Sitting at 7,771 feet elevation, Western Colorado plays its home games in The Mountaineer Bowl, the highest-elevated stadium in college football. Much like the stadium, expectations are once again sky high for the Mountaineers as the 2026 DII football season creeps closer.

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Western Colorado FAQ

Head coach: Jas Bains, 16th season as head coach. Bains has had a lot of success in the post-COVID era, guiding the Mountaineers to the playoffs three years in a row and four of the past five seasons. That’s quite impressive for a team that hadn’t been to the bracket during the entire 2000s.

Bains is a former Division I defensive back, and that has been the key to the Mountaineers’ success of late. In each of the past three seasons, Western Colorado has finished in the top three in the RMAC in scoring and total defense. While he has many pieces back for another run this season, there is a massive hole left by former DII defensive player of the year, Ricky Freymond.

Western Colorado, 2025 by the numbers

• Record: 10-3
• Scoring offense: 35.9 points per game; 21st in DII, 3rd in RMAC
• Scoring defense: 17.5 points allowed per game; 10th in DII, 1st in RMAC
• Total offense: 403.9 yards per game; 46th in DII, 5th in RMAC
• Total defense: 329.1 yards allowed per game; 42nd in DII, 3rd in RMAC
• Sacks by: 38; Sacks against: 22; Interceptions: 9; Fumbles recovered: 1

Players to watch

Offense

• WR Caden Measner: 55 receptions, 731 receiving yards, eight TDs
• WR Ramon Ruiz: 33 receptions, 405 receiving yards, four touchdowns
• Offensive linemen: Joe Shepardson, Taylor Nichols

Defense

• DL Drew Johnson: 31 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 14.5 TFL
• DL Mikey Smith: 21 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.5 TFL
• LB Ian Loomis: 108 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one fumble recovered
• LB Kade Musser: 74 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 13.5 TFL, one fumble recovered (author’s note: I have ZERO idea how Musser didn’t earn All-RMAC honors!)

Transfers

• DB Jaylen Clarke
• RB Lamonte James

Assessment

Western Colorado has become arguably the most consistent RMAC team of the post-COVID era. The Mountaineers have plenty of experienced returners on defense to help move forward from the departure of Freymond; however, they have a massive hole at quarterback with dual-threat Drew Nash out of the picture. Nash had led the Mountaineers to the playoffs in each of his three years as a starter. There are currently four quarterbacks listed on the roster in Carson Campbell (R-Fr.), Cole Kerr (R-Jr.), Nolan McCollough (R-So.), and Josiah Roy (R-Sr.). Roy showed terrific accuracy (65.6% completion rate) and a nice TD: Int ratio (4:1) a year ago; however, it was in very limited time. McCollough and Kerr combined for six completions. I would lean towards Roy as the starter, but there is a lot to be learned in the coming weeks at camp.

Bains wasted no time putting the new version of his team to the test. The Mountaineers open on the road against West Texas A&M (8-4 last year), then host Angelo State (6-5 in 2025), and then open RMAC play against 2025 playoff team Chadron State and Colorado Mesa (6-5 a year ago). That’s four teams with winning records to start the season, so we will know a lot very quickly about Western Colorado.

Western Colorado’s 2026 schedule

As stated, this offense loses a lot but does return some veterans to help lead the way. Wide receiver Caden Measner was second-team All-RMAC a year ago, and Joe Shepardson was an honorable mention on the o-line. But it is the defense that should have plenty to rave about. Drew Johnson and Ian Loomis were All-RMAC first-teamers and Mikey Smith earned second-team honors. If defense truly wins championships, Western Colorado has one that can help keep the Mountaineers in the mix until the offense meshes… as long as they get through that tough opening schedule at least .500.