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Wayne State University Athletics

Football Preview Graphic - Quincy
Luke Johnson leads the squad with 19 tackles (8-11).

Football Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Football To Play Final Non-League Game Of The Season At Quincy

GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University football team will play its final non-conference game of the season this Saturday afternoon at Quincy (Ill.) University.  Kickoff is slated for 1 PM (CT) at QU Stadium.

SCOUTING QUINCY
The Hawks ended a two-game losing streak with a 34-27 triumph over visiting Lincoln (Mo.) University this past Saturday.  QU scored 21 consecutive points after trailing 13-7.

Quincy lost its season opener, 38-21 at Concordia-St. Paul, then fell at home to Roosevelt, 41-28 on Sept. 5.

Third-year head coach Jason Killday has a 13-11 mark with the Hawks.  He previously was an assistant at Truman State for eight years after six seasons at Quincy as the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator.

Sophomore signal caller Bradyn Little has passed for 570 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions on 50-of-86.

Sophomore wide receiver Tykell Hammers (11 receptions, 146 yards and three touchdowns) and sophomore tight end Elijah Genenbacher (10 catches, 126 yards and two touchdowns) are Little's primary targets.

Junior Collin Parsons has rushed for a team-high 324 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries.  Classmate Aaron Harvey has 75 yards on 19 attempts.

Defensively for QU, senior linebacker Jordan Elmore has a team-best 38 tackles (12-26), including four for loss, along with a forced fumble.  Sophomore linebacker Eddie Johnson has notched 31 tackles (10-21), plus an interception against Lincoln.  Junior cornerback Kendrick Adimado has a team-leading three pas break-ups along with 18 tackles (4-14).  Senior defensive lineman Danny Novickas has five quarterback hurries in addition to his 12 tackles (1-11).

Joe Reif is averaging 43 yards per punt on five attempts, while Jeremiah Cunningham has a 34.3 average on seven punts.  Reif has also handled every kickoff for the Hawks and is 11-for-11 on PATs.  Quincy has not attempted a field goal yet this year.

Zach Mally has two punt returns for 10 yards and is averaging 31.3 yards on three kickoff returns, while Troy TW Crozier has a 25.3 average on 12 kickoff returns.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The all-time series is tied at 1-1-0 with the visiting team winning both previous match-ups.  The Warriors claimed a 33-7 triumph on Sept. 21, 2019, while the Hawks won 31-14 on Sept. 27, 2025, in Detroit.

GLIAC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Ferris State (49 points, seven first-place votes)
2. Grand Valley State (43 points, one first-place vote)
3. Michigan Tech (34 points) 
4. Davenport (31 points)
5. Saginaw Valley State (28 points)
6. Northern Michigan (18 points)
7. Roosevelt (11 points)
8. Wayne State (10 points)

FRESH FACES
Of the 120 players on the roster, 54 are newcomers including 24 true freshmen and 30 transfers.  There are 26 returning letterwinners along with 40 others who were on the roster previously but have not lettered.

There are only two holdovers from last season's coaching staff in Miguel Quintanilla and Justin Banks.

RETURNING LEADERS 
Wayne State has three three-year letterwinners on the squad in offensive linemen Will Edwards and Ethan Gates, along with running back Brayden McKenna.

The two two-year letterwinners back in the fold are defensive end Joe Clark, Jr., and linebacker CJ Gordon.  WSU has 21 single-year letterwinners on the roster.

Of the six quarterbacks who saw action for the Warriors in 2025, only three return, but Dylan Kress will miss the 2026 campaign due to off-season surgery.  Both Carson Creehan and Miekael Brooker each saw action in two games a year ago.

Drew Hickmott is the top returning receiver after catching 26 passes for 298 yards and a team-leading three touchdowns in 2025.  Bentley is the only other returnee who caught at least 10 passes a season ago.

Linebacker Max Edwards is the top returning tackler after making 54 stops (24-30) last year, including 6.5 for loss with two pass break-ups and a forced fumble.  The only other returnee from the top 10 in tackles is defensive tackle Justhin Austin, who made 41 stops (17-24) last year along with an interception.  In the secondary, Kelly Matthews tied for the team lead last year with two interceptions, while making 32 stops (27-5).

Place-kicker Griffin Nowak is back after leading last year's squad in scoring with 26 points (14-of-14 PAT and 4-of-9 field goals).

NEW ERA, TOUGH TESTS
Last year, the Warriors played the 16th-toughest schedule in NCAA Division 2.  Including post-season match-ups in 2025, WSU's opponents had a .580 winning percentage (65-47).

Wayne State entered the 2026 season with a new coaching staff and several new faces on the roster.  This year, WSU's 11 opponents include three teams that advanced to the NCAA Playoffs a season ago in Northwood, Wisconsin-La Crosse (Division 3) and Ferris State. 

WARRIORS BY THE NUMBERS
The 2026 Wayne State football roster features 120 student-athletes from 13 states and one Canadian province, with the majority of football student-athletes coming from Michigan (82).  Ohio (10), Texas (9), California (5), Florida (3), Minnesota (2) and Ontario (2) all have multiple student-athletes, while Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island and Washington each have one. 

Twenty-three (23) of the 26 returning letterwinners saw action vs. Northwood, while another 21 players who previously donned the Green and Gold (but had not lettered) played against the Timberwolves.  

Nine players (Emmanuel Ajayi, Samuel Arrey, Jesse Brown, Dereon Foster, Ethan Lane, Chase Lawrence, Jonathon Melendez, Ka'Vion Smith, and Nic Sturgill) made their Wayne State debut against Northwood after previously playing at a different institution.  Two more (Lance-Matua Kellum and Victor Santana) made their WSU debut at Hillsdale, while Ryan Rodas made his Warrior debut in the Wisconsin-La Crosse contest.

Fifteen (15) other student-athletes made their collegiate debut in the season opener.  They were Elijah Beachum, Mason Conklin, Trent Davis, Deavante Deleon, Malachi Evans, Gary Jefferson, Jr., Derek Johnson, Joseph Lattimore, Abram Marcial, Dominic Melaragni, Andrew Pazuchowski, Caiden Pfeiffer, George Sanchez-Murillo, Torrence Searcy, and Brody Videto.

Two others (Nikkos Davis and Brody Stack) made their collegiate debut at Hillsdale, with Karter Freeman, KJ McKenzie and Jordan Stewart making their collegiate debuts vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse.

FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT
Both of Wayne State's touchdowns against Wisconsin-La Crosse had heavy contributions from true freshmen.

The 80-yard touchdown pass was from true freshman quarterback Nikkos Davis to sophomore wide receiver Kristian Kilpatrick.  The 80-yard scoring strike is tied-for-11th longest in program history and was Kilpatrick's first touchdown reception of his WSU career.

The Warriors' second touchdown was a 16-yard scamper by true freshman running back Gary Jefferson, Jr.

A FAMILY AFFAIR
WSU currently has a set of brothers in twins Malachi and Matthew Evans.  Both are redshirt-freshman wide receivers.

Other Warriors with family ties include: 

Evan Bainbridge (father Matthew was an offensive tackle letterwinner in 1993-94).

Jordan Bell (father Joique was a WSU Athletics Hall of Fame running back from 2006 to 2009).

Brock Carpenter (father Tim was a four-year letterwinner for the Tartars and was Honorable Mention All-GLIAC as an offensive lineman in 1997, the same year he served as a team captain).
 
THE BREAKDOWN WITH BRADY BEEDON
Join head coach Terrence Issac and WSU football analyst Brady Beedon each Wednesday prior to a home football game at 5:30 p.m. at Woodbridge Pub for The Breakdown with Brady Beedon podcast. 

Each week a different assistant coach will join Isaac and Beedon.  In addition, a student-athlete will be interviewed. 

The podcast will be added to the Wayne State athletics website every Friday morning for those unable to be at Woodbridge that week. 

The next edition of the Breakdown with Brady Beedon will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 7. 

DON'T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION 
The 2026 campaign marks the second season of the Warrior Sports Network (WSN), which provides internet audio coverage of Wayne State football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball.

Veteran Detroit sports broadcaster Sean Baligian returns for his 18th season calling Warrior football.  Baligian, who has been on the Detroit airwaves since 1998, and was on Fox 2 from 2002-18, will serve as the play-by-play announcer for nine games.

Former Warrior defensive end Brady Beedon will serve as the color analyst for selected games.  In addition, he will serve as the play-by-play announcer for the Warrior football game at Quincy.  Beedon will also handle the Locker Room Report and Senior Spotlight features for the WSN.  

Kevin Brechmacher, who will return for his 11th season calling the WSU men's basketball games this winter, will serve as a color analyst for four games this fall.  He also co-hosts the Warrior Weekly podcast with Brady Beedon that began airing in January of 2026. 

WWJ afternoon anchor Tony Ortiz will serve as the sideline commentator during the six home broadcasts.  Ortiz will also be the color analyst for road games at Quincy and Michigan Tech. 

Every Wayne State GLIAC football game will be available on FloCollege with the broadcasts of home games being produced by The PreP for the fourth consecutive year. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Justhin Austin

#98 Justhin Austin

DT
6' 1"
Senior
Evan Bainbridge

#61 Evan Bainbridge

OL
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Jordan Bell

#0 Jordan Bell

WR
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Miekael Brooker

#14 Miekael Brooker

QB
6' 5"
Senior
Jesse Brown

#62 Jesse Brown

DT
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
Brock Carpenter

#48 Brock Carpenter

TE/DE
6' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
Joe Clark, Jr.

#13 Joe Clark, Jr.

DE
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Mason Conklin

#53 Mason Conklin

DE
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Carson Creehan

#18 Carson Creehan

QB
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
Max Edwards

#4 Max Edwards

LB
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Justhin Austin

#98 Justhin Austin

6' 1"
Senior
DT
Evan Bainbridge

#61 Evan Bainbridge

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
OL
Jordan Bell

#0 Jordan Bell

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
WR
Miekael Brooker

#14 Miekael Brooker

6' 5"
Senior
QB
Jesse Brown

#62 Jesse Brown

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
DT
Brock Carpenter

#48 Brock Carpenter

6' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
TE/DE
Joe Clark, Jr.

#13 Joe Clark, Jr.

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
DE
Mason Conklin

#53 Mason Conklin

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
DE
Carson Creehan

#18 Carson Creehan

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
QB
Max Edwards

#4 Max Edwards

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
LB