LATROBE, Pennsylvania - August 4, 2026 - The 2026 football season officially got underway Tuesday afternoon as student-athletes and head coaches representing all 12 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) football programs met with members of the media during the conference's 19th annual Football Media Day, held on the campus of Saint Vincent College. 

Hiram was picked to finish 9th place (out of 11) in the preseason poll. Saint Francis joins the PAC as its 12th football member this season, but remains ineligible for PAC Championship contention as they make the transition from the Division 1 level. 

Hiram head coach Xavier Dupree and senior offensive lineman Talon Frick represented the Terriers at the event; Dupree was hired as the 33rd head coach in Hiram football history in December 2024 and now enters his second season at the helm in 2026, having re-joined the Terriers after serving two seasons as the wide receivers coach at Catawba College (NCAA Division II | Salisbury, NC). Dupree brings eight years of coaching experience between the Division I, II and III levels. 

Frick, a 2025 team captain, led an offensive line that consistently protected the backfield – resulting in program records in most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single season.  

The pair spoke highly of the team and its expectations for the 2026 season - coming off a season that saw the most program wins in nearly a decade.  

"Being able to return all your offensive lineman, defensive lineman, and key guys on both sides of the ball its big time," said Dupree - who spoke about the program returning close to 50 student athletes – including nine offensive starters and six defensive starters.  

Frick exemplifies the continuity this season – as he enters his fourth season with the Terriers.

 "They are a special group of guys," Frick said. "I love every single one of them, I'll go to war and do go to war for every single one of them." 

Offensively, Hiram will welcome back running back RJ Johnson; wide receivers Kevin Dycks, Devin Tufts, and Jordan Stapleton; tight end Dylan Hargas; and quarterback Sean Tejeda. With 14 combined seasons of experience already under that group's belt, the Terriers will have an opportunity to build upon the momentum they gained during spring camp. 

Tejeda enters the 2026 campaign 502 passing yards and six passing touchdowns shy of programs records.  

"He's a dog, we look up to him and love him to death," Frick said. "I'm excited to see what he can do."  

On the defensive side of the ball, Hiram graduated important pieces all around such as Kole Tarary, Gavin Cruser, and Devyn Mercilliott.

 "We lost a lot on defense," said Dupree. "We are going to need guys like Darius Cofield-Washington, Janado Taylor, Malique Wilson, Keinen-Markell Newsone to step up and be a bigger voice on that side of the football." 

The 2026 season will include two non-conference games before an eight-game PAC schedule begins on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Thiel. Among the notable home games throughout the fall campaign are Homecoming week on Saturday, Oct. 31 (Waynesburg) and Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 14 (Saint Vincent). The Terriers will also host Manchester (Sept. 12), Case Western Reserve (Oct. 24) and Saint Francis (Oct. 3). 
 
You can follow Hiram Football this season on the Hiram Athletics website and watch all games on the PAC Digital Network.