MCKINNEY – For a seventh straight year, the Lone Star Conference held its annual media day to prepare for the upcoming 2026 football season back at McKinney ISD Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

McKinney ISD Stadium will once again be the home of the NCAA Division II national championship game for an eighth straight season in January of 2027.

Reigning league champion Central Washington, under first-year head coach Scott Power, is projected to win the LSC as voted on by sports information directors and media members. The Wildcats totaled 276 points collecting 16 of the 30 possible first-place votes.

As for West Texas A&M, the Buffs came in third place in the preseason poll and received a first-place vote. That’s the highest preseason ranking for the Buffs since 2021, as WTAMU tallied 217 total points.

“I’ve been at the top of the conference and I’ve been picked at the bottom of the conference,” said WTAMU head coach Josh Lynn. “It’s the preseason and no one has taken a snap, but third isn’t where we want to be. I’ll say this. I think we have momentum in our program and that’s been incredible. Everyone wants a rebuild fast. I think the last two years the rebuild has come fast and we’ve gotten more talented at every position. We have great culture guys and we have a great foundation.”

[Here’s a look at how the voting for the 2026 LSC preseason football poll broke down]

The Buffs made major strides in Lynn’s third year winning eight games while going 7-2 in league play and getting a Heritage Bowl championship. Coming into this season, WTAMU returns 12 starters including two top players that were on hand for media day in defensive back Miles Hill. Hill, a junior, played in all 12 games for the Buffs last season making 101 tackles and had 59 solo tackles.

“This is an awesome experience to be here at media day,” Hill said. “We feel great that people have high expectations of us. Pressure is a privilege. We have great chemistry on this team and everyone is already coming together.”

The other WTAMU player in attendance was running back Contae Cason. Cason leads a stacked running back room that has very high expectations.

“I love our running back room,” Cason said. “We all hold each other accountable and our goal as a team is going to the playoffs.”

The Buffs open fall camp Monday, Aug. 3. The season opener will be at home against Western Colorado which is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Thursday, Aug. 27.

LSC media day quick hits

Making a splash on LSC media days was high-profile head coach Art Briles. Briles, best known for his days leading the University of Baylor to 65 wins and two Big 12 championships, took over as the Eastern New Mexico head coach last winter. Briles and his Greyhounds were picked seventh in the conference media poll, but his goal is the season opener against New Mexico Highlands.

“A preseason poll has no effect on what a season is going to be,” Briles said. “We just have to take our preparation and put it on the field. We need to see how we match up but our goal is to get to the season opener and see how we match up.”

Plainview graduate Scott Parr enters his second season as the head football coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville. In year one last fall, Parr and the Javelinas won five games, however, Parr’s team does return 11 starters.

“We’re more comfortable with the program now and everyone is aligned,” Parr said. “I feel like we’ve advanced and the resources we have. We have a lot of talent in our area like the Texas Panhandle. We have a great recruiting area and great tradition at Kingsville.”

Western Oregon quarterback Jordan McCarty was named the Offensive Preseason Player of the Year. McCarty has 32 games under center for the Wolves the past three years, averaging 184.4 yards of total offense per game, including 1,521 yards and 507 rushing yards in 2025.

Central Washington linebacker Brycen Indell was named the Defensive Preseason Player of the Year. Indell helped CWU win its first ever league title in 2025 and reach the Division II playoffs the past three seasons. Limited to three games a year ago, Indell totals 64 career tackles.