Abilene Christian football leads UAC in preseason all-conference picks
A league-leading eight Abilene Christian Wildcats were announced as All-UAC Preseason selections on Tuesday at the 2026 United Athletic Conference Football Media Day in Arlington, Texas.
ACU led all UAC conference members with eight players receiving preseason all-conference honors, followed by the Tarleton State Texans with five players named among the 26 All-UAC Preseason picks.
On the offensive side of the ball, Abilene Christian was represented among the UAC’s preseason all-conference selections by senior wide receiver Dallas Dudley and a trio of returning offensive linemen: junior center Colter Lynch and the right guard-right tackle twin duo of seniors Landon and Luke Roaten.
Lynch, a Lubbock Cooper grad, and the Roaten brothers, a pair of former high school standouts at Tomball, started all 14 games for the Wildcats last season giving ACU one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the FCS.
Abilene Christian was one of eight FCS programs to boast three 500-yard rushers in 2025, and the Wildcats also threw for 238 yards per game which ranked third in the conference last year.
Dudley — a high school star from Flower Mound Marcus who transferred to ACU via Oklahoma and North Texas — found his stride in the Wildcats’ offense in 2025 during his first season in Abilene.
He was ACU’s second-leading receiver last year both in terms of receiving yards (494) and total receptions (47). Dudley enters the 2026 campaign with a streak of 13 consecutive games with multiple catches.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive linemen Chris Herpin and Kortlin Rausaw were also named All-UAC Preseason picks alongside senior defensive back Dillon Williams.
Rausaw, a former Wylie Pirates standout in high school, and Herpin, a Pearland Dawson graduate, are a pair of returning defenders who will be the anchor of Abilene Christian’s front seven defensively in 2026.
The senior duo combined for 80 tackles while playing for the Wildcats last season.
Williams — a transfer from Central Arkansas who was named a Second Team All-UAC performer in 2025 — should give a significant boost to ACU’s already strong secondary and pass defense.
The senior defensive back played in 23 of Central Arkansas’ 24 games in the last two seasons, racking up a combined 165 total tackles, six tackles for loss, three interceptions, a sack and a defensive touchdown during that stretch.
Rounding out Abilene Christian’s All-UAC Preseason picks as a specialist was senior kicker Brandon Perez.
Perez — a former football and soccer star at Crandall who transferred to ACU via Navarro College and Oklahoma’s East Central University — found his groove during his first season in Abilene in 2025.
He appeared in 13 games for the Wildcats last year after earning the starting placekicker role after ACU’s third game of the season.
Perez was nearly automatic on PATs — connecting on 46 of 47 extra-point attempts — and drilled 15 of 19 total field goal attempts, including a season-long, game-winning 47-yard field goal as time expired in Abilene Christian’s 31-28 upset win over No. 2 Tarleton State last year.
Here’s a complete look at the full list of UAC preseason all-conference selections, which were voted on by the league’s head coaches:
*Indicates unanimous All-UAC Preseason selection
United Athletic Conference Football Preseason Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Chris Parson, Austin Peay
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kaden Smith, Eastern Kentucky*
All-UAC Preseason Offensive Team
QB: Chris Parson, Austin Peay*
RB: Tylan Hines, Tarleton State
RB: Brayden Latham, Eastern Kentucky
WR: Jaden Robinson, Austin Peay
WR: Dallas Dudley, Abilene Christian
TE: Jackson Head, Austin Peay
OL: Joshua Sales Jr, Austin Peay
OL: Aidan Moe, Tarleton State
OL: Luke Roaten, Abilene Christian
OL: Landon Roaten, Abilene Christian
C: Colter Lynch, Abilene Christian*
All-UAC Preseason Defensive Team
DL: Kortlin Rausaw, Abilene Christian
DL: Trevion Traylor, Central Arkansas
DL: Fred Vili, North Alabama
DL: Chris Herpin, Abilene Christian
LB: Kaden Smith, Eastern Kentucky
LB: Ashtyn Williams, Central Arkansas
LB: Tango McCauley Jr., North Alabama
DB: Omar Emmons, Tarleton State
DB: Dillon Williams, Abilene Christian
DB: Marcus Washington, Central Arkansas
DB: Derek Taylor, Eastern Kentucky
All-UAC Preseason Specialists Team
K: Brandon Perez, Abilene Christian
P: Charlie Mullen, Tarleton State
LS: Quaid Luginbill, Eastern Kentucky
RS: DeAndre Buchannon, Tarleton State
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Christian football leads UAC in preseason all-conference picks
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