Meet Them in St. Pete, Fuel Them All Season: Your Guide to the 2026 American Kickoff

Football season doesn’t start when the ball is kicked in late August. It starts this week, Thursday and Friday, July 23-24, when the American Conference brings its annual Kickoff to St. Petersburg, Florida, for the first time. All 14 head coaches and 28 of the league’s top players will be at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, and here’s the part that matters for RallyFuel fans: you’re invited.

This isn’t a media-only event behind velvet ropes. Free registration at TheAmerican.org/Kickoff gets you into live press conferences, behind-the-scenes looks at the ESPN+ broadcast, an EA Sports College Football 2026 gaming lounge, and real face-to-face meet-and-greets with the athletes you’ll be cheering for and fueling all fall.

Why This Event Fits the NIL Era Perfectly

The American isn’t just any conference when it comes to NIL. It was the first league in the country to set NIL minimums for its student-athletes, before the House settlement reshaped college sports, and its “Built To Rise” identity is all about athlete opportunity. An open-door Kickoff where fans shake hands with players is exactly what the new era of college football looks like: the wall between fans and athletes is coming down.

That’s the same idea RallyFuel is built on. You meet a player Friday morning, you believe in his season, and you can back him directly, with 90% of every fuel going straight to the athlete and a full refund if conditions aren’t met. Shake the hand, then fuel the man.

The Athletes You Can Meet

Twenty-eight players will be in the building, two from each of the 14 football programs. Five earned all-conference honors last season:

• Brady Small, C, Army
• CJ Doggette Jr., DL, Florida Atlantic
• Quinton Jackson, RB, Rice
• Peter Clarke, TE, Temple
• Jack Tchienchou, S, Tulane

And the quarterback room is loaded. Six projected starters are attending, including FAU’s Caden Veltkamp (3,600+ yards, 24 TDs last season), UTSA’s Owen McCown (nearly 3,000 yards, 30 TDs), and Tulsa’s Baylor Hayes, who set a freshman record with 12 touchdown passes in just nine starts. UAB’s Ryder Burton, Navy’s Braxton Woodson, and Rice transfer Jacurri Brown round out the QB contingent.

These are exactly the kind of verified American Conference athletes you’ll find on RallyFuel. Browse them by school, position, or team and start fueling before the season’s first snap.

Your Two-Day Game Plan

Thursday, July 23: Registration opens at 11 a.m. Kickoff Central in the St. Petersburg Ballroom runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with EA Sports gaming, photos, and meet-and-greets. Low-key day, high access.

Friday, July 24: The main event. Doors at 7 a.m., Commissioner Tim Pernetti speaks at 8:05, then all 14 head coaches take the podium in 20-minute slots through 1 p.m., ending with South Florida’s Brian Hartline.

Plan around your team’s rotation blocks:

Bulls and Owls fans get the closing shift, so sleep in, roll up mid-morning, and catch your squads to end the day.

Watching From Home?

ESPN+ goes live at 7:50 a.m. ET Friday with nearly six hours of coverage. Maria Trivelpiece hosts with analysts Rene Ingoglia and Leger Douzable and reporter Erin Summers, interviewing coaches and players from all 14 teams. A second feed carries every press conference in full.

The RallyFuel Bottom Line

College football’s offseason used to be about waiting. Now it’s about connecting. The American brought its biggest preseason stage to St. Pete and opened it to fans, and RallyFuel lets you carry that connection into the season. Meet the athletes this weekend. Fuel them all year.

Find your school and start fueling: South Florida • Tulane • Rice • Florida Atlantic • East Carolina • Memphis • UTSA • Tulsa • Temple • North Texas • Army • Navy • Charlotte • UAB • Wichita State

Not an American Conference fan? RallyFuel covers programs nationwide, including Sun Belt contenders James Madison and Old Dominion.

Browse 3,300+ verified American Conference athletes and back your team, your way.