MACON, Ga. – The East Texas A&M University football team will suit up to face two-time defending Southern Conference champion Mercer in the 2026 FCS Kickoff at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia. The Week 0 event is scheduled for August 29 at 6 p.m. central and will be broadcast live by ESPN.
 
The late-August matchup in Middle Georgia will mark the ninth annual edition of the event, but also the first time that the FCS Kickoff will not be played in Montgomery, Ala. Ticket information for the game will be announced at a later date.
 
The Lions are the second Texas-based team to participate in the event, but the first since SFA fell to Jacksonville State in 2022.
 
East Texas A&M plays on national television to begin its season for the third year in a row, being just one of three FCS programs to do so. The matchup in Macon is the fourth nationally televised game across three different networks for the Lions in the last three seasons.
 
The Lions enter their fourth season under the leadership of coach Clint Dolezel in 2026. The Lions finished the 2025 campaign with a record of 3-9, including games against a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference opponents and a trio of teams that qualified for the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Lions return 45 letterwinners and three starters from a season ago, and embark on their second season as a full member of NCAA Division I.
 
East Texas A&M is slated to face four teams this season that qualified for the NCAA FCS Playoffs last season as well as Southwestern Atlantic Conference (SWAC) Prairie View A&M who dropped a nailbiter to South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl.
 
"We are excited to be featured in this year's FCS Kickoff, and grateful to ESPN and Mercer for partnering in this opportunity to showcase our university and football program in primetime on the opening weekend of the college football season," said East Texas A&M Director of Athletics Jim Curry. "This marks the third straight year that Northeast Texas' only Division I football program will open the season on a national linear broadcast, highlighting the momentum of the East Texas A&M brand and the growth of our reach across the country."
 
The announcement of the game against Mercer finalizes the 12-game schedule for East Texas A&M, who plays its first home game of the year on September 12 against Northwestern State. Season ticket information can be found HERE.
 
Mercer will make its third FCS Kickoff appearance in four seasons having been a part of weather-altered events in both 2023 and 2025. The Bears outlasted North Alabama, 17-7, in the 2023 contest in Montgomery's Historic Cramton Bowl, while last year's matchup with nationally-ranked UC Davis ended in a "no contest" following a three-hour lightning delay.
 
Mercer returns five starters (3 offense) and 23 other letterwinners off last year's squad that churned out 11 victories and the program's third-straight trip to the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The Bears finished with a perfect 8-0 record in Southern Conference play on the way to becoming the first team since 2008 to capture back-to-back outright SoCon championships as well.
 
The Orange & Black is led by skipper Joel Taylor who was named the program's 22nd head coach on Dec. 11, 2025. Taylor, who previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Bears from 2020-23, led West Georgia to a dozen victories across the program's first two seasons at the NCAA FCS Division I level in 2024 and 2025.
 
"We are very excited to get another opportunity to not only showcase our football program, but also the City of Macon and the Mercer University campus," said Mercer athletics director Jim Cole. "I am proud of what our football team has been able to accomplish over the last few seasons, and am excited that we continue to set our goals higher and higher each year."
 
PREVIOUS FCS KICKOFF GAMES
Aug. 24, 2025: Mercer vs. UC Davis, no contest
Aug. 17, 2024: Southeast Missouri 37, North Alabama 14
Aug. 28, 2023: Mercer 17, North Alabama 7
Aug. 28, 2022: Jacksonville State 42, Stephen F. Austin 17
Aug. 31, 2020: Central Arkansas 24, Austin Peay 17
Aug. 30, 2019: Youngstown State 45, Samford 22
Aug. 27, 2018: North Carolina A&T 20, Jacksonville State 17
Aug. 28, 2017: Jacksonville State 27, Chattanooga 13