• HERO Sports Preseason Top 25
After a historic 2019 season, the Austin Peay football team was tabbed No. 13 in the HERO Sports FCS Top 25 Preseason Poll released on Wednesday.
Austin Peay, the lone OVC team ranked among the Top 25, returns 14 starters from a 2019 team that won the program’s second-ever OVC title and clinched its first-ever postseason berth. The Governors parlayed their postseason appearance into victories against Furman and Sacramento State en route to the NCAA Division I Football Championship’s quarterfinal round.
Austin Peay finished last season ranked No. 9 in the final HERO Sports FCS Top 25 poll and No. 8 in the final STATS Inc. FCS Top 25 poll.
Among the Governors' returnees are 2019 All-Americans nickelback Kordell Jackson and wide receiver DeAngelo Wilson. In addition, All-OVC offensive lineman Blake Mitchell and defensive lineman Josephus Smith return as do sophomore All-American linebacker Jack McDonald and freshman All-American offensive lineman Bucky Williams.
Southeast Missouri and UT Martin were each among the others receiving votes.
HERO Sports will release its Preseason All-American Team on Thursday.
2020 Preseason HERO Sports FCS Top 25
1. North Dakota State
2. South Dakota State
3. Northern Iowa
4. Sacramento State
5. James Madison
6. Weber State
7. Montana
8. Villanova
9. Montana State
10. Central Arkansas
11. Kennesaw State
12. Illinois State
13. Austin Peay
14. Furman
15. Delaware
16. Princeton
17. New Hampshire
18. Eastern Washington
19. North Carolina A&T
20. Florida A&M
21. The Citadel
22. Southern Illinois
23. Sam Houston State
24. Albany
25. Yale
Receiving Votes (alphabetical): Alcorn State, Chattanooga, Dartmouth, Elon, Nicholls, Portland State, Southeast Missouri, UT Martin, Wofford