickets
WEEKLY SOCIAL SYNC
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧… 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. ✍️📖⏳#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/bOi0VduJxr
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) August 27, 2026
𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫 ❄️🥋#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/c5tqLXs1vf
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) August 26, 2026
HC @KoachDrayton & Co. are officially BACK as our top dog met w/ the media for his weekly press conference prior the The Citadel 2026 season opener at Wofford 🫡
Monday download ⤵️
🎥: https://t.co/P2wydaGTBz#FireThoseCannons pic.twitter.com/MmyvHYd98G
— The Citadel Football (@CitadelFootball) August 24, 2026
SERIES INFO
Series Results: 45-33-1, The Citadel
Last Time: L, 14-16 (11/15/2025)
Last at Gibbs Stadium: W, 30-17 (11/16/2024)
Streak: L1
KEY GAME NOTES
HOMETOWN HEROES
Highlighted by multiple offseason additions on the recruiting trail, the Bulldogs continue to showcase the strong football tradition of the greater Charleston area on the roster, including:
– LB Chase Anderson, LS Tommy DiLiegro, DL Andrew Jackson, OL Frank Schmidt, TE Whit Hobgood, LB Robert Mallard III & TE Jude Claborn, Charleston, S.C.
– RB Dorvensky Reichley, Moncks Corner, S.C.
– DB Jammall Fludd, North Charleston, S.C.
– DB Ryland Mitchell, OL Andrew Tumbleston & LB Tim Miller Jr., Summerville, S.C.
– P Jack Weil & LB Jameson Bell, Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Pound the Rock
Fueled by seven 200-yard-plus rushing performances during the 2025 campaign, including Gardner-Webb (210), Chattanooga (336), Valdosta State (355), Western Carolina (278), VMI (329), Wofford (201) and ETSU (218), the Bulldogs’ ground game evolved into the the offense’s most reliable weapon over the course of the season. In spite of early setbacks against North Dakota State (104), Samford (162) and Mercer (118), The Citadel slotted in as one of the top rushing attacks in the FCS, finishing ninth nationally and first within the SoCon behind a 210.6 yards per game mark. Individually, the Bulldogs return the squad’s leading producer from a year ago in QB Quentin Hayes, who posted 682 yards for seven TDs on 153 attempts, including a pair of 100-yard rushing performances at Chattanooga (103) and ETSU (103), as well as up-and-comer RB Sebastien Boyle, who accounted for 221 yards and three scores on 51 carries.
The Shark Hunter (Yes, Literally)
The offseason addition of RB Gavin Garcia has created additional avenues of opportunity for The Citadel offense, as the Kent State transfer brings a wealth of experience from four years of #MACtion. A multi-year contributor in the backfield for the Golden Flashes, Garcia logged 146 rushes for 647 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, good for 4.4 yards per carry. All-in-all, when the Pennsylvania product entered the portal, The Citadel proved an attractive option for more than just football — Charleston, and even more specifically, Charleston beaches. A longtime hunter and fisherman, Garcia has recently turned his focus to shark hunting, working the reel directly off the shore or from a chartered vessel. Unsurprisingly, he has transformed the pursuit into a burgeoning social media presence via his @gghooksnhorns handle, and currently runs his own shark fishing charters in the spare time between graduate school and football commitments.
The Q Continuum
Following a dual-quarterback experiment a year ago, The Citadel enters the 2026 campaign led indisputably by returning starter Quentin Hayes, who notably garnered offseason acclaim as the Preseason All-Southern Conference first team selection. The Enterprise, Ala., native set the tone both on the ground and through the air, pacing the Bulldogs with 682 yards for seven touchdowns on 153 carries in the former while finishing 58-of-92 for 897 yards and eight scores in the latter. Hayes even managed to insert himself into the school record book as well behind his 63.0 percent completion percentage for the season, good for third all-time in program history.
An Officer, a Gentleman & a Quarterback
Air Force standout QB Quentin Hayes serves as the first incoming transfer from a fellow service academy since former VMI tailback Alex Ramsey joined the Bulldogs as a graduate prior to the 2021 campaign. A statistical leader for the Falcons two years ago under center, Hayes served as an integral cog in The Citadel offensive attack throughout the 2025 campaign, shouldering a chunk of the team’s ground production with 682 yards on 153 carries for seven touchdowns as well as a majority of the air raid output behind a 58-of-92 passing mark for 897 yards and eight scores. Notably, he proved highly efficient in both facets, ranking third nationally and first in the SoCon via 15.47 passing yards per completion as well as 86th FCS-wide off 4.46 yards per carry.
‘Pop’ the Champagne
When head coach Maurice Drayton offered the 2026 military captaincy to RB Rhyder Poppell, the rising-redshirt junior had not yet undergone one of the more important athletic journeys of his collegiate career — playing a role in the Bulldogs’ baseball program claiming their first Southern Conference tournament title since 2010. A product of Tallahassee, Fla., Poppell & Co. cleaved their way through the 2026 SoCon Championship field, dispatching top-seeded Mercer on two occasions as well as Wofford, Samford and rival VMI en route to the NCAA Atlanta Regional. At the NCAA level, The Citadel challenged eventual national champion Oklahoma in a pair of contested battles while also knocking off UIC in a dramatic 10-inning slugfest.
Never Gonna Give you up
The Citadel offense has continuously evolved under fourth-year head coach Maurice Drayton, improving across a variety of categories thus far into his tenure; however, arguably the most significant adjustment has come in the form of ball control. Across a full 12-game slate in 2025, the Bulldogs surrendered just 11 turnovers, good for the 17th-best mark in the FCS as well as second amongst their SoCon brethren. Comparably, The Citadel coughed up 16 turnovers the season prior (48th nationally, first league-wide) while giving up a grand total 21 during Drayton’s first run back in 2023 (95th in FCS, seventh in the SoCon).
Journeyman on Deck
With Quentin Hayes serving as the unquestioned returner at the quarterback entering Fall Camp, head coach Maurice Drayton & Co. prepped to recruit a relatively unenviable job — backup quarterback. Enter graduate transfer Nick Billoups, who joined The Citadel following a journeyman routine across the West Coast, including stops at Utah, BYU, UCLA and Lane College.
Degrees of Distinction
Amongst the multitude of offseason additions for The Citadel, head coach Maurice Drayton managed to sign a number of college graduates to the program, adding considerable depth and experience for the Bulldogs. Within the group, though, four standouts hail from prestigious academic institutions ranked inside the Top 40 colleges & universities via U.S. News & World Report, including LB Zyion Brown (Dartmouth, t-No. 13), WR Derek Kee (Vanderbilt, t-No. 17), QB Nick Billoups (UCLA, t-No. 17) and WR Ismael Zamor (Boston College, t-No. 36).
Military Discipline
In spite of the mascot, The Citadel managed to avoid the doghouse often during the 2025 season, ranking ninth FCS-wide with 4.42 penalties per game while sitting 19th nationally with just 42.42 penalty yards per game. Notably, the Bulldogs opened the 2025 campaign against No. 1 NDSU with zero penalties, a first for the program since 2014 against then-No. 1 Florida State.
Poise Under Pressure
Primarily under the control of Air Force transfer Quentin Hayes, The Citadel passing attack dramatically improved from previous seaons throughout the 2025 campaign, registering a final 158.85 team passing efficiency rating behind a 97-of-155 showing for 1,424 yards with 12 touchdowns and just five interceptions, good for the 12th overall ranking within the FCS and the second position league-wide.
(North) American Made
The Citadel 2026 roster hails from across the United States and even into Canada, spanning 19 states coast-to-coast and one Canadian province:
– South Carolina: 50
– Georgia: 16
– Florida: 8
– North Carolina: 7
– Alabama: 4
-California: 3
– Ohio: 3
– Tennessee: 3
– Texas: 2
– Connecticut: 1
– Illinois: 1
– Kentucky: 1
– Louisiana: 1
– Maryland: 1
– Massachusetts: 1
– Mississippi: 1
– Nebraska: 1
– New Jersey: 1
– Pennsylvania: 1
– Quebec: 1
— #FireThoseCannons —
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