Alcorn State University kicks off the 2026 football season Saturday night when the Braves host Miles College at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi. The nonconference game is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff and will be televised on SWAC TV, with radio coverage on WPRL 91.7 FM, Sirius XM, and online streaming available.
The game marks the first meeting between the two teams since 2017, when Alcorn defeated Miles 50-21 in Lorman. It will also be the first home opener for Alcorn since that victory. The Braves enter the season with a 0-0 record, while Miles is also starting fresh.
Alcorn head coach Cedric Thomas, now in his third year leading the team, has not faced Miles as a head coach. He aims to secure his 12th career win and his first home opening victory in Lorman. The team is seeking its first season-opening win since 2017. The forecast predicts a high of 92 degrees with a 55% chance of rain in Birmingham, Alabama, and similar conditions expected in Lorman.
Several Braves players have earned preseason honors. Wide receiver Cameran Rogers and linebacker Eric Thomas Jr. are on the 2026 Deacon Jones Player of the Year Watch List. Defensive back Tayvion Haney is on the Aeneas Williams Award Preseason Watch List. Punter Demetrion Duvall, who averaged 42.7 yards per punt last season, is on the Preseason Punter of the Year Watch List. Thomas Jr. and Duvall also made the BOXTOROW HBCU Preseason All-America Team.
The team was picked to finish third in the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, according to preseason predictions announced during SWAC Media Day. Rogers was named to the SWAC Preseason First Team Offense, Thomas Jr. to the First Team Defense, and Duvall to the First Team for Special Teams. Additional players earning preseason honors include offensive linemen Abe Diallo and Kenneth Andrews, and defensive back Tayvion Haney.
Alcorn’s broadcast will feature Charles Edmond on play-by-play, with Cedric Tillman on sidelines. The game will also be streamed live on SWAC TV and available on-demand. Following Saturday’s game, the Braves will travel to face Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg on September 5 at 4 p.m.
