DALLAS — Conference USA (CUSA) has announced that the 2025 CUSA Football Kickoff and Media Day is slated for Tuesday, July 22, at the home of the PGA of America in Frisco, Texas.

The Panthers will be represented by Head Coach Willie Simmons, Quarterback Keyone Jenkins and Defensive Back Brian Blades II. This trio will participate in a packed day of press conferences and media opportunities at the PGA's Frisco headquarters to preview the upcoming 2025 CUSA Football season.

"We're thrilled to return to the PGA of America headquarters after the overwhelmingly positive response to last year's event," said CUSA Commissioner Judy MacLeod. "The state-of-the-art facilities, professional atmosphere and excellent hospitality made it a perfect setting to showcase our student-athletes and programs, and we look forward to building on that momentum this year."

Simmons enters his first season at FIU with a winning pedigree as head coach, sporting a 66-24 overall record in eight seasons between Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M. Jenkins will lead the Panther offense for the third-straight season in 2025 and has totaled nearly 5,000 passing yards in his first two seasons at FIU. Blades was one of the top-rated defensive backs in coverage in the nation last season, racking up seven passes defended and one interception, which was returned for a touchdown. 

The league welcomes Delaware and Missouri State to its membership in 2025. The Blue Hens and Bears join continuing members FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP and WKU.

In addition to traditional press conferences and media availability, all participants will take part in a live ESPN+ show, hosted by ESPN's Mike Corey within a state-of-the-art studio at the PGA of America headquarters. Times for the live ESPN+ show will be announced at a later date.

A list of attendees for each institution is below. 

Team	Head Coach	Offensive Player	Defensive Player
Delaware	Ryan Carty	RB Jo'Nathan Silver	LB Dillon Trainer
FIU	Willie Simmons	QB Keyone Jenkins	DB Brian Blades II
Jax State	Charles Kelly	WR Michael Pettway	DL Darrell Prater
Kennesaw State	Jerry Mack	WR Christian Moss	DB JeRico Washington Jr.
LA Tech	Sonny Cumbie	OL Landon Nelson	DB Cedric Woods
Liberty	Jamey Chadwell	OL Aaron Fenimore	DB Brylan Green
Missouri State	Ryan Beard	QB Jacob Clark	DB J.J. O'Neal
MTSU	Derek Mason	QB Nicholas Vattiato	LB Parker Hughes
NM State	Tony Sanchez	QB Logan Fife	LB Tyler Martinez
Sam Houston	Phil Longo	OL James Dawn II	DB Tyler Bailey
UTEP	Scotty Walden	WR Kam Thomas	DL KD Johnson
WKU	Tyson Helton	QB Maverick McIvor	DE Harper Holloman

About the PGA of America

The PGA of America is one of the world's largest sports organizations, composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world's foremost sporting events. For more information, visit PGA.com and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook.