2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

2021 WAC–ASUN Challenge football standings
	$ – Conference champion; ^ – FCS playoff participant; Rankings from STATS Poll

2021 Western Athletic Conference football standings
	$ – Conference champion; ^ – FCS playoff participant; * – Ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from Division II ; Rankings from STATS Poll

2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football
2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
2021 record	5–6 (2–2 WAC)
Head coach	Adam Dorrel (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Josh Lamberson (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Tremaine Jackson (5th season)
Home stadium	Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium; (Capacity: 12,000)
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team represented Abilene Christian University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Wildcats were led by fifth-year head coach Adam Dorrel and played their home games at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium, Abilene, Texas. The Wildcats played their 100th season in 2021.^[1]

The Western Athletic Conference and ASUN Conference announced the formation of the WAC-ASUN Challenge (AQ7) for the 2021 season on February 23, 2021. The Challenge included the four fully qualified Division I (FCS) members of the WAC (Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin) and Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State of the ASUN Conference. The winner of the challenge received an auto-bid to the NCAA Division I FCS football playoffs.^[2]

Previous season[]

The Wildcats finished the 2020–21 season with a 1–5 overall record.

Preseason[]

Preseason polls[]

WAC Poll[]

The Western Athletic Conference coaches released their preseason poll on July 27, 2021. The Wildcats were picked to finish fifth in the conference.^[3]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Sam Houston State	20 (5)
2	Stephen F. Austin	16 (1)
3	Tarleton State	11
4	Lamar	8
5	Abilene Christian	5

Note: Dixie State is not included since they are not playing a full WAC schedule due to previous non-conference game contracts. Dixie State players are eligible for individual rewards.

AQ7 Poll[]

The AQ7 coaches also released their preseason poll on July 27, 2021. The Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the ASUN-WAC Challenge.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Sam Houston State	49 (7)
2	Central Arkansas	40
3	Jacksonville State	37
4	Stephen F. Austin	27
5	Eastern Kentucky	20
6	Abilene Christian	15
7	Lamar	8

Recruits[]

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Hayden Anderson QB	Keller, Texas	Keller High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)
Hayden Anderson QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Tyrin Bradley DE	Lubbock, Texas	Monterey High School (Lubbock, Texas)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)
Tyrin Bradley DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Cibby Coheley LB	Iowa Park, Texas	Iowa Park High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)
Cibby Coheley LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Colt Cooper TE	Quinlan, Texas	Ford High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	230 lb (100 kg)
Colt Cooper TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Luke Dillingham S	Brock, Texas	Brock High School (Texas)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)
Luke Dillingham S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Kyle Pointer LB	Queen Creek, Arizona	Queen Creek High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	215 lb (98 kg)
Kyle Pointer LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Jar'Quae Walton RB	Waco, Texas	La Vega High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)
Jar'Quae Walton RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Jackson Andrews OL	Schertz, Texas		6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	295 lb (134 kg)
Jackson Andrews OL	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Landon Eades DT	Boerne, Texas	Samuel V. Champion High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	280 lb (130 kg)
Landon Eades DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Isaiah Pedack DT	Dallas, Texas	Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)
Isaiah Pedack DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Ethan Taite OLB	Frisco, Texas	Independence High School (Frisco, Texas)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)
Ethan Taite OLB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Transfers[]

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Prev. school
Trey Adams	#5	LB	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 pounds (86 kg)	Redshirt Sophomore	Corvallis, Oregon	Northern Colorado
Alex Spadone	#7	WR	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	216 pounds (98 kg)	Redshirt Junior	Houston, Texas	San Diego
Triston Anderson	#12	CB	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 pounds (88 kg)	Redshirt Freshman	Rockwall, Texas	Arkansas State
Roland Williams III	#15	DB	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 pounds (82 kg)	Redshirt Junior	Arlington, Tennessee	Richmond
Mike Garrett Jr.	#29	DB	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	187 pounds (85 kg)	Redshirt Junior	Magnolia, Texas	Tulsa
John Brannon	#43	LB	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	233 pounds (106 kg)	Senior	Prosper, Texas	Texas State
Kaleb Chester	#58	OL	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	271 pounds (123 kg)	Sophomore	Grayson, Georgia	Lenoir–Rhyne
Derek Simmons	#73	OL	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	311 pounds (141 kg)	Redshirt Freshman	Jacksonville, Florida	Tusculum
Reese Moore	#74	OL	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	273 pounds (124 kg)	Redshirt Freshman	Seminole, Texas	Texas
Derek Simmons	#99	DL	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	245 pounds (111 kg)	Redshirt Freshman	Bakersfield, California	Fresno State
Tyran Calloway	#	DT	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	249 pounds (113 kg)	Junior	Fort Worth, Texas	Howard Payne

Personnel[]

Roster[]

2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football

Quarterback

2 Peyton Mansell – Sophomore (6'2, 213)
3 Stone Earle – Freshman (6'2, 203)
4 Sema'J Davis – Senior (6'1, 191)
12 Hayden Anderson – Freshman (6'1, 173)
Trevor Baker – Freshman (6'3, 186)
Carson Cross – Freshman (6'2, 185)
Jace Robinson – Freshman (6'0, 190)

Running backs

14 Quae Walton – Freshman (5'10, 166)
20 Anthony Smith – Sophomore (5'11, 209)
21 Jermiah Dobbins – Freshman (5'11, 195)
24 Tyrese White – Senior (5'10, 202)
31 Robert McKnight – Senior (5'10, 186)
34 Charlie Moore – Freshman (5'11, 220) (FB+)
36 Rece Stafford – Freshman (6'0, 231) (FB+)
43 Easton Myrick – Freshman (5'11, 195) (FB+)
Jailen Dixon – Freshman (6'3, 202)
Jamal Stephens – Freshman (5'8, 185)

Wide receiver

5 Darius Lewis – Freshman (5'8, 163)
6 Taelyn Williams – Junior (6'2, 169)
7 Alex Spadone – Junior (6'2, 216)
8 Kobe Clark – Junior (5'11, 180)
9 Davion Johnson – Sophomore (5'8, 163)
13 Jordan Brooks-Wess – Sophomore (5'10, 164)
16 Denver Holman – Freshman (5'10, 179)
19 Dax Neece – Freshman (6'3, 206)
80 Jackson Young – Freshman (5'11, 183)
82 Cooper McCasland – Freshman (6'1, 188)
87 Andrew Edwards – Freshman (6'0, 178)
Tanner Bowman – Freshman (6'3, 185)
Matthew Bynum – Freshman (5'11, 160)
Solomon Cole – Freshman (5'10, 165)
Jack Frazier – Freshman (6'2, 192)
Kendall Jimerson – Freshman (5'10, 185)

Tight ends

81 Noah Caldwell – Freshman (6'6, 245)
83 Colt Cooper – Freshman (6'4, 240)
84 Grant Miles – Sophomore (6'5, 252)
85 Andrew Stripling – Freshman (6'5, 219)
86 Remington Lutz – Junior (6'6, 241)

Long snappers

46 Dustin Inness – Sophomore (5'11, 189)
54 David Stone – Senior (6'0, 213)
60 Cade Lippincott – Freshman (6'0, 213)

Offensive lineman

51 Collin James – Freshman (6'4, 273)
55 Alan Hatten – Freshman (6'3, 300)
56 Truett Knox – Freshman (6'2, 287)
57 Jaron Marshall – Junior (6'3, 291)
58 Kaleb Chester – Sophomore (6'0, 271)
59 Jacob Thielen – Freshman (6'4, 292)
61 Mitchell Melrose – Junior (6'6, 286)
62 Jackson Andrews – Freshman (6'2, 300)
63 Peyten Girty – Freshman (6'3, 280)
65 CJ Zotz – Freshman (6'4, 292)
66 Dylan Howerton – Freshman (6'5, 273)
67 Wyatt Tate – Freshman (6'6, 290)
69 Bronson Warner – Freshman (6'3, 310)
73 Derek Simmons – Freshman (6'5, 311)
74 Reese Moore – Freshman (6'6, 273)
76 Zach Terry – Senior (6'6, 280)
78 Ty Smith – Freshman (6'6, 296)
Cohen Carpenter – Freshman (6'3, 290)
Brad Robinson – Freshman (6'2, 260)
Tai Sewell – Freshman (6'5, 305)

Defensive lineman

40 Dre Jones – Sophomore (6'4, 277)
41 Tyrin Bradley – Sophomore (6'4, 242)
45 Jordan Paup – Freshman (6'5, 250)
49 Dennis Herrold – Freshman (6'4, 235)
50 Damion Hart – Freshman (6'3, 235)
89 Cameron Byrom – Freshman (6'5, 249)
90 Kadron Johnson – Sophomore (6'4, 249)
91 Garviea Freeny – Junior (6'3, 235)
92 Quent Titre – Junior (6'2, 286)
93 Landon Eades – Freshman (6'3, 283)
94 Osaretin Obadeyi – Sophomore (6'5, 239)
95 Jack Schultz – Junior (6'0, 280)
96 Isaiah Pedack – Freshman (6'3, 255)
97 William Morgan – Sophomore (6'3, 292)
99 Colby Warkentin – Freshman (6'6, 245)
Tyran Calloway – Junior (5'11, 249)
Tanner Rambeau – Freshman (6'4, 270)

Linebacker

5 Trey Adams – Sophomore (5'10, 190)
9 Chike Nwankwo – Sophomore (6'2, 224)
30 Tory Hargrove – Junior (5'11, 210)
32 Joshua James – Junior (6'0, 228)
33 Greg Green – Junior (5'10, 217)
35 Ethan Taite – Freshman (6'3, 205)
42 Hunter Kier – Senior (5'11, 217)
43 John Brannon – Senior (6'2, 233)
46 Cirby Coheley – Freshman (6'4, 206)
47 Derrick Parker – Freshman (6'1, 206)
52 Abe Schwinn – Freshman (6'3, 219)
53 Zeke Lott – Freshman (6'1, 205)
Diego Diaz – Freshman (5'10, 208)
Dilaver Ibrahimi – Freshman (5'10, 206)
Kyle Pointer – Freshman (6'3, 213)

Defensive backs

1 Shelby Washington – Junior (6'1, 190)
2 Christopher Satterfield – Freshman (5'10, 190)
3 Ryan Stapp – Sophomore (6'0, 170)
7 Elijah Moffett – Freshman (6'2, 195)
12 Triston Anderson – Freshman (6'2, 195)
15 Roland Williams III – Junior (5'11, 180)
17 Dishon Hall II – Sophomore (6'3, 195)
22 Koy Richardson – Senior (5'11, 178)
23 Kameron Stokes – Freshman (6'0, 203)
24 Luke Dillingham – Freshman (6'2, 198)
26 Brian Bullock – Junior (6'0, 198)
29 Mike Garrett Jr. – Junior (6'1, 187)
31 Keegan Tharp – Freshman (6'2, 198)
39 Anthony Egbo, Jr. – Sophomore (5'8, 180)
Jeremy Gonzales – Freshman (5'7, 165)
Jamal Marshall – Freshman (6'0, 186)
Quintin Montgomery – Sophomore (5'11, 183)
Casen Olsen – Freshman (6'1, 189)
Landon Reynolds – Freshman (5'8, 185)
Manny Ruiz – Freshman (5'8, 163)

Placekickers

37 Blair Zepeda – Sophomore (5'11, 205)
85 Oscar Hernandez – Sophomore (5'11, 197)

Punter

88 Will Fargason – Freshman (6'2, 204)
88 Brock Thompson – Freshman (5'11, 161)

Coaching staff[]

Name	Position	Alma mater	Joined Staff
Adam Dorrel	Head Coach	Northwest Missouri State (1998)	2016
Josh Lamberson	Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks	Northwest Missouri State (2005)	2016
Clint Brown	Defensive Coordinator
James Curlee	Wide Receivers	Hastings College (2016)	2017
Travis Dixon	Cornerbacks	UNLV (2010)	2020
Zach Williams	Safeties / Co-Recruiting Coordinator
Bryce Baccarini	Running Backs / Fullbacks / Co-Recruiting Coordinator
Travis Britz	Defensive Line	Kansas State (2017)	2020
Cody Scribner	Defensive Line	Central Missouri (2010)	2020
Drew Liddle	Offensive Line	Kansas State (2014)	2021
Dimitri Donald	Tight Ends	West Texas A&M (2015)	2021

Depth chart[]

Defense

CB
Ryan Stapp
Ira Branch

CB
Triston Anderson
Roland Williams III

Offense

WR
Alex Spadone
Dax Neece

WR
Kobe Clark
Jordan Brooks-Wess

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Reese Moore	Truett Knox	Collin James	Jacob Thielen	Derek Simmons
Dylan Howerton	Alan Hatten	Peyton Girty	Bronson Warner	Wyatt Tate

TE
Remington Lutz
Grant Miles

WR
Darius Lewis
Davion Johnson

QB
Stone Earle
Peyton Mansell

Special Teams
PK Blair Zepeda
PK Oscar Hernandez
P Logan Burke
P Will Fargason
KR Jordan Brooks-Wess
PR Jordan Brooks-Wess
LS David Stone
H Logan Burke

RB
Jermiah Dobbins
Tyrese White

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	6:00 p.m.	at SMU*	Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, TX	ESPN+	L 9–56	23,373	Preview Recap Boxscore
September 11	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana College*	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ESPN+	W 62–7	8,117	Preview Recap Boxscore
September 18	6:00 p.m.	Texas–Permian Basin*	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ESPN+	W 34–9	9,018
September 25	6:00 p.m.	at Lamar*	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX	ESPN+	W 56–0	5,411
October 2	6:00 p.m.	Central Arkansas	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX (WAC/ASUN Challenge)	ESPN+	L 21–42	6,602
October 9	5:00 p.m.	at Eastern Kentucky	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY (WAC/ASUN Challenge)	ESPN+	L 15–30	8,659
October 16	3:00 p.m.	Lamar	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ESPN+	W 24–17	10,121
October 30	4:00 p.m.	at Stephen F. Austin	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX	ESPN+	L 27–41	9,817
November 6	1:00 p.m.	at Jacksonville State	Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL (WAC/ASUN Challenge)	ESPN+	L 25–40	14,143
November 13	1:00 p.m.	Tarleton State	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ESPN+	W 29–3	6,213
November 20	1:00 p.m.	No. 1 Sam Houston State	Wildcat Stadium Abilene, TX	ESPN+	L 9–35	4,421
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[5]^[6]

Game summaries[]

SMU[]

2021 SMU Mustangs football team

Abilene Christian at SMU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	3	6	0	9
• Mustangs	7	28	14	7	56

Date: September 4
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Dallas, TX
Game start: 6:06 p.m.
Elapsed time: 3:21
Game attendance: 23,373
Game weather: 95 °F (35 °C), Wind: SE 7mph, Sunny
Referee: Tim Rich; Michael Prowell (Umpire); Adam Loudin (Linesman); Lance Thompson (Line judge); Victor Firth (Back judge); Glen Wilson (Field judge); Eric Hartman (Side judge)
Television network: ESPN+

Sources:^[7]

This was the first meeting between those two teams.

References[]

^ Hadfield, Ron. "Wildcats fall to record-setting SMU passing attack". Retrieved 14 September 2021.
^ "ASUN, WAC form 2021 alliance, seek FCS playoff bid". Verizon Media. February 23, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
^ "WAC Coaches Select Sam Houston, Schmid, Kay as Preseason Favorites". Western Athletic Conference. July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ "AQ7 Coaches Select Sam Houston as Preseason Favorite". Western Athletic Conference. July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ "2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats Football Schedule". ACUSports.com.
^ "2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.
^ "ABILENE CHRISTIAN (0-1 , 0-0) -VS- SMU (1-0 , 0-0)".

This college football 2020s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] Hadfield, Ron. "Wildcats fall to record-setting SMU passing attack". Retrieved 14 September 2021.

[2] "ASUN, WAC form 2021 alliance, seek FCS playoff bid". Verizon Media. February 23, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.

[3] "WAC Coaches Select Sam Houston, Schmid, Kay as Preseason Favorites". Western Athletic Conference. July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.

[4] "AQ7 Coaches Select Sam Houston as Preseason Favorite". Western Athletic Conference. July 27, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.

[5] "2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats Football Schedule". ACUSports.com.

[6] "2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.

[7] "ABILENE CHRISTIAN (0-1 , 0-0) -VS- SMU (1-0 , 0-0)".

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v t Abilene Christian Wildcats football
Venues	Shotwell Stadium (1959–2016) Wildcat Stadium (2017–present)
Bowls & rivalries
Culture & lore	(mascot)
People	NFL draftees
	1943 1944 1945 1973 1977 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
National championship seasons in bold

2021 Western Athletic Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
No. 1 Sam Houston State $^		5	–	0		11	–	1
No. 20 Stephen F. Austin ^		4	–	1		8	–	4
Abilene Christian		2	–	2		5	–	6
Tarleton State*		2	–	3		6	–	5
Dixie State*		0	–	3		1	–	10
Lamar		0	–	4		1	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – Ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from Division II Rankings from STATS Poll