2026 Preview: Blacksburg Wildcats

In honor of the five-site Prep RedZone Media Days series this June and July, we're giving everyone a 50% offer code on all subscriptions through July 31. Get access to more than 100 team previews and everything else we have in store for readers as we gear up for the 2026 football season. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/subscribe">Simply head to our subscription page</a> and use the code "przscmediaday2026" at checkout to take advantage of the savings.   Blacksburg had a team made up of majority freshman and sophomores in 2025, and struggled to a 1-10 finish with a loss to Chester in the first round of the playoffs.    Now with a full offseason of the weight room, film study and camps, rising sophomore quarterback Jameson Coffee (pictured) told us at the Prep Redzone Media Day at Fountain Inn on June 26 that the motivation is there to right the wrongs from 2025.   “I think it fuels us. Just knowing that we're better than our record and we can just move on from that and that's a standard and we can rise above that standard pretty easily I feel like,” Coffee said.   The Wildcats return nine starters offensively, including Coffee, who Wildcats head coach Josh Batchler told us was a game manager in 2025. Now that the Wildcats have a better understanding of what they want to do, they'll be able to counter what the defense is doing in 2026, particularly in the passing game and taking shots downfield.   “We spent so much (time) teaching on what we have to do, we couldn't talk about what the defense was doing to us. And so, we didn't know what we were doing. I feel like we're in a lot better situation,” Batchler said.   Other guys expected to contribute offensively as well as defensively with 7 starters back on that side of the ball include [player_tooltip player_id='1823237' first='Jase' last='Merritt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1823238' first='Stephon' last='Reyna'] along with [player_tooltip player_id='1824459' first='Noah' last='Patterson'] up front. Keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id='1823246' first='Jacob' last='Gattling'] and Xavier Padron in the secondary, and [player_tooltip player_id='1820678' first='Zander' last='Batchler'] at wide receiver.   As the 2026 season opener on the road against Berea approaches, Batchler wants his team to focus on taking steps in the right direction as they build cohesiveness in the group.   “We really have to turn it up. We're in no situation to be able to cruise anywhere. We've not arrived in any stretch of the imagination. We've got to continue to work hard. I think flipping that mindset has been one of the things that we have done because we saw extremely good numbers in the offseason. We saw guys pushing themselves to get better and guys pushing other guys. And so as long as we continue to do that, I feel like we're going to be in a lot better situation this season than we were a year ago.”   STARS SET TO SHINE   [player_tooltip player_id='1603786' first='Trevon' last='Clark'] RB/DL, 2027 – Clark was disruptive at the defensive line spot in 2026, as it seemed like every time a running back would take a carry, it would be a tackle for loss. The Wildcats used him at quarterback some last year, but he is expected to be used at running back more with his athleticism and how he can impact the game in a variety of ways.   [player_tooltip player_id='1823239' first='Jesse' last='Borders'] OL/DL, 2027 – Borders will anchor both lines of scrimmage as a senior, but most of his notable work in 2026 came on the defensive side of the ball, where he was able to get into the backfield and get penetration. He can move well from sideline to sideline.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820677' first='Lane' last='Rising'] OL/DL, 2027 – The two-time All Region selection from 2025 and 2024 has good size on him and he can move and get to the ball carrier and be physical with opposing offensive linemen, like we watched on film in a game against Liberty last year. That aggressiveness translates over to the offensive side where he can pull and create holes in the run game, which should be fun to watch for the Wildcats in 2026. He's been focusing on improving communication amongst the team as one of the senior leaders this offseason.   [player_tooltip player_id='1676976' first='Camden' last='Lockhart'] OL, 2029 – Lockhart is a young sophomore who saw action on Friday nights last year, and held his own in a playoff game against Chester with his ability to block on the edge and create run lanes. More experience will benefit him in 2026 as the offense will be a year older and will look to build more cohesiveness.   FILM REVIEW   [player_tooltip player_id='1824460' first='Kenzae' last='Griffin'] LB, 2029 – Griffin was actively involved on both sides of the ball in 2026 as a running back and a linebacker. He could explode through the hole and find an open lane for a touchdown, showing off good speed in the process. When he's at linebacker, he has the instinctiveness and awareness to recognize where a play is going and then takes a good angle to the ball to limit the play to a short gain.    BIGGEST LOSSES   Carter Oglesby LB – Oglesby was an experienced leader for the Wildcats defense as he was all over the football and could come up and lay the lumber on the ball carrier.   Ethan Farris LB – Another leader in the middle for the Wildcats defense, he was a hard hitter who could blitz off the edge and get in and limit what an offense could do.   UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL   [player_tooltip player_id='1823249' first='Landon' last='Ellis'] DB/WR, 2028 and BJ McCluney 2029, WR – Ellis started every game as a sophomore for the Wildcats last year while McCluney saw time as a freshman. Batchler calls them both extremely athletic kids. They both move well and have top-end speed. While they had growing pains with their size against some of the teams they played along with blocking on the perimeter, Batchler says they have bought into the weight room and have taken steps forward this offseason.    Gattling was an impactful receiver on the outside for the Wildcats and runs good routes. He caught a critical touchdown to break a scoreless tie in the Wildcats' lone win over Landrum in 2025. The experience he gained from last year should pay dividends as Blacksburg looks to take more shots downfield in 2026.

In honor of the five-site Prep RedZone Media Days series this June and July, we're giving everyone a 50% offer code on all subscriptions through July 31. Get access to more than 100 team previews and everything else we have in store for readers as we gear up for the 2026 football season. Simply head to our subscription page and use the code "przscmediaday2026" at checkout to take advantage of the savings.