Matt Middleton's mantra for the 2026 football season is straightforward and certainly understandable.
"We've got to stay healthy," he said.
Middleton and the Coyotes endured and in fact thrived last fall despite a mind boggling slew of knee injuries that included All-America running back Luke Armstrong, leading receiver Will Wilcox and defensive lineman Diego Davis, one of the top unit's top players. Quarterback Henry Austad played much of the season with a knee injury that would have sidelined many.
"That was my 25th season and I'd never been through injuries like that my entire career, and all in crucial spots," Middleton said of his first season at the KWU helm. "We played like six weeks in a row with a different receiving corps and (offensive) line corps."
KWU finished with a 7-4 record and tied for second in the Kansas Conference's rugged Gene Bissell Division at 3-2.
Reserve players stepped up and kept the Coyotes afloat, particularly tailback D'Heaven Domena, who rushed for 1,388 yards and 10 touchdowns as Armstrong's replacement. For Middleton, the experience was instructive.
"What I learned from it is you better have depth and that quality depth is so important," he said. "When you get hit with injuries like we got hit you better have depth at not one or two positions but everywhere.
"A year ago, we did not have depth. We felt good about some of our transfers then we went through all the season-ending injuries and you realized that depth was a major issue."
Middleton is confident that won't be the case in 2026.
"We brought in immediate help, and we brought in depth," he said. "We're going into the fall where we still don't know who certain starters are because we're thick in competition and depth whereas a year ago at certain spots that wasn't the case. We're still battling, trying to figure it out and are excited about it."
Middleton and his staff added another large transfer class.
"We brought in some guys that have played a lot of football at other levels above us and had success; guys that started Division II football that have come here to be a part of what we're trying to do," Middleton said.
The newcomers will bolster a group of returning starters who played a lot of football and were successful. Davis and Wilcox lead the list along with offensive linemen Jacob McCaskill, Samuel Lanza Ruffino and Juan Luna, linebacker Myles Elam and safeties Taylor Collins and Robert Rezex.
The starting quarterback job is up for grabs with a trio of transfers vying to be under center when the season starts August 29 at Ottawa. Caleb Deal comes from Division II Northwestern Oklahoma State, Wyatt Oak from Division II Southwest Minnesota State and Alec Jackson from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.
"All three are super talented, and we've got a really good battle," Middleton said. "Whoever emerges from that is a dude."
Other transfers of note are wide receivers Max Wilson from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Kevo Taylor from Football Championship Series (FCS) member Prairie View A&M, Dyelon Caradine from Division II Henderson State, and defensive end Kavion Majors from FCS member Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Middleton is also counting on several from last year's freshman class to contribute.
"The great part is our first recruiting class of freshmen was really good," he said. "They're a super talented group. We had some guys that had higher level offers that came here, and they can play.
"What we hope happens down the road is that we continue to sign young players like that and can develop them, so we don't have to be so transfer heavy. But right now, we're going to do what we've got to do to win and be successful."
Josh Qualls, offensive coordinator at Arkansas-Monticello last fall, was hired to coordinate the offense.
"That's enabled me to be more of a head coach to look over defense and special teams the way I should and still be involved offensively the way I have," he said. "I called the plays a year ago and that will still be a lot of the case now."
Numerous Coyotes were on campus this summer getting a head start on the season.
"Last summer we had 20 dudes here. I didn't feel like they were prepared the way they should have been prepared, so we brought in 92 the month of July," Middleton said. "They were running and lifting and doing all the things that we needed to be doing to be ahead of the game. That shows the buy-in from our kids. There were no hiccups, they wanted to be here."
The schedule is meat grinder once again. The Bissell Division featured three top 25 teams last season in Friends, McPherson and Southwestern along with KWU. That has not changed.
"It's a Murderer's Row," Middleton said.
The KCAC's other group, the Ted Kessinger Division, boasts nationally ranked Evangel and surging Ottawa which won its last four games a year ago.
"The Kessinger Division matters," Middleton said. "You get an automatic bid if you win your division but let's be real, what are the chances of somebody going undefeated in our division? The Kessinger matters because if you lose two or three in the first half and you only lose one (Bissell) game, you're out.
"I like the fact that every week matters. Week one matters as much as Week 10 because if you want to get in as an at-large you've got to win."
The home opener is September 5 against Bethany.
"I feel like we've attacked our immediate needs, and our immediate depth needs but in a conference like this, as good as it is from top to bottom, you've still got to go do it," Middleton said. "We've got potential, everybody's got potential, but what do you do with it? I think that's where we're at; we've got to grow up in a hurry.