SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Defending Southern Conference co-champion Furman is a consensus second place pick in a pair of preseason polls announced today at the league's annual media day, held at the Spartanburg Marriott.

Furman claimed one first place vote among the coaches and registered 55 points to finish second in the poll behind Wofford.  ETSU, which also earned one first place vote, was third in the poll. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.

The Paladins, Terriers, and Buccaneers shared the 2018 SoCon regular season title with 6-2 league records.  Furman beat Wofford, 34-14, in Greenville but let a 27-6 third quarter lead at ETSU slip away in an eventual 29-27 loss to the Buccaneers.

The media poll also placed Furman second behind Wofford, with the Paladins claiming six of 29 first place votes.

Furman won six of its final seven games a year ago to finish 6-4 after an early September home game against Colgate was canceled due to Hurricane Florence.

Seven Paladins were named to the preseason all-conference team selected by vote of the head coaches.

Earning first team all-conference tabs were redshirt junior offensive tackle Bo Layton, redshirt sophomore bandit Adrian Hope, and junior placekicker Grayson Atkins.

Named to the second team were junior tailback Devin Wynn, redshirt senior offensive tackle Andy Godwin, senior wide receiver Thomas Gordon, and junior linebacker Elijah McKoy.

Layton earned consensus first team All-SoCon honors a year ago after making 10 starts and totaling 574 plays while helping the Paladins capture a share of the 2018 SoCon championship.  The Knoxville, Tenn., product and biology major sports a 3.63 GPA and anchors a Furman offensive front that returns all five starters.

Hope burst onto the scene in 2018 by registering an FCS leading 15.0 sacks and five forced fumbles en route to earning second team Associated Press All-America honors.  The Ocala, Fla., native finished fourth in voting (tops among defensive players) for the STATS Jerry Rice Award, which is presented annually to the top freshman in the FCS.

Atkins joined Hope in earning second team AP All-America honors in 2018 after converting 11-of-13 field goals, including four from 50+ yards.  The Inman, S.C., product heads into the 2019 season riding a streak of 11 consecutive made field goals, just one shy of the Furman standard.

Wynn is coming off a 2018 season that saw him rush for a team leading 722 yards and six touchdowns.  The Greensboro, Ga., product ran for 512 yards and four scores over the final five games.

Godwin, a second team All-SoCon pick from Neptune Beach, Fla., made eight starts a year ago before being sidelined by injury.

Furman's most experienced performer on offense with 27 career starts, Gordon, a Charlotte, N.C. native, ranks among the program's all-time leaders in receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,776).  Among his six career touchdown receptions are two covering 77 yards and a career-best 83-yard hookup. 

McKoy paced Furman and ranked second in the SoCon with 91 tackles in 2018.  The Rome, Ga., native has registered 20 consecutive starts and has played a key role in the Paladins going 12-4 in SoCon play over the past two seasons.

Furman, which returns 17 starters under head coach Clay Hendrix, who is entering his third season at the program's helm, kicks off the 2019 season at home on Aug. 29 versus Charleston Southern.

2019 SoCon Preseason Polls

Coaches
No.    Team (first-place)    Points
1)    Wofford (7)    63
2)    FURMAN (1)    55
3)    ETSU (1)    44
4)    Chattanooga    40
5)    Mercer    34
6)    Samford    33
7)    The Citadel    22
8)    Western Carolina    21
9)    VMI    12

Media
No.    Team (first-place)    Points
1)    Wofford (21)    253
2)    FURMAN (6)    229
3)    ETSU (2)    187
4)    Mercer    146
5)    Chattanooga    134
6)    Samford    125
7)    The Citadel    111
8)    Western Carolina    88
9)    VMI    32

2019 SoCon Preseason Honorees

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Tyrie Adams, QB, R-Sr., Western Carolina

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Nasir Player, DL, R-Sr., ETSU

First Team Offense
QB    Tyrie Adams, R-Sr., Western Carolina
RB    Quay Holmes, R-So., ETSU
RB    Tyray Devezin, Jr., Mercer
OL    Bo Layton, R-Jr., Furman
OL    Austin Sanders, R-Sr., Mercer
OL    Nick Nixon, Sr., Samford
OL    Justus Basinger, Sr., Wofford
OL    Michael Ralph, Sr., Wofford
TE    Owen Cosenke, Jr., Western Carolina
WR    Bryce Nunnelly, Jr., Chattanooga
WR    Javeon Lara, Sr., VMI

First Team Defense
DL    Joseph Randall II, Sr., The Citadel
DL    Jason Maduafokwa, R-Sr., ETSU
DL    Nasir Player, R-Sr., ETSU
DL    Thad Mangum, Sr., Wofford
LB    Willie Eubanks III, Jr., The Citadel
LB    Adrian Hope, R-So., Furman
LB    Marshall Cooper, Sr., Chattanooga
DB    Tyree Robinson, Jr., ETSU
DB    Brandon Dowdell, Jr., Chattanooga
DB    Jerrell Lawson, R-Jr., Chattanooga
DB    A.J. Smith, Jr., VMI
DB    Ronald Kent Jr., So., Western Carolina

First Team Specialists
PK    Grayson Atkins, Jr., Furman
PK    Mitchell Fineran, So., Samford
P    Matthew Campbell, So., The Citadel
RS    David Durden, So., Mercer

Second Team Offense
QB    Reece Udinski, Jr., VMI
RB    Devin Wynn, Jr., Furman
RB    Tyrell Price, Sr., Chattanooga
OL    Haden Haas, R-So., The Citadel
OL    Drew McEntyre, Sr., The Citadel
OL    Ben Blackmon, R-Sr., ETSU
OL    Tre'mond Shorts, R-So., ETSU
OL    Andy Godwin, R-Sr., Furman
OL    Cole Strange, R-Jr., Chattanooga
OL    Blake Jeresaty, Jr., Wofford
TE    Chris Ellington, Sr., Mercer
WR    Thomas Gordon, Sr., Furman
WR    David Durden, So., Mercer

Second Team Defense
DL    Dorian Kithcart, R-Sr., Mercer
DL    Justin Foster, Sr., Samford
DL    Nelson Jordan, So., Samford
DL    Mikel Horton, Jr., Wofford
LB    Elijah McKoy, Jr., Furman
LB    Will Coneway, R-Sr., Mercer
LB    Jireh Wilson, Sr., Wofford
DB    Jeremy Lewis, Sr., ETSU
DB    Malique Fleming, R-Jr., Mercer
DB    Mason Alstatt, Sr., Wofford
DB    George Gbesee, Sr., Wofford

Second Team Specialists
PK    Jacob Godek, Sr., The Citadel
P    Luke Carter, Sr., Wofford
RS    Rohan Martin, Sr., VMI