Brown praises UCA’s poll spot as motivation for Bears

Central Arkansas coach Nathan Brown isn’t worried about a preseason ranking.

He’s using it as fuel.

The United Athletic Conference released its 2026 preseason coaches poll from Arlington, Texas on Tuesday, slotting the Bears fifth in the eight-team league.

UCA picked up 43 points in the voting, landing behind co-favorites Abilene Christian and Tarleton State along with Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky.

Brown says the ranking fits where his program stands right now, and he’s ready to prove it wrong by December.

“We were picked in the middle of the pack and that is a deserved spot for us coming off of last year,” Brown said. “We are excited to use it as motivation and look forward to the opportunity to jump higher than the 5th spot in the postseason polls.”

UCA’s Tyrell Pollard before UAC Media Day at Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas. | UCA-Jessica Brown

Three defenders earn preseason honors

UCA didn’t just get a poll ranking Tuesday.

Three Bears defenders also picked up spots on the All-UAC Preseason Defensive Team, giving Brown’s program recognition across every level of the defense.

Junior defensive lineman Trevion Traylor headlines the group.

The Russellville native started all 12 games last fall and paced the team with eight tackles for loss. He piled up 41 total stops, added a sack, forced a fumble recovery and batted down a pass.

Linebacker Ashtyn Williams also made the cut.

The junior from Little Rock started every game and ranked second on the roster with 70 tackles, splitting his numbers between 36 solo stops and 34 assists.

Senior defensive back Marcus Washington rounds out the trio. The D’Iberville, Miss., product finished with 62 tackles, forced a fumble and broke up five passes while starting all 12 contests.

UCA’s Travion Traylor before UAC Media Day at Texas Live! in Arlington, Texas. | UCA-Jessica Brown

Brown expects more names to follow

Brown says the mix of a lineman, a linebacker and a defensive back earning honors shows the kind of depth UCA is building on that side of the ball.

“I am very happy for Trevion, Ashtyn and Marcus,” Brown said. “All three of those guys are returners from last year’s defense. We have leaned heavily on their experience and leadership during the off season.”

He’s not stopping there either. Brown believes his roster has plenty of untapped talent that voters simply haven’t seen yet.

“I do believe at the end of the year we will have some names on the All-Conference list that were left off to begin the season,” Brown said. “I think these three guys would tell you it doesn’t matter where we are now, it matters where we are in November.”

UCA opens its season on Thursday, Aug. 27 on the road against UT Martin.

Full 2026 UAC preseason coaches poll:

• Abilene Christian (3 first-place votes) — 65 points
• Tarleton State (3 first-place votes) — 65 points
• Austin Peay (2 first-place votes) — 62 points
• Eastern Kentucky — 48 points
• Central Arkansas — 43 points
• West Georgia — 39 points
• North Alabama — 37 points
• West Florida — 33 points

Key takeaways

• UCA landed fifth in the UAC preseason poll with 43 points, trailing four teams above it.
• Three Bears defenders — Trevion Traylor, Ashtyn Williams and Marcus Washington — earned preseason All-UAC defensive honors.
• Coach Nathan Brown says the middle-of-the-pack ranking will serve as motivation heading into a season opener against UT Martin on Aug. 27.