2026 Women's College Flag Football Recap for February 15
The 2026 women's college flag football season is starting to get underway. A breakdown of what has taken place on the field through Sunday, February 15. I'll try to provide something for each collegiate governing body, as broken down by NCAA, NAIA, and JUCOs. The format will evolve as the season progresses, especially as we close in on conference tournaments and the postseason.
NCAA
Division I Alabama State won a pair of games on February 6 in the HBCU Classic in Oakland, California, to start the season. Florida Atlantic's club team went a perfect 5-0 in its games in Tampa over Valentine's Day weekend, which included three shutouts.
Grand Canyon won its late-January matchup against Arizona State at home, 25-0, before dropping a game 20-0 at Arizona Christian on February 6. Alabama State, Arizona State, and Grand Canyon are three of the eight teams that will compete in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Classic in April.
UCLA and USC met in the first game for both programs. The Bruins won 7-0 in a game that was a defensive battle for the opening half. UCLA was the better team offensively in the second half, getting near USC's end zone twice. The Bruins scored the second time with under 4 minutes remaining. USC was unable to threaten as the clock wound down to zero before the Trojans could get one final snap off.
D-III Redlands (CA) started the season 0-5, but bounced back to take two of three games in the Cal Lutheran tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Cal Lutheran and split a pair of games against NCAA Division I Arizona State. D-II Emmanuel (GA) posted a trio of wins on February 7 before they begin Conference Carolinas play at the end of February. Speaking of Conference Carolinas, let's take a look at the preseason poll.
| Rank | School | Votes (First Place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lees-McRae (NC) | 79 (5) |
| 2 | Barton (NC) | 73 (1) |
| 3 | Wingate (NC) | 70 (3) |
| 4 | King (TN) | 66 (1) |
| 5 | Ferrum (VA) | 58 |
| 6 | Emmanuel (GA) | 55 (1) |
| 7 | Mount Olive (NC) | 50 |
| 8 | Mars Hill (NC) | 49 |
| 9 | Chowan (NC) | 41 |
| 10 | Mount St. Mary's (MD) | 35 |
| 11 | Erskine (SC) | 29 |
Lees-McRae is atop the preseason poll, and the Bobcats posted two 50+ point shutout victories against North Carolina Central. It was an impressive display for quarterback Makenzie Hicks, who threw for 372 yards and 11 touchdowns over the two games. Lees-McRae will face a stern test in its next game at defending NAIA runners-up Keiser (FL) on Thursday, February 19.
NAIA
Arizona Christian won its first game with a 20-0 win over NCAA D-I club team Grand Canyon (AZ) on Friday, February 6. Brewton-Parker (GA) split its first four games of the season with wins over LaGrange (GA) and Andrew (GA) and losses to Emmanuel (GA) and Huntingdon (AL). Thomas (GA) is 2-0 to start the 2026 campaign, following a pair of wins on Valentine's Day. The Night Hawks defeated LaGrange (GA) 26-0 and topped Reinhardt (GA) 15-14 in overtime.
JUCOs and Other Governing Bodies
Outside the NCAA and NAIA, there were California teams in action in the first half of February. Irvine Valley from the 3C2A posted three wins, including two wins by more than 50 points against Redlands (CA) and Cal Lutheran. IVC has a game against Southwestern (CA) coming up on Wednesday, February 18.
East Los Angeles College (CA) won a doubleheader against El Camino (CA) on Tuesday, February 10, to launch its program. ELAC will meet up with Saddleback (CA), who has started the season 3-0. The Bobcats will play a tripleheader with games against ELAC, Santa Barbara CC (CA), and Southwestern (CA) on Friday, February 20.
The NJCAA's Daytona State (FL) is 4-0 to start 2026. The Falcons dropped an 87-0 win over Andrew (GA) on February 13, followed by a 33-13 win over Point (GA) the same day. Daytona State will take on NCAA D-II Lees-McRae (NC) on Friday, February 20, in a test for both teams with high expectations.
The Week Ahead
There are plenty of games worth keeping an eye on in the seven days. On Wednesday, February 18, Florida Gateway (FL) will take on Brewton-Parker (GA). On Thursday, February 19, Lees-McRae (NC) will visit Keiser (FL) in a battle of preseason conference favorites. Friday, February 20, will feature the Saddleback Tournament, as the Bobcats will look to keep the undefeated start going against East Los Angeles (CA), Santa Barbara CC (CA), and Southwestern (CA).
On Saturday, February 21, a couple of KCAC teams will get the season underway in conference matchups. Hesston (KS) and Kansas Wesleyan will meet in Salina, Kansas. Lees-McRae will take on Florida Gateway in another stern test, while Keiser (FL) will welcome Life (GA) in the first Sun Conference game of the season for both schools.