Which FCS Playoff Contenders Have the Most Returning Experience in 2026?

Now that spring ball has concluded at most programs, it's time to shift our focus to preseason analysis. We are going to take a look at the number of returning contributors for some of the top FCS programs in the country.

We selected programs that are expected to compete for a spot in the FCS Playoffs, or even a possible Celebration Bowl appearance. Teams that were in the FCS Playoffs last season were also included. We excluded a few programs (South Carolina State, Yale, etc.) due to these teams not having updated rosters.

A "returning contributor" is defined as a player who played a significant amount of snaps for their team in 2025 (Roughly 200 or more snaps). We also included players who missed last season with injury, but were projected to be starters before being sidelined. This was adjusted for positions that can make a bigger statistical impact on lower snap counts.

Each team was assigned a percentage of returning contributors on offense and defense, which can be found in the chart below. Incoming transfers were not included; that data can be found in our transfer portal trackers and our FCS transfer portal rankings. Teams are ranked by the amount of total returning production.

While this should not be considered a ranking of the quality of the teams, it should be noted that high levels of retention often correlate with success the following season.

We will take a deeper dive later this offseason because these percentages treat every position equally. Obviously, a position like quarterback is much more valuable than a team's second-string wide receiver.

This context is always important to add to this discussion before jumping to any big conclusions. We will begin releasing individual team previews this summer, which will give additional context on which players are returning for every team.

Note: This data is based on available spring rosters, as of April 2026. There could be late roster changes due to eligibility waivers, players returning after entering the portal, or a multitude of other factors. It still gives us a great look at where each team stands entering the 2026 season.

Team	Off. Contributors	Def. Contributors	Total Production
South Dakota State	73.3%	61.9%	67.6%
UTRGV	57.1%	77.2%	67.2%
Montana State	64.7%	68.2%	66.5%
UC Davis	57.1%	70%	63.6%
Idaho State	60%	61.9%	61%
Lafayette	57.1%	63.6%	60.4%
Youngstown State	72.2%	47.1%	59.6%
Harvard	61.1%	56.3%	58.7%
Lehigh	69.2%	47.1%	58.2%
Wofford	62.5%	52.4%	57.4%
North Dakota	64.7%	47.1%	55.9%
Elon	60%	47.1%	54%
Rhode Island	40%	64.7%	52%
Austin Peay	55.6%	45.5%	50.5%
Furman	33.3%	66.7%	50%
Chattanooga	44.4%	55%	49.7%
Illinois State	44.4%	52.6%	48.5%
Villanova	55.6%	41.2%	48.4%
William & Mary	33%	62.5%	48%
Southern Utah	50%	44.4%	47%
Alabama State	37.5%	52.4%	44.9%
Southeastern Louisiana	57.9%	31.2%	44.6%
Tennessee Tech	41.2%	47.8%	44.5%
Monmouth	35.3%	52.9%	44.1%
New Hampshire	46.7%	41.2%	43.9%
Abilene Christian	55.6%	31.3%	43.4%
Prairie View A&M	63.2%	23.5%	43.4%
Stephen F. Austin	47.6%	36.8%	42.2%
Southern Illinois	43.8%	40%	41.9%
South Dakota	35.3%	43.8%	39.5%
Lamar	31.3%	45.5%	38.4%
North Carolina Central	41.2%	35%	38.1%
Stony Brook	25%	50%	38%
Montana	23.5%	42.9%	33.2%
Tarleton State	31.6%	30.4%	31%
Towson	40%	21.1%	31%
Gardner-Webb	31.3%	27.8%	29.5%
UT Martin	35.3%	21.4%	28.4%
Jackson State	31.6%	25%	28.3%
Western Carolina	35%	20%	28%
ETSU	23.8%	28.6%	26.2%
Northern Arizona	33.3%	16.7%	25%

Biggest Takeaways:

There's a reason that many experts view Montana State and South Dakota State as the two favorites entering next season. These two teams have experience competing at the highest level of the subdivision, plus rank No. 1 and No. 3 in returning production. This includes starting quarterbacks Justin Lamson and Chase Mason, who are some of the top returning signal-callers in the FCS.

I understand the excitement of some of the new additions to the Patriot League, but don't expect last season's top two teams to just lay down for the newcomers. Lafayette (No. 6) and Lehigh (No. 9) both rank inside the Top 10 for returning production, and both have made runs to the playoffs in recent seasons. It'll be interesting to see where Villanova and William & Mary fall in the new pecking order of the conference.

Harvard ranks 8th in returning production after making the playoffs as an at-large bid last season. The biggest question for the Crimson will be the quarterback spot, where they have to replace Jaden Craig, who transferred to TCU. Keep an eye on the defense, which returns nine significant contributors, including both starting cornerbacks.

UC Davis and Idaho State both rank inside the Top 5 in returning production, making them teams to watch in the Big Sky. The Bengals have all the pieces to put together one of their best seasons in recent memory, potentially setting up for a run to the playoffs. UC Davis has been building for a few years under Tim Plough and wants to take the step into national contender status.

Tennessee Tech signed one of the top transfer portal classes in the country, but the cupboard is far from bare entering the 2026 season. The Golden Eagles rank in the Top 25 in returning production, making them the way-too-early favorite to take home the SoCon title in their first season in the conference.

Youngstown State, North Dakota, and Illinois State all find themselves in the Top 20, which could set up an interesting year in the MVFC race. The Penguins rank 2nd among all FCS teams with 72.2% of their offensive production returning, including Walter Payton Award winner Beau Brungard. North Dakota and Illinois State also have All-American defenders returning in EDGE Lance Rucker and linebacker Tye Niekamp.

UTRGV won an impressive 9 games in its debut season in 2025. The Vaqueros return a ton of defensive contributors, leading the country with 77.3% of their defensive production returning, including Freshman All-Americans Alijah Prosser and Jaiden Haygood. This team could be a real dark horse in the Southland race in 2026.

Tarleton State and Montana were two of the best teams in the country last season, but rank near the bottom for returning production entering 2026. Despite this, these two teams have extremely high expectations, which are mainly tied to their outstanding transfer portal classes. The Texans signed the No. 1 portal class in the FCS, while the Griz's class ranked 5th nationally. The Griz also return two of the top offensive players in the country in quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat and running back Eli Gillman.

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