LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced their 2026 preseason football coaches' poll on Thursday. Clarion was predicted to finish fifth in the PSAC West division this season after posting their best season in a decade in 2025.
 
Last year the Golden Eagles went 6-5 overall, tying for fifth in the West division with a 2-4 overall record. Clarion owned one of the most explosive offenses in the PSAC in 2025, with their average of 34.7 points per game ranking second in the PSAC overall and first in the West. They led the entire league in total offense with an average of 433.3 yards per game, and their 51 total touchdowns trailed only Kutztown.
 
Clarion returns six starters from that potent offense in 2026, headlined by a trio of former all-conference performers. Wide receiver Davon Jones was one of the most productive receivers in the nation last year, earning First Team All-PSAC West and Second Team All-SR1 honors with 61 catches for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns. The rest of the returning offensive starters come in the trenches, with 2025 all-conference selection Josh Steele Jr. and 2024 pick Devin Webb headlining a full quintet of starters on the line.
 
Conversely, the Golden Eagles return just three starters on defense, with the interior defensive line pairing of Jack Capotosto and Isaac Kim set to line up in the trenches again. Junior safety Cameron Thomas also returns to the defense after starting all 11 games for Clarion at that spot last year.
 
The 2026 season will open at home for the second straight season when they welcome West Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday, Sept. 3. Last year the Golden Eagles beat the Bobcats 48-20 in Buckhannon as part of a four-game winning streak to open the season. Non-conference play will continue with back-to-back road games, starting with a trip to Kutztown to take on the Golden Bears (Sept. 12). Last year Kutztown reached the NCAA Division II semifinals and finished the season ranked third in the nation. The Golden Eagles will head east again the next week to take on Lackawanna (Sept. 19), marking the first-ever meeting with the PSAC's newest member institution.
 
PSAC West play commences at home on Sept. 26 when the Golden Eagles host Edinboro on Family Day. The following week sees Clarion take on Lock Haven (Oct. 3) before coming back to Memorial Stadium for back-to-back games against Gannon (Oct. 10) and California (PA) (Oct. 17), with the contest against the Golden Knights the 2026 Homecoming game. A road game against Seton Hill (Oct. 24) is followed by a home clash against Slippery Rock (Oct. 31) to close out the month of October, and PSAC West play concludes on the road against IUP on Nov. 7.
 
The regular season finale and Senior Day are set for Nov. 14, with Clarion currently slated to play MIllersville at Memorial Stadium.
 
EASTERN DIVISION
1. Kutztown (6)
2. East Stroudsburg
3. Shepherd (1)
4. West Chester
5. Bloomsburg
6. Shippensburg
7. Millersville
 
WESTERN DIVISION
1. IUP (5)
2. Slippery Rock (3)
3. California
4. Edinboro
5. Clarion
6. Seton Hill
7. Lock Haven
8. Gannon