• Preseason Release | OVC Media Guide | OVC Online Press Box
UT Martin was picked fifth in this year's OVC football preseason poll.
UTM is coming off its first eight-win season since 2008. The Skyhawks finished the year 8-3 overall which included a victory over Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foe Memphis; that win was the first over an FBS opponent in 15 all-time games for UTM. This season head coach
Jason Simpson, who enters his eighth season with the team which ties him for the longest tenured active coach in the OVC, returns six offensive and six defensive starters.
Last season the team's potent offense ranked 10th nationally in passing (299.55 yards/game) and 18th in scoring offense (33.55 points/game) but lost its starting quarterback, its top two rushers and an All-American wide receiver. The team does, however, return four offensive linemen and senior wide receiver
Jeremy Butler who hauled in 10 touchdown catches a year ago.
Defensively the team, who ranked seventh nationally in turnover margin (+1.18/game) last season, returns a pair of preseason All-OVC selections in senior linebacker
Ben Johnson and senior lineman
DJ Roberts. Johnson netted 131 total tackles last season, ranking him sixth nationally in tackles/game (11.91) while Roberts led the team with 11.5 tackles-for-loss which ranked first in the OVC (1.14/game).
BELOW VIDEOS
Head Coach Jason Simpson
OL Tyler Eady
LB Ben Johnson