Anything and everything about Liberty Flames football. Your comments on games, recruiting and the direction of the program as we move into new era.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke, Class of 20Something

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By LU Armchair coach
Posts
#668221
Alright, this LU armchair coach did some digging, and I’m still struggling to see the master plan here.
Study :dontgetit :football

1. Williams has been at LU for two years. Stat line: 15 solo tackles, 27 assisted, 4 sacks, and 1 pass defended. With two years in the system, you’d think he’d have the HCJC defense figured out by now, but the results just haven’t been there. He didn’t even crack the top 50 in CUSA stats last year. For comparison, Derell Farrar finished 13th. That says a lot.

2. FSU RB Kam Davis was a highly touted high school recruit. In 2024, he played nine games and rushed 52 times for 173 yards. In 2025, coming off injury, he played four games and carried the ball eight times for 51 yards — mostly against East Texas A&M and Kent State. Against Virginia Tech he had two carries for eight yards and barely saw the field versus Clemson. Not exactly screaming impact transfer.

3. Penn State OL Alex Birchmeier played in 10 games as a sophomore and has appeared in 26 total games overall, mostly on special teams. I guess the idea is that special teams reps in the Big Ten magically turn into a CUSA starter. As an armchair coach who actually looked this up… I don’t get it.

4. Makai Jackson is a complete mystery. Indiana doesn’t even have him listed on the roster. Best guess is he was a practice player on the No. 1 team in the country under ex-JMU, $500k-a-year Curt Cignetti. That’s great and all, but again… I don’t get it.

5. Kyle Ferm (SMU) isn’t on the SMU roster and played JUCO. So we’re taking an ACC recruit who hasn’t played meaningful football in at least a year. This LU armchair coach is confused.

6. Charleston Southern WR Rashawn Cunningham played in 16 games, four as a true freshman. His redshirt freshman year actually looks solid. If Liberty can find someone who can throw the ball, this one might work.

7. Virginia Tech TE Zeke Wimbush played in 24 games over three years, mostly on special teams, while redshirting his freshman season. Sure, moving from a bad ACC team to CUSA Liberty should mean more production, but I’m not seeing anything that justifies the hype. Still don’t get it.

8. NC State OL Valen Erickson played seven games in 2024 and seven in 2025. He redshirted at Missouri, then transferred mid-season the next year without seeing the field. Another Big-name-school resume that doesn’t actually say much once you dig into it.

Honestly, the D-II guys Liberty brought in will probably end up being better contributors than some of these ACC and Big Ten transfers who were injured, buried on depth charts, or living on scout teams.
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#668225
LU Armchair coach wrote: January 8th, 2026, 1:01 pm Alright, this LU armchair coach did some digging, and I’m still struggling to see the master plan here.
Study :dontgetit :football

1. Williams has been at LU for two years. Stat line: 15 solo tackles, 27 assisted, 4 sacks, and 1 pass defended. With two years in the system, you’d think he’d have the HCJC defense figured out by now, but the results just haven’t been there. He didn’t even crack the top 50 in CUSA stats last year. For comparison, Derell Farrar finished 13th. That says a lot.

2. FSU RB Kam Davis was a highly touted high school recruit. In 2024, he played nine games and rushed 52 times for 173 yards. In 2025, coming off injury, he played four games and carried the ball eight times for 51 yards — mostly against East Texas A&M and Kent State. Against Virginia Tech he had two carries for eight yards and barely saw the field versus Clemson. Not exactly screaming impact transfer.

3. Penn State OL Alex Birchmeier played in 10 games as a sophomore and has appeared in 26 total games overall, mostly on special teams. I guess the idea is that special teams reps in the Big Ten magically turn into a CUSA starter. As an armchair coach who actually looked this up… I don’t get it.

4. Makai Jackson is a complete mystery. Indiana doesn’t even have him listed on the roster. Best guess is he was a practice player on the No. 1 team in the country under ex-JMU, $500k-a-year Curt Cignetti. That’s great and all, but again… I don’t get it.

5. Kyle Ferm (SMU) isn’t on the SMU roster and played JUCO. So we’re taking an ACC recruit who hasn’t played meaningful football in at least a year. This LU armchair coach is confused.

6. Charleston Southern WR Rashawn Cunningham played in 16 games, four as a true freshman. His redshirt freshman year actually looks solid. If Liberty can find someone who can throw the ball, this one might work.

7. Virginia Tech TE Zeke Wimbush played in 24 games over three years, mostly on special teams, while redshirting his freshman season. Sure, moving from a bad ACC team to CUSA Liberty should mean more production, but I’m not seeing anything that justifies the hype. Still don’t get it.

8. NC State OL Valen Erickson played seven games in 2024 and seven in 2025. He redshirted at Missouri, then transferred mid-season the next year without seeing the field. Another Big-name-school resume that doesn’t actually say much once you dig into it.

Honestly, the D-II guys Liberty brought in will probably end up being better contributors than some of these ACC and Big Ten transfers who were injured, buried on depth charts, or living on scout teams.
I’m curious what @PAmedic has to say about this list Study
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By Purple Haize
Registration Days Posts
#668226
thesportscritic wrote: January 8th, 2026, 2:41 pm That's why you're an armchair coach.
Some people like to flaunt their ignorance :dontgetit
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By Ill flame
Posts
#668233
LU Armchair coach wrote: January 8th, 2026, 1:01 pm Alright, this LU armchair coach did some digging, and I’m still struggling to see the master plan here.
Study :dontgetit :football

1. Williams has been at LU for two years. Stat line: 15 solo tackles, 27 assisted, 4 sacks, and 1 pass defended. With two years in the system, you’d think he’d have the HCJC defense figured out by now, but the results just haven’t been there. He didn’t even crack the top 50 in CUSA stats last year. For comparison, Derell Farrar finished 13th. That says a lot.

2. FSU RB Kam Davis was a highly touted high school recruit. In 2024, he played nine games and rushed 52 times for 173 yards. In 2025, coming off injury, he played four games and carried the ball eight times for 51 yards — mostly against East Texas A&M and Kent State. Against Virginia Tech he had two carries for eight yards and barely saw the field versus Clemson. Not exactly screaming impact transfer.

3. Penn State OL Alex Birchmeier played in 10 games as a sophomore and has appeared in 26 total games overall, mostly on special teams. I guess the idea is that special teams reps in the Big Ten magically turn into a CUSA starter. As an armchair coach who actually looked this up… I don’t get it.

4. Makai Jackson is a complete mystery. Indiana doesn’t even have him listed on the roster. Best guess is he was a practice player on the No. 1 team in the country under ex-JMU, $500k-a-year Curt Cignetti. That’s great and all, but again… I don’t get it.

5. Kyle Ferm (SMU) isn’t on the SMU roster and played JUCO. So we’re taking an ACC recruit who hasn’t played meaningful football in at least a year. This LU armchair coach is confused.

6. Charleston Southern WR Rashawn Cunningham played in 16 games, four as a true freshman. His redshirt freshman year actually looks solid. If Liberty can find someone who can throw the ball, this one might work.

7. Virginia Tech TE Zeke Wimbush played in 24 games over three years, mostly on special teams, while redshirting his freshman season. Sure, moving from a bad ACC team to CUSA Liberty should mean more production, but I’m not seeing anything that justifies the hype. Still don’t get it.

8. NC State OL Valen Erickson played seven games in 2024 and seven in 2025. He redshirted at Missouri, then transferred mid-season the next year without seeing the field. Another Big-name-school resume that doesn’t actually say much once you dig into it.

Honestly, the D-II guys Liberty brought in will probably end up being better contributors than some of these ACC and Big Ten transfers who were injured, buried on depth charts, or living on scout teams.
I don’t have enough hands to count the number of P4 guys buried on depth charts we’ve brought in over the last 5 years or so thatve been good contributors for us. It’s a healthy mix of guys with proven production at lower levels and unproven high upside guys so far. So far I like the way things are heading in the portal but there’s still a lot more slots to fill.
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By LU Armchair coach
Posts
#668234
So… any QB portal smoke? Vasko starter for 2026? This LU armchair coach heard there was a closed-door Prez/AD/football meeting last night. Seems like the cat Chadwell was away. Either we’re landing someone maybe 2, or my group chat is undefeated again 😂 Anyone got intel?
Study :football :dontgetit
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By PAmedic
Registration Days Posts
#668236
Purple Haize wrote: January 8th, 2026, 4:24 pm
LU Armchair coach wrote: January 8th, 2026, 1:01 pm Alright, this LU armchair coach did some digging, and I’m still struggling to see the master plan here.
Study :dontgetit :football

1. Williams has been at LU for two years. Stat line: 15 solo tackles, 27 assisted, 4 sacks, and 1 pass defended. With two years in the system, you’d think he’d have the HCJC defense figured out by now, but the results just haven’t been there. He didn’t even crack the top 50 in CUSA stats last year. For comparison, Derell Farrar finished 13th. That says a lot.

2. FSU RB Kam Davis was a highly touted high school recruit. In 2024, he played nine games and rushed 52 times for 173 yards. In 2025, coming off injury, he played four games and carried the ball eight times for 51 yards — mostly against East Texas A&M and Kent State. Against Virginia Tech he had two carries for eight yards and barely saw the field versus Clemson. Not exactly screaming impact transfer.

3. Penn State OL Alex Birchmeier played in 10 games as a sophomore and has appeared in 26 total games overall, mostly on special teams. I guess the idea is that special teams reps in the Big Ten magically turn into a CUSA starter. As an armchair coach who actually looked this up… I don’t get it.

4. Makai Jackson is a complete mystery. Indiana doesn’t even have him listed on the roster. Best guess is he was a practice player on the No. 1 team in the country under ex-JMU, $500k-a-year Curt Cignetti. That’s great and all, but again… I don’t get it.

5. Kyle Ferm (SMU) isn’t on the SMU roster and played JUCO. So we’re taking an ACC recruit who hasn’t played meaningful football in at least a year. This LU armchair coach is confused.

6. Charleston Southern WR Rashawn Cunningham played in 16 games, four as a true freshman. His redshirt freshman year actually looks solid. If Liberty can find someone who can throw the ball, this one might work.

7. Virginia Tech TE Zeke Wimbush played in 24 games over three years, mostly on special teams, while redshirting his freshman season. Sure, moving from a bad ACC team to CUSA Liberty should mean more production, but I’m not seeing anything that justifies the hype. Still don’t get it.

8. NC State OL Valen Erickson played seven games in 2024 and seven in 2025. He redshirted at Missouri, then transferred mid-season the next year without seeing the field. Another Big-name-school resume that doesn’t actually say much once you dig into it.

Honestly, the D-II guys Liberty brought in will probably end up being better contributors than some of these ACC and Big Ten transfers who were injured, buried on depth charts, or living on scout teams.
I’m curious what @PAmedic has to say about this list Study
😑
By flamehunter
Registration Days Posts
#668249
LU Armchair coach wrote: January 9th, 2026, 9:59 am So… any QB portal smoke? Vasko starter for 2026? This LU armchair coach heard there was a closed-door Prez/AD/football meeting last night. Seems like the cat Chadwell was away. Either we’re landing someone maybe 2, or my group chat is undefeated again 😂 Anyone got intel?
Study :football :dontgetit
Maybe cut HCJC a break - he's recuperating from surgery for a serious medical condition. I realize that from your high armchair throne that may seem insignificant but for the rest of us we care about the man much more than the coach.
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By LU Armchair coach
Posts
#668251
That’s fair, and no one’s dismissing his health—hope his recovery goes smoothly. You can care about the man and still question the direction of the program. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
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By Ill flame
Posts
#668257
Still plenty more to go but after 5 more commits yesterday I decided to take a look at the production we have coming in compared to what we have going and it leaves me cautiously optimistic.

When you see 22 guys decide to leave the program it gets disheartening but once you take into account that 22 is better retention than average (surprisingly) and less than half of them played serious snaps for us last year it becomes much more palatable.

As of right now we have 19 players coming in and I’m counting about 5 that I think are more depth/developmental adds that I’d be pleasantly surprised if they are significant contributors in 2026. On paper it sure looks like significantly more production will be coming than going in the portal with more commits to go.
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By Ill flame
Posts
#668266
Just saw we’re bringing in Wake Forests backup QB. On the surface I don’t like it. Hes not particularly accurate (only 50% completion rate) and he seems to be a worse runner than Vasko. Not sure why we are bringing in QBs like this in an option offense.
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By LU Armchair coach
Posts
#668267
LU Armchair Coach — armed with a recliner, Wi-Fi, and an unhealthy obsession with transfer portal rankings & truth. While some maybe be GASLIGHTING X formally known as Twitter I used cfbdepth.com and did some research!

Below is the cleaned-up portal board, expertly curated after several Google searches.

📊 Liberty Transfer Portal Rankings
Rank Player Pos Rating Previous School
64 Evan Dickens RB 15.9 Liberty
115 Donte Lee Jr. WR 15.2 Liberty
343 Makai Jackson WR 14.0 Indiana
366 Devin Henderson DB 13.9 Liberty
389 Christian Bodnar DB 13.8 Liberty
662 Alex Birchmeier OL 13.2 Penn State
672 Brenton Williams DL 13.2 Liberty
773 Kam Davis RB 13.0 Florida State
1091 Vaughn Blue RB 12.4 Liberty
1148 D-Icey Hopkins DB 12.3 Georgia State
1253 Ashton McShane DB 12.1 Boston College
1270 Peyton Jones RB 12.1 Duke
1324 Michael Merdinger QB 12.0 Liberty
1346 Dexter Ricks Jr. DB 11.9 Liberty
1545 Izaiah Guy DB 11.6 South Florida
1796 Donovan Dozier DL 11.2 Liberty
2097 Elijah McKenzie DB 10.6 Division II
2143 Eli Hall DL 10.5 Liberty
2642 Jayden Bradford QB 9.6 Liberty
2698 Cal Grubbs OL 9.5 Liberty
2825 Val Erickson OL 9.2 NC State
2963 Eli Sisson TE 8.9 Liberty
2970 Deshawn Purdie QB 8.9 Wake Forest
3005 Connie Hewitt II TE 8.8 Liberty
3157 Uriah Points DB 8.3 Liberty
3160 Kaidon Whidby LB 8.2 Liberty
3245 Kyle Ferm LB 7.7 SMU
3416 Malachi Fannin-Render RB 5.0 Liberty
3435 Da’Jy’Quwan Jackson OL 4.6 Liberty

I get team fit and culture.
I really do.

This LU Armchair Coach also understands rankings — and how they can get miscued, inflated, and bloated… kind of like my profile pic after Thanksgiving.

Looking at what’s leaving LU and what’s coming in, it honestly feels like the 2026 football team is in the perfect position to do the most important thing of all:

👉 Get on the field and play football.

From this recliner, with elite Google search skills and questionable posture, I see nothing to gaslight X about with the players that's coming in. Just a roster that needs reps, chemistry, and a few Saturdays to tell the real story and hopefully it will be able to keep the 5-million-dollar man HCJC around or can leave without being fired.

Now excuse me while I refresh the portal rankings one more time — strictly for research.
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