2025 Union Football Season Preview

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – Last season, the Union Commonwealth University football team (3-7, 2-4 AAC) finished fifth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

This season, the Bulldogs welcome head coach Boston Bryant. In an interview, Bryant discussed changing the team culture for the better.

"We are all trying to get on the same page with offense, defense, and special teams," Bryant said. "We are doing that by grinding on a daily basis and consistently being great."

With the preparation that comes with every season in fall camp and beyond, sophomore linebacker Ty Ellis spoke about how the team has been doing and what they've done to prepare for the upcoming season.

"This fall camp was very important, going in knowing we have a game soon which is a big rivalry," Ellis said. "So, with that, everyone was dialed in which made fall camp go well. Even with the changes we had with our head coach, that didn't set us back. We all have a chip on our shoulder."

While there are many returners, there are also some new players slated to be on the starting roster. Sophomore offensive lineman Cedric Irvin talked about how he has seen the team come together throughout fall camp.

"Fall camp has been pretty good in my opinion," Irvin said. "Helping the freshmen learn the plays and seeing how the team is doing and coming together is nice."

In terms of coaching philosophy, Bryant talked about how he approaches the team to gain trust.

"My coaching philosophy always starts with relationships," Bryant said. "We have one of the best coaching staffs in the NAIA and they get to know our players as a player, as a student, and as a man."

When it comes to the game aspect of Bryant's coaching philosophy, he went into detail about how he is looking for the team to create a hard-nosed identity.

"On the football side, we plan to be aggressive in all three phases of the game," Bryant said. "We will be an organized and prepared team that will create an identity of hard-nosed and relentless."

On the offensive side of the ball, Irvin expects consistency within all aspects of the offense.

"My expectation for the offense this season is to be consistent," Irvin said. "Don't have a good rushing attack one game and a bad one the next. Same with passing, we should always be balanced in both so we don't have to rely on one too often.

"I know, for one, that I'm doing a lot more in the offensive than last year and making sure my teammates know that a mistake is not the end of the earth, but an opportunity to learn from it and capitalize on the advantages we do have."

On the defensive side of the ball, Ellis expects the defensive unit to keep its composure through everything.

"My expectation for the defence this season is that we, as a unit, stay composed under pressure, control what we can control, and remain consistent," Ellis said. "I will help those expectations become a reality by consistently reinforcing them and holding my team to a higher standard."

Coach Bryant spoke about Ellis, Irvin, senior defensive lineman Kamron Smith, and senior offensive lineman Camron Mitchell and what they need to do to help the team as leaders.

"These guys must remain consistent and lead from the front in order to have the success we expect this season," Bryant said.

Union opens its 2025 campaign Thursday, Aug. 28, with the Battle for the Brass Lantern at home against Cumberlands (Ky.) at 7:30 p.m.