LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The highly anticipated 2026 season for the University of West Alabama Football program is set to begin on Sunday as the Tigers face off against the Tuskegee Golden Tigers in a Red Tails Classic matchup at the historic Cramton Bowl at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday will mark the first time in school history that the Tigers will play at the Cramton Bowl while the Golden Tigers play host for their sixth consecutive Red Tails Classic contest. 

West Alabama enters the new year after a 5-4 season in 2025 while Tuskegee enters after a 4-7 campaign last year.

After not finishing the 2025 season the way they wanted, UWA put together a phenomenal offseason, bringing in a slew of talented impact transfers along with multiple coaching changes.

Offensively, Quarterback Luther Richesson is the new leader of the Tigers' offense, taking over for former West Alabama QB, Spencer Arceneaux. Richesson is a transfer from Central Arkansas in where he was named the starting Quarterback for the Bears to begin the 2025 season. The fifth year went on to throw for 726 yards and six touchdowns in five starts. Richesson joins an UWA offense that returns All-GSC Running Back, Brayden Jenkins, All-GSC Wide Receiver, TD Parker, and All-GSC linemen, Ben Newton and Mason Hiller. With a mix of high level transfer additions and key returners, West Alabama's offense has a chance to be electric.

UWA's offense will get their first test in the form of Tuskegee who allowed 25.0 points and 353 yards per game in 2025. The Golden Tigers struggled to stop the run a season ago, allowing 123.8 rushing yards per game. If that hasn't been addressed in the offseason, Tuskegee will have their hands full with West Alabama's Jenkins, Michael Dujon, and Contravious Blanks on Sunday. UWA's Running Back trio combined for 823 yards last season and will receive the bulk of carries on Sunday. Along with Jenkins, Dujon, and Blanks, the Tigers also brought in transfer brothers in Dakarai Shanks and Derick Shanks Jr. who are slated to be in the mix as well.

Defensively, West Alabama will look like a new unit on Sunday. The Tigers struggled on that side of the football last season but brought in high impact transfers. Joseph Harper, Kebian Gilmore, KC Bradford, and Legend Doggett are all slated to make their highly anticipated UWA debuts. 

Harper will be the captain in the middle of the defense. A transfer Linebacker from Southern Miss, Harper has already been deemed a team captain and makes a strong argument for being the Tigers' best overall player. The fifth year recorded a career-high 50 tackles in 2025 and enters his final season of eligibility with West Alabama. Gilmore will be beside Harper on Sunday and is ready to make his UWA debut after recording a career-high 81 tackles at Holmes CC.

Bradford and Doggett instantly raise the level of the Defensive Backs room that already contains the reigning GSC Defensive Freshman of the Year, Chrissean Jones. Bradford, a transfer from Troy, is a high IQ safety that also has ball skills and is an excellent tackler in space. Doggett is a lockdown corner who is arguably UWA's top corner, heading into Sunday's game. 

With newly mended Defensive Coordinator Tanner Luker making his West Alabama debut along with the amount of additions on that side of the football, Tiger fans are eager to see the product that is put on the field on Sunday.

Tuskegee's offense only averaged 17.9 points per game last season but brought in Kennesaw State transfer Quarterback Kahlib Johnson over the offseason to turn things around. Carrying a 6'2" 220 LB frame, Johnson has a talented arm but can also turn into a physical runner when needed. Before his stint at Kennesaw State, the Quarterback began his college career at Louisville, showcasing an immense amount of Division I experience on his resume. 

Johnson will be throwing to a Wide Receiver corp that's led by Preston Parker, EJ Hall, and Ean Nation. Parker led the Golden Tigers in receiving touchdowns last season with four while accumulating 332 yards on 21 catches. As for Hall, he was an explosive player in 2025, recording a team-high 414 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 18 receptions. Standing at 5'8", Nation possesses a combination of route running, speed, and quickness that he'll look to put on full display against UWA's DBs on Sunday.

What's interesting about the top receivers on Tuskegee's roster is that they're all under 6'0" tall. They're built on route running, technique, and quickness which will serve as a nice opening test for Doggett, Jones, Bradford, and company.

All eyes will be on West Alabama's season opener against Tuskegee on Sunday. Tickets are still available here, but if you can't make it to the game, you can watch the game live on ESPN 2 at 7:00 p.m.