Gap Down Backer.

[Soapy]

no woman no cry.

we gonna be aight.

[Soapy]

Fish fry, chicken wings and football football; Kennesaw State's spring
showcase was unlike any others
By Lamar O'Neal
April 7, 2026

When you've got the smallest stadium in FBS and one of the smallest budgets in all of college football, you've got to think outside of the box. Kennesaw State football's spring showcase was the brainchild of head coach Bubba Mack's time spent outside that squared circle.

"We want people to come here and have a good time," Mack said of the inaugural "K-Day" where Fifth Third Stadium's parking lot was turned into a fairground with petting zoos, an array of food trucks and inside the concrete walls of the stadium, a day for celebration, hard hitting and good ole football in the Peachtree state.

There was nothing traditional about the Owls spring football game from the pre-game activities that consisted of Mack grilling a pig on the parking lot terrace like a fan to the post-game celebration where Owls, both past and present, were interacting with the fans, taking pictures, signing autographs and eating some of that hog.

"You don't get to be my size without knowing how to throw down," Mack said, "Sometimes we forget about what football is really about and it's about bringing people together, reminding ourselves that if we got each other, we'll be alright."

Football might have been secondary but it was still present. The body types that Mack has been bringing in during his tenure stand out, even in shirts and shorts as the offensive linemen helped themselves to some ribs and porkchops. True freshman Josh Kilgo and Jalen Maddox don't look like true freshman. Maddox said he's up to 315-pounds, one of the heaviest players on the roster already. Defensive tackle Tobias Singleton is six-foot-five and 275 pounds with not a lot of body fat, a player that Mack says is a "future superstar".

During the football portion of the showcase, it wasn't a traditional spring game. Instead, the players went through a set of warm ups before the whistle blew for mat drills where offensive and defensive linemen went head up against each other. This lasted about thirty minutes and with fans being granted field access, they could see up close and personal the violence that was taking place. Redshirt junior center Clay Anthony, the South Alabama transfer, was a standout during one-on-one drills, his strength allowing him to overpower his opponents.

As those were underway, in another portion of the field, there was a 7-on-7 scrimmage where quarterbacks Amari Odom, Skyler Williams and Rahim Jeter all got to make their first public impression in what Coach Mack says will be a quarterback battle that extends into fall camp. Odom was first up and probably had the best day but Jeter's arm talent stood out with his ability to put some zip on the football.

"There's definitely a pop when he's throwing that football," Mack said of the East Carolina transfer, "Even if I ain't looking, I can tell when he's throwing but he still needs to fix some things to be the quarterback he can be."

Williams, the redshirt freshman, struggled with accuracy but that is to be expected in such a setting when his biggest asset is his legs. Mack said that he had a good spring and that in a 'live' environment is when he stands out the most, which he did during scrimmages that weren't open to the public.

Defensively, Deon McKinley intercepted both Jeter and Williams and finished spring with a strong statement. The Owls need to replace starting safety Isaac Paul that left via the portal and McKinley appears to be in the driver's seat for that. Linebacker Jaiden Kimble had a solid day once the team regrouped together for situational work such as two-minute drill, red zone and end of game situations. Mack was also complimentary of linebacker Thomas Durbin, who is pushing Kimble for a starting role next to All-Conference linebacker Donelius Johnson who saw a light workload on Saturday.

"[Thomas] Durbin is going to be a stud for us," Mack added, "The only question is just how quickly he can get ramped up and get ready to go. There's other [linebackers] that we like and we feel confident rolling out there but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if we're looking back at the end of the season and [Durbin] is one of our best players."

In an age where schools and coaches are pulling back on spring games, out of fear of their roster being poached, Mack said he doesn't plan to.

"If you don't think that your players are sending their tape to other coaches, you're just stupid," Mack said with a laugh, "Not having a spring game ain't gonna stop your guys from jumping into that portal, man. If they want to leave, they're going to leave. I think the spring game is important to just bring your fans together, bring the community together and get them excited. If guys want to use that as a chance to get their tape out there so they can go to Syracuse to sit on the bench, let them."

[redsox907]

Bubba Mack with the shades of Coach Francois.

Having such a small and lackluster class on high school players is going to hurt you down the road I think.

I disagree, I think this is the plan going forward with a slight uptick in HS players slowly over time because many of the portal guys I signed were freshman and sophomore so they have multiple years of eligibility. If I was signing mostly seniors in the portal I would agree since they would need to be replaced every year. I'm going to be aiming for 15 HS guys each cycle with my portal size depending on how many guys leave early/portal.

Did you check their deal breakers tho? That thought is great until they have a championship contender deal breaker and transfer right back out lol

[djp73]

no woman no cry.

we gonna be aight.

evryting gonna be alright

[Caesar]

they can go to Syracuse to sit on the bench, let them

This is twice Mack has said some shit like this. The SA cover-up loading already.

[James]

Not a bad first season.

Really interesting to see Venables get fired and them to bring in Heupel. I feel like that is something that could happen IRL.

Also Mike Gundy to Kansas is a weird move.

Looking forward to seeing what you are cooking up this season. It was nice to see that you had someone who should have left, leave with your corner and that he went to Michigan.

[YaBoyRobRoy]

god damn coach Bubba went hard in the portal paint

[Captain Canada]

Just caught back up with this thing. Going to be interesting going into year two with the class you brought in having to serve some roles off the rip.

[Soapy]

they can go to Syracuse to sit on the bench, let them

This is twice Mack has said some shit like this. The SA cover-up loading already.

Man of God, CRM type beat but these shitty players talking about wanting "brand exposure" had me tight

Not a bad first season.

Really interesting to see Venables get fired and them to bring in Heupel. I feel like that is something that could happen IRL.

Also Mike Gundy to Kansas is a weird move.

Looking forward to seeing what you are cooking up this season. It was nice to see that you had someone who should have left, leave with your corner and that he went to Michigan.

The coaching in general is pretty weird but improved from CFB25. Now leaving Tennessee for OU seems like a lateral move.

god damn coach Bubba went hard in the portal paint

We had to, half the team left

Just caught back up with this thing. Going to be interesting going into year two with the class you brought in having to serve some roles off the rip.

The upside with smaller classes is almost all of them are going to play almost instantly. Hopefully the development kicks in for these guys and they are high-end C-USA level starters by year 3 and don't leave

[Soapy]

Bubba Mack with the shades of Coach Francois.

Having such a small and lackluster class on high school players is going to hurt you down the road I think.

I disagree, I think this is the plan going forward with a slight uptick in HS players slowly over time because many of the portal guys I signed were freshman and sophomore so they have multiple years of eligibility. If I was signing mostly seniors in the portal I would agree since they would need to be replaced every year. I'm going to be aiming for 15 HS guys each cycle with my portal size depending on how many guys leave early/portal.

Did you check their deal breakers tho? That thought is great until they have a championship contender deal breaker and transfer right back out lol

at first i was trying to target deal breakers that are static (close to home) but eventually said fuck it. If they transfer back out, I'll be in the portal hunting once more with hopefully a better season = better grades to recruit from