Air Force Falcons 2026 Season Preview

Air Force believes it has found its quarterback of the future in junior Liam Szarka, and the Falcons get two more years of him. The dual-threat playmaker was a revelation, leading the Mountain West with 13 rushing touchdowns and ranking second in the league at 92.2 rushing yards per game while throwing nine touchdowns against five interceptions. In each of his first three career starts he passed for more than 200 yards and ran for more than 110, the best three-game opening stretch by an Air Force quarterback in program history. Over the first four games in which he carried the load, the offense averaged a staggering 518 yards and 38 points. That pace cooled once Szarka broke his wrist and missed the closing stretch of the schedule, but the blueprint is in place. Senior Josh Johnson provides insurance behind him. The one caveat is Szarka's enormous workload, because he is the engine that makes this attack go.

This is the roster's biggest question. Air Force runs the ball on roughly 80 percent of its snaps, so the passing targets are thin on production. Jonah Dawson is the leading returner with just 12 catches, though he made those count at 21.7 yards per reception despite starting only twice. Junior Matt Long saw the field in every game as a slot option but has barely been targeted. Behind them the depth is manned largely by unproven players. Tight end is more settled thanks to senior Simon Kibbee, Szarka's high school teammate from the Denver area, who inherits a position that hauled in 21 passes last fall, the most the tight end spot has produced at the academy in 19 years.

The ground game is loaded with experience. Senior fullback Owen Allen steps into a featured role after serving as the team's second-leading rusher, and he closed 2025 with a flurry of 100-yard performances that offered a preview of an explosive senior campaign. A prolific Texas prep product, Allen is a workhorse who can punish a defense between the tackles. Senior tailback Rocco Conti appeared in every game and gives the backfield a reliable complement, with slot back Matt Long also mixing in. In this triple-option system the backs are the offense, and Air Force has enough proven bodies to keep the yards coming.

The line took a hit from graduation, losing multiple full-time starters including a pair of All-Mountain West performers, but the cupboard is far from bare. Senior Luke Vonderhaar brings extensive experience, and he is joined by returning starters such as senior Nathan Elwood, senior Alec Falk and senior center Rudy Varela. The centerpiece is 320-pound junior guard Jon Ashford, the largest of a group that could average more than 300 pounds across the front, a rarity at an academy that traditionally fields smaller, quicker blockers. If the replacements settle in quickly, this could be the biggest offensive line in team history and a genuine strength.

The front is where the concern lives. Graduation wiped out the defensive line, and because Air Force does not take transfers, the Falcons will be inexperienced up front. Senior nose guard Lukia Rawls and senior tackle Andrew Tillett have logged snaps and give the interior a foundation, and 6-foot-5, 260-pound Chaz Barnett has flashed enough behind the scenes that the staff sees a potential difference-maker in him. Still, this unit must grow up in a hurry if the overall defense is to hold up.

This is the heartbeat of a defense that should be markedly improved with nearly the entire back eight intact after a season of growing pains. Senior middle linebacker Blake Fletcher was a second-team All-Mountain West pick and led the team with 108 tackles, and he should push for first-team honors this fall. Alongside him, senior Dallas Daley and senior outside linebacker Isaac Hubert round out what projects as a very solid corps. Hubert brings an edge, having captured the academy's heavyweight boxing title in front of the full football team, an emotional offseason high for a group trying to recapture its toughness. Defensive coordinator Steve Russ, back at his alma mater in the role he held from 2014 to 2017, has stressed aggressiveness, and the linebackers felt that influence in spring.

The secondary carries a ton of returning experience after being thrust into action early. Junior safety Roger Jones Jr. was an honorable mention All-Mountain West selection and headlines the backline, while sophomore safety Max Mustell announced himself by picking off three passes as a true freshman. At corner, juniors Mikhail Seiken and Korey Johnson are tested, and a spirited camp battle involving RJ Reedus and others should sort out the rotation. Sophomore Alexander Perez mans the nickel spot. This group took its lumps a year ago and now returns with the scars to show for it.

Placekicker Jacob Medina opened last season as the starter but lost the job after missing half of his six field-goal attempts, misses that loomed large in a pair of three-point losses. He rebounded with a solid spring and reclaimed the No. 1 role. Junior Will Duncan takes over the punting duties. The return game is a non-factor by design in this ball-control offense, with the Falcons attempting returns on just nine kickoffs and three punts a season ago.