Is UAlbany a Contender or Pretender?

Kai Colon of the Albany Great Danes looks to pass during an NCAA FCS football game at Princeton Stadium in Princeton, United States, on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images One of the more unexpected runs FCS football has seen in recent memory was UAlbany’s 2023 push all the way to the semifinals. That, of course, fizzled out harshly with a 59-0 defeat at the hands of that year’s national champion South Dakota State. Since then the Great Danes have done next to nothing… until now. Three seasons, one new coach and essentially an entirely different team later, UAlbany finds themselves starting to bubble up in postseason conversations. Sitting at 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the extremely unpredictable CAA, the Danes are making a little noise. Is that noise anything substantial, though, or are they nothing more than fool’s gold?That question will get answered this weekend. Right now it’s Campbell stealing much of the attention out East and rightfully so. The #12 Camels have not lost to an FCS opponent yet and are 7-1 with wins over teams like ETSU and Western Carolina. UAlbany hosts them this Saturday. If they can stay with and, maybe even take down, the Camels the conversation around this group shifts drastically. The Danes are one of FCS football’s most intriguing teams right now. Their three losses aren’t exactly damning; a close one at FBS Buffalo that came down the final seconds, an eight-point defeat at the hands of another CAA threat in Monmouth and then a road loss at one of the Ivy League’s top teams in Princeton. It’s a stark difference from their two-win season a year ago. A lot has changed in New York’s capital since last year and there’s certainly a different feel around the program as the stretch run nears. The most notable change has been the hiring of first-year head coach Tom Perkovich. Longtime coach Greg Gattuso left the team prior to the 2025 season to become a consultant at his alma mater of Penn State. Offensive coordinator Jared Ambrose took over with the interim tag last fall but it never came together and Perkovich was brought aboard last offseason. Between him and some big transfer portal gets like quarterback Kai Colon (Princeton), running back Rahashan La Mons (Susquehanna) and DB Victor Holt (Lackawanna) the Danes have seen a resurgence. La Mons is currently one of the best rushers in the CAA with 670 yards and eight touchdowns. Just last week he ran for a season-best 196 yards and three scores against Rhode Island. Colon has thrown 11 TDs this year and Holt leads the team with two interceptions. The new faces have definitely provided a boost.MAKE IT THREE🥶🥶🥶Scoring his third touchdown of the game, Rahshan La Mons brings the Great Danes up 28-14.@UAlbanyFootball | @CAAFootball📺: https://t.co/DVgbhcVfyQ#CAA | Aug 27 – Nov 21 | Live on Flo pic.twitter.com/joa7rp3ehx— FloCollege | Football (@FloCollegeFB) October 24, 2026Will it last? The final four games of the schedule, after this week’s monster battle with Campbell, does favor UAlbany. November games against Bryant, Maine and North Carolina A&T will close out the regular season. But there are also some reasons to be hesitant about this bunch, too. For instance, the Danes have struggled some against the pass this year. They are allowing over 200 yards through the air per contest this season. Even in the win against Stony Brook they gave up 412 yards through the air to Seawolves QB Quinn Boyd. There is also a distinct lack of explosion on special teams. Save for a big day against Delaware State, the return game has been quiet. They have not had a game yet with more than 50 kick return yards and they have not recorded a score in either the punt or kick runback game yet this year. While not something that is completely detrimental, it could end up being an X factor down the road.In all likelihood, UAlbany needs to win three of the its final four games to be in playoff consideration and, even then there is probably some things elsewhere in the conference that need to fall their way. Regardless of how it pans out, though, it’s hard not to call 2026 a success for this program considering how far it fell in recent years. A new age seems to be dawning for the Danes and, in a CAA that appears like it will be up for grabs for the foreseeable future, a solid foundation is there for Perkovich’s team. A win against Campbell on Saturday, though, and the tenor of the UAlbany discussion is totally different. The playoffs will certainly sit in the crosshairs if they can get by the Camels. The game will kick off at 12:00 PM (ET) on Saturday and can be streamed on FloFootball.