BOONE, N.C. — The kickoff times and accompanying network designations for six App State football games in 2026, including the first three games in September, were announced Wednesday.
The Sept. 5 home opener — a "Gold Out" against Maine — will be a 3:30 p.m. game available on ESPN+, followed by a noon kickoff at East Carolina on Sept. 12, with that game in Greenville being televised nationally on ESPNU.
On Sept. 19, App State's home game against Charlotte on ESPN+ will have a 6 p.m. start time. Themed "Black Saturday Under the Lights," it will be the Mountaineers' second Saturday night game in Kidd Brewer Stadium since App State played two as an FBS newcomer in 2014.
App State won 31-9 against Marshall in 2023 following a 6 p.m. start on the NFL Network. The Mountaineers had 6 p.m. home games against Campbell and South Alabama during the 2014 season.
The other three games on the 2026 schedule with assigned kickoff times and network designations are the Mountaineers' three non-Saturday games. The other six games on App State's regular season schedule, starting with a Sept. 26 visit to NC State, will have kickoff times and network designations announced 12 days prior to game day.
The Friday night game between App State and Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., on Oct. 16 will start at 8 p.m. and be shown nationally on ESPN2. App State plays host to James Madison on Thursday, Oct. 22, and that nationally televised game on ESPNU will begin at 7 p.m.
The Mountaineers will close the regular season at South Alabama on Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, and that will be an ESPN+ contest starting at 3 p.m. ET (or 2 p.m. CT).
The Sun Belt Football Championship Game will be played on Friday, Dec. 4, and air on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. The primetime matchup will feature the champions of the conference's East and West Divisions and be played at the site of the divisional winner with the best overall conference record.
Head coach
Dowell Loggains is entering his second season in Boone, and there are 66 newcomers currently on the 2026 roster. That includes 35 transfer portal newcomers from NCAA institutions and 29 December signees.
A limited number of season tickets are available by calling the App State Athletics Ticket Office at 828-262-7733 (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.). More details are forthcoming for single-game tickets, which will go on sale in the coming weeks.
2026 SCHEDULE
Sat., Sept. 5 vs. Maine, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+ (Gold Out)
Sat., Sept. 12 at East Carolina, Noon on ESPNU
Sat., Sept. 19 vs. Charlotte, 6 p.m. on ESPN+ (Black Saturday Under the Lights)
Sat., Sept. 26 at NC State
Sat., Oct. 10 vs. Old Dominion* (Homecoming)
Fri., Oct. 16 at Coastal Carolina*, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
Thurs., Oct. 22 vs. James Madison*, 7 p.m. on ESPNU (Family Weekend)
Sat., Oct. 31 at Georgia Southern*
Sat., Nov. 7 vs. Georgia State* (Heroes Day)
Sat., Nov. 14 at Marshall*
Sat., Nov. 21 vs. ULM* (Senior Day)
Fri., Nov. 27 at South Alabama*, 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+
HOME GAMES IN BOLD
* Denotes Sun Belt Conference game
