HELENA, Mont. - For the first time in 271 days, the Carroll College Football team is back on the gridiron. It's been a long nine months, but the the Fighting Saints are ready for action, hosting MSU-Northern in a non-conference tilt on Valley Bank Field at Nelson Stadium tonight at 7 p.m.

Coming off a 9-3 season in 2025 that saw Carroll both host and win its first NAIA Football Championship Series game since 2014, the Fighting Saints are primed to make a run at conference title No. 46 this fall. Vibes are high around the program, and there's plenty to be excited for if you're a fan of the Purple and Gold.

The NAIA released its Preseason Coaches' Poll on Monday, and the Saints find themselves in familiar territory. Carroll checks in just outside of the Top-10 at No. 11 to begin the season, two spots higher than their final position in 2025. Starting near the top means nothing if business isn't taken care of on the field, however, and the 2026 team knows that there is plenty of work to be done.

Dating back to 2002, Carroll is 19-5 in season openers, and 19-5 in their first home game of the season. Under Head Coach Troy Purcell, the Saints are 4-3 in season openers, and 5-2 in the first game at Nelson Stadium. Five times in program history have the Saints opened the season against Northern. Carroll is 4-1 in those meetings, with the lone loss coming in 1964. The Saints have outscored the Lights 122-6 in the four wins. ('65, '01, '12, '25).

The Carroll coaching staff had remained relatively unchanged from year to year under Troy Purcell until this past offseason. Former Defensive Coordinator Randy Bandelow was hired as Head Coach at Rocky in January, beginning a ripple of changes at Carroll. Joe Dunning was hired in February after spending the last seven seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Rocky. Offensive Line Coach Alex Land comes to Helena from Mary (N.D), replacing Luke Hyde who took an assistant position at Colorado State. Mason Siddick returns to the Hilltop for his second stint, leading the Defensive Line. Dylan Torgerson had been working exclusively with the Carroll Kickers, but will now serve as the full Special Teams Coordinator, taking over for Michael Brunk who followed Bandelow to RMC. Scott Evans, a name familiar to Helenans after his years as a Head Coach at Helena High, has also joined the staff, working with the Carroll Linebackers.
 

Transfers have become more and more common throughout the CFB landscape, and Carroll is no exception to the trend. While several players departed the program in the offseason, Carroll brought in several playmakers who they expect to make an impact right from the first snap. Dylin McIntyre (Kennewick, Wash. / R-SO) transferred-in from Idaho last winter, and was on campus for all of spring ball. The former Vandal will look to fill the hole left by four-year starter Forrest Suero, who graduated last spring. Joshua Johnson (Gardena, Calif. / R-JR) is a Fresno State transfer that will look to replace the production of Chris Akulschin out wide. Grady McCarten (Cody, Wyo. / R-FR), part of a growing Carroll pipeline in Cody, Wyoming, transferred-in from Northern State (S.D.) and will compete right away for reps in the secondary. Max Grady (Phoenix, Ariz. / JR) from Saddleback CC was named a starter at corner, as the Saints were forced to fill the holes left by graduates Daxon Graham and Elijah Larson.

Championship Football teams begin with the men in the trenches, and throughout the years Carroll has had more than their share of success in developing linemen. The Saints have had 15 NAIA All-Americans on the OL since 1988, and countless other AP, VSN, and media All-American selections as well. The 2026 group features a pair of returning starters in Ben Larsen (Washoe Valley, Nev. / R-SR) and Ryan Fehr (Enumclaw, Wash. / R-SO). Larsen will slide over to left tackle, replacing Andrew Devine who was invited to multiple NFL camps this offseason. Fehr enters year No. 2 as the starting center. Sam Keen (Springfield, Ore. / SO) started multiple games at right guard last season, but was sidelined with an arm injury for much of the year. A pair of redshirt freshmen from Washington will get their first career starts on Thursday. Forrest Carter (Olympia, Wash. / R-FR) at left guard, while Carson Eikstadt (Spokane, Wash. / R-FR) will line up at right tackle. Across the front, the Carroll line averages 6-4 and 293 pounds - one of the largest groups in the Purcell era.

For the first time since 2007, the Fighting Saints led the NAIA in Kick-off Return Average. At 28.1 yards per return, Carroll established a new program single season record, eclipsing the '07 mark of 27.6 yards per return. The nation-leading average was thanks in large parts to the efforts of Connor Sullivan (Kalispell, Mont. / R-SR), who will once again handle return duties for the Saints in '26, while also acting as the holder on all kicks, and starting as a slot receiver. Sullivan was electric last year, with numerous returns of 30+ yards that led to game-altering scores. He also was responsible for Carroll's first return touchdown since Shane Sipes all the way back in 2018. 

While the receiving corps could have been considered the offense's biggest strength over the past several seasons, there's no question that it's the Carroll backfield that could be the X-factor in 2026. Of the 10 backs on the roster, three have played significant snaps, and for the first time in what feels like forever, the top three returners enter game one healthy. Peter Minnaert (Boise, Idaho / JR) will likely get the lion's share of reps after leading Carroll with 593 yards and seven TD's last year. The junior from Boise lost nearly half of his freshman season, and early-season action last year after suffering a knee injury in '24. Archie LaFurge (Great Falls, Mont. / R-JR) missed all of last year following an elbow injury in fall camp. LaFurge led Carroll in rushing in '24, tallying 337 yards over the final six games. Jake Jeske (Spangle, Wash. / R-JR) has been a consistent producer for the Saints each of the last two years, stepping up whenever called upon. In limited action, he's ran for over 150 yards and a score. Add in four redshirt freshmen ready to make their mark (Butner, Hays, Boness, Stosich), and the Carroll backfield is as dangerous as ever.

While many programs around the nation had a battle for the lead signal-caller this fall, there was no question who would get the nod in Helena. Kaden Huot (Helena, Mont. / SR) was outstanding in his first season at Carroll, putting together one of the best campaigns of any quarterback in nearly two decades. The former Helena HS standout and Montana transfer impressed all season long, going 219-341-8 for the NAIA's 14th-most 2,761 yards and 32 touchdowns, becoming the first Saint since Mac Roche in 2014 to throw for 2,500 or more yards in a season. Carroll finished No. 19 in the nation with 251.7 passing yards per game, No. 13 with 138 passing first downs, No. 8 in total completions, and No. 4 in passing touchdowns. Huot's 32 passing touchdowns were the seventh-most in the NAIA, and made him the first Carroll QB since Tyler Emmert to throw for 30 or more TD's in a season, but the fun didn't end there. The dual threat also finished second on the team with 346 rushing yards and a pair of TD's, and two receptions for 35 yards - one of which went for six. While some of his favorite targets have departed the program, the senior is still surrounded by a weapons.

2026 will be the first time since 2020 that All-American tight end Carson Ochoa is not on the roster. Ochoa put together the second-best season by a Carroll TE in program history last year with 64 receptions for 861 yards, bested only by Casey FitzSimmons' legendary 2002 campaign (79-971). 

Replacing that type of production might seem nearly impossible, but Carroll has been a tight end factory for the last two decades. The heir apparent? Six-foot-five redshirt sophomore Ty Wilkinson (Twin Falls, Idaho). While Ochoa was performing at an All-American level in his final year of eligibility, Wilkinson quietly became a valuable threat as well. While he finished the season with just 15 catches for 183 yards, nearly all of Wilkinson's targets came in big moments. All said and done, he finished with five receiving touchdowns - third most on the team behind only Ochoa and Akulschin. He is just one of two Saints in the last 20 seasons with five or more receiving touchdowns as a redshirt-freshman (Chris Akulschin - 2022), and will have every opportunity to shine in '26.

In recent years, the defensive line has been the strength of the Carroll defense. Heading into this year, the linebackers are far and away the most experienced group of Saints on the field. Led by a pair of Montana Class A Champion quarterbacks, the group will likely play a big role in any success the Saints see in '26. Eli Aby (Laurel, Mont. / 5th) and Gage Norslien (Lewistown, Mont / R-JR) both led their respective teams to Class A titles on the OTHER side of the ball, but have become essential pieces to the puzzle defensively at Carroll. Aby was second on the team in tackles last season, accounting for 92 on the year, while Norslien added in 30 of his own. Mix-in former Montana Grizzly Marcus Evans (Helena, Mont. / SR), who came away with 22 tackles last year, and the group becomes downright scary.

Being a captain at Carroll is a true honor. Ask any prior captain, and all will echo the sentiment. Earning the respect of 100-plus players to lead is not anything to be taken lightly, and the 2026 captains are as impressive as ever. Kaden Huot, Gavin Vandenacre, Eli Aby, and Henry Gross are the four players, selected by their peers, that will lead the Fighting Saints into battle every weekend this fall.

Kick-off for tonight's season opener is slated for 6 p.m. while all gates will open at 4 p.m. Tickets are available in advance online HERE, or at the gate.

Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com this evening for a full recap of the action, and for complete coverage of the Fighting Saints all season long.

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