Five Kats named to CUSA Preseason Watch List
7/16/2026 3:03:00 PM | Football
DALLAS – Conference USA released its 2026 preseason watch list on Thursday with five Sam Houston Bearkats landing on the list. Â
The Kats' selections include quarterback Landyn Locke, running back Alton McCaskill, kick returner Tim Burns Jr. and defensive tackles Dylan Frazier and Darien Jackson.Â
The selections were released by the league in addition to a trio of preseason superlative awards ahead of next week's CUSA Football Kickoff, which is being held in Arlington at TexasLive! on July 20-21. Â
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The Conference USA slate opens with a pair of Week Zero tilts on Saturday, August 29 with Jax State at North Dakota State and NM State at Florida State. The Kats are set to open 2026 on September 5 at Troy before returning to Bowers Stadium on September 12 to host Tulsa. Â
Landyn Locke – QuarterbackÂ
Locke enters his second season of college football after having played in five games for the Kats as a true freshman in 2025. He made his debut in the fourth quarter at Hawaii, leading the Kats to a touchdown, and took over in the second half at Oregon State while helping lead the Kats to their first win of the year. He started the final three games of the season, including against Delaware when he earned his first win as a starting signal caller. In all he finished the season with 765 yards in the air and four touchdowns.Â
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Alton McCaskill – Running BackÂ
McCaskill will return in 2026 for his second year with the Bearkats and will be looking to build upon a 2025 season which saw him total 437 all-purpose yards out of the backfield, including 371 on the ground. He burst onto the scene with 71 yards and a touchdown in the opening game at WKU, including a 52-yard burst, but was hampered by injuries throughout the month of September before returning in October. He had a season-high 87 yards on the ground against Jax State and rushed for 120 yards on 33 carries over the final three game of the year. Â
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Dylan Frazier – Defensive TackleÂ
A huge piece to the Kats' defensive efforts in 2025, the third-year Bearkat could be on the verge of another banner season after racking up 41 total tackles and 4.0 TFLs a year ago. The SMU transfer had just 14 tackles on the year entering the final month of the season, but had 27 total stops in the final four games of the year, highlighted by a 13-tackle effort in the Kats' win over Oregon State. Â
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Darien Jackson – Defensive LineÂ
Jackson played in nine games, starting five, for the Kats on the interior defensive line in 2025. He finished with 10 total tackles, including 3.0 for a loss, and is expected to make a bigger impact on a revamped defensive line in 2026. He had a sack against NM State and also had a tackle for loss against Jax State.Â
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Tim Burns Jr. - Kick ReturnerÂ
An honorable mention all-CUSA kick returner in 2025, Burns was one of just three players in CUSA to return a kickoff for a score last season, doing to spark a second-half comeback at Oregon State and propel the Kats to their first win of the season. Despite just 12 kickoff returns, Burns ranked fourth in the league with an average of 25.5 yards per return. He also hauled in a dozen passes at his wide receiver position for 228 yards and a touchdown, finding the end zone on a 59-yard scoring pass against UNLV.
