Look Ahead Opponent Preview: Liberty
GoMiddle chatted with Liberty insider, Bryson Gordon!
We have currently reached the halfway point for the opponent previews. We have been bouncing around, and have covered Marshall, JSU, Kansas, Kennesaw State, WKU, and now the Flames of Liberty.
For our coverage on Liberty, we consulted Bryson Gordon, who covers the Flames for News Advance.
Here is the conversation:
1. Projected starters on offense and defense?
- Offense: QB Deshawn Purdie, RB Kanye Udoh, RB Jaylon Coleman, WR Makai Jackson, WR Jamari Person, TE LaKelsey Johnson, LT DJ Geth, LG Joep Engbers, C Aaron Fenimore, RG Alex Birchmeier, RT Christian Williams.
- Defense: DE Aaron Hester DT Mike Javis, DT Kam Cullins, DE/JACK Brenton Williams, WLB Derrell Farrar, MLB Deuce Spurlock, STAR Izaiah Guy, CB Quavo Marshall, CB Elijah Hopkins, SS D-Icey Hopkins, FS Jayden Davis.
2. A few players to watch on both sides of the ball? Standouts on offense and defense?
- Offense: Kanye Udoh (former Army and Arizona State RB who has had success at G6 level and fits profile of Liberty’s last two breakout rushers [Quinton Cooley and Evan Dickens]), Jamari Person (second-leading receiver last year who didn’t find end zone but I’d bet he gets into pay dirt in Week 1 this year), Aaron Fenimore (center play goes unnoticed but the former freshman all-american has been super reliable in a great unit for the last two years for LU).
- Defense: Brenton Williams (Flames have struggled to produce sack numbers in recent seasons but Williams is poised to change that this year), Derrell Farrar (leading tackler last year after playing part of the season with a lower-body injury. Meshed immediately in Chadwell’s defense and will be the leader of the unit), Quavo Marshall (long, lanky former Kentucky cornerback who had some good showings last year but sat behind some veterans. He should be a breakout guy).
3. Strong suits of the team? Weaknesses and vulnerabilities?
- Offensively, the Flames should be able to lean on their run game for another season with some quality backs and an experienced offensive line.The question will be quarterback play and whether Purdie, Vasko or Jaylen Henderson can protect the ball enough and provide some semblance of a passing attack, which they didn’t have last year. If the passing game can be more explosive downfield, it’s easy to see how the Flames could become a dynamic offense.
- Defensively, the Flames will be strong at middle linebacker with several guys who could serviceably rotate into serious playing time there: Farrar, Spurlock, Dillano Glaud and Micah Pollard. They also have Kyle Ferm and Aidan Vaughan, plus freshman Ellis Alloway. But there will be questions about the strengths of the defensive line and the secondary. The staff leaned hard on G6 transfers in the secondary, so a ton of newcomers will need to come together quickly. On the line, the lack of sacks and consistent run-stopping last season was alarming but there’s reason to believe there can be growth under new DC Shawn Quinn.
4. Breakout freshmen? Which freshmen are poised to make some noise this season?
- Freshmen haven’t been a big part of the picture under Chadwell at LU, but linebacker Ellis Alloway earned rave reviews during spring practice and would be in line for playing time if he didn’t play at one of the team’s best positions. LB coach Teddy Gallagher said Alloway had one of the best spring practice windows of any true freshman he’d been around. Offensively, I don’t see many freshmen making major contributions. But quarterback Jachin Davis turned in quite the showing in spring practice and appears to be a guy the team would like to give opportunities to down the line.
5. Veteran players poised for a breakout season?
- I think both Brenton Williams and Jamari Person are due for big seasons and could elevate themselves into All-CUSA players at their respective positions. Person has seen plenty of G6 football and should be the go-to receiver for whoever emerges from the quarterback battle. Williams was expected to depart after entering the transfer portal, but the former Auburn transfer decided to stick it out and compete in Quinn’s new-look defense. His pass-rushing ability could be a game changer for this team.
6. If you were setting the O/U for wins for Liberty, what would you set it as? How many victories do you see for Liberty?
- I’d set it at 8.5. Many people expect the Flames to compete for the top spot in the CUSA regular season, which would realistically put them around 6-7 league wins. But they face quality nonconference games at James Madison and at Coastal Carolina, which will make or break their overall record. The Flames benefit from not facing Jax State and drawing Western Kentucky at home, but road trips to Delaware, Kennesaw State and Missouri State should be fascinating and will determine whether they stay in the title game hunt. I have them pegged as an 8-4 team this season.
7. What kind of recruiting class did Liberty assemble last class? Did they go heavy on HS kids, or heavy in the portal?
- The Flames finished in the middle of the pack in CUSA in the high school recruiting ranks. They leaned more heavily into the transfer front having the need to fill several immediate holes in the secondary. There are a few incoming players who could have an impact in the near future, including Alloway. Macaiden Brown is another defensive back who could factor into the picture rather quickly. Davis was the lone quarterback the Flames took in while adding two transfers in Deshawn Purdie and Jaylen Henderson.
8. How big of a factor will the crowd at Liberty be for the Blue Raiders?
- Williams Stadium is a great place to watch a game when Liberty is in the mix, and I’d expect them to be when MTSU comes to Lynchburg in November. So it will surely be a good environment, especially because students will still be in town before the Thanksgiving break. It’s one of the better environments in CUSA when they are playing good football.
9. What is the mood of the Liberty fanbase? Thoughts on the coach? What are the expectations for wins in 2026?
- I think now that the season has come around, there is some cautious optimism about this season. The team had a down year last season, but Chadwell has taken the blame for that and noted the circumstances of the medical condition that weighed on him for almost two seasons. There feels like there is some pressure on him to turn the ship around this season, and I think the combination of a softer overall schedule and some good portal additions , they aren’t far off from being competitive in the CUSA race again. Chadwell set the bar extremely high for himself by having the year they had in 2023, but the expectations are that the team finish in the top two of the league in most seasons in order to have a shot at the league title.
10. Where in the conference does Liberty stack up, IYO? Where do you expect them to finish?
- I have Liberty going 8-4 overall and 6-2 in CUSA play. I think they will just miss out on going to the CUSA championship game due to tough road games at Kennesaw State and Western Kentucky. I have WKU and Jacksonville State, which avoids Liberty in the regular season, playing for the league title.
11. Players Liberty can not afford to get injured? Who are key guys that can’t get hurt?
- Liberty can’t afford for Aaron Fenimore and Derrell Farrar to miss much time due to injuries this season. Fenimore has such a connectivity with the others along the offensive line, plus his comfortability in Chadwell’s offense having two full seasons as a starter under his belt. And while Liberty is deep at linebacker, losing a player the caliber of Farrar would be a big blow. His impact was felt immediately last season, and it’s given the team the benefit of having depth at that position now. But that depth can be eroded quickly with the loss of such a top-end player.