GLENVILLE, W.Va. – First-year head coach Jake Casteel and the Glenville State Football program will officially begin the 2026 season on Monday (Aug. 3) with the first day of fall camp. The Pioneers returned to campus this weekend, with kickoff against Elon lingering around three weeks away.
 
The near 115-man roster constructed by Casteel and his young coaching staff will be fully together for the first time tomorrow, with GSU fans seeing almost 80 new faces with this year's roster between transfers and freshman. Over 30 returners are back from the 2025 squad, headlined by All-MEC Honorable Mention offensive linemen Benjamin Kilgore and Michael Hogan. The offensive line, which returns Seth Drvar and Aiden Ellis as well, is the most experienced group returning to Glenville this week.
 
Experience is something this year's Pioneer group won't be lacking, whether is returners from last year's team that finished tied for 3^rd in the Mountain East Conference, or if it's the almost 40 transfers who have played college football at all levels. There were a handful of freshman who emerged to the scene in '25 for GSU, with Maddox Gillespie, Donovan Williams and Kaevon Blanding being a part of that group that is back.
 
Gillespie, a late signee last summer, played a valuable role for veteran coach Brian Hill on the defensive line with nine tackles and one TFL in 10 games as a rotational piece. Williams, who experienced a plethora of success at the high school level at local Bridgeport, carried that into his freshman campaign with 20 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble coming off the edge. Blanding, a Pioneer legacy after his dad, Kevin, played under Rich Rodriguez in the early 90s, started all 11 games at cornerback as a true freshman. He notched 28 tackles, 1.5 TFL and 10 pass deflections against some of the best wide receivers in the region.
 
Casteel's defense also brings back Braden Boggs and Anthony Bachinski, as both enjoyed successful seasons in their second year in central West Virginia. Boggs had a breakout sophomore season and anchored the Pioneer defense in 2025, totaling 54 tackles, 5.5 TFL, one sack, one fumble recovery and five pass breakups. Bachinski, who played right beside Boggs at linebacker, had 21 tackles, one TFL, four QB hurries and a pass breakups. Boggs logged two games of 10 or more tackles, including a 13-tackle performance against Charleston.
 
Offensively, the offensive line is something Casteel and position coach Cade Rohrbough can have high hopes for, but the running back room is shaping up to be an exciting group as well. Graylan Holland and Zavione Wood are back for another year in Glenville, and both have had productive seasons in the blue and white. Wood, who was battling an injury last year, rushed for nearly 700 yards and four touchdowns in 2024. He ran for over 250 yards and a score in 2023, but is looking to get back to his '24 form this season. Holland, another former Division 1 transfer, worked his way into the running back rotation in 2025 and had nearly 350 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
 
The Pioneer coaching staff got a good look at what many of the newcomers and returners could do during the spring, but with the full roster here, fall camp will allow things to take shape as kickoff looms. Intriguing position battles will need to be won, with the quarterback spot up for grabs after All-MEC First Team selection Anthony Garrett graduated and the wide receiver room has 16 new faces and just two returners. The defensive line will need to be retooled as well, with no starters returning to the mix while defensive back coaches Jacob Roser and Az-Zahir Smith are looking to turn around a defensive backend that ranked at the bottom of the MEC in takeaways in 2025.
 
Glenville State will open the new season on the road at Elon on Thursday, August 27^th, before welcoming Millersville on Thursday, September 3^rd, for the Pioneers first home game.
 
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