The Mid-American Conference kicked off the 2026 college football season at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, at the 2026 MAC Football Kickoff. This season looks to be a year to reset, with a ton of fresh faces in the building for Ohio, but first-year head coach John Hauser and his staff have put in the work this offseason, as the Bobcats hope to be back in Detroit again in December.
Hauser attended Wednesday’s event, alongside Athletic Director Slade Larscheid and a pair of student-athletes: redshirt junior safety DJ Walker and junior running back Duncan Brune. All four were available to the media, as well as MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher.
High Hopes Under Hauser
Hauser was hired as the interim head coach in December and led them to a 17-10 win over UNLV in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl. Immediately following the game, the question on everyone’s mind was whether the university would bring Hauser on full-time, but on the field, the players seemed to already have an answer, led by the voice of Walker.
“Coach Hauser is my guy; he recruited me here,” Walker said. “He's the reason why I'm here. He got me here, so I felt like I owed it all to him to try to get him this job. I just told all the guys, 'Hey man, let's just start screaming hire Hauser, and see where it goes.'”
The university saw eye-to-eye with Walker and hired Hauser once the season ended, making this his first full offseason to train, recruit and adjust to having to see both sides of the football at all times, but his adjustment seems to be going well through the summer.
“We're emphasizing a lot of the same things, and I love the fact I get to go over to the offense now and have a relationship with the whole team now, which is exciting for me because I think getting to know those guys has been the biggest thing this spring,” Hauser said. “It just takes time, right? I coach them a little different than some other guys. They've got to get used to me, but it's been really good.”
Off-Season Turnover Not a Deterrent:
This past offseason has not been great for Ohio as graduation and the transfer portal have left the team struggling. Ohio lost over 10 offensive players to graduation and the transfer portal, and nine defensive players as well. Now, only one returning offensive starter from last year and five returning defensive starters remain.
According to ESPN, Ohio University ranks 129 out of 138 in returning production. Hauser worked diligently to sign many transfers from across college football to fill holes created due to offseason movement.
“I think the transfers are all over the place on our roster right now,” Hauser said. “I am very excited about the transfers we got and how they adapted to our program.”
The offense specifically saw a lot of transfer action this spring. The front office has worked hard to revamp the receiver and tight end rooms, as those were the two positions hit the hardest in the offseason.
“We lost a couple of guys, but I feel like the coaches did a great job of finding the right guys that fit our offense,” Brune said. “I feel like we are on a really good track.”
Player Leadership:
With all of the new faces in the locker room and many young players, the biggest challenge Ohio faces is finding leadership from veteran players to help pass along the culture that has built up the program over the years. Hauser hopes experienced transfer players can come in and be role models to the younger players this season.
Defensively, veteran players have stepped up to help build chemistry in this new revamped look in 2026. Walker has played a big part in helping bring together the defense off the field. The efforts from veterans have already shown to be working, with the defensive players starting to form very important and much needed bonds.
“We go by the ‘two lob crew,‘” Walker said. “... I think we’re definitely really deep in the secondary this year with new transfers.”
College Football Changes Need Merit
Every year there are rumblings that change is coming in college football and in the MAC. The MAC made a big splash in February, adding Sacramento State to the conference as a football-only member. The Hornets were welcomed to their first MAC Kickoff on Wednesday, and this expansion will help the MAC improve and grow with college football, but it may have been a little aggressive by the conference to move west.
“For right now, the move with Sacramento State was, I think, advantageous,” Larscheid said.
Steinbrecher also talked about total expansion within college football, touching on both a College Football Playoff expansion and the rumors of the Big Ten and SEC receding from the NCAA, along with what that could mean for the MAC and college football as a whole.
“I expect the CFP Management Committee will meet throughout the fall as we examine the possibilities to do what is in the best interest of college football,“ Steinbrecher said. "Whatever direction college football ultimately chooses, our responsibility is to protect what has made the sport special: meaningful regular season competition, championship opportunities, institutional identity and the connection between teams and their community. Expansion should enhance college football, not simply expand it."
