ULM 2026 Preview
The College Football Experience (@TCEonSGPN) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network continues its 138 college football team preview series with the ULM Warhawks 2026 Season Preview. Pick Dundee aka (@TheColbyD) & Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) break down the 2026 ULM Warhawks roster and what to expect in the Sun Belt this season. Can Bryant Vincent, 8-16 at ULM and sitting on a 5 out of 10 hot seat, turn around a 3-9 team now that a real athletic director has taken that job off his plate? Does new offensive coordinator Jesse Montalto fix a unit that finished 130th in scoring and 118th in total offense in 2025? Who wins the quarterback job among Landon Graves, Aidan Armenta and Houston transfer Austin Carlisle?
Can JP Coulter and left tackle AJ Vinson anchor an offense that returns 63% of its production, with Charlotte transfer running back Donald Chaney Jr. giving the ground game an identity? Does Memphis transfer tight end Bryce Anderson add a weapon? Can Cliff Mosley, Noah Flemmings and Arkansas transfer safety Taijh Overton lift a defense that brings back just 40% of its starters under coordinator Earnest Hill? What is gameday like at Malone Stadium and the Fieldhouse for a program coming off its best attendance in five years? How does a lighter schedule opening at Mississippi State and running through the Battle of I-20, the Rice Bowl and the Battle on the Bayou set up? And where’s the betting value on the ULM Warhawks win total, Sun Belt odds and College Football Playoff chances? We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.
Coming Off A 3-9 Setback Season
ULM went 3-9 in 2025. The Warhawks were 1-1 in games decided by seven points or less. They won at UTEP 31-25, then dropped the Battle on the Bayou to Louisiana 30-27 in overtime. The offense also carried most of the blame. It ranked 130th in scoring, 124th in passing and 118th in total offense. Monroe still showed up, though. The program posted its highest total season attendance in five years, so the fan buy-in never left.
Bryant Vincent And The Hot Seat
Bryant Vincent is 8-16 through two years at ULM. That puts him on the panel’s hot seat at a 5 out of 10. The wrinkle this offseason is off the field. Vincent had been pulling double duty as head coach and athletic director. ULM has now hired a real athletic director to run that side. So he can focus on the football. The catch is the resource gap. ULM is also one of the lowest-funded programs in the Sun Belt. Because of that, the roster gets picked apart in the portal every winter.
Jesse Montalto Takes Over The Offense
ULM brings in a new offensive coordinator in Jesse Montalto. He arrives with a track record of winning seasons as a head coach and ties to Vincent. His first task is fixing a bottom-tier scoring offense. The good news is that the cupboard is not bare. The Warhawks also return 63% of their offensive production. Receiver JP Coulter and left tackle AJ Vinson headline the group that comes back.
The Quarterback Competition
The quarterback job is unsettled heading into the opener. Landon Graves is a redshirt sophomore with one career start, against Southern Miss. He went 12-of-26 for 127 total yards and a touchdown that day. Aidan Armenta returns as a starter too. Then there is the portal add, Houston transfer Austin Carlisle. Three arms, no named starter yet. ULM also reeled in Charlotte transfer running back Donald Chaney Jr. and Memphis tight end Bryce Anderson to give the new scheme more to work with.
Earnest Hill’s Defense Reloads
Earnest Hill enters his third year running the defense. His group was actually the steadier side in 2025. Meanwhile, it ranked 72nd in passing defense, 87th in rushing defense and 82nd in total defense while the offense sputtered. Now he has to reload. The defense returns just 40% of its starters. Together, lineman Cliff Mosley and linebacker Noah Flemmings are the anchors who came back. The headline portal addition is Arkansas transfer safety Taijh Overton. He also joins a class that added plenty of bodies but no top-300 recruits.
The Lightest Schedule In Years
The 2026 slate is the lightest ULM has drawn in years. Dropping to one Power Four money game means one fewer near-automatic loss. It also helps that the Sun Belt is moving to nine conference games. The season opens at Mississippi State. From there, it works through the program’s marquee rivalry stretch: the Battle of I-20 against Louisiana Tech, the Rice Bowl at Arkansas State and the Battle on the Bayou against Louisiana. Marshall visits Monroe to close it out. Last year’s slate carried road trips to Alabama and Northwestern. This year trades that grind for a real shot at stacking wins.
Where’s The Betting Value
The number to know is 3.5 wins. The board also lists ULM at +10000 to win the Sun Belt and +50000 to make the College Football Playoff. Both hosts landed on the over. They also leaned on the lighter schedule and the 63% of offensive production walking back through the door. SGPN grades the state of the program at 3 out of 10. The panel is split on how fast that number climbs once the new pieces settle in. Meanwhile, the attendance is already there. Now it is on Vincent and his new coordinators to turn it into wins.
College Football Previews
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Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
02:57 Meet Pick Dundee & Moneyline Mac
04:57 A 3-9 Setback Season
07:58 The Portal Poaching Problem
08:50 Vincent, The New Athletic Director & The Hot Seat
11:25 ULM History & The Win Chart
13:18 New OC Jesse Montalto & The Option Case
14:40 QB Battle: Graves, Armenta & Carlisle
15:19 Offense: 63% Back Plus New Transfers
21:12 Sponsors & SGPN Gives Back
25:52 Earnest Hill’s Defense
28:24 The Lightest Schedule In Years
31:32 Malone Stadium Gameday & The Fieldhouse
35:31 ULM Legends & Program Grade
38:19 Game-By-Game Picks & The Win Total Over
