Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina football opens its annual spring drills on Monday, March 2, with the first of 15 NCAA-regulated practice sessions on the turf at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field, culminating with the annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 11 (Noon).
 
Construction on the new Western Skybox provides the backdrop for WCU's off-season practices, with additional projects, such as field turf replacement and game-day enhancements to stadium lighting and video board upgrades, looming on the calendar before next fall.
 
The Catamounts are slated for three practices over the first week of March – two in helmets only as part of the NCAA acclimation period. Once the team returns from the University's Spring Break (March 9-13), the remaining 12 sessions are spread over the next four weeks.
 
The team has three helmet-only practice sessions with six in uppers – or helmets and shoulder pads – and six fully-padded practices with full contact. WCU's defense will wear the purple practice jerseys, while the offense will wear white jerseys through spring drills with the quarterbacks in protected red jerseys.
 
Each weekday practice is scheduled to start at 4 p.m., with the first two Saturday practices starting at 9 a.m. The annual Spring Game on April 11 will begin at Noon ahead of the Catamount baseball Southern Conference home game against Mercer at 3 p.m. WCU's football practice dates and times are subject to change.
 
Unless otherwise noted, each WCU spring football practice is open to the public. It is respectfully requested that spectators observe from the stadium seating area and avoid being either on the field or the sidelines. Also, please note that the upper grandstands on the West side of the stadium are also closed during the ongoing construction project on the Western Skybox.

WCU's annual spring drill schedule includes pauses during both the university's spring break, March 9-13, and for Easter break, April 1-3. The team also pauses during the spring day of giving, One Day for Western, with Catamount Nation asked to donate towards the future athletic and academic success of Catamount Athletics.
 
Western Carolina enters the spring riding the momentum of a third-straight, seven-win season and closed 2025 with a winning record at season's end for the fourth consecutive year. The Catamounts posted a runner-up finish in the SoCon for a second-straight season, the fifth second-place finish for WCU since 1976, after matching a program-best with six league victories.
 
Last season under second-year offensive coordinator Rylan Wells, the Catamounts scored a program-record 463 points (38.58 per game) – just the second time in school history to eclipse the 400-point mark (413 in 2023), both under head coach Kerwin Bell. WCU also set a program record with 5,920 yards of total offense, eclipsing the 5K mark for the fifth time under Bell and staff, besting the previous benchmark of 5,665 yards (2024).
 
WCU passed for a school-record 4,268 yards, eclipsing the 4K mark in back-to-back seasons (4,029 yards in 2024). The Catamounts led the NCAA FCS in passing yardage, averaging 355.7 yards per game. WCU's NCAA-leading 44 passing touchdowns were also a school single-season record, with 15 different players catching a TD pass.
 
Wells returns this spring, along with Kyle Dickey (tight ends), Jeremy King (offensive line), and Rudi Small (running backs). Corey Headley takes over as the wide receivers coach, with Parrish Metzger mentoring the Catamount quarterbacks along with Bell and Wells.

This spring marks the debut of new defensive coordinator Nick Reveiz, who joined the Catamount coaching staff in late February after three seasons at Charleston Southern. With formal announcements coming throughout this week, WCU's defensive staff includes new assistant coaches Darius Buck (safeties), Ty Phillips (bandits), Ross Pryor (linebackers), and Michael Welch (defensive line/run game coordinator). Returning defensive backs coach Malik Goodman will mentor WCU's cornerbacks.
 
Season tickets for the six-game home 2026 schedule will go on sale soon through the Catamount Athletics ticket office, online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets or by phone at (828) 227-2401. WCU and Catamount Nation averaged a SoCon-best 10,987 fans through the gates in 2025, 20th nationally in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
 
Catamount Football – Spring Practice Schedule:
Practice 1: Monday, March 2 – 4 pm (helmet only)
Practice 2: Wednesday, March 4 – 4 pm (helmet only)
Practice 3: Thursday, March 5 – 4 pm (uppers)
 
University Spring Break – March 9-13
 
Practice 4: Monday, March 16 – 4 pm (uppers)
Practice 5: Wednesday, March 18 – 4 pm (full pads)
Practice 6: Thursday, March 19 – 4 pm (uppers)
Practice 7: Saturday, March 21 – 9 am (full pads)
Practice 8: Tuesday, March 24 – 4 pm (full pads)
 
March 25, 2026 – One Day for Western
 
Practice 9: Thursday, March 26 – 4 pm (uppers)
Practice 10: Saturday, March 28 – 9 am (full pads)
Practice 11: Tuesday, March 31 – 4 pm (uppers)
 
Easter Break – April 1-3
 
Practice 12: Tuesday, April 7 – 4 pm (full pads)
Practice 13: Thursday, April 9 – 4 pm (uppers)
Practice 14: Friday, April 10 – 4 pm (helmet only)
Practice 15: Saturday, April 11 – Noon – SPRING GAME (full pads/scrimmage)