2026 kickoff times set for Alabama, Auburn, other in-state teams
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Kickoff times for some games in the 2026 seasons have been announced for multiple universities in Alabama.
2026 will be a year of firsts for multiple schools across the state as Auburn, UAB, and Samford will all begin the season with first year coaches in Alex Golesh (Auburn), Alex Mortensen (UAB), and John Grass (Samford).
Golesh comes to the plains after having spent the last three years as the head coach at South Florida. Mortensen will lead the Blazers as the head coach after spending the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator and half of last season as the interim head coach after Trent Dilfer was relieved of his duties. Grass comes to Samford after spending the last four seasons on Dabo Swinney’s staff at Clemson. He was previously the head coach at Jacksonville State from 2014-2021.
In Tuscaloosa, Kalen DeBoer, who recently received a contract extension, will begin his 3rd season at the helm while Charles Kelly will be in year two at Jacksonville State after making an appearance in the Conference USA title game in his first year.
You can find the kickoff times for games that have been announced below:
**NOTE**
- Kickoff times for the remaining games yet to be announced will be released at a later date
- All kickoff times are written in central time
- Only one kickoff time has been set for Samford, Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. @ UAB. Click or tap here for their 2026 schedule
Auburn
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | Baylor (Neutral site game in Atlanta) | 2:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Sept. 12 | Southern Miss | 6:30 or 6:45 p.m. | ESPNU or SEC Network |
| Sept. 19 | Florida | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
For Auburn’s full 2026 schedule, click or tap here.
Alabama
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | East Carolina | 11 a.m. | ABC |
| Sept. 12 | @ Kentucky | 2:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Sept. 19 | Florida State | 2:30 p.m. | ABC |
For Alabama’s full 2026 schedule, click or tap here.
UAB
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 3 | @ Illinois | 8 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Sept. 12 | Louisiana-Monroe | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Sept. 19 | @ Louisiana | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Sept. 25 | Navy | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Oct. 3 | Samford | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Oct. 15 | East Carolina | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN or ESPN2 |
For UAB’s full 2026 schedule, click or tap here.
Jacksonville State
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 29 | @ North Dakota State | 4:30 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
| Sept. 5 | Eastern Kentucky | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Sept. 12 | @ Ohio | 5 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Sept. 19 | Georgia Southern | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Sept. 26 | Middle Tennessee | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Oct. 7 | @ Kennesaw State | 6 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
| Oct. 13 (Tuesday) | Florida International | 7 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Oct. 28 (Wednesday) | @ New Mexico State | 7 p.m. | ESPN 2 |
| Nov. 7 | Sam Houston | 6 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
| Nov. 14 | @ Western Kentucky | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Nov. 21 | Missouri State | 1 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Nov. 28 | @ Delaware | 2:30 p.m. | CBS Sports Network |
For a more in-depth view of JSU’s schedule, click or tap here.
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