UAC football kickoff set for July 21 at Texas Live in Arlington

The United Athletic Conference’s 2026 Football Kickoff is headed back to the Lone Star State, and it’s bringing all eight member programs with it.

The conference announced the event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, at Texas Live in Arlington, Texas.

Coverage runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT and streams live on ESPN+.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for the UAC. The league held its kickoff event last season in Nashville, Tenn., a decision tied directly to the FCS Championship being played at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium earlier this year.

With that showcase wrapped up, the conference is pulling the event back west.

Every head coach in the league will be on hand alongside a group of selected student-athletes.

Those participants will take part in the live ESPN+ broadcast as well as a series of photo, video and social media sessions throughout the day. Reporters covering the event will also get access to one-on-one sessions with coaches and players.

Central Arkansas is among the eight programs sending representation to Arlington.

The Bears are one of the founding members of the UAC, which was established in 2023 through a partnership between the Atlantic Sun Conference and the former Western Athletic Conference.

In 2026, those two entities merged further to form Unisun Sports, which now oversees the conference’s operations. Unisun Sports CEO Jeff Bacon is expected to speak about the state of the conference during the festivities.

UCA will share the stage with Abilene Christian, Austin Peay State, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Tarleton State, West Georgia and West Florida.

The kickoff also serves as the platform for the league’s annual Preseason All-Conference Awards and Coaches’ Preseason Poll, giving fans and media their first official look at how programs around the UAC stack up heading into the fall.

Additional details on attendees, the full schedule and media credentialing will be released at a later date.