Coming off a conference championship and a national semi-final appearance, the Lenoir-Rhyne football team has been ranked first in the SAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Last season, the Bears finished with a 13-2 overall record and an 8-1 mark in SAC play. This included a big 48-7 win over Tusculum in the SAC Championship. Following that championship, LR advanced to the national semi-finals thanks to wins over Shepherd, Benedict, and Valdosta State, before falling to eventual champion Harding.
In addition to their impressive preseason ranking, the Bears also have six individuals named to the Preseason All-Piedmont Team. DeAree Rogers, star wide receiver, return specialist, and All-American, is returning after notching a team-high 53 catches last season for 690 yards and six touchdowns. In addition to his receiving accolades, Rogers also was Lenoir-Rhyne’s lead return man, as he returned three punts back for touchdowns last season and 14 kickoffs for 294 yards. Fellow wide receiver Songa Yates joins Rogers on the team, as he finished 46 receptions for 664 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns.
Tight End John Godwin was a force last season, totaling 19 catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns. He also was a key blocker for a team that saw 3,048 yards of rushing offense. The unsung hero of the team, long snapper Carson Keaton, returns to anchor the special teams. Keaton is as accurate as one can get as a long snapper, as none of his 52 snaps to punter Stewart Simmons were blocked last season.
Bolstering a defense that allowed just 14.67 ppg last season were defensive lineman Andre Jefferson and defensive back James Ussery. Jefferson, who was named to last season’s D2 Football Elite 100, led the nation last season with 24.0 tackles for loss, which included 13 sacks for 76 yards. Ussery was a lockdown DB for the Bears in 2023, notching 46 tackles to go along with three pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
The Doug Socha era at Lenoir-Rhyne begins on September 7th vs. Bowie State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Helen & Leanard Moretz Stadium.
2024 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Lenoir-Rhyne – 104 points (6 first-place votes)
2. Wingate – 94 points (3 first-place votes)
3. Limestone – 92 points
4. Mars Hill – 87 points (2 first-place votes)
5. Newberry – 73 points
6. Tusculum – 60 points
7. Catawba – 51 points
8. Carson-Newman – 49 points
9. Barton – 47 points
10. Emory & Henry – 33 points
11. UVA Wise – 20 points
12. Anderson – 16 points