CARROLLTON, Ga. - After doubling a win total from year one to year two, UWG head football coach Joel Taylor has been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Region Three Coach of the Year.  

Taylor not only doubled UWG's win total, leading the Wolves to an 8-3 record, but the Wolves won six more Division I games in 2025 and won their first-ever game over a ranked opponent with the week two victory over Nicholls. 

The success of UWG's year two under Taylor was also noteworthy in the sense that no reclassifying team has ever won eight games against scholarship, Division I opponents since 2000. The previous high in that category was six, which was accomplished by North Dakota State in 2005 and Central Arkansas in 2007. 

Under Taylor's direction in 2025, UWG spent five consecutive weeks ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, and four consecutive weeks in the AFCA Coaches Poll, reaching as high as 16th in both polls. 

In the UAC, UWG finished 5-3 in 2025 after going 1-7 in league play in 2024. Heading into the season, UWG was picked to finish seventh in the UAC and finished fourth in 2025. 

Taylor will now be one of five finalists for the National Coach of the Year award which will be announced on Monday, December 15.