The University of Maine was one of the one of the charter members of Coastal Athletic Association Football, and head coach Jordan Stevens was part of the first Black Bears team to play under the CAA banner.
He remained with the squad in various capacities through early 2015 and then returned in 2021 as the team’s 37th head football coach.
In his first three years leading Maine onto the gridiron, he posted a combined 9-25 record, though things have gotten progressively better.
Was last year’s 6-6 performance and his first winning season in CAA competition clear proof of an upward trajectory?
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Fans who don’t want to brave the first cold months in Maine can watch the 2026 campaign unfold live on FloCollege and the FloSports app and get all the answers they need about the current Black Bears team.
Last year’s five conference victories (5-3) marked the first time since 2018 Maine has won more than four CAA games. That season, the Black Bears went 7-1 in conference action and won the CAA championship outright.
Stevens was able to take many positives from last year’s performance, which included rallying back from a sluggish start to win six consecutive games in the middle of the season.
One of the highlights for the Black Bears in 2025 was a stellar defense that was the best in the CAA when it came to total yards allowed. They gave up just 325.1 yards per game, but the offense only ranked seventh in the conference, which lines up with Maine’s middle-of the-pack finish in the CAA standings.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting the defense and offense on the same page and keeping the intensity high through all four quarters and all 12 games.
As we prepare to see if that will happen, here are some things to know about the CAA and the University of Maine football team:
Maine’s Head Coach Is As Black Bear As It Comes
Black Bears head coach Jordan Stevens was born in Maine, approximately 30 miles from Orono, the home of the University of Maine.
He grew up and played high school football less than 75 miles from the campus, then played defensive end for the Black Bears from 2006-2009.
Stevens played in 45 games for Maine, collected more than 180 tackles, was a third-team All-CAA selection, his team’s most valuable player and helped the squad to its first playoff appearance as a member of the CAA in 2008.
After his playing career concluded, he remained as a part of the coaching staff through 2014, before honing his skills at Yale until 2021.
Stevens returned to his alma mater in time for the 2022 season and has posted a 15-31 record as the head coach.
Maine Football’s New Additions For 2026
Early signing day in December meant a dozen new recruits for the Black Bears from across the Northeast, as far south as North Carolina and into Canada.
The haul should give the team more offensive weapons, some needed protection on the offensive line and more options for last year’s top-ranked defense.
As soon as the NCAA transfer portal opened in January, the Maine football program benefitted.
The Black Bears immediately snatched up 11 players, with six who should add depth to an already solid defense. The list also included three players who should offer capable hands on offense, a long snapper and a kicker.
National Signing Day in February brought in eight more recruits.
Finally, just before any summer workouts got underway, the team announced six more incoming players.
Stevens and his staff clearly have been putting in the work to fill any holes on both sides of the ball, and the next breakout star could be among the 37 signees.
This is extra important because Stevens lost eight of the team’s 10 All-CAA players from 2025.
Along with the influx of players, Maine also added five names to its coaching staff for 2026, including three positional coaches, a sports performance coach and an equipment manager.
Fast Facts About Maine Football
Maine football has been around since 1892, not long after the first college football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869.
In more than 130 years of action, the team has won over 560 games and collected 13 conference titles across three conferences – Yankee Conference (nine from 1949-1989), Atlantic 10 Conference (2001, 2002) and the CAA (2013, 2018).
Maine and New Hampshire have one of the oldest rivalries in college football. They played for the first time in 1903 and have clashed 113 times.
The annual showdown is known as the Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket, a flint lock rifle that was introduced as the game’s coveted trophy during the 1940s. It was named after former Maine coach Fred Brice and past New Hampshire coach William Cowell.
New Hampshire leads the series with a 60-45-8 record and has won 20 times since 2000, including their last four meetings. In 2024, host UNH defeated the Black Bears 33-27.
As has become tradition, the 2026 matchup again will come in the regular-season finale for both teams. They’ll meet this year at Maine’s Alfond Stadium on Nov. 21.
How Did The Maine Football Team Perform Overall In 2025?
The 2025 season was very streaky for the Black Bears.
They opened the year with four consecutive losses, won six games in a row and then closed with back-to-back losses to land at 6-6 overall and right in the middle of the CAA standings at 5-3.
The Black Bears defense gave up the fewest total yards per game in the CAA (325.1) but ranked seventh in the conference offensively with 355.1 yards per contest.
Following the campaign, 10 Maine players earned All-CAA honors. Unfortunately, eight of them will need to be replaced in 2026:
2025 CAA Award Winners From Maine
- Christian Thomas, LB, Gr. – First-Team Defense
- *Anthony Iliano, OL, So. – Second-Team Offense
- Scott Woods, PR, Fifth Yr. – Second-Team Offense
- Devin Vaught, S, So. – Second-Team Defense
- Sincere Baines, RB, Jr. – Third-Team Offense
- Scott Woods, WR, Fifth Yr. – Third-Team Offense
- Elias Sherman, DL, So. – Third-Team Defense
- Carter Peevy, QB, Gr. – Honorable Mention
- Trevin Ewing, KR, Sr. – Honorable Mention
- *Jamaree Gibson, CB, Gr. – Honorable Mention
- Vincent Nwachi, CB, Fifth Yr. – Honorable Mention
*On 2026 roster
2025 Maine Football Results
- Aug. 23 (Sat): Liberty 28, Maine 7 (L)
- Aug. 30 (Sat): William & Mary 28, Maine 27 (L)
- Sept. 6 (Sat): Stonehill 13, Maine 10 (L)
- Sept. 13 (Sat): Georgia Southern 45, Maine 17 (L)
- Sept. 20 (Sat): Maine 37, North Carolina A&T State 30 (W)
- Oct. 4 (Sat): Maine 34, Bryant 14 (W)
- Oct. 11 (Sat): Maine 20, Merrimack 13 (W)
- Oct. 25 (Sat): Maine 35, Elon 14 (W)
- Nov. 1 (Sat): Maine 28, Stony Brook 21 (W)
- Nov. 8 (Sat): Maine 35, Hampton 7 (W)
- Nov. 15 (Sat): #9/#11 Rhode Island 45, Maine 13 (L)
- Nov. 22 (Sat): #25 New Hampshire 33, Maine 27 (L)
A Look At The CAA And Maine Football In 2026
Maine is coming off the best season of the Jordan Stevens era, and he has added more than three dozen players, but the roster also is missing eight of the 10 All-CAA performers from a year ago.
Can the Black Bears move forward with so much young talent, or will it take some time for the new players to develop?
The team also brought in five staff members to help the group acclimate and succeed.
Heading into the new season, Iliano was recognized by Stats Perform FCS as a preseason third-team All-American. As a veteran, expected third-year starter and an anchor of the Maine offensive line, he should play a big role in elevating the Black Bears offense in 2026.
Iliano is the team’s first preseason All-American since 2020 and also was one of seven Maine players to earn preseason honors from the CAA.
He and senior offensive lineman Andrew Kocan made the all-conference offensive squad, while junior defensive lineman Chris Bacon made the defensive team with Gibson.
Running back Rashawn Marshall, defensive lineman Ta’Kai Chisholm and kicker Samuel Tremblay all earned honorable mention.
As a team, the expectations again were for the Black Bears to finish in the middle of the CAA standings, especially with such uncertainty among the incoming players and coaches and just how much talent was lost to graduation or the transfer portal.
Maine won’t have any time to get comfortable either, as the schedule kicks off with an important conference game against Towson on Aug. 27. The result there could set the tone for the whole conference slate.
Maine Football Schedule For 2026
All Times Eastern
- Aug. 27 (Thu): 6 p.m. at Towson*
- Sept. 5 (Sat): 3:30 p.m. at Appalachian State
- Sept. 12 (Sat): 5 p.m. vs. Merrimack
- Sept. 19 (Sat): 2 p.m. at Boston College
- Sept. 26 (Sat): 2 p.m. at Elon*
- Oct. 3 (Sat): 3:30 p.m. vs. Sacred Heart*
- Oct. 17 (Sat): 1 p.m. vs. Bryant*
- Oct. 24 (Sat): 1 p.m. vs. Campbell*
- Oct. 31 (Sat): Noon at Rhode Island*
- Nov. 14 (Sat): Noon at Albany*
- Nov. 21 (Sat): 1 p.m. vs. New Hampshire*
*CAA games
Predicted Order Of Finish For CAA Teams In 2026
- Rhode Island (12 first-place votes), 144
- Monmouth, 119
- Elon, 115
- New Hampshire, 106
- Stony Brook (1 first-place vote), 105
- Towson, 93
- Maine, 88
- Campbell, 56
- Bryant, 50
- Sacred Heart, 49
- UAlbany, 35
- North Carolina A&T, 28
- Hampton, 26
*Villanova and William & Mary left the CAA for the Patriot League, and Sacred Heart joins the CAA for the 2026 season.
Order Of Finish For CAA Teams In 2025
CAA (Overall)
- Rhode Island: 8-0 (11-3)
- Villanova: 7-1 (12-3)
- New Hampshire: 6-2 (8-5)
- Monmouth: 6-2 (9-3)
- William & Mary: 6-2 (7-5)
- Maine: 5-3 (6-6)
- Elon: 4-4 (6-6)
- Stony Brook: 4-4 (6-6)
- Towson: 4-4 (6-6)
- Campbell: 2-6 (2-10)
- North Carolina A&T: 2-6 (2-10)
- Bryant: 1-7 (3-9)
- UAlbany: 1-7 (2-10)
- Hampton: 0-8 (2-10)
Final AFCA Division I FCS Coaches Poll For 2025 Season
- Montana St. (14-2)
- Illinois St. (12-5)
- Montana (13-2)
- Villanova (12-3)
- North Dakota St. (12-1)
- Tarleton St. (12-2)
- Stephen F. Austin (11-3)
- UC Davis (9-4)
- Lehigh (12-1)
- Rhode Island (11-3)
- South Dakota (10-5)
- ACU (9-5)
- Yale (9-3)
- South Dakota St. (9-5)
- Tennessee Tech (11-2)
- North Dakota (8-6)
- Youngstown St. (8-5)
- Mercer (9-3)
- Southeastern Louisiana (9-4)
- Monmouth (N.J.) (9-3)
- Lamar (8-5)
- Jackson St. (9-3)
- Harvard (9-2)
- West Georgia (8-3)
- South Carolina St. (10-3)
Dropped Out: Southern Illinois (25)
Others Receiving Votes: New Hampshire, 35; Lafayette, 30; Southern Illinois, 29; Drake, 20; UT Rio Grande Valley, 20; Prairie View A&M, 16; Central Connecticut St., 15; Richmond, 15; Alabama St., 10; Presbyterian, 10; Southern Utah, 5; Austin Peay, 2.
Some Things To Know About FCS Football
The FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) is the second tier of NCAA Division I football, with the top tier being the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision).
While the FBS determines its national champion through a 12-team, committee-selected College Football Playoff, the FCS Championship includes 24 teams.
The FCS conference champions automatically qualify for the playoffs, and the remaining spots are filled via at-large selection.
This season, there will be 128 programs across 13 conferences. The regular season will begin in late August, and the playoffs will get underway at the end of November.
Who Won The Each Football National Championship For The 2025-2026 Season?
- Division I FBS – Indiana def. Miami, 27-21
- Division I FCS – Montana State def. Illinois State 35-34 (OT)
- Division II – Ferris State def. Harding, 42-21
- Division III – University of Wisconsin-River Falls def. North Central (Ill.), 24-14
When Do The 2026 NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs Start?
The first round of the 2026 NCAA FCS Playoffs will be Nov. 28.
The format includes 24 teams and five rounds of play – first round, second round, quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship game. Everything through the semifinals will be played at the site of the participating schools.
Round 2 is set for Dec. 5, the quarterfinals will be held Dec. 11 (one game) and Dec. 12 (three games) and the semifinals will take place Dec. 19.
The 2026 FCS national championship will be determined Jan. 11, 2027, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Music City first hosted the title tilt in 2025 after 15 consecutive visits to Frisco, Texas.
Every game will be broadcast live on the ESPN family of networks.
How Do The FCS Playoffs Work?
The 24 FCS teams that advance to the playoffs are situated into a single-elimination bracket.
The top 16 teams are seeded, with the first eight earning byes into the second round. Seeds 9-16 must play in the opening round of action, but they get to play host, as do the higher seeds in each game through the semifinals.
The two semifinal winners then make the trip to Nashville to play for the national championship.
In 2025, Montana State defeated Illinois State 35-34 in overtime to claim the trophy.
Since 2011, North Dakota State had been dominating the FCS landscape, winning 10 national titles, but the Bison have now moved to a bigger pasture – the FBS level as part of the Mountain West Conference.
North Carolina A&T vs. Maine Football Highlights | 2025 CAA Football
Watch the highlights from Maine’s 37-30 home win over North Carolina A&T during the 2025 college football season.
It was the first of six consecutive wins for the Black Bears.
Archived Footage On FloCollege
Video footage from all games will be archived and stored in a video library for FloCollege subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
Watch The 2026 College Football Season On FloCollege
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Don’t miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloCollege schedule page for the latest games.
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