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Liberty

Flames · Conference USA

GIE rank
#16
of 138 FBS
Rating
1715
2026 Week 11
Record
7-1
2026 season
Proj record
10-2
12-game season

Head coach Jamey Chadwell Year 4 with Liberty

Year-4 HCs (2015-2024) averaged -0.65 W vs. preseason expectation

Season projection

2026 W11 · 10,000 sims
Expected wins
10.4
3.4 more wins in 4 left
Win range (90%)
9 to 11
Final rank (90%)
#16 (9–29)
Make playoff
41%
Win conference
96%

Path to glory

Their playoff probability after a win or a loss in each pivotal game. (Interactive toggles coming once the scenario sim finishes for this team.)

Liberty playoff probability by pivotal game result
Game Win Loss Swing
at New Mexico State on road · Nov 8 · +29pp 29% 0% +29pp

Schedule

Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.

Schedule and results
Week Opponent Result or win prob.Result or win probability
Wk 1 Sep 5 at James Madison Sun Belt Loss, 13-20 Final
Wk 2 Sep 12 vs Gardner-Webb Non-FBS Win, 24-23 Final
Wk 3 Sep 19 vs Ball State Mid-American Win, 51-15 Final
Wk 4 Sep 24 at Coastal Carolina Sun Belt Win, 34-17 Final
Wk 5 Oct 2 at Delaware Conference USA Win, 30-14 Final
Wk 6 Oct 8 vs Sam Houston Conference USA Win, 35-3 Final
Wk 7 Bye
Wk 8 Oct 22 at Kennesaw State Conference USA Win, 34-6 Final
Wk 9 Oct 31 vs Florida International Conference USA Win, 49-10 Final
Wk 10 Nov 8 at New Mexico State Conference USA Win probability: 91%
Wk 11 Nov 14 vs Middle Tennessee Conference USA Win probability: 96%
Wk 12 Nov 21 vs Western Kentucky Conference USA Win probability: 94%
Wk 13 Nov 28 at Missouri State Conference USA Win probability: 94%

Latest stories

  • Recap

    Liberty: 2026 Week 7 recap

    Liberty sits at 4–1 and holds a 2.5 rating heading into Week 7, unchanged from last week despite the bye. The Flames' most recent action came in Week 5, when they dismantled Delaware 30–14 on the road—a convincing win that underscored…

  • Recap

    Liberty: 2026 Week 3 recap

    Liberty sits at 88th overall with a 0–1 record after dropping their opener to James Madison, 20–13. The rating hasn't budged since—GIE sees them as a 6-win team in a league-wide sense. The red-zone TD rate of 15% tells the real story;…

  • Recap

    Liberty: 2025 Week 16 recap

    Liberty sits at 4–8 after a 48–42 home loss to Kennesaw State in Week 14, a result that underscored the Flames' struggles down the stretch. The rating stands at –9, placing them 102nd nationally—a reflection of inconsistency that's…

In the news

More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.

If QB1 is out

Ethan Vasko

GIE projects a -2.6 rating drop and a -10.5pp shift in playoff probability if Liberty loses its QB1 for an extended stretch. (n=2 historical samples; pooled across recent seasons.)

Returning production · 2026

47 score

  • Quarterback 85% (2/5)
  • Offensive line 42% (8/19) players
  • Skill (RB/WR/TE) 16% (11/27)
  • Front 7 (DL/LB) 65% (16/27)
  • Secondary 5% (7/21)
  • Special teams 0% (3/8)

Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.

Portal additions · 2026

−0.3 rating

25 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.

Liberty incoming transfers
Player From Impact
D-Icey HopkinsS From Georgia State Georgia State 102
Jeremiah VesselS From UAB UAB 76
Ashton WhitnerS From Ball State Ball State 63
Rashawn CunninghamWR From Charleston Southern Charleston Southern 57
Terron KellmanRB From Wyoming Wyoming 53
Justin MarshallRB From Colorado State Colorado State 47

Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.

Situational efficiency · 2025

FBS percentile rank
  • 3rd-down conversion 38.7%
    63th — average
  • Red-zone TD rate 15.1%
    54th — average
  • 4th-down aggression 42.9%
    78th — strong
  • Late & close 5.8 yds/play
    70th — strong

Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.