University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Eastern Washington
Panther football opens the 2026 season at Eastern Washington
9/3/2026 10:07:00 AM | Football
UNI football eyes its first win of the season, and its first in the state of Washington all-time.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI football program is in action for the first time in 2026 as the Panthers head to Washington on Saturday, September 5, to take on the Eastern Washington Eagles. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT at Roos Field and will be available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
This will be the Panthers' third time taking on the Eagles in Cheney, Washington, in program history. The Cats are looking not only for their first victory at EWU, but their first all-time victory in the state of Washington. The Panthers are 0-2 all-time in the state, both coming against Eastern Washington. The last time the Panthers played at EWU was also UNI's last playoff appearance.
The Panthers won last season's contest inside the UNI-Dome in a three-point thriller. The Panthers scored 17 points through the first three quarters and were pitching a shutout before the Eagles put up 14 unanswered points to creep within three. EWU had a chance to tie it with a 42-yard field goal, but missed the game-tying kick, giving the Cats the ball with eight seconds and no timeouts. The Panthers picked up their second win of the 2025 season with the 17-14 victory.
In that matchup, Ayden Price led returning WRs with 135 yards and one touchdown. He earned Newcomer of the Week honors from the Missouri Valley Football Conference after the performance. Christian Collins led returning running backs with 28 rushing yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Jordan McClom came away with five total tackles (2 solo, 3 assists), including 0.5 TFL for one yard, leading returning defenders.
Eastern Washington is coming off a season-opening loss at #24/25 Northern Arizona on Saturday in week 0 action. The Eagles held a seven-point advantage at halftime after going up 21 points late in the second quarter. The Lumberjacks scored 17 unanswered points spanning the end of the first half and the third and fourth quarters to take a late lead. EWU tied the game with just over 10 minutes to play before a late touchdown from NAU sealed the game for the home team.
The Eagles are 34-14 at home under head coach Aaron Best, dating back to his first season in 2017, including a perfect 16-0 over three seasons from 2018-20. The last time the Eagles lost a home opener was in Best's first season in 2017, a 40-13 loss to North Dakota State. Best is 1-0 at home against the Panthers, a 19-9 final in 2021.
The Cats are .500 in the Pacific Standard Time time zone. The last time the Panthers played in PST was a pair of games in 2021. UNI played in Sacramento, California, against Sacramento State, a 34-16 victory in game two of the season, and in Cheney, Washington, against Eastern Washington, a 19-9 loss in the NCAA FCS Playoffs First Round. The Panthers' 6-6 record in the Pacific Standard Time time zone includes a 3-1 record at Cal Poly, a 1-0 record at Portland State, a 1-0 record at Sacramento State, a 1-2 record at Idaho, a 0-1 record at UC Davis, and a 0-2 record at Eastern Washington.
Jaxon Dailey is back under center for the Panthers after taking over the starting QB job following the Panthers' matchup at Southern Illinois. Dailey was responsible for 32% of UNI's completions, 37% of UNI's passing yards, and 44% of UNI's passing touchdowns last season. The graduate QB finished with 66 completions for 823 yards and seven touchdowns on 110 attempts in 10 games in 2025.
The Panthers' running back room sees some big changes, as Jaxon Dailey is the highest-producing running threat back from a season ago returning to the squad. Dailey accounted for just 16% of UNI's rushing yards, as all of the Panthers' rushing touchdowns depart Cedar Falls after last year. Christian Collins was responsible for 70 yards in four games last season, UNI's biggest returning running back contributor from 2025.
The wideout room gets a couple key pieces back heading into 2026, as Jaiden Ellis-Lahey and Tay Norman return to the lineup. Ellis-Lahey missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to injury, while Norman missed almost all of 2025 after suffering an injury in the first game of the 2025 season. JC Roque Jr., the Panthers' 2025 receiving leader, is back after producing 595 yards and seven touchdowns on 56 receptions. Ayden Price accounted for 365 yards and two touchdowns on 20 receptions a season ago.
UNI brings in transfer running back Xavier Terrell after three seasons at Florida Atlantic. Terrell carried the ball 54 times for 161 yards and one touchdown and caught 13 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown a season ago with the Owls.
Cyrus Courtney and Taj Hughes join the receiving room ahead of the 2026 season. Courtney comes to UNI after a pair of seasons at Iowa Western CC, where he appeared in 13 games, catching 22 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns for the 2025 NJCCA National Champions last season. Hughes comes to Cedar Falls after four seasons with the Drake Bulldogs. While in Des Moines, Hughes was a two-time All-PFL Honorable Mention. Last season, he caught 46 passes for 510 yards and two touchdowns and ran 30 times for 139 yards.
Three high schools in the state of Iowa have produced five current athletes, leading all high schools. Cedar Falls High School (Jarrett Kies, Hayden Bishop, Kailer Smith, Connor Best, and Will Remmert), Urbandale High School (Kai Black, Graham Friedrichsen, Elijah Hoyt, Axel Ramazani, and Jack Hearne), and West Des Moines Valley High School (Ayden Price, Andrew Price, Isaiah Pinks, Rico Alvaranga-Servellon, and Ryan Kuennen) have each produced five current Panthers. Ankeny High School comes in at a close second with four athletes (Andrew Monsivais, Brady McCullough, Lamarious Clark, and Connor Kayser) on the Panther football team.
The 2026 roster of 113 players includes 70 athletes from the great state of Iowa. Of these 70, 13 of them are incoming freshmen, including a pair from across the street at Cedar Falls High School. Of the 113 athletes on the roster, 96 call either Iowa or its six bordering states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska or South Dakota) home.
The UNI Football team currently has five alumni on active professional rosters including Khristian Boyd (Defensive Lineman - New Orleans Saints), Spencer Brown (Offensive Lineman - Buffalo Bills), Elijah Campbell (Safety - New York Giants), and Trevor Penning (Offensive Lineman - LA Chargers) on NFL rosters and Jared Brinkman (Defensive Lineman - Edmonton Elks) on a CFL roster.
Panthers offensive lineman Kyle Kelly enters his seventh year of collegiate football in the 2026 season. Wide receiver Tay Norman put on a Panther jersey for the first time in 2021, the longest-tenured Panther on the roster.
UNI football action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Football), X (@UNIFootball) and on Instagram (@unipantherfootball). The full 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
