NEWS

Head Coach Saj Thakkar at the Fall Fan Fest. (News of Davidson photo)

The Wildcats host the Concord University Mountain Lions Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. at Davidson College stadium.

Located in Athens, West Virginia, Concord University was founded in 1872 to educate teachers. It is now a public, liberal arts university. Their athletic teams play at the Division II level and are part of the Mountain East Conference. The Mountain Lions currently field seven men’s athletic teams and ten women’s teams. Head coach Cody Edwards is starting his second season with the Mountain Lions.

The Wildcats are led by head coach Saj Thakkar, starting his third season with the team.

Coach Thakkar and the ‘Cats are starting the 2026 season with their first five games at home in Davidson College Stadium. Those next games are: Elon on September 5 @ 6:00 p.m., Dickinson on September 12 @ 12:00 p.m., VMI on September 19 @ 1:00 p.m., and Drake on September 26 @ 1:00 p.m.

To purchase single game or season tickets, contact the Davidson Ticket Office.

Davidson Sports Information Press Release – Published August 26

GAME 1 | AUGUST 27, 2026 | 7 PM | DAVIDSON COLLEGE STADIUM (5,000) | DAVIDSON, N.C. | ESPN+

DAVIDSON WILDCATS
2026 Record: 0-0 (0-0 PFL)
2025 Record: 2-10 (1-7 PFL)
Head Coach: Saj Thakkar
Davidson Record (Yrs): 2-10 (1)
Career Record (Yrs): 16-16 (3)

CONCORD MOUNTAIN LIONS
2026 Record: 0-0 (0-0 ME)
2025 Record: 4-7 (2-6 ME)
Head Coach: Cody Edwards
Concord Record (Yrs): 4-6 (1)
Career Record (Yrs): Same

INSIDE THE SERIES
Meetings: First Meeting
Series Record: First Meeting
First Meeting: August 27, 2026
Last Meeting: N/A
Streak: N/A
In Davidson: 0-0
In Athens, W.Va.: 0-0
Thakkar vs. Concord: 0-0

1ST AND 10

• Year two of the Saj Thakkar era will kickoff Thursday night under the lights of Davidson College Stadium as the Wildcats host Concord University to open the 2026 season.
• Davidson, which will play its first five games at home on Field 76, is 55-67-5 in season openers.
• The Wildcats, who are looking to start the campaign with a win for the first time since the 2020 campaign, have played their last seven openers against FCS scholarship programs.
• This marks just the fourth time in Davidson’s 128 years of football it has played on a Thursday night.
• The Wildcats are 2-1 all-time in Thursday night games, with one of their most notable victories in school history coming on Sept. 13, 2018, when Davidson defeated Guilford 91–61, setting the NCAA FCS single-game record for total offense with 964 yards.
• The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, but was moved up due to Hurricane Florence.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN LIONS

• Concord University competes at the NCAA Division II level and is a member of the Mountain East Conference.
• The Mountain Lions were picked seventh in the preseason poll after posting a 4-7 record a year ago.
• Under the direction of second-year head coach Cody Edwards, Concord’s four wins in 2025 were tied for the second-most in the last decade.
• In all, the Mountain Lions return 12 starters (6 offense, 6 defense) from last year’s team.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Thursday night’s meeting is the first-ever between Davidson and Concord University.

2026 TEAM CAPTAINS

• Davidson head football coach Saj Thakkar announced at the end of preseason camp that Casey Bullock, Christian Lyons, Will Jonesand Jamal Chandler-Fuller have been voted team captains for the 2026 season.
• “The group of elected captains represents our program exceptionally well,” said Thakkar, who is in his second season at the helm of the Wildcats. “They are not only talented players, but also outstanding examples of what it means to succeed at Davidson. They are intelligent, communicate effectively, lead by example, and possess an elite mindset.”
• “I’m incredibly proud of this group and our entire Leadership Council, and I’m excited to see them lead our program in 2026.”
• The four captains are joined by the following on the team’s leadership council – AJ Adams, Michael Leonard, Brodey Berg, Liam Turner, Andrew Frazier, Hayden Bender, Hudson Altenburg and Cam Jackson.

2026 NEWCOMERS

• Head Coach Saj Thakkar and his staff once again put together an accomplished recruiting class. 
• The class includes 31 freshmen and three transfer scholar-athletes.

UP NEXT

• Davidson will continue its five-game homestand to open the 2026 season with a week two matchup against in-state foe Elon next Saturday at 6 p.m.
• The Phoenix, who the Wildcats faced a year ago in Elon, received seven votes in the FCS Top-25 Preseason Poll.