Rock Hill, S.C.----Coming off a historic season, the Wingate University Bulldogs have been picked to finish second in the preseason South Atlantic Conference football poll. The preseason poll was voted on by the league's head coaches. In addition, four Bulldogs have earned preseason all-conference accolades.
Jaquan Edwards,
Tre Morrison,
Jaheim Mullen and
Marquise Fleming are preseason All-SAC Piedmont Division honorees.
Newberry is the preseason favorite, earning six of the 12 first-place votes, followed by Wingate, who picked up four first-place votes. Lenoir-Rhyne and Limestone are third and fourth in the preseason poll, with each team picking up one first-place vote. Mars Hill is fifth, followed by Tusculum, Carson-Newman, Barton and Emory & Henry. UVA Wise is 10th, with Catawba and Erskine rounding out the poll.
The Bulldogs went 11-3 last season, earning a share of the Piedmont division championship. Wingate earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II play-offs, the fourth play-off appearance in the last five seasons. The 'Dogs won 32-7 at #14 Virginia Union in the opening round, then prevailed 23-6 at #7 Benedict in round two to advance to the NCAA National Quarterfinals for the first time in program history. The 11 wins are a program record for the Bulldogs.
Wingate led the nation in tackles for loss, ranking second in total defense and third down defense and third in scoring defense, red zone defense and sacks. The 'Dogs allowed just 12.7 points per game last season, while piling up 61 sacks and 142 tackles for loss.
Morrison hauled in the awards last season, earning first team All-SAC and All-Region accolades. He was named a first team All-American by the D2 Associated Press, while earning second team honors from the AFCA and D2CCA. Morrison had 21 pass break-ups and five interceptions, adding 37 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. He also had a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Morrison led the nation in passes defended in 2022. He had interceptions in the wins at Fayetteville State and Tusculum, while adding the fumble recovery for a score against the Pioneers. His pick in overtime at Limestone sealed Wingate's dramatic comeback win after trailing 21-0 in the fourth quarter. He also had an interception in the UVA Wise victory. Morrison had a pick in the end zone in the play-off win at Benedict.
Fleming was an All-SAC and All-Region honoree in 2022. He was a huge force on the nation's top-ranked defense, piling up 70 tackles including 22.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He added 14 QB hurries, three forced fumbles and a pair of pass break-ups. He ranked 11th in the nation in sacks and 17th in tackles for loss, leading the team in both categories. Fleming had a monster game at Tusculum, with nine tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and three QB hurries. He had four TFLs including three sacks against UVA Wise, while notching eight tackles with 2.5 sacks in the play-off win at Benedict.
Edwards was another All-SAC and All-Region honoree for the Bulldog defense in 2022. The team captain piled up 87 tackles on the year, with 10 tackles for loss, an interception and a pass break-up. Edwards was second on the team in total tackles and fifth in tackles for loss. He had eight or more tackles in eight of his 13 games. He had 10 tackles in the season-opening win at Shaw and 11 tackles in the Tusculum victory. Edwards had nine tackles including three TFLs in the win over UVA Wise. He had a pick-six in the play-off victory at Virginia Union.
Mullen earns league honors for the first time in his career. He registered 50 tackles in the 2022 season, notching 1.5 tackles for loss while adding a pair of interceptions and four pass break-ups. Mullen had an interception and 43-yard return in the win over UVA Wise, adding four tackles. He also had a 15-yard interception return in the play-off win at Benedict. Mullen piled up eight tackles at West Florida in the national quarterfinals.
Wingate opens the 2023 season at home, hosting Albany State Thursday, August 31 at 6 p.m. The 'Dogs are at Mars Hill the following Thursday, while hosting Tusculum Saturday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs welcome Limestone to Irwin Belk Stadium for Homecoming on Oct. 14 at 3 p.m., while hosting Lenoir-Rhyne Oct. 28 for Senior Day at 6 p.m.
2023 SAC Football Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Score |
| 1. |
Newberry (6) |
114 |
| 2. |
Wingate (4) |
109 |
| 3. |
Lenoir-Rhyne (1) |
101 |
| 4. |
Limestone (1) |
88 |
| 5. |
Mars Hill |
85 |
| 6. |
Tusculum |
79 |
| 7. |
Carson-Newman |
58 |
| 8. |
Barton |
48 |
| 9. |
Emory & Henry |
41 |
| 10. |
UVA Wise |
33 |
| 11. |
Catawba |
22 |
| 12. |
Erskine |
14 |
2023 Preseason All-SAC Football Teams
ALL- PIEDMONT OFFENSE
QB – Dustin Noller, Limestone
RB – Dwayne McGee, Lenoir-Rhyne
RB – Jordan Terrell, Barton
RB – Tre Stewart, Limestone
WR – Jelani Baker, Limestone
WR – Kelin Parsons, Lenoir-Rhyne
WR – Drew Dixon, Limestone
OL – Blake Jefferson, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL – Noah Mangum, Newberry
OL – Luke Bond, Limestone
OL – Xavier Jennings, Lenoir-Rhyne
OL – Alex Buschow, Barton
TE – Tommy Washington, Newberry
LS – Blake Arnoult, Newberry
RS – Kujuan Pryor, Catawba
ALL-PIEDMONT DEFENSE
DL – Devante Gambrell, Newberry
DL – Marquise Fleming, Wingate
DL – Malik Devine-Brown, Newberry
DL – Andre Jefferson, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB – Jaquan Edwards, Wingate
LB – Shane Perry, Barton
LB – Jon Ross Maye, Lenoir-Rhyne
LB – Chandler Matthews, Limestone
DB – Tre Morrison, Wingate
DB – C'Darius Kelley, Lenoir-Rhyne
DB – Ahmond Glass, Limestone
DB – Jaheim Mullen, Wingate
P – Bryan Frey, Limestone
ALL- MOUNTAIN OFFENSE
QB – Kyle Short, Emory & Henry
RB – TJ King, Carson-Newman
RB – Tyree Nelson, Carson-Newman
RB – Justin Hill, Emory & Henry
WR – Tyler Burke, Tusculum
WR – Malik Laurent, Mars Hill
WR – Tmahdae Penn, Emory & Henry
OL – Leondre Andreas, Mars Hill
OL – Ben Shellenback, Tusculum
OL – Justin Bullock, Mars Hill
OL – Ricky Dodson, Emory & Henry
OL – Christian Jones, Carson-Newman
TE – Bryce Moore, Tusculum
PK – Christian Erwin, Carson-Newman
LS – Andrew Bradshaw, Carson-Newman
RS – Eddie Watson, Tusculum
ALL- MOUNTAIN DEFENSE
DL – Dajavon White, Tusculum
DL – Boris Lewis, Mars Hill
DL – Damipi Lamboni, Mars Hill
DL – Joslyn Mira, Tusculum
LB – Landon Honeycutt, Mars Hill
LB – Ryan Dolce, Tusculum
LB – Wesley Scott, Tusculum
LB – Earnest Johnson III, Tusculum
DB – Monroe Sanderson, Mars Hill
DB – Major Williams, Carson-Newman
DB – Addison Knicely, Emory & Henry
DB – Tristan Rankin, Mars Hill
P – Ethan Muncy, Emory & Henry
