Steve Irvine’s Five Storylines For Samford vs UNA
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - August 29, 2026
SAMFORD VS. UNA
Day, site, kickoff time: Saturday, Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville, 6 p.m. CT
Record: Season opener for both teams
Five storylines
1. Samford’s starting quarterback is … ? The Bulldogs depth chart lists Charlie Gilliam, Gabarri Johnson and Coulter Cleland – in that order – with an or between all three. Probably the only reason true freshman Will Shields is also not listed is there isn’t room for four players. Samford head coach John Grass said earlier this week that the winner of the starting quarterback derby won’t be revealed until the first offensive play for his team on Saturday in Huntsville. Gilliam is the only one with Samford experience but the most experienced of the bunch when it comes to college football is former Davidson starter Cleland. Johnson is an athletic transfer from Oregon State. The winner will be revealed soon after kickoff. Perhaps an even bigger question, though, is what will the quarterback rotation look like? Grass has said he is not against playing multiple quarterbacks if that’s what the situation calls for. Learning about the rotation could take a little longer.
2. UNA’s starting quarterback is …? No mystery on this one. Junior Destin Wade, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound redshirt junior, sits alone at the top of the depth chart and was voted one of the Lions’ team captains. Wade is in his second season at UNA after spending his first college season at Kentucky and another seson at Colorado. Wade played in nine games with six starts in his first season at UNA. He was 92-for-180 for 1,118 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions and was the team’s second leading rusher with 469 yards and five touchdowns. There is a backup quarterback question, however, with redshirt freshman Banks Bowen and redshirt junior Ty Watkins competing for that spot. Bowens, a transfer from Oklahoma State, is the son of UNA defensive coordinator Clint Bowens.
3. Can either team establish the running game? A mark of John Grass’ teams over the years have been the ability to run the football. In 2015, for example, Jacksonville State averaged 311 yards per game on the ground as Grass led the Gamecocks to the FCS National Championship game. Running the football is a focus for his offense. He takes over a program that averaged 69.2 rushing yards per game last season and scored just six rushing touchdowns. Running back Domonique Thomas, an Ole Miss transfer, will get the start at running back for the Bulldogs and he’s backed up by returnee Ken Cherry and Troy transfer Keion Dunlap. UNA, on the other hand, was effective on the ground last season, averaging 165.7 yards per game with 22 rushing touchdowns. This year’s backfield is led by Chris McMillian, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound transfer from Bowling Green.
4. What will Samford’s defense look like? Time will tell what Mickey Conn’s first defense at Samford looks like. But expect that the veteran defensive coordinator to field an aggressive defense. Conn is a former University of Alabama player, who turned Grayson High in Georgia into a high school power before he went on to coach several seasons at Clemson. Grass said earlier in camp that the defensive front is the strength of the defense. Jackson Bussey and John Scott III are proven players on the edge. Spencer Conn, the son of the Samford defensive coordinator, is expected to be a leader from his linebacker position. The secondary has shown improvement during fall camp but is probably the defense’s biggest question mark at this point.
5. Will Samford’s Keion Dunlap play both ways? The 6-foot-1, 232-pound is listed twice on the Samford depth chart. He is expected to start at middle linebacker and has a chance to be the No. 2 running back. Will it be a busy night for the Troy transfer? Dunlap was a linebacker at Troy. He redshirted in 2024 and played primarily special teams in 12 games last season. Was a two-way standout at Enterprise High in high school. As a senior he accounted for 1,164 yards and 17 touchdowns while playing running back. It will be interesting to see if he gets snaps on both sides of the football against UNA. He is listed on the roster as running back. UAB transfer Brandon Franklin is listed behind him at linebacker on the depth chart.