GREENVILLE, S.C. — Furman is a consensus first place pick in a pair of Southern Conference preseason polls, and 15 Paladins have earned preseason all-conference accolades, it was announced today at the league's annual football media day at Greenville's Hotel Hartness. 

Furman and Samford tied for first place in the coaches poll with 59 points, the Paladins earning five first place votes to the Bulldogs' four.  The media poll had a decisively purple verdict, with Furman earning the top spot with 30 first place votes and 345 points, while Samford finished second with eight first place votes and 316 points.

Mercer, Chattanooga, and Western Carolina followed in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively in both polls.

The last time Furman earned a preseason No. 1 tab in both polls was 2005, when the Paladins went 11-3, finished second in the league standings, and advanced to the semifinals of the FCS (then NCAA I-AA) playoffs. 

In 2004 Furman backed up its consensus No. 1 preseason picks by claiming a share of the SoCon championship in a 10-3 campaign.

The 2023 Paladins are poised to welcome 52 lettermen and 20 starters off a 10-3 team that posted seven consecutive wins en route to an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, where the Paladins claimed a 31-6 first round home win over CAA member Elon.  Furman, which finished 2022 a consensus 10th in AFCA and Stats Perform polls, kicks off its 2023 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 31, when it entertains Tennessee Tech in a 7:00 p.m. contest at Paladin Stadium.

Among the 15 Paladins accorded preseason All-SoCon honors in voting by the coaches are seven first team selections.  They include offensive linemen Jacob Johanning and Pearson Toomey, running back Dominic Roberto, linebacker Braden Gilby, defensive backs Travis Blackshear and Hugh Ryan, and long snapper Julian Ashby. Named to the second team were quarterback Tyler Huff, wide receiver Joshua Harris, a trio of defensive linemen — Jack Barton, Matt Sochovka, and Sirod Cook — defensive back Kam Brinson, placekicker Ian Williams, and return specialist Wayne Anderson, Jr.

Johanning, an All-SoCon and AFCA All-America selection a year ago, boasts 30 starts and over 2,000 play participations in his Paladin tenure.  The Simpsonville, S.C., product, was tabbed by Hero Sports' Sam Herder as the ninth best offensive lineman in FCS heading into the 2023 campaign.

Toomey joined Johanning in landing All-SoCon honors a year ago and was recently tabbed the 17th best offensive lineman in the FCS by Hero Sports.  The Jacksonville, Fla., native owns 22 starts and counts 1,536 play participations.

Benefiting from the strong up-front work of Johanning and Toomey, Roberto rushed for 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022 to collect second team All-SoCon accolades.  The 5-foot-11, 232-pound Fayetteville, N.C., native has registered some impressive numbers against SoCon foes — namely Western Carolina (448 yds., 9.1 ypc, 6 TDs last two games) and The Citadel (265 yds., 8.8 ypc, 3 TDs last two games).  He enters his final season with 2,143 career rushing yards, good for 12th in program history.

Gilby, who has compiled 263 tackles over the course of a 47-game Paladin tenure that features 32 starts, earned second team All-SoCon honors a year ago after pacing the squad with 94 tackles, including a team leading 21 for-loss.  The St. Petersburg, Fla., product headlined a dominant defensive performance in a 23-13 triumph over 11th-ranked Mercer, recording 12 tackles and a sack that helped limit the Bears to just 13 points after entering the contest averaging 40.3 ppg.

Blackshear was a consensus SoCon coaches second team all-league pick last fall who tallied 46 tackles in 13 games, highlighted by a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 41-3 win over VMI.  In addition, he blocked a pair of field goals, including one he returned 65 yards for a touchdown in a 63-28 triumph over Wofford. The Savannah, Ga., product has logged action in 46 games, registered 40 starts, and owns nine interceptions in his career.

Ryan emerged as one of the SoCon's top defensive backs last season, landing consensus first team all-conference honors on the strength of 88 tackles, four interceptions, and 12 passes defensed. Twice honored as league defensive player of the week, as well as defensive player of the month for October, the Irmo, S.C., product helped Furman top the FCS with 29 takeaways (18 INTs, 11 FRs).

Rounding out the Paladins' first team All-SoCon picks is Lilburn, Ga., long snapper Julian Ashby, who has successfully handled all snapping duties for the past three seasons.  He is a three-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll selection and owner of the program's highest GPA (3.97 in physics).

Eight Paladins were recognized as preseason second team all-conference, headlined by quarterback Tyler Huff, who delivered a high impact performance in his first season in a Paladin uniform, passing for 2,199 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 694 yards and eight scores.  After throwing for 259 yards (31x40) against FBS No. 6 Clemson and overcoming a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the Samford contest, the Orange Park, Fla., native returned to the field to engineer the Paladins' strong stretch run that featured, among several impressive outings, strong play in wins over sixth-ranked Chattanooga, 11th-ranked Mercer, and first round playoff victory over Elon.  He is a commissioned 2nd Lt. and member of the U.S. Army Reserves.

Joshua Harris emerged as one of the SoCon's top receivers in 2022, catching 48 passes for 667 yards and five touchdowns. The Newnan, Ga., product, who has logged 22 starts in his first two seasons as a Paladin, provided stellar play as the season progressed, highlighted by his five catches for 146 yards, including a 50-yard second half scoring strike, in a road victory over 11th-ranked Mercer.

Four Paladins appear on the All-SoCon second team defense, including defensive linemen Matt Sochovka, Jack Barton, and Sirod Cook.  

Sochovka, from Fayetteville, N.C., who is entering his sixth season as a Paladin, was a key contributor on Furman's defense and on special teams that led the FCS in turnovers gained (29) and blocked kicks (10), respectively. Barton, from Alpharetta, Ga., also played a huge role in the Paladins' defense and special teams production, accounting for an FCS best four blocked kicks while also totaling seven tackles for-loss.  Cook is a graduate transfer from Wingate, where he racked up 44 tackles and 11 sacks this past season in helping the Bulldogs to an 11-3 record and third round appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Strong safety Kam Brinson represents Furman on the second team defense.  The Augusta, Ga., native delivered outstanding play last season with 59 tackles and a FCS leading four fumble recoveries from his strong safety slot.

Rounding out the Paladins' preseason second team all-conference picks are a pair of specialists — placekicker Ian Williams and return man Wayne Anderson, Jr.  Williams, a Charlotte, N.C., product who spent two years at N.C. State before joining the Paladins, drilled 10-of-12 field goals, including a perfect 10-of-10 from 30-49 yards.  Anderson is a Prosper, Texas, native who a year ago landed all-conference honors after averaging 24.1 yards on 22 kickoff returns, highlighted by a 97-yard touchdown bolt in a 47-40 win over Western Carolina.

2023 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes)    Total
T1. Furman (5)        59
T1. Samford (4)        59
3. Mercer            49
4. Chattanooga        47
5. Western Carolina        35
6. ETSU            29
7. Wofford            22
8. The Citadel            14
9. VMI                10

2023 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
Team (1st-place votes)    Total
1. Furman (30)        345
2. Samford (8)            316
3. Mercer (2)            263
4. Chattanooga        250
5. Western Carolina        218
6. ETSU            143
7. The Citadel        103
8. Wofford        102
9. VMI            60

2023 Preseason All-Southern Conference Football Teams

Offensive Player of the Year: Michael Hiers, Sr., QB, Samford
Defensive Player of the Year: Jay Person, Sr., DL, Chattanooga

First Team Offense
QB    Michael Hiers, Sr., Samford
RB    Dominic Roberto, R-Sr., Furman
RB    Ailym Ford, Sr., Chattanooga
OL    Jacob Johanning, R-Sr., Furman
OL    Pearson Toomey, R-Sr., Furman
OL    John Thomas, Sr., Mercer
OL    Jabari Brooks, Jr., Samford
OL    Reid Williams, Jr., Chattanooga
OL    Tyler Smith, R-Sr., Western Carolina
TE    Ajay Belanger, Sr., Western Carolina
WR    Devron Harper, Sr., Mercer
WR    Ty James, R-Jr., Mercer
WR    Chandler Smith, Sr., Samford

First Team Defense
DL    Solomon Zubairu, Sr., Mercer
DL    Joseph Mera, Sr., Samford
DL    Ben Brewton, Sr., Chattanooga
DL    Jay Person, Sr., Chattanooga
DL    Micah Nelson, Jr., Western Carolina
LB    Braden Gilby, Gr., Furman
LB    Isaac Dowling, Jr., Mercer
LB    Noah Martin, Jr., Samford
DB    Travis Blackshear, Gr., Furman
DB    Hugh Ryan, R-Sr., Furman
DB    Kourtlan Marsh, Jr., Samford
DB    Kameron Brown, Sr., Chattanooga
DB    Alex Oliver, Sr., VMI
DB    Andreas Keaton, Jr., Western Carolina

First Team Specialists
PK    Richard McCollum, R-Sr., Western Carolina
P    Jack Culbreath, Sr., VMI
LS    Julian Ashby, R-Jr., Furman
RS    Devron Harper, Sr., Mercer

Second Team Offense
QB    Tyler Huff, Gr., Furman
RB    Jay Stanton, Sr., Samford
RB    Desmond Reid, So., Western Carolina
OL    Israel Mukwiza, R-Jr., Mercer
OL    Bryce Goodner, R-So., Chattanooga
OL    Tyriq Poindexter, R-So., VMI
OL    Christian Coulter, Sr., Western Carolina
OL    Jason Swann, Sr., Wofford
TE    Noah West, R-Jr., ETSU
WR    Will Huzzie, R-Sr., ETSU
WR    Joshua Harris, Jr., Furman

Second Team Defense
DL    Max Evans, R-Jr., ETSU
DL    Jack Barton, R-Sr., Furman
DL    Sirod Cook, Gr., Furman
DL    Matt Sochovka, Gr., Furman
DL    Savio Frazier, Jr., Mercer
DL    Marlon Taylor, R-Jr., Chattanooga
DL    Chuck Smith, Sr., Wofford
LB    Ken Standley, R-Jr., Mercer
LB    Evan Eller, Sr., VMI
LB    Antoine Williams, R-Jr., Western Carolina
DB    Sheldon Arnold II, Jr., ETSU
DB    Kam Brinson, R-Sr., Furman
DB    Richie Coffey, Sr., Mercer
DB    Myles Redding, Jr., Mercer
DB    Lance Wise, Sr., Mercer
DB    Reuben Lowery III, Jr., Chattanooga

Second Team Specialists
PK    Ian Williams, R-Jr., Furman
P    Trace Kelley, R-So., ETSU
LS    Ryan Phillips, So., ETSU
RS    Wayne Anderson Jr., R-Sr., Furman

NOTE: Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players or team.