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After capturing the CIAA Southern Division title and finishing the 2025-26 season with a 23-6 overall record and a dominant 14-2 mark in conference play, Fayetteville State enters the 2026-27 season with a target on its back. The Broncos were the class of the Southern Division a year ago, going a perfect 10-0 against divisional opponents and closing the regular season on a remarkable 17-game winning streak. Under second-year head coach Devin Hoehn, expectations have shifted from contender to championship standard. 

The biggest storyline entering the season is how the Broncos replace the production and leadership of several key contributors from last year's championship squad. Fayetteville State's 2025-26 team was driven by award-winning talent, highlighted by CIAA Player of the Year Larry Howell and CIAA Sixth Man of the Year Ezekiel Cannedy. Replacing that experience will be no small task, but Hoehn has assembled a roster that blends returning contributors, transfers, and young talent capable of maintaining the program's momentum.

While much of the roster looks different, the identity of the program remains unchanged. Hoehn's teams are built on relentless defensive pressure, toughness, pace, and unselfish basketball. In just one season, he transformed the Broncos into one of the CIAA's most complete teams, and the expectation is that the same culture will allow this year's group to develop quickly despite personnel changes.

The schedule will provide an immediate test. Fayetteville State opens with a challenging nonconference slate designed to prepare the Broncos for another postseason run. Early-season matchups will give the coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate rotations and establish chemistry before conference play begins in December. Those games could prove invaluable as a relatively new roster learns to compete together.

Once CIAA competition begins, every opponent will be eager to knock off the league's defending champions. The Southern Division should again be competitive, with Claflin looking to build off a 17-win campaign and programs such as Shaw and Johnson C. Smith aiming to climb the standings. Meanwhile, the Northern Division remains loaded with championship-caliber teams in Virginia Union, Virginia State, and Bluefield State, all of whom finished with at least 16 victories last season.

For the Broncos, success will likely be determined by how quickly the new pieces embrace Hoehn's system and whether new leaders emerge. Fayetteville State has established itself as one of the CIAA's premier programs, and the standard is no longer simply competing for a division title. The expectation is to challenge for another CIAA championship and position itself for postseason opportunities beyond the conference tournament.

With a proven head coach, a championship culture, and a roster hungry to build its own legacy, the Broncos enter the 2026-27 season prepared to defend their conference crown. The faces may be different, but the goal remains the same: keep Fayetteville State at the top of the CIAA.