Two Sun Belt programs trying to climb out of losing seasons collide in Boone, with App State hoping year 2 of a total roster overhaul finally shows on the scoreboard.
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Best BetApp State
App State is a year further along in its rebuild and brings in a dual-threat quarterback with Power Four experience, which should be the separator here. ULM's defense allowed 190-plus rushing yards in every loss last season, and a mobile QB is exactly the kind of problem that unit hasn't solved yet. Back the home team to win outright.
UL Monroe
+QB Aidan Armenta returns, offers rare continuity
+RB Donald Chaney, TE Bryce Anderson add via portal
+easier Sun Belt West schedule path this year
−finished 3-9 in 2025, offense averaged 16.6 ppg
−run defense was 0-14 when allowing 190+ rush yards
−just 18-of-28 red-zone conversion rate last season
App State
+year 2 under Loggains, highest-rated signing class in Sun Belt history
+QB Malachi Singleton brings Power Four dual-threat experience
+roughly 65 newcomers added to address roster needs
−lost 40+ players including leading rusher and a DT to Auburn
−back-to-back losing seasons, finished 5-8 in 2025
−almost entirely new starting lineup still building chemistry
There's no probable-pitcher card for this one, but there is a quarterback storyline worth tracking. App State enters 2026 with almost its entire QB room turned over, and Malachi Singleton — a dual-threat transfer with Power Four snaps at Purdue and Arkansas — is the presumptive answer heading into the fall. ULM, meanwhile, brings back Aidan Armenta, giving the Warhawks something App State doesn't have: continuity under center.
Both rosters look different than they did a year ago. Head coach Dowell Loggains used the offseason to bring in roughly 65 newcomers in Boone, headlined by a signing class ranked the best in Sun Belt history, while ULM's Bryant Vincent leaned on the portal for pieces like running back Donald Chaney and tight end Bryce Anderson. Neither staff is hiding from the fact that last season wasn't good enough.
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APP App State
That gap in program trajectory is really the whole story here. App State is a year deeper into its rebuild under Loggains, while ULM is still searching for its first winning season since 2012. It shows up in how each side is being talked about entering the fall, and it's the backbone of how this one shapes up on paper.
UL Monroe Warhawks
Nov 12?vs Louisiana—
Nov 7?@ Arkansas State—
Oct 30?vs Southern Miss—
Oct 16?vs Louisiana Tech—
Oct 2?@ South Alabama—
Sep 25?vs Florida Atlantic—
Sep 19?vs SE Louisiana—
Sep 12?@ UAB—
Sep 5?@ Mississippi State—
App State Mountaineers
Nov 13?@ Marshall—
Nov 6?vs Georgia State—
Oct 30?@ Georgia Southern—
Oct 22?vs James Madison—
Oct 16?@ Coastal Carolina—
Oct 9?vs Old Dominion—
Sep 25?@ NC State—
Sep 19?vs Charlotte—
Sep 12?@ East Carolina—
Sep 5?vs Maine—
Recent form.
ULM's issues last season went beyond the record. The Warhawks averaged just 16.6 points per game, converted only 18 of 28 trips inside the red zone, and were 0-14 whenever they allowed 190-plus rushing yards. That's a run defense that needs fixing fast, especially against a Mountaineers offense built to feature a mobile quarterback.
App State isn't without its own questions. Losing more than 40 players, including its top running back and a defensive tackle who left for Auburn, means Loggains is trusting a lot of new faces in high-leverage spots. A signing class ranking on paper doesn't always translate to instant chemistry, and this Sun Belt East program has now posted back-to-back losing seasons.
Both staffs are selling patience publicly while needing results privately. For App State, this late-season slate is about proving the foundation Loggains is building is actually solid. For ULM, it's about finally turning offseason optimism into a signature Sun Belt win instead of another year stuck in the rebuild.
