Sports Columnist Charles Hallman previews the upcoming kickoff for St. Thomas football's second Division I season while highlighting the national spotlight hitting Black college football in the 2026 MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
St. Thomas this week opens its second full season as a Division I school with its 2026 football season opener Thursday, Aug. 27, against visiting Winona State.
The Tommies were 7-5, 5-3 in the Pioneer Football League (PFL) in 2025. They won the PFL title in 2022, and finished second and third in successive years. It is expected that the St. Paul school again will finish among the conference top-3 this fall, as the PFL coaches picked them to finish third in its preseason poll.
UST Coach Glenn Caruso, speaking during media day Aug. 18, quickly looked past the preseason prognosis because the ultimate proof will be on the field.
“I don’t want to dismiss any sort of honors,” he told reporters, including MSR. “That’s great, but I think at the end of the day, this group always draws its identities from how we’re able to come together and what we’re able to do collectively.”
Rising standards across the PFL
Caruso addressed the growth of the conference when asked about this year’s competition.
“I think it’s gotten markedly better, and I think that is merited by the fact that there were so many big wins last year in our conference versus non-conference that weren’t happening four and five years ago.”
“I think it’s getting much more competitive,” said Caruso, now in his 19th season.
Gabe Abel, Quentin Cobb-Butler, Den Juette and Evan Tyler are the only Black players recognized for all-conference preseason honors: Cobb-Butler (Woodbury) and Juette (Chicago, IL) are 2025 All-Conference returners.
Shared goals and brotherhood
Abel, a fifth-year running back from Trenton, N.J., when asked during media day, said, “Anybody’s success is all of our success. We know that there’s one goal, one team. We do it together, and our success is shared.” He bounced back from injury to appear in nine games in 2025, and made the PFL Academic Honor Roll for the second time in his career.
“It’s a blessing that other coaches that we play against recognize all of our hard work,” added Cobb-Butler, the junior wide receiver who is expected to pick up where he left off last season as St. Thomas’ top receiver. “But it’s a preseason accomplishment, and we have a lot bigger goals that we would rather accomplish.”
Tyler, a graduate student defensive lineman from Hudson, Wisc., agreed with Cobb-Butler: “You can’t really get too distracted by that. But again, super grateful for the recognition and people noticing my hard work,” he stressed.
Tyler, Cobb-Butler, Abel and Juette, a grad student, are among 11 Tommies (7 offense, 4 defense) recognized last month by the PFL.
“I think the reason why this is the most enjoyable camp that I can remember is because of the way that these guys truly care about each other,” stressed Caruso on his 2026 Tommies. “I think it’s refreshing that we have a team full of guys that are willing to take on the responsibility, but deflect the praise to their brothers, and you don’t see that very much in college sports nowadays. And I’m grateful for it.”
Howard, Alabama A&M open season on national stage
The 2026 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff between Howard (MEAC) and Alabama A&M (SWAC) will be on ABC, Saturday, Aug. 27, at 6:30 p.m. CDT.
Howard Coach Ted White and Sam Shade of Alabama A&M both spoke to reporters during the Aug. 20 virtual press conference, including MSR. Both coaches stressed how important it was for the game to be played on national television live from Atlanta, for many reasons, including emphasis on culture-building, competitive preparation and the significance of representing their respective conferences on a national stage.
“HBCU talent is second to none. You got guys who really love the game of football,” White, who is in his first season at HU, pointed out proudly.
Shade, who is in his second season at Alabama A&M, added, “We want to represent the SWAC well and our university. We’re excited about the opportunity.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesma-recorder.com.
Copyright © Charles Hallman