Football Opens Preseason Camp Wednesday
7/29/2026 12:00:00 PM | Football
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri held its first practice of preseason camp Wednesday at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex.
SEMO has 25 practices during a 31-day window leading up to its 2026 season-opener at Indiana State on Aug. 29.
The Redhawks enter the year picked second in the eight-team Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll behind UT Martin. UTM (6) and SEMO (1) accounted for seven of the eight possible first-place votes in the voting by OVC Head Coaches and Communication Directors.
SEMO starts its 13th season under the direction of Head Coach Tom Matukewicz who has guided the Redhawks to three conference championships and four Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff berths in the last seven seasons.
Matukewicz accumulated 67 overall wins and 50 OVC victories in his tenure thus far, both most of any head coach in SEMO's NCAA Division I era.
During that stretch, SEMO won the OVC twice (2022, 2024) and made the FCS Playoffs three times (2018, 2022, 2024) on even years.
SEMO's current 106-man roster includes nine graduates, 10 fifth-year players, 21 seniors, 23 juniors, 20 sophomores and 23 freshmen. The Redhawks also have 11 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) transfers and 53 newcomers, which make up half the roster.
The Redhawks return eight starters, with five on offense and three on defense. The bulk of the experience is back on the offensive line, where Jalen Nettles (10), Demoni Taylor (6), Sam Reynolds (8) and Wilbert Phillips (10) return after combining for 34 starts last season.
Seven players represented SEMO among the OVC's Players to Watch ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Stats Perform Preseason All-American defensive lineman McCoy Casey, linebacker Cole Dutkovich, running back Khyair Spain, offensive lineman Rashad Turner, wide receiver/punt return specialist Jobe Bryant, defensive back Adrian Patterson and kicker Justin Keller are in that group.
Keller, along with Reynolds and Cole Ruble, are SEMO's returning All-OVC performers from a year ago. Keller was a second-team pick, while Ruble and Reynolds claimed honorable mention accolades.
Coaching wise, the Redhawks welcome seven new members to its football staff.
Brendan Boylan (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Will Heck (Tight Ends/Run Game Coordinator), George Sanders (Defensive Secondary/Cornerbacks), Curtis Akins (Outside Linebackers), Cole Dobbins (Director of Recruiting & Player Personnel), Mario McClendon (Nickelbacks) and Nate Adams (Director of Sports Performance) begin their first season in Cape Girardeau.
The 2026 season marks SEMO's 122nd year of college football. The Redhawks begin their 36th season at the NCAA Division I FCS level.
SEMO's 12-game slate starts with three-straight road games at Indiana State (Aug. 29), Iowa State (Sept. 5) and longtime rival Southern Illinois (Sept. 12). The Redhawks play host to Central Arkansas (Sept. 19) and West Florida (Sept. 26, Family Weekend) for their other non-conference bouts.
The Redhawks seven-game OVC schedule features road trips to Lindenwood (Oct. 10), Eastern Illinois (Oct. 24), Tennessee State (Nov. 7) and Charleston Southern (Nov. 14), and home matchups with Western Illinois (Oct. 17, Homecoming), Gardner-Webb (Oct. 31), and OVC preseason favorite UT Martin (Nov. 21).
SEMO has 25 practices during a 31-day window leading up to its 2026 season-opener at Indiana State on Aug. 29.
The Redhawks enter the year picked second in the eight-team Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll behind UT Martin. UTM (6) and SEMO (1) accounted for seven of the eight possible first-place votes in the voting by OVC Head Coaches and Communication Directors.
SEMO starts its 13th season under the direction of Head Coach Tom Matukewicz who has guided the Redhawks to three conference championships and four Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoff berths in the last seven seasons.
Matukewicz accumulated 67 overall wins and 50 OVC victories in his tenure thus far, both most of any head coach in SEMO's NCAA Division I era.
During that stretch, SEMO won the OVC twice (2022, 2024) and made the FCS Playoffs three times (2018, 2022, 2024) on even years.
SEMO's current 106-man roster includes nine graduates, 10 fifth-year players, 21 seniors, 23 juniors, 20 sophomores and 23 freshmen. The Redhawks also have 11 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) transfers and 53 newcomers, which make up half the roster.
The Redhawks return eight starters, with five on offense and three on defense. The bulk of the experience is back on the offensive line, where Jalen Nettles (10), Demoni Taylor (6), Sam Reynolds (8) and Wilbert Phillips (10) return after combining for 34 starts last season.
Seven players represented SEMO among the OVC's Players to Watch ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Stats Perform Preseason All-American defensive lineman McCoy Casey, linebacker Cole Dutkovich, running back Khyair Spain, offensive lineman Rashad Turner, wide receiver/punt return specialist Jobe Bryant, defensive back Adrian Patterson and kicker Justin Keller are in that group.
Keller, along with Reynolds and Cole Ruble, are SEMO's returning All-OVC performers from a year ago. Keller was a second-team pick, while Ruble and Reynolds claimed honorable mention accolades.
Coaching wise, the Redhawks welcome seven new members to its football staff.
Brendan Boylan (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Will Heck (Tight Ends/Run Game Coordinator), George Sanders (Defensive Secondary/Cornerbacks), Curtis Akins (Outside Linebackers), Cole Dobbins (Director of Recruiting & Player Personnel), Mario McClendon (Nickelbacks) and Nate Adams (Director of Sports Performance) begin their first season in Cape Girardeau.
The 2026 season marks SEMO's 122nd year of college football. The Redhawks begin their 36th season at the NCAA Division I FCS level.
SEMO's 12-game slate starts with three-straight road games at Indiana State (Aug. 29), Iowa State (Sept. 5) and longtime rival Southern Illinois (Sept. 12). The Redhawks play host to Central Arkansas (Sept. 19) and West Florida (Sept. 26, Family Weekend) for their other non-conference bouts.
The Redhawks seven-game OVC schedule features road trips to Lindenwood (Oct. 10), Eastern Illinois (Oct. 24), Tennessee State (Nov. 7) and Charleston Southern (Nov. 14), and home matchups with Western Illinois (Oct. 17, Homecoming), Gardner-Webb (Oct. 31), and OVC preseason favorite UT Martin (Nov. 21).
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