BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released its 2026 NSIC Football Preseason Coaches Poll on Tuesday morning with Concordia-St. Paul picked to finish 12^th overall and sixth in the South Division.

The Golden Bears received 34 points in the poll, putting them ahead of Jamestown (29) and Southwest Minnesota State (21). Minnesota State was picked to win the conference with 166 points and 10 first-place votes, while Minnesota Duluth was picked to finish as the runner-up with 154 points and three first-place votes. Third-place Augustana collected 145 points and the final first-place vote.

The 2026 season will mark the first under new leadership for the Golden Bear football team, with Head Coach Joshua Schumacher taking over after successful stints at Concordia Ann Arbor and Saginaw Valley State.

"We are excited to see our team come together this fall. We believe we have a great group of men joining the team this year," said Schumacher. "Half of the roster will be at Concordia for the first time this fall, so there will be a ton of competition as we build our program."

Senior running back Joel Lacy was named the Golden Bear to watch on offense this season. Lacy appeared in all 11 games for Concordia last season, recording 46 carries for 271 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns.

"Joel is one of the guys who stepped up as a leader for us in my first year," said Schumacher. "He has impressed us with his work ethic, and he has embraced Coach Armstrong and his coaching. We are excited to see all of his work come to fruition this fall."

On defense, senior linebacker Ben Rehl was named CSP's player to watch for the second straight season. In five games last year, Rehl amassed 33 tackles, three passes defended, a tackle for loss, and an interception.

"Ben has been a pillar on defense for us this spring," said Schumacher. "He has great versatility and has developed as a playmaker. We are excited to see him lead this fall."

Again in 2026, the NSIC will have 14 teams competing in football.  The schedule will be broken into two divisions (north/south). Each team will play 10 conference games that will count towards the NSIC Overall Championship, of which six divisional games will count towards the NSIC North/South Division Championships. In all, three league champions will be awarded (Overall Champion, North Division Champion, South Division Champion). Ties will not be broken for overall or division champions. 

The Golden Bears will open the 2026 campaign with a non-conference game against Quincy (Ill.) on Thursday, August 27 at Sea Foam Stadium.