The South Atlantic Conference Announces 2021 Football Preseason Poll and Players to Watch List

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Lenoir-Rhyne has been voted as the conference favorite by the South Atlantic Conference football head coaches, the League announced today.  The Bears collected five first-place votes and 69 points in the poll. 

The Bears took home their ninth SAC Football Championship in program history in 2019, finishing the season with a record of 13-1 overall and 8-0 in conference. The Bears then went on to finish the 2021 spring season with a 3-1 overall record, with their lone loss coming against Tusculum in the SAC Spring Football Championship game. In addition to winning the 2019 SAC title, the Bears advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Bears are a preseason No. 2 pick according to Lindy's Sports and they are a No. 7 pick according the College Football America Yearbook Preseason Poll.

The Bears had one of the most potent offenses in all of Division II in 2019, as they ranked eighth in the nation in scoring (42.0 points per game) and seventh in the nation in rushing offense (269 yards per game). Quarterback Grayson Willingham returns to lead the offense. In just four games during the spring of 2021 he threw for 951 yards, seven touchdowns and had a 163.8 QB efficiency rating. Running back Dwayne McGee also shined for the Bears in the spring as he racked up 511 yards in four games, averaging 127.8 yards per game with four touchdowns.  

The defensive side of the ball is equally as impressive, with the Bears finishing 2019 ranked eighth in DII in rushing defense, allowing just 81.9 yards per game. The Bears were also ranked 16^th in scoring defense, posting 17.4 points per game on defense, and they allowed just 293.7 total yards of offense, ranking them 18^th in the DII. Linebacker Jon Ross Maye made a big impact for Lenoir-Rhyne in the spring of 2021 with 27 solo tackles and 34 total tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss in just four games. Fellow linebacker Percy King was a thief with four interceptions and he added 25 total tackles during the spring season.   

At No. 2 in the poll was Wingate with 63 points and a first place vote.  The Bulldogs are coming off their third straight NCAA DII playoff appearance in 2019, finishing the season with a record of 10-2 overall and 7-1 in conference. Wingate's offense produced 4,749 yards in 2019, including 2,427 yards through the air and 2,322 yards on the ground. Defensively, the Bulldogs allowed just 21.9 points in 2019 on 322.1 yards of offense. Wingate will open the 2021season as the No. 19 team in the nation according to the College Football America Yearbook.  

Newberry checks in at No. 3 in the 2021 preseason poll with 58 points and a first place vote.  The Wolves are coming off a 5-6 campaign in 2019 and a 5-1 record in the spring of 2021. Newberry's lone loss of the spring season was an overtime thriller, 27-20, to Lenoir-Rhyne. The Wolves will look to continue their dominance on the ground this season after posting a league-leading 1,581 rushing yards in five games in the spring, averaging 263.5 yards per game. Mario Anderson was impressive in his Wolves debut, posting 206 yards rushing in just two games in the spring, averaging 103 yards per game. Newberry was also impressive on defense during the spring season, allowing just 268.5 yards per game and a conference-best 15.7 points per game.

The Tusculum Pioneers came in at No. 4 in the preseason poll with 52 points and two first place votes. They finished the 2019 season with a 5-6 overall record, but were the 2021 SAC Spring Football Champions with a 4-1 overall record. The Pioneers defeated Lenoir-Rhyne in the championship game 28-23. The Pioneers were ranked No. 2 in the league in defense, allowing just 17.6 points per game and 311.2 total yards per game, including only allowing 84 rushing yards per game. Tusculum also put up some big numbers on offense, scoring 37.6 points per game in five games, including a league-best 1,971 yards of passing offense.

Carson-Newman landed at No. 5 in the preseason poll with 46 points.  The Eagles went 9-3 overall in 2019 and advanced to the NCAA Division II postseason, but were only able to play one 2021 spring game, a 40-37 overtime win against UVA Wise. Eagle quarterback Trey Mitchell shined in that game, throwing for 282 yards with two touchdowns and another 10 yards rushing. Receivers JJ Lewis and DeQuan Dudley were also major play makers hauling in 100 and 94 yards, respectively, with a touchdown each. Defensively, Kendall Williams had nine solo tackles, including a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. The Eagles are a preseason No. 14 pick according to the College Football America Yearbook.

At No. 6 in the poll was Limestone with 32 points.  The Saints finished the 2019 campaign with a 3-8 record, going 2-6 in the SAC. Returning to lead the Saints is the team's leading rusher in 2019, Jerko'ya Patton. He rushed for 965 yards with nine touchdowns during the 2019 season. On defense, defensive end Zane Boozer leads the Saints. He racked up 16 total tackles during the spring of 2021 with three sacks and four and half tackles for loss.

Coming in at No. 7 in the poll was Mars Hill. The Lions closed out the 2019 season with a record of 5-6 overall, going 4-4 in conference. The Lions were the top pass team in the SAC in 2019, throwing for 3,367 yards as a team, including a league-leading 30 passing touchdowns.  

Rounding out the poll at No. 8 was UVA Wise and Catawba at No. 9.  

In their second year of SAC competition, the Cavaliers went 2-9 overall and posted a 1-7 record in SAC play in 2019, while going 1-2 during the 2021 spring season.

Catawba went 1-10 overall with a 0-8 SAC record in 2019, and the Catawba Indians posted an 0-2 record during the 2021 spring season.

In addition to the preseason coaches poll, the SAC also released its 2021 Football Players to Watch list. In lieu of a traditional preseason all-conference team, the SAC compiled a list of the top offensive, defensive, and special teams players from each team to keep an eye on during the 2021 season. The full list of players to watch is listed below by team. 

The 2021 SAC football season will kick-off on Thursday, September 2 with Wingate, Mars Hill, and Carson-Newman all hosting non-conference games. The remaining six teams will suit up for season openers on Saturday, September 4. The full 2021 schedule, along with links to the SAC Live Digital Network and live stats can be found online at www.thesac.com.

2021 SAC Football Preseason Coaches Poll

2021 SAC Football Players to Watch

Carson-Newman

RB - Troy Dendy
WR - Braxton Westfield
QB - Trey Mitchell

LB - Rondrow Peebles
LB - Daniel Dixon-Brooks
LB - Trayzel Jureidini-Wyche

K - Christian Erwin
RS - Devon Moore
LS - Andrew Bradshaw

Catawba

QB - Ken Avent
WR - Kujuan Pryor
OT - Demetrius Blackwell

DL - John Oxce
S - D'Verick Daniel
LB - Christian Bennett

K/P - Clayton Crile
RS - Rasheed Singleton
LS - Keaton Chamber

Lenoir-Rhyne

QB - Grayson Willingham
WR - Dareke Young
RB - D'Wayne McGee

DT - Dan Louba
S - Eric Jackson
DT - Amari Houston

K - Chase Allbaugh
P - Michael Owen
RS - Dre Lester

Limestone

QB – Dustin Noller
RB – Jerko'ya Patton
WR – Juwan Scott

DB – Kris Williams
LB – Jaiden Clayton
DE – Zane Boozer

P – Austin Kemp
LS – AJ Covan
K – Nathan Baker

Mars Hill

QB - Jimmy Urzua
TE - Ty Snelson
WR - Marquis Williams 

LB - Dexter Fitzpatrick 
LB - Landon Honeycutt
DL - Tyler Sims

RS - Marquis Williams
RS - CJ Thompson

Newberry

C - Alec Blackmon
QB - Dre Harris
RB - Mario Anderson

DB - Anthony Blue
DE - Ty Kelly
DT - Tyran Dixon

K - Carter Parrot
P - Gibson Marsh

Tusculum

WR - Justice Parham
WR - Derek Wright
QB -  Ivan Corbin

LB - Craig Watts
DL - Nelson Louis
DB - Jermaine Witherspoon

P - Andrew Cantrell
RS - Tyler Burke
RS - Jarvis Jones

UVA Wise

WR - Caleb Martin
WR - Dorian Goddard
TE - Keishoen Jarrett

DL - Rondre Knowles-Tenner
DL - Chavon Fields
LB - Deandre Williams

P - Drew Vermillion

Wingate

RB - Nijere Peoples
QB - Shaw Crocker
OL - Andrew Strickland

DT - Jordon Anderson
LB - Jaquan Edwards
DB - Romario Johnson

K - McLean Robertson
P - Ethan Evans
LS - Tucker Mullis

- #MakeSACYours –