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NASHVILLE - For the fifth time in seven years
Jacksonville State has been picked the preseason football favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks, who were a perfect 8-0 in league play for the second-straight year in 2015, received 16 of a possible 18 first-place votes in a poll of league head coaches and sports information directors.
The Gamecocks totaled 128 total points to out-distance
Eastern Kentucky and
Eastern Illinois in the vote. Eastern Kentucky finished second in the poll with 100 total points while Eastern Illinois picked up the other two first-place votes and finished third with 97 points.
UT Martin was tabbed fourth (96 points) and followed by
Southeast Missouri (66),
Tennessee State (55),
Tennessee Tech (45),
Murray State (43) and
Austin Peay (18).
Last season Jacksonville State became the first OVC team to be ranked No. 1 since the 1999 season and first Conference team to advance to the Division I National Championship game since 1982. The Gamecocks completed its second-straight 8-0 mark in league play and ran through the playoffs (outscoring its opponents 161-83 in three games) before coming up short against five-time defending national champion North Dakota State in the title game in Frisco, Texas. The performance earned now third-year head coach
John Grass AFCA National Coach of the Year honors, the first OVC coach to take home that prestigious award. Grass is now 23-4 in two years as a collegiate head coach. He has the luxury of returning All-American quarterback
Eli Jenkins this season. A year ago Jenkins was named FCS ADA National Quarterback of the Year as he led JSU to a 13-2 overall record in racking up nearly 4,000 yards of total offense and 36 touchdowns (21 passing, 15 rushing). Jenkins was one of just three quarterbacks at the Division I level (FBS or FCS) to pass for 2,700 or more yards and rush for 1,000 or more yards in 2015. Jenkins will pass the ball to fellow senior
Josh Barge who set a school record with 92 catches a season ago (which were the fifth-most in OVC single-season history). Barge enters the season with a catch in 40 consecutive games, a mark that is just four away from tying the OVC all-time record. The team also has three returning offensive lineman, all of who are on the Preseason All-OVC team. That group includes All-American center
Casey Dunn, junior guard
Justin Lea and junior tackle
Dylan Cline. JSU did graduate All-American running back Troymaine Pope who set a new OVC single-season record with 1,788 rushing yards last year, but returns sixth-year senior
Josh Clemons and adds Auburn transfer and former five-star recruit
Roc Thomas to the backfield. Defensively the team has to replace eight starters from a squad that ranked 12th nationally in total defense (300.3 yards/game allowed) but returns Preseason OVC Defensive Player of the Year
Darius Jackson and senior
Desmond Owino up front as well as senior defensive back
Jaylen Hill; all three were Preseason All-OVC selections.
Eastern Kentucky begins its first season under head coach
Mark Elder, who is just the fourth head coach over the past 53 years for the Colonels. EKU has six offensive and three defensive starters back from last year’s team that was 5-3 in OVC play. Among the returning players is senior quarterback
Bennie Coney who was 12th nationally a season ago with 23 passing touchdowns; Coney also passed for 2,471 yards in 11 games. Also back is senior wide receiver
Devin Borders who was Coney’s favorite target a season ago in hauling in 37 passes and scoring four touchdowns. The running game will be bolstered by sophomore
Ethan Thomas who rushed for a team-high 498 yards in nine games as a freshman in 2015. EKU should be solid on special teams again this season and have Preseason All-OVC selections at both kicker (
Lucas Williams) and punter (
Keith Wrzuszczak).
Eastern Illinois is coming off a season that saw the Panthers finish 7-1 in OVC play (losing only to JSU) and earn an at-large playoff berth. That was the 16th all-time playoff appearance for the program which is the sixth-most in FCS history. This season third-year head coach
Kim Dameron welcomes back nine offensive starters including Preseason All-OVC pick
Devin Church. In his first season with the Panthers in 2015, the running back netted 743 rushing yards and caught a team-high 36 passes. EIU also has three offensive line starters back including Preseason All-OVC selection
Evan Kanz. One question mark for the Panthers is at quarterback after the graduation of Jalen Whitlow who had over 2,400 yards of total offense last season. The team’s depth chart currently includes junior
Austin Green and sophomore
Jared Pilson who have combined to attempt 15 passes during their collegiate careers (all by Green). On defense senior linebacker
Seth McDonald is one of four starters returning. A season ago McDonald ranked second in the OVC with 109 tackles and was twice named OVC Defensive Player of the Week. Also back is junior defensive back
Bradley Dewberry who earned Preseason All-OVC accolades after netting 73 tackles and picking off four passes in 12 games a year ago.
UT Martin has been consistent under head coach
Jason Simpson who enters his 11th season in 2016 making him the dean of OVC football coaches. Simpson has won at least five Conference games in five of the past six seasons and has never had a losing season in his 10 years with the Skyhawks. The team has a challenging scheduled in 2016 including three games against FBS opponents (Cincinnati, Hawaii and Georgia State). UTM has 65 players returning from last year’s team that was third in the OVC but only nine of those returning players are starters. On offense junior wide receiver
Caylon Weathers returns after a breakout season in 2015; a year ago he caught 62 passes for 726 yards and eight touchdowns (after catching just eight passes as a freshman). Defensively the team is anchored by senior defensive lineman
Damani Taylor who is a Preseason All-OVC selection. In his first season with the Skyhawks the Martin native had 54 tackles, 9.0 tackles-for-loss and 5.5 sacks.
Southeast Missouri State has eight offensive and seven defensive starters back for third-year head coach
Tom Matukewicz. Coach Tuke has 25 total seniors on this year’s roster, the most for the program since the 2012 season. A strength for the program should be up front where four offensive lineman return including Preseason All-OVC selection
Garret Baker at guard. Last year the team was second in the OVC in rushing (182.9 yards/game) and also returns first-team All-OVC running back
Tremane McCullough. In his debut season with the Redhawks the Florida native rushed for 1,028 yards (third in the OVC) and five touchdowns while catching 33 passes; overall he ranked 22nd nationally in all-purpose yards (134.18/game). The team also returns sophomore quarterback
Dante Vandeven who went from No. 3 on the depth chart at the beginning of last season to the starter by game number four. He earned OVC Freshman of the Year honors after passing for 1,568 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushing for 292 yards and six additional scores. The Redhawks will look to senior linebacker
Roper Garrett to anchor its defensive attack. Garrett tallied 106 tackles last season after registering 96 as a sophomore in 2014.
Tennessee State looks to return to its winning ways after registering its first losing season since 2011 a year ago. The Tigers compiled a 4-6 record after dropping five of its final six games of the season. This season seventh year head coach
Rod Reed returns 65 letterwinners including six offensive and eight defensive starters. Among the defensive returners is junior defensive lineman
Ebenezer Ogundeko who finished his debut season with the Tigers by amassing 58 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks. Also back is junior linebacker
Chris Collins who led the team with 79 tackles a season ago. Offensively junior wide receiver
Patrick Smith returns after catching 54 passes for 996 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season playing for the Tigers; Smith ranked seventh nationally in receiving yards/game (99.6) and 13th nationally in receiving touchdowns. He will catch his passes from sophomore signal caller
O’Shay Ackerman-Carter who passed for 1,279 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games a season ago.
Marcus Satterfield begins his first season as Tennessee Tech’s head coach after spending the past three seasons as offensive coordinator at Temple. He has six offensive and seven defensive starters back from a team that ended last season with a pair of victories. One of the returning starters is junior
Brock McCoin who proved to be one of the most versatile players in the OVC a season ago. He caught 61 passes in the first eight games of the season before injuries pressed him into playing quarterback over the final three games where he passed for 458 yards. Overall he became the first Division I player in the past 20 years to have a 100-yard rushing game, 200-yard passing game and 200-yard receiving game in the same season. McCoin will not have to worry about playing quarterback this season as the team will look to Marshall transfer
Michael Birdsong to take over under center. Senior
Maleek Hall will steady the defense this season after ranking second nationally in passes defended/game (1.6); Hall had 17 pass breakups while also registering 64 tackles and blocking a pair of kicks in 11 games in 2015.
KD Humphries returns for his third season as the starting quarterback at Murray State. The senior enters the year ranked fifth in OVC history in completions (657) and ninth in career passing yards (7,342). Last year he ranked first in the FCS in passing yards (3,778) and completions/game (30.0) and was second in total offense (348.3 yards/game). Also back is Preseason All-OVC selection
Jesse Blackburn who made 48 catches and scored five touchdowns at the tight end position last year. The duo are two of six offensive starters back for second-year head coach
Mitch Stewart who took over last season after previously being the team’s offensive coordinator. In his first season as the team’s head coach Stewart helped the squad rank 12th nationally in total offense (466.1 yards/game).
Will Healy, the second youngest head coach in Division I at 31 years of age, begins a rebuilding program in Clarksville for an Austin Peay program that has won just one game over the previous three seasons. In the offseason Healy and his staff recruited one of the top classes in the FCS to go along with 56 returning letterwinners. Among the returning players is junior wide receiver
Jared Beard, who caught 49 passes for 576 yards and six touchdowns a season ago, and sophomore running back
Kendall Morris, who was seventh in the OVC with 690 rushing yards (62.7 yards/game) in his debut season. Defensively the squad returns senior defensive back
Roderick Owens (61 tackles, three interceptions) and senior linebacker
Antonio Turner (50 tackles).
2016 OVC Football Predicted Order of Finish
1. Jacksonville State (16 first-place votes) – 128 points
2. Eastern Kentucky - 100
3. Eastern Illinois (2) - 97
4. UT Martin - 96
5. Southeast Missouri - 66
6. Tennessee State - 55
7. Tennessee Tech - 45
8. Murray State - 43
9. Austin Peay - 18
Note: 8 points awarded for a first-place vote, 7 for second, etc. - Coaches and SID’s could not vote for their own teams