Gulf South Conference

West Georgia Repeats As GSC Football Favorite

8/3/2016 10:00:00 AM

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                  The University of West Georgia enters the season as the Gulf South Conference Preseason Favorite after finishing first in the 2016 GSC Coaches’ Poll.
                UWG became the eighth school to repeat as league favorites and first since Valdosta State topped the poll in 2012 and 2013.  The Wolves are coming off back-to-back trips to the NCAA Playoff Semifinals and seek their first-ever solo league crown after sharing the Title in 2015, 2000, 1997 and 1998. 
                West Georgia compiled 63 points in this year’s poll, claiming seven first-place votes and one second-place nod.  2015 Co-Champion North Alabama finished second via 53 points guided by six second-place votes.  Third-place Florida Tech earned its highest-ever ranking, claiming the final two first-place votes enroute to 48 points.  Delta State finished a close fourth-place with 46 points, followed by Valdosta State (40) and West Alabama (26).  Mississippi College officially returns to the Conference in seventh-place (21), while West Florida kicks off its first-ever campaign in eighth-place (16) and Shorter rounds out the poll with 11 points.
 

SCHOOL	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	Total
West Georgia	7	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	63
North Alabama	—	6	1	1	—	—	—	—	53
Florida Tech	2	1	1	3	1	—	—	—	48
Delta State	—	1	5	1	1	—	—	—	46
Valdosta State	—	—	2	4	2	—	—	—	40
West Alabama	—	—	—	—	3	4	1	—	26
Mississippi College	—	—	—	—	2	2	3	1	21
West Florida	—	—	—	—	—	3	2	3	16
Shorter	—	—	—	—	—	—	3	5	11

2016 PRESEASON ALL-GSC TEAM
 
                The 2016 Preseason All-GSC Football Team includes 28 total members and is led by 13 unanimous selections, six returning Preseason players and 12 All-Conference First Teamers spanning the past two seasons.
                Florida Tech led the way with eight Preseason standouts, followed closely by West Georgia’s seven honorees.  North Alabama (six) and Delta State (four) also put forth multiple members, while Shorter, Valdosta State and West Alabama closed out the representation with one each.
                The Preseason offense is headlined by last year’s top rusher and receiver.  SU fullback B.J. McCoy wrapped up 2015 with 1,489 total yards and a 148.9 per game average and he also led the GSC in all-purpose yards (149.6).  UNA’s Dre Hall led the league in total receiving yards (948) and yards per game (948) while also tying for tops in touchdown grabs with 10.  North Alabama guard Stephen Evans claimed Preseason laurels in 2015.  Over half the offensive unit were unanimous picks: UNA’s Hall, Evans and Ryan Harper, FIT’s Kenny Johnston and Matt Nelson and UWG’s Qa Walker and Austin Kasti.
                Spearheading Preseason defense are West Georgia defensive linemen Alex Armah and Dylan Donahue who finished first and second in sacks, respectively.  Donahue led the GSC with 12.0 sacks and also ranked second in tackles for loss (17.5), while Armah placed second in sacks (7.0) and fifth in tackles for loss (12.5).  Defensive backs, Florida Tech’s Manny Abad and North Alabama’s Philbert Martial, earned Preseason accolades for the third year in a row and Armah returns from the 2015 squad.  Unanimous picks include Armah, Donahue, Martial, FIT’s Chris Stapleton and VSU’s Kenny Moore. 
                Delta State’s Cody Mills highlights the Preseason Special Teams quartet as the lone unanimous member after topping the Conference in punt average a year ago (42.6).  Mills and UWG specialist Marcus Sayles captured First Team All-GSC nods in 2015.  UNA placekicker Kevin Henke top the GSC in field goals per game (1.50).   Completing the squad was West Georgia return specialist Telvin Brown who notched two punt returns for touchdowns.

OFFENSE

POS	NAME	SCHOOL	HT	WT	YEAR	HOMETOWN
QB	*Tyler Sullivan	Delta State	6-3	236	SR	Louisville, Miss.
RB	&!Trevor Sand	Florida Tech	5-11	205	SR	Seminole, Fla.
RB	#BJ McCoy	Shorter	5-8	215	SR	Villa Rica, Ga.
WR	#Dre Hall (U)	North Alabama	6-1	199	JR	Columbia, Tenn.
WR	$Qa Walker (U)	West Georgia	6-1	175	JR	Macon, Ga.
TE	Kenny Johnston (U)	Florida Tech	6-4	195	SR	Jacksonville, Fla.
AP	Ryan Harper (U)	North Alabama	5-11	225	SR	Stephenville, Texas
G	#Kevini Delgado	Florida Tech	6-5	357	SR	Miami, Fla.
G	!#Stephen Evans (U)	North Alabama	6-4	302	SR	Boston, Mass.
T	Matt Nelson (U)	Florida Tech	6-5	277	SR	Acworth, Ga.
T	Austin Kasti (U)	West Georgia	6-5	292	SR	Hiram, Ga.
C	$Blake Stone	Florida Tech	6-1	285	SR	Jacksonville, Fla.