From the Couch Sports

An experienced coach with championship pedigree had turned around the Ball State Cardinals, turning them into a national championship contender. He took his talents to the University of Florida, winning multiple national championships in Gainesville. He was looking for another rebuild, Kennesaw State came calling. He would need to recruit transfers and develop overlooked gems to bring the Owls to prominence. As one of the worst teams in the Conference USA, starting at the conference level was the first hurdle. Using that formula, he got the job done and the Kennesaw State Owls held up the Conference USA Championship Trophy.

If you hadn’t already figured, that last paragraph is fiction. An anecdote from EA Sports College Football 25 when I rebuilt the Kennesaw State Owls, one of the newest but least talented programs in the game. A rewarding grind for me and many other CFB video gamers, if you could pull it off without tradition, facilities, stadium atmosphere, and resources you’d slowly build the Owls into championship winning program.

As much of a fantasy as that was, the reality of what just happened with the Kennesaw State Owls is not that far off.

In just their second year in the FBS the Owls just won a thrilling Conference USA title game against defending CUSA champs Jax State, improving their record to 10-3 for the season.

The 2025 Kennesaw State Owls have the most impressive turnaround in college football this year and the highest win improvement (9) from one season to the next since Tulane improved their win total by 10 games in 2022 after a 2-win 2021.

Their 2024 season was a rough transition from the FCS to the FBS for the Owls. They ranked at the bottom of the FBS in offense and defense, finished last in the CUSA, and fired their longtime coach Brian Bohannon after 9 games. Bohannon was the only head coach in school history and lead the Owls to consistent success at the FCS level with multiple appearances to the FCS Playoffs. His overall record was 72-38 but I guess the program wanted a new direction. The only bright spot to their 2024 season was a shocking upset on the road at Liberty which also doubled as their first FBS win.

The Owls hired new head coach Jerry Mack for the 2025 season. A veteran coach with southern ties, Mack was the 2024 RB coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also coached RB’s at Tennessee in 2023 and was held multiple positions with Rice University before that. His only head coaching experience was at FCS North Carolina Central where he won 3 consecutive MEAC Conference Titles from 2014-2016 and compiled a 41-18 overall record. His culture change as a head coach of NC Central was undeniable but he hadn’t held an FBS head coaching role.

His formula for the future of Kennesaw State was to recruit high school players from the state of Georgia but also grab as many guys from the portal as possible. 46 players on the roster came from the transfer portal with 26 coming from other FBS schools, 8 from the Power 4. He recruited 12 from the FCS level. Many of those transfers had played at multiple colleges and their enrollment at KSU would be opportunities for them to finally get their chances to contribute at a high level.

Two major portal additions were at the quarterback position, senior quarterback Dexter Williams II, who came from Indiana then Georgia Southern and Redshirt sophomore quarterback Amari Odom, from FCS Wofford. Kennesaw State was terrible in 2024 from the position and this move would turn out to define the success of 2025.

Transfer QB Amari Odom was the difference maker for the Owls on offense in 2025. He threw for a career-high 2,385 yards with 18 passing touchdowns, he added another 376 on the ground with 7 rushing touchdowns. His strong campaign earned him first team all-conference honors. His gritty performance in the CUSA Title game was the difference for them, 14-yard scramble on 4th & 14 and game-winning touchdown pass will go down in Kennesaw State history as one of the best sequences in school history.

The Owls weren’t just helped from the transfer of Odom but also their leading rusher Coleman Bennett, who played at Rice in 2024 but was a dynamic player for Bucknell from 2021-2023. He scored a crucial touchdown in the CUSA Title game against Jax State.

This production and key contributions from returning players in the receiving game and defense made the Owls a force to be reckoned with this season.

In their first game against the ACC Wake Forest, they were 1-point away from the upset of a Power 4 opponent. Indiana unsurprisingly dominated them in Week 2, but then the Owls hit their stride. They pulled off seven consecutive wins, beating five conference opponents. They caught the attention of the nation on a Tuesday night in early October when they destroyed conference championship contender Louisiana Tech 35-7 in Kennesaw. Their first conference loss was November 15th at Jax State in a game where turnovers plagued the offense. To end the season they rallied late against Missouri State and won an overtime thriller at Liberty to earn their first opportunity to play for the Conference USA Title.

In the Conference USA Title they would have an opportunity to avenge their regular season loss against the Jax State Gamecocks. Same as in November Jax State hosted the meeting but unlike the first meeting, their offense stayed turnover free and their defense shut down the strong Gamecock rushing attack. After giving up a 12-0 lead in the fourth quarter, Amari Odom and the Owl offense gained the advantage back with an impressive drive late in the game to secure the conference title.

The Owls went from 2-10 to 10-3, the most impressive turnaround in college football this season.

They will face MAC Champion Western Michigan in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on December 19th.

Going into next season I’d expect them to retain Amari Odom and go afeter more portal guys that can be weapons for them offensively. Jerry Mack is building something special in Kennesaw and has shown no signs of leaving the Owls for a bigger job, in fact there are talks on an extension for him. The CUSA isn’t the deepest conference in the FBS, so I’d expect them to have a great chance of repeating as conference champs.

The Kennesaw State Owls have had two polar opposite seasons since joining the FBS but one thing is for sure, as long as Jerry Mack is captaining the ship, the Conference USA may have a new sheriff in town.