East Texas A&M Fuels FCS Kickoff Game to Second-Largest TV Audience on Record

COMMERCE – The 2026 FCS Kickoff featuring the East Texas A&M University football team and Mercer University drew 822,000 viewers on ESPN, making it the second-most-watched game in the 12-year history of the FCS Kickoff. The primetime matchup, played on Mercer’s campus to open the 2026 season, nearly doubled the viewership from last season’s FCS Kickoff. It was the fourth-highest viewed game of the opening weekend across all ESPN Networks, behind only TCU-North Carolina, NC State-Virginia, and the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. Archer Construction & Design was the game’s jersey patch sponsor for East Texas A&M. The record-setting audience continues a period…