SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
TEAM PREVIEWS • - SCHEDULES - • DEPTH CHARTS
2 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
EDITOR’S
LETTER JASON MARTIN
The football season is here...FINALLY!!! If you are anything like us, the fall simply takes way too long to get here. Last year proved that the two power house conferences have become the SEC and the ACC. But is that really a surprise to anyone. The good folks at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and the Kick Off Classic have been saying that for years by matching up the SEC and ACC at the beginning and end of each season. We couldn’t agree more. This year looks to be more of the same. Can Alabama extend its dominance? Can Clemson have another magical season? There are new coaches abound to prove themselves. There are other coaches that could be on the hot seat with another down year. All these questions will be answered in due time. We are ready...are you? If you like our preseason issue, make sure to check out our Recruiting and Bowl issue. And if you have interest in Life in the Great Outdoors, be sure to go visit our sister publication The Outpost Magazine at www.theoutpostlife.com
Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think of the magazine.
Jason Martin GorillaMartin@comcast.net
SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE Gorilla Marketing, LLC • Marietta, GA 30062 • 770-675-7200 Photo Credits: Mike Dunn, Arkansas Communications, Auburn Athletics, Alabama Athletics Photogrpahy,
BC Athletic, David Platt, Duke Athletics, FSU Athletics, GT Athletics, Kentucky Athletics, Louisville Athletics, LSU Athletics, University of Georgia Athletic Association, Florida Athletics, Mississippi State Athletics, Shan Davis, Gregg Forwerck, Ole Miss Athletcs, Pitt Athletics, South Carolina Athletics, Syracuse University Athletics, Tom Githens, Texas A&M Athletics, UGA Athletics, Miami Athletics, UNC Athletics, JIm Davis, Vanderbilt Athletics, Tech Athletics, Wake Forest Athletics, Flickr Creative Commons, Jason Martin
6 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
the best “Literally chicken on the ENTIRE planet!” >Rachell
HHHHH
VERIZON’S
Super Bowl Live
Top Selling Vendor!
BACK TO BACK
Taste of Atlanta
Best Selling Taste!
YUM!
ATL CluckFest
Best Fried Chicken!
WINNER
Midtown Alliance
Best Taste!
PONKO MIDTOWN 915 West Peachtree St, Ste 6,NW, ATL GA 30309 @ponkomidtown | ponkochicken.com
2019 SFG PRESEASON TOP 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Clemson Alabama Georgia Michigan Oklahoma LSU Oregon Notre Dame Florida Utah Auburn Texas Miami Michigan State Ohio State Nebraska Syracuse Washington Missouri Texas A&M UCF Iowa State Boise State Stanford Iowa
Copyright 2019 by Gorilla Marketing LLC Marietta, GA P: 770.675.7200 Reproduction in whole or part without permission is expressly forbidden. Not responsible for schedule/player changes after August 5, 2015. For advertising please contact Jason Martin.
8 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
ACC MUST SEE GAMES Aug. 24 Florida vs. Miami (Orlando) Aug. 31 Boise State vs. Florida State (J’ville) Sept. 7 Texas A&M at Clemson Sept. 14 Clemson at Syracuse Oct. 5 Virginia Tech at Miami Oct. 11 Virginia at Miami Oct. 12 Florida State at Clemson Nov. 2 Miami at Florida State Nov. 30 Florida State at Florida
ALL-ACC OFFENSE QB Trevor Lawrence RB AJ Dillon RB Cam Akers
Clemson Boston College Florida State
WR Tee Higgins
Clemson
WR Justyn Ross
Clemson
TE Brevin Jordan
Miami
OL Sean Pollard
Clemson
OL Tremayne Anchrum
Clemson
OL Silas Dzansi
Virginia Tech
OL John Simpson
Clemson
OL Cole Minshew
Florida State
K Andre Szmyt
Syracuse
1. CLEMSON
2018 RECORD: 15-0 (8-0)
2. SYRACUSE
2018 RECORD: 10-3 (6-2)
Well, the Tigers will probably open the season No. 1 and will be favored every Saturday. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence returns and should be improved over his true freshman season. He has a tremendous experienced line and skill players aplenty. If there is a chink in the armor, it will be the front seven on defense. If any team in the ACC can challenge Clemson, it will be the Orange of Syracuse. Quarterback Tommy DeVito is an excellent passer and running back Moe Neal is special. The offensive line is a potential problem. The defense is strong upfront and talented in the secondary, but will have to break in new linebackers.
3. FLORIDA STATE
2018 RECORD: 5-7 (3-5)
4. BOSTON COLLEGE
2018 RECORD: 7-5 (4-4)
5. NC STATE
2018 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3)
6. WAKE FOREST
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (3-5)
The Seminoles will not threaten Clemson’s hold on the ACC Atlantic, but Florida State is on the rise. Running back Cam Akers is a building block of the offense. The defense is loaded with talent in the secondary, but a thin front line is troublesome. The Eagles should be able to move the ball with Anthony Brown at quarterback and AJ Dillon behind him. But the Eagles’ stout defense of 2018 has been depleted, especially in the secondary. Losing quarterback Ryan Finley to graduation is a big loss. Some talent and experience return in the receiving corps to help a developing QB. The secondary will be the strength of the defense, which must reload upfront. There is some talent returning at receiver, but the offensive line must replace its three best players. Injuries retarded the development of the secondary in the spring.
7. LOUISVILLE
2018 RECORD: 2-10 (0-8)
New coach Scott Satterfield is working with a good stable of talent, so the Cardinals could get much better very quickly.
1. MIAMI
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4)
2. VIRGINIA TECH
2018 RECORD: 6-7 (4-4)
There is some talent at the skill positions on offense, but it’s unproven. The Hurricanes must settle on a quarterback and get consistent play from the signal-caller. There probably is not a better linebacking trio in the nation than seniors Shaquille Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud.
DL Xavier Thomas
Clemson
Ryan Willis developed nicely at quarterback last season. Receiver Damon Hazelton is an explosive weapon. The defense had a lot of growing up to do last season as young players were thrown in the fire too quickly, but they will benefit in 2019.
DL Alton Robinson
Syracuse
3. VIRGINIA
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4)
4. DUKE
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (3-5)
DEFENSE
DL Trevon Hill DL Marvin Wilson LB Michael Pinckney LB Shaquille Quarterman
Miami Florida State Miami Miami
LB Justin Strnad
Wake Forest
DB Mark Gilbert
Duke
DB Bryce Hall
Virginia
DB Andre Cisco
Syracuse
DB A.J. Terrell
Clemson
P Sterling Hofrichter
Syracuse
Quarterback Bryce Perkins is one of the most exciting players to watch in the ACC. The linebackers will be the strength of the defense. Duke must replace quarterback Daniel Jones, a first-round pick of the Giants, but Quentin Harris is certainly no slouch.
5. PITTSBURGH
2018 RECORD: 7-7 (6-2)
6. NORTH CAROLINA
2018 RECORD: 2-9 (1-7)
7. GEORGIA TECH
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (5-3)
The Panthers leaned heavily on their running game last season and produced a pair of 1,000-yard runners, both now graduated. QB Kenny Pickett must improve consistency. Mack Brown begins his second tour with the Tar Heels and must find a quality quarterback to utilize the team’s talented receivers. The Yellow Jackets are starting over, almost from scratch, as new coach Geoff Collins completely revamps the offensive system.
11 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
BOSTON COLLEGE
HEAD COACH: Steve Addazio OFF. COORDINATOR: Mike Bajakian DEF. COORDINATOR: Bill Sheridan
Chestnut Hill, MA
2018 RECORD: 7-5 (4-4) FOUNDED: 1863 STADIUM: Alumni (44,500)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Boston College offense is in the hands of a new offensive coordinator this season. Mike Bajakian served as quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the past three seasons. He seems to prefer the college game and is anxious to return to coaching kids. His most recent college gig was OC at Tennessee under Butch Jones in 2013-14. The new OC has one of the best running backs in the ACC in AJ Dillon, who returns after a terrific sophomore campaign. He battled through injuries and still managed 1,108 yards in just 10 games. Defenses must key on Dillon and the running game, which opens up opportunities for quarterback Anthony Brown. The junior threw for 2,121 yards last season. Dillon and Brown provide a good starting point, but the Eagles must plug several holes along the offensive line and replace the top two receivers from last season.
The Eagles’ defense featured a ball-hawking crew last season that picked off 18 passes. The bad news is that 15 of those interceptions came from guys who graduated, led by Hamp Cheevers with seven. New defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan will have to rebuild the secondary as well as the defensive front. Sophomore cornerback Brandon Sebastian is the lone returning starter among the five-man secondary. Senior nose tackle Tanner Karafa returns in the middle and will assume a leadership role. The Eagles will replace a couple of starters on the three-man front with players who have very little experience. The strength of the defense is the linebackers. Junior Isaiah McDuffie is a rising star who had a breakout season a year ago, leading the team with 48 solo tackles. Junior Max Richardson improved throughout the season and finished with 76 total stops.
DEPTH CHART NO PLAYER 13 Anthony Brown 2 AJ Dillon 19 Ben Glines 9 Kobay White 11 CJ Lewis 84 Jake Burt 64 Ben Petrula 66 Anthony Palazzolo 72 Alec Lindstrom 70 John Phillips 78 Tyler Vrabel 8 26 87 83 82 81 71 74 77 77 56
EJ Perry QB David Bailey RB Noah Jordan-Williams WR Jehlani Galloway WR Ethon Williams WR Chris Garrison TE Nate Emer LT Finn Dirstine LG Zion Johnson C Zion Johnson C Adam Korutz RT
SPECIAL TEAMS 95 37
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
Grant Carlson Danny Longman
P K
DEPTH CHART
HT 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-5
WT CLASS 220 JR 245 JR 220 SR 200 JR 225 JR 260 SR 325 JR 315 SR 290 SO 310 JR 310 FR
NO PLAYER 44 Brandon Barlow 48 Tanner Karafa 98 Kyiev Bennermon 28 John Lamot 55 Isaiah McDuffie 14 Max Richardson 20 Elijah Jones 10 Brandon Sebastian 7 Tate Haynes 18 Mike Palmer 25 Mehdi El Attrach
POS DE DT DT LB LB LB CB CB S S S
HT 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-3 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-0
WT CLASS 250 JR 280 SR 300 FR 240 JR 220 JR 230 JR 190 FR 185 SO 185 SO 195 JR 200 SR
6-2 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-2
210 240 215 195 200 255 300 305 310 310 290
JR SO SO FR FR SR SO FR JR JR JR
16 99 91 16 42 47 49 7 21 8 5
DE DT DT LB LB LB DB CB CB S S
6-6 6-1 6-2 5-10 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-2
260 305 310 235 230 220 220 185 195 220 205
FR JR SO SR FR FR FR FR FR SO SR
6-0 6-2
190 195
JR SO
KR PR
6-2 6-2
220 220
SR SR
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31................Virginia Tech
O. 19...................... NC State
S. 7....................... Richmond
O. 26..................at Clemson
S. 13.......................... Kansas
N. 2................... at Syracuse
S. 21.....................at Rutgers
N. 9................. Florida State
S. 28................Wake Forest
N. 23........... at Notre Dame
O. 5...................at Louisville
N. 30..............at Pittsburgh
Joey Luchetti TJ Rayam Jaleel Berry Davon Jones Vinny DePalma Shitta Sillah Ezechiel Tieide Jason Maitre Aaron Gethers Jahmin Muse Nolan Borgersen
SPECIAL TEAMS 19 19
Ben Glines Ben Glines
NEWCOMERS Pat Garwo III — The three-star running back from Pennsylvania was ranked No. 21 in the nation at his position by Rivals and No. 30 by ESPN. Garwo’s running style should fit the Eagles’ system well, and the tough back should be a huge part of the 2020 offense. Izaiah Henderson — The defensive tackle enrolled early and impressed the coaching staff this spring. He should see the field often this fall. Sam Johnson III — ESPN rated Johnson a four-star and the No. 12 quarterback nationally.
12 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
CLEMSON Clemson, SC
HEAD COACH: Dabo Swinney OFF. COORDINATOR: Tony Elliot/Jeff Scott DEF. COORDINATOR: Brent Venables
2018 RECORD: 15-0 (8-0) FOUNDED: 1889 STADIUM: Memorial Stadium (81,500)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Can the Clemson Tigers continue their dominance of the ACC and contend for another national title? Absolutely. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne are both candidates to be at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December. Receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross showed in the national title game just good they can be. And there’s little doubt that the Tigers have the best offensive line in the country. It’s amazing that this team could lose a running back to transfer (Tavien Feaster) and a receiver to an ACL injury (Amari Rodgers) and still be so deep and talented. So repeating last season’s 527 yards a game and 44 points a game is, quite frankly, expected from this juggernaut. Lawrence threw for 3,280 yards, 30 touchdowns and only four picks—as a true freshman. The line lost left tackle Mitch Hyatt, but returns four senior starters in front of Lawrence.
If there is a question about Clemson’s chance to repeat as national champs, it’s on the defensive side. The Tigers suffered huge losses on the defensive front. But there is an impressive cavalry on the way. Sophomore end Xavier Thomas had 10.5 tackles for loss last season in limited action. He’s joined by a multitude of former 4-star recruits who are ready to have their turns. Only one starter returns among the linebackers, but Isaiah Simmons is a good one. He’ll be joined by Chad Smith and James Skalski, chomping at the bit to prove they can play every down. The secondary returns three starters from a terrific unit and should be the strength of the defense early in the season until the guys upfront settle in. The fourth projected starter is sophomore Derion Kendrick, who is a former receiver who was a late switch to corner in the spring.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS 16 Trevor Lawrence QB 6-5 205 SO 9 Travis Etienne RB 5-10 200 JR 5 Tee Higgins WR 6-4 205 JR 17 Cornell Powell WR 6-0 210 JR 8 Justyn Ross WR 6-4 205 SO 25 J.C. Chalk TE 6-3 260 JR 79 Jackson Carman LT 6-5 350 SO 74 John Simpson LG 6-4 330 SR 76 Sean Pollard C 6-5 315 SR 59 Gage Cervenka RG 6-3 320 SR 73 Tremayne Anchrum RT 6-2 310 SR
NO PLAYER 3 Xavier Thomas 44 Nyles Pinckney 59 Jordan Williams 35 Justin Foster 11 Isaiah Simmons 43 Chad Smith 47 James Skalski 9 A.J. Terrell 1 Derion Kendrick 12 K’Von Wallace 19 Tanner Muse
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-0 5-11 6-1
WT CLASS 255 SO 300 JR 305 SO 260 JR 230 JR 240 SR 240 JR 190 JR 180 SO 210 SR 225 SR
7 23 3 14 10 88 72 65 59 62 78
Chase Brice Lyn-J Dixon Amari Rodgers Diondre Overton Joseph Ngata Braden Galloway Blake Vinson Matt Bockhorst Gage Cervenka Cade Stewart Chandler Reeves
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
6-3 5-10 5-9 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-7
225 190 210 205 215 235 295 305 320 300 290
SO SO JR SR FR SO JR SO SR JR JR
54 13 22 5 6 53 10 31 26 24 14
Logan Rudolph Tyler Davis Xavier Kelly K.J. Henry Mike Jones Jr. Regan Upshaw Baylon Spector Mario Goodrich Sheridan Jones Nolan Turner Denzel Johnson
DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB S S
6-2 6-1 6-4 6-4 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-0
240 295 295 235 225 235 225 190 175 195 200
SO FR JR FR FR JR SO SO FR JR SR
29 48
B.T. Potter Will Spiers
K P
5-10 6-5
175 230
SO JR
17 3
Cornell Powell Amari Rodgers
KR PR
6-0 5-9
210 210
JR JR
SPECIAL TEAMS
2019 SCHEDULE A. 29.............. Georgia Tech
O. 19.................at Louisville
S. 7.................... Texas A&M
O. 26........... Boston College
S. 14.................. at Syracuse
N. 2......................... Wofford
S. 21...................... Charlotte
N. 9....................at NC State
S. 28.......at North Carolina
N. 16................Wake Forest
O. 12............... Florida State
N. 30......at South Carolina
SPECIAL TEAMS
NEWCOMERS Joseph Ngata — Clemson continues to attract the best of the best out of high school. Ngata is a star in the making, in fact, he may already be a star. He will in the mix at receiver to start the season. Sheridan Jones — The four-star cornerback played in the Under Armor All-American Game and arrived on campus in January. He will be on the field in big games for the Tigers this fall. Tyler Davis — The four-star defensive lineman was ranked No. 60 overall by ESPN and No. 7 at defensive tackle. With the loss along the defensive front, Davis should help the Tigers immediately.
13 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
14 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
15 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FLORIDA STATE Tallahassee, FL
2018 RECORD: 5-7 (3-5) FOUNDED: 1851 STADIUM: Doak Campbell Stadium (79,560)
HEAD COACH: Willie Taggart OFF. COORDINATOR: Kendal Briles DEF. COORDINATOR: Harlon Barnett
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Quarterback James Blackman started 12 games in 2017, but just one last season after he was beaten out by Deondre Francois, who has been dismissed from the team. Now Blackman faces another challenger. Alex Hornibrook transferred from Wisconsin and is competing for the job. Whichever quarterback is taking snaps will enjoy handing off to Cam Akers. After a brilliant freshman season, Akers looks to bounce back after gaining just 706 yards last year. Tamorrion Terry is the leading receiver. The offense gained just 361.1 yards per game (102nd in the nation) and scored 21.9. For this unit to improve, the offensive line must play better than it did in 2018. Last season, Seminole quarterbacks were sacked 36 times and running backs gained just 2.8 yards per rush. Those numbers must improve. Guards Cole Minshew and Mike Arnold are the only linemen with starting experience.
The Seminoles haven’t been able to muster much of a pass rush in recent years and the defensive line has been depleted since last year. However, Marvin Wilson is a beast and poised to have a breakout season at defensive tackle. Joshua Kaindoh is a tall, quick pass rusher off the edge. Expect defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett to mix in some 3-4 looks as well this season in addition to their 4-2-5 base. Linebacker Dontavious Jackson plays sideline to sideline and has a terrific motor. The secondary is the strength of this unit and extremely talented. The cornerbacks are terrific and should improve the team’s pass defense this season. Asante Samuel Jr. plays opposite Stanford Samuels III, who is a converted safety. Levonta Taylor is a third corner who also started last season. Safety Jaiden Lars-Woodbey is a converted linebacker who loves to hit.
DEPTH CHART NO PLAYER 1 James Blackman 23 Cam Akers 7 D.J. Matthews 89 Keith Gavin 15 Tamorrion Terry 6 Tre’ McKitty 56 Ryan Roberts 70 Cole Minshew 51 Baveon Johnson 72 Mike Arnold 74 Jay Williams
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
12 4 11 88 20 87 73 59 60 55 73
Alex Hornibrook QB Khalan Labron RB Warren Thompson WR Tre’Shaun Harrison WR Keyshawn Helton WR Camren McDonald TE Jauan Williams LT Brady Scott LG Andrew Boselli C Dontae Lucas RG Jauan Williams RT
23 21
Ricky Aguayo Logan Tyler
DEPTH CHART
HT 6-5 5-11 5-10 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-6
WT CLASS 195 SO 213 JR 156 JR 217 SR 197 SO 241 JR 300 SR 338 SR 307 JR 346 JR 300 JR
NO PLAYER POS 11 Janarius Robinson DE 16 Cory Durden DT 21 Marvin Wilson DT 13 Joshua Kaindoh DE 42 Jaleel McRae LB 5 Dontavious Jackson LB 23 Hamsah Nasirildeen Star 1 Levonta Taylor CB 8 Stanford Samuels III CB 26 Asante Samuel Jr. CB 6 Jaiden Lars-Woodbey S
HT 6-5 6-5 6-5 6-7 6-2 6-3 6-4 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-3
WT CLASS 261 JR 305 SO 314 JR 261 JR 229 FR 227 SR 211 JR 181 SR 185 JR 178 SO 223 SO
6-4 5-11 6-3 6-2 5-9 6-4 6-7 6-6 6-5 6-2 6-7
220 204 201 191 170 231 310 312 308 315 310
SR SO FR SO SO SO JR SO JR FR JR
58 53 91 58 22 56 28 14 12 29 24
Dennis Briggs Jr. Ja’len Parks Robert Cooper Dennis Briggs Jr. Adonis Thomas Emmett Rice DeCalon Brooks Kyle Meyers A.J. Lytton Isaiah Bolden Cyrus Fagan
5-10 6-4 6-2 5-10 6-4 6-2 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-2 6-1
209 315 346 209 239 220 211 173 179 194 191
JR SO SO JR SR JR SO SR SO FR JR
216 191
SR SR
4 7
Khalan Labron D.J. Matthews
204 156
SO JR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-2 6-0
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31......................Boise State
O. 12..................at Clemson
(Jacksonville)
O. 19........... at Wake Forest
S. 7.................................ULM
O. 26...................... Syracuse
S. 14.....................at Virginia
N. 2.............................Miami
S. 21.......................Louisville
N. 9........ at Boston College
S. 28...................... NC State
N. 16........... Alabama State
DE DT DT DE LB LB Star CB CB S S
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-11 5-10
NEWCOMERS Akeem Dent — The talented defensive back can play multiple positions in the secondary. He enrolled in January and was impressive throughout spring practice. Dent was ranked among the top 10 in cornerbacks by most recruiting services. Dontae Lucas — The four-star offensive lineman is projected as an interior lineman and is big enough and polished enough to play right away. Ryan Roberts — The offensive lineman adds experience as a grad student from Northern Illinois.
16 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
17 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
LOUISVILLE
HEAD COACH: Scott Satterfield OFF. COORDINATOR: Dwayne Ledford DEF. COORDINATOR: Bryan Brown Cort Dennison
Louisville, KY
2018 RECORD: 2-10 (0-8) FOUNDED: 1798 STADIUM: Cardinal Stadium (65,000)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
There are lots of questions on offense for the Cardinals and new head coach Scott Satterfield, beginning with the quarterback position. Puma Pass was the heir apparent after Lamar Jackson left a season ago, but Pass didn’t play up to expectations. He completed just 54 percent of his throws and had 12 intercepted and tossed just eight for TDs. Sophomore Malik Cunningham wasn’t much better in limited time. Freshman Evan Conley originally committed to Appalachian State where he was recruited by Satterfield. He enrolled early and will continue to compete for playing time this fall. No running backs had more carries last season than either Pass or Cunningham, who was the leading rusher with 497 yards. The offensive line returns only two starters, but will get a boost from Florida grad transfer T.J. McCoy. Dez Fitzpatrick leads a talented, experienced group of receivers.
The Cardinals’ defense ranked 122nd in total defense and 127th in scoring defense, giving up 44 points a game. So enter Bryan Brown and Cort Dennison as co-defensive coordinators, after Louisville had three DCs over the past three seasons. The Cardinals will employ a 3-4 scheme that emphasizes speed. The unit returns seven starters, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing considering how bad the defense performed in 2018. G.G. Robinson and Jared Goldwire are stout upfront and will be asked to stuff the run better this season. The strength of the defense is at inside linebacker where Dorian Etheridge and C.J. Avery return. Etheridge had four stops behind the line, and despite missing three games, Avery was second on the team in tackles. The secondary needs some major rebuilding. Safety Khane Pass had one pass breakup and Cornelius Sturghill had three to lead the DBs.
DEPTH CHART NO PLAYER 4 Jawon Pass 19 Hassan Hall 7 Dez Fitzpatrick 1 Tutu Atwell 5 Seth Dawkins 85 Jordan Davis 73 Mekhi Becton 61 Caleb Chandler 66 Cole Bentley 59 T.J. McCoy 60 Tyler Haycraft
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
DEPTH CHART
HT 6-4 6-0 6-2 5-9 6-3 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-3
WT CLASS 231 JR 186 SO 210 JR 156 SO 218 SR 253 SR 359 JR 293 SO 317 JR 305 SR 292 SR
NO PLAYER 90 Jared Goldwire 94 G.G. Robinson 53 Amonte Caban 10 Rodjay Burns 17 Dorian Etheridge 9 C.J. Avery 22 Yasir Abdullah 3 Cornelius Sturghill 1 P.J. Mbanasor 6 Russ Yeast 30 Khane Pass
POS DE NT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB S S
HT 6-6 6-4 6-1 6-0 6-3 5-11 6-1 5-11 6-1 5-11 6-1
WT CLASS 295 JR 300 SR 254 SR 190 JR 233 JR 210 JR 218 SO 184 SR 200 SR 188 JR 206 SR
3 10 84 2 82 89 50 70 75 65 63
Malik Cunningham QB Javian Hawkins RB Josh Johnson WR Devante Peete WR Keion Wakefield WR Ean Pfeifer TE Jean-Luc Childs LT Emmanual Sowders LG Robbie Bell C Ronald Rudd RG Zach Williamson RT
6-1 5-9 5-11 6-6 5-10 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-5 6-6
185 182 177 213 182 245 334 272 300 341 271
SO FR JR SR JR SR JR SO JR SR FR
92 Malik Clark DE 6-2 273 SO 62 Derek Dorsey NT 6-3 275 JR 98 Tabarius Peterson DE 6-3 246 JR 93 Gary McRae LB 6-4 238 SR 43 Damien Smith LB 6-1 224 SR 49 Boosie Whitlow LB 6-3 230 SR 15 Quen Head LB 6-2 205 JR 2 Chandler Jones CB 5-10 179 SO 12 Marlon Character CB 6-1 195 JR 20 Trenell Troutman SS 5-11 187 SO 4 TreSean Smith FS 6-1 190 JR
45 28
Blanton Creque Mason King
5-11 6-2
192 213
SR SR
19 10
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
2019 SCHEDULE S. 2................... Notre Dame
O. 19...................... Clemson
S. 7..........Eastern Kentucky
O. 26........................ Virginia
S. 14.W. Kentucky (Nashville)
N. 9........................ at Miami
S. 21............at Florida State
N. 16..................at NC State
O. 5............. Boston College
N. 23...................... Syracuse
O. 12........... at Wake Forest
N. 30................at Kentucky
Hassan Hall Rodjay Burns
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-0 6-0
186 190
SO JR
NEWCOMERS T.J. McCoy — The most significant impact of any new face this season will probably be on the offensive line from graduate transfer McCoy. The big lineman joins the Cardinals from Florida where he started in 2017 before an injury ended his season. Zach Williamson — The three-star tackle is expected to be ready to play this fall. The Huntington, W.V., native may not start, but he will provide depth if needed and should be a huge part of the offensive line in 2020. Zach Edwards — The switch to a 3-4 defense creates the need for more depth at linebacker, which will benefit Edwards.
18 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
NC STATE
HEAD COACH: Dave Doeren OC: Des Kitchings, George McDonald DC: Dave Huxtable, Tony Gibson
Raleigh, NC
2018 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3) FOUNDED: 1887 STADIUM: Carter-Finley Stadium (57,583)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
To say the offense will have a different look in 2019 is, well, a bit of an understatement. Gone is a 3,900-yard passer, a 1,000yard runner and two 1,000-yard receivers. Oh, and former offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz is now the head coach at Appalachian State. Sophomore quarterback Matthew McKay threw only eight passes last season, but he did complete seven of them. Bailey Hockman transferred from Florida State and will compete with McKay. The receiving corps is actually in good hands with Emeka Emezie, C.J. Riley and Thayer Thomas. Tabari Hines is a grad transfer from Oregon and will see plenty of time at receiver. Ricky Person Jr. is a speedster at running back who carried 112 times for 471 yards last season, but had trouble staying healthy. The offensive line will be relatively young, but is talented and should jell pretty quickly.
The defense was not outstanding last season, but managed to hold opponents to fewer than 25 points a game. Teams found it much easier to throw it against the Wolfpack than run it. The unit should be improved this season with three of the top four leading tacklers returning. Sophomore linebacker Isaiah Moore anchors the middle of the defense. He plays sideline to sideline and had 7.5 tackles for loss. The defensive front should be much deeper this season, allowing the group to stay fresher throughout the game. End James Smith-Williams can get after the quarterback. Defensive tackle Joshua Harris, a four-star recruit, will push the veterans for playing time. The Wolfpack gave up 261 passing yards a game and picked off just 10 passes. But the secondary is experienced and should be improved this fall.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 7 Matthew McKay QB 8 Ricky Person Jr. RB 87 Thayer Thomas WR 19 CJ Riley WR 3 Emeka Emezie WR 42 Dylan Autenrieth TE 74 Emanuel McGirt Jr. LT 62 Bryson Speas LG 71 Joe Sculthorpe C 66 Joshua Fedd-JacksonRG 67 Justin Witt RT
HT 6-4 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-6 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-6
WT CLASS 210 SO 220 SO 193 SO 211 JR 209 JR 242 JR 306 SR 290 SO 300 JR 323 JR 310 JR
NO PLAYER POS 55 Deonte Holden DE 56 Val Martin NT 92 Larrell Murchison DT 1 James Smith-Williams DE 41 Isaiah Moore LB 12 Brock Miller LB 21 Stephen Griffin NB 4 Nick McCloud CB 7 Chris Ingram CB 34 Tim Kidd-Glass S 31 Jarius Morehead S
HT 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1
WT CLASS 247 SR 297 JR 291 SR 270 SR 240 SO 238 JR 206 SR 185 SR 186 JR 215 SR 220 SR
13 26 4 84 88 6 55 50 59 68 52
Devin Leary Trent Pennix Tabari Hines Jasiah Provillon Devin Carter Cary Angeline Tyrone Riley Grant Gibson Liam Ryan Charles Fletcher Kendall Brown
6-2 6-2 5-10 6-3 6-4 6-7 6-6 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-4
212 224 185 208 212 250 296 305 297 300 295
FR FR SR FR FR JR SR SO SO SO JR
90 44 29 97 2 11 13 8 28 10 22
Savion Jackson DE Joshua Harris NT Alim McNeil DT Xavier Lyas DE Louis Acceus LB Payton Wilson LB Tyler Baker-Williams NB Teshaun Smith CB Kishawn Miller CB Tanner Ingle S Isaiah Stallings S
6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-4 6-1 6-3 5-9 5-10 6-4
265 352 315 239 224 235 205 191 176 188 220
FR FR SO SO JR FR SO SO SR SO JR
32 99
Christopher Dunn K Trenton Gill P
180 211
SO SO
82 87
Max Fisher Thayer Thomas
202 193
SO SO
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT C LG RG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS
5-8 6-4
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31............... East Carolina
O. 19...... at Boston College
S. 7......... Western Carolina
N. 2............. at Wake Forest
S. 14..........at West Virginia
N. 9........................ Clemson
S. 21...................... Ball State
N. 16......................Louisville
S. 28...........at Florida State
N. 21...........at Georgia Tech
O. 10...................... Syracuse
N. 30.......... North Carolina
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-2 6-0
NEWCOMERS Joshua Harris — The four-star defensive lineman enrolled early and impressed coaches and teammates in spring drills. At 6’4”, 352, he certainly has the size to handle the rigors of the college game, and his athleticism will surprise opponents. He has already played his way into the defensive front rotation. Savion Jackson — NC State had tremendous success in recruiting along the defensive front. Defensive end Jackson is a four-star prospect and should be a part of the rotation immediately. C.J. Clark — The four-star defensive tackle comes in at 303 pounds and the ability to stop the run and get to the passer.
19 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
20 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
21 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
SYRACUSE Syracuse, NY
HEAD COACH: Dino Babers OFF. COORDINATOR: Mike Lynch DEF. COORDINATOR: Brian Ward
2018 RECORD: 10-3 (6-2) FOUNDED: 1870 STADIUM: Carrier Dome (49,262)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Syracuse offense will be in good hands with sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito, who replaces Eric Dungey. DeVito completed just better than 50 percent of his passes for 525 yards in relief of Dungey. Running back Moe Neal ran for 869 yards last season and will do the heavy lifting in the rushing attack. Syracuse has a deep and talented group of receivers. Sean Riley caught 64 passes for 756 yards last season and provides DeVito with a reliable target. Taj Harris caught 40 passes and Nykeim Johnson 41; both totaled 565 yards receiving. So, the corps is talented and productive. Syracuse has tremendous potential this season, but a huge question is the offensive line. If the young group comes together quickly (specifically by Sept. 14 when Clemson comes calling) this will be a very dangerous offense. If the line falls apart, so will the season.
The Syracuse defense allowed 426 yards a game and 27 points last season. For the Orange to compete for a championship, those numbers must decline significantly. Most fans believe the stats will improve, but will it be enough to get the Orange over the Clemson hump? The defensive line is loaded with experienced talent including three seniors led by defensive end Alton Robinson with 17 tackles for loss. On the other side is Kendall Coleman who totaled 12 stops behind the line. The secondary should be a strength as well with four returnees, three of them seniors. Sophomore safety Andre Cisco is the best player in the defensive backfield. He had 46 solo tackles and seven interceptions last season. With the line clogging up the middle and the secondary stifling passing attacks, the young, unproven linebacking corps will have some time to gain its footing.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER 13 Tommy DeVito 21 Moe Neal 86 Trishton Jackson 1 Sean Riley 82 Nykeim Johnson 80 Taj Harris 64 Ryan Alexander 57 Dakota Davis 75 Sam Heckel 63 Evan Adams 68 Airon Servais
POS QB RB WR WR WR WR LT LG C RG RT
HT 6-2 5-11 6-1 5-8 5-8 6-2 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-6
WT CLASS 211 SO 191 SR 196 JR 170 SR 172 JR 175 SO 307 SR 327 SO 280 JR 352 SR 273 JR
NO PLAYER POS 94 Alton Robinson DE 85 Josh Black DT 98 McKinley Williams NT 55 Kendall Coleman DE 12 Andrew Armstrong LB 46 Lakiem Williams LB 6 Trill Williams NB 3 Christopher Fredrick CB 18 Scoop Bradshaw CB 7 Andre Cisco FS 9 Evan Foster SS
HT 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-2 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-0
WT CLASS 260 SR 270 JR 282 SR 253 SR 226 SR 225 SR 202 SO 194 SR 181 SR 199 SO 215 SR
11 23 19 81 14 89 52 76 72 69 77
Clayton Welch Abdul Adams Sharod Johnson Cameron Jordan Anthony Queeley Aaron Hackett Carlos Vettorello Qadir White Andrejas Duerig Patrick Davis Mike Clark
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
6-5 5-11 5-11 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-7 6-3 6-5 6-8
243 202 179 202 197 234 289 336 326 318 310
SR JR SO SO FR JR FR FR SR JR JR
57 45 51 97 30 42 24 16 23 11 15
Kingsley Jonathan Kenneth Ruff Shaq Grosvenor Brandon Berry Juan Wallace Tyrell Richards Allen Stritzinger Carl Jones Ifeatu Melifonwu Devon Clarke Neil Nunn
6-3 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-2 6-0
257 308 285 244 223 230 190 189 207 197 170
JR SR SR SR SO SO JR SR SO JR FR
91 10
Andre Szmyt K Sterling Hofrichter P
186 198
SO SR
1 1
Sean Riley Sean Riley
170 170
SR SR
SPECIAL TEAMS
6-1 5-9
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31...................... at Liberty
O. 18....................Pittsburgh
S. 7................... at Maryland
O. 26...........at Florida State
S. 14....................... Clemson
N. 2............. Boston College
S. 21......Western Michigan
N. 16........................ at Duke
S. 28...................Holy Cross
N. 23.................at Louisville
O. 10..................at NC State
N. 30...............Wake Forest
DE DT NT DE LB LB NB CB CB FS SS
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-8 5-8
NEWCOMERS Mikel Jones — The outside linebacker out of IMG Academy in Florida will see plenty of action this fall. Jones enrolled in January in order to participate in spring drills. Lee Kpogpa — The Winston-Salem native was ranked at No. 23 nationally at outside linebacker by 247Sports. He enrolled in January and should team with Mikel Jones to give the Orange a solid pair of linebackers for the next few years. Neil Nunn — The talented safety was ranked No. 39 in the country by 247Sports and should be a solid contributor this fall.
22 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
23 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
WAKE FOREST
HEAD COACH: Dave Clawson OFF. COORDINATOR: Warren Ruggiero DEF. COORDINATOR: Lyle Hemphill
Winston-Salem, NC
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (3-5) FOUNDED: 1834 STADIUM: BB&T Field (31,500)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Deacons broke the 50-point barrier four times last season, and the offense shows no signs of slowing down. Quarterback Sam Hartman started the first nine games before suffering a season-ending leg injury. Jamie Newman took over and the offense didn’t miss a beat. Now the two are in a dead heat for the starting job. There are huge cleats to fill at receiver with the loss of Greg Dortch, but Sage Surratt caught 41 passes as a freshman last season and is poised to become a star. Jack Freudenthal is a nice target at tight end. Cade Carney ran for 1,000 yards and averaged 5.3 yards a carry. He is big load and tough to bring down. Only two experienced offensive linemen return, so the big fellas upfront must grow up quickly. On the right side, guard Nathan Gilliam and tackle Jake Benzinger excel in run blocking ad pass protection.
The Wake Forest defense, which wasn’t very good last season, may not be any better in 2019. Linebacker Justin Strnad is a stud and had six games with double-digit tackles last season. He must carry a huge load this fall. He will have some help upfront from Boogie Basham. The junior defensive end had 11 tackles behind the line for the Deacons. Offenses must account for him on every play. There is some size and talent upfront, but very little experience other than Basham. Others must step up to prevent offenses from double-teaming Basham on every play. Shamar McCollum enrolled early as a freshman and should see the field quite a bit at defensive end and tackle. Both safeties must be replaced, but the Deacs are set at cornerback. Essang Bassey and Amari Henderson combined to break up 25 passes last season from their corner positions.
DEPTH CHART NO PLAYER 10 Sam Hartman 36 Cade Carney 2 Kendall Hinton 14 Sage Surratt 7 Scotty Washington 86 Jack Freudenthal 75 Justin Herron 79 Sean Maginn 50 Zach Tom 71 Nathan Gilliam 73 Jake Benzinger
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
12 26 80 5 82 23 60 53 55 58 76
Jamie Newman QB Christian Beal-Smith RB Waydale Jones WR Steven Claude WR Jaquarii Roberson WR Brandon Chapman TE Taleni Suhren LT Je’Vionte’ Nash LG Michael Jurgens C Tyler Watson RG Allan Rappleyea RT
96 8
Nick Sciba Dom Maggio
WT CLASS 200 SO 215 SR 195 SR 215 SO 225 SR 235 SR 290 SR 290 SO 290 SO 300 SR 295 SR
NO PLAYER 9 Boogie Basham 90 Sulaiman Kamara 72 Tyler Williams 41 JaCorey Johns 45 Ryan Smenda Jr. 23 Justin Strnad 30 Ja’Cquez Williams 4 Amari Henderson 21 Essang Bassey 20 Coby Davis 17 Traveon Redd
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-1 5-10 5-11 6-0
WT CLASS 275 JR 290 JR 290 SO 245 FR 235 SO 235 SR 220 JR 180 SR 190 SR 200 SO 195 JR
6-4 5-10 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-5
245 190 200 200 180 255 285 295 290 280 290
JR SO SO SR SO JR JR JR FR JR SO
91 95 40 13 46 58 32 10 6 3 12
Mike Allen Dion Bergan Jr. Rondell Bothroyd Manny Walker DJ Taylor Chase Monroe Jeff Burley Kenneth Dicks III Ja’Sir Taylor Nasir Greer Luke Masterson
DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
6-5 6-1 6-4 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-0 5-10 6-0 6-2
275 290 280 250 235 225 230 200 190 200 220
SO SO FR JR JR SO SO FR JR SO JR
190 190
SO SR
Christian Beal-Smith KR Kendall Hinton PR
x 195
SO SR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
DEPTH CHART
HT 6-1 5-11 6-0 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-7
5-9 6-3
2019 SCHEDULE A. 30................... Utah State
O. 19............... Florida State
S. 7............................. at Rice
N. 2........................ NC State
S. 13............ North Carolina
N. 9............at Virginia Tech
S. 21................................Elon
N. 16..................at Clemson
S. 28...... at Boston College
N. 23............................. Duke
O. 12......................Louisville
N. 30................ at Syracuse
SPECIAL TEAMS
6-x 6-0
NEWCOMERS Shamar McCollum — The underrated three-star defensive end enrolled in January and quickly impressed coaches and teammates in the spring. He is dedicated to adding some weight and strength without losing quickness. He can be a weapon as a pass rusher off the edge or at defensive tackle. Donavon Green — The consensus four-star receiver is a tremendous athlete. He recorded a 6’4” high jump, a 20’11” long jump and was part of the state champion 4x200 relay team. Nolan Grouix — The four-star receiver was rated the No. 2 player in North Carolina.
24 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
DUKE
HEAD COACH: David Cutcliffe OFF. COORDINATOR: Zac Roper DEF. COORDINATOR: Ben Albert Matt Guerrieri
Durham, NC
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (3-5) FOUNDED: 1838 STADIUM: Wallace Wade (40,004)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Duke must replace quarterback Daniel Jones, a first round draft pick of the New York Giants. Quentin Harris appears ready to assume the role. He isn’t the pro prospect that Jones was, but coach David Cutcliffe certainly has a knack for developing quarterbacks. Harris completed 50 percent of his throws last season and had seven touchdown strikes and just one interception. Harris also ran 46 times for 195 yards. The running game is in good hands with Deon Jackson returning. Jackson earned second-team All-ACC honors last season after gaining 847 yards (5.3 per carry). The receiving corps is inexperienced and will need time to grow. The top four receivers from last season all graduated. Much of Harris’ immediate success will be determined by the offensive line, which should be a strength in the middle, but both tackles suffered injuries in the spring.
This could be an interested season in Durham in that the defense may have to carry the offense this season, which is rare for the Blue Devils. Last season, opponents found running against this defense fairly easy. That shouldn’t be the case this season. The defense returns eight starters including all four upfront, in addition to defensive tackle Edgar Cerenord, who missed much of last season with an Achilles injury. Ends Victor Dimukeje and Drew Jordan are expected to have tremendous seasons. Dimukeje had 8.5 tackles behind the line last season. The secondary picked off just four passes last season, but allowed fewer than 200 yards a game through the air. Part of that was due to the ease offenses found in running the ball, but the secondary is a strength. The key to this unit will be the linebackers as both will be first-time starters.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 18 Quentin Harris QB 25 Deon Jackson RB 19 Jake Bobo WR 81 Aaron Young WR 85 Damond Philyaw-Johnson WR 87 Noah Gray TE 66 Jaylen Miller LT 65 Julian Santos LG 50 Jack Wohlabaugh C 67 Rakavius Chambers RG 77 Robert Kraeling RT
HT 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-4 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-7
WT CLASS 200 SR 215 JR 200 SO 210 SR 170 SO 240 JR 315 JR 325 SR 305 JR 310 JR 300 JR
NO PLAYER 86 Drew Jordan 95 Trevon McSwain 54 Derrick Tangelo 51 Victor Dimukeje 49 Koby Quansah 32 Brandon Hill 26 Michael Carter II 28 Mark Gilbert 33 Leonard Johnson 16 Dylan Singleton 10 Marquis Waters
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB CB CB S S S
HT 6-2 6-6 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-3 5-10 6-1 6-1 5-11 6-0
WT CLASS 260 JR 285 SR 285 JR 265 JR 230 SR 235 JR 185 JR 175 JR 200 SO 180 SR 205 JR
15 8 11 24 14 83 60 69 55 78 75
Chris Katrenick Brittain Brown Scott Bracey Jarett Garner Dennis Smith Zamari Ellis Patrick Leitten Zach Baker Will Taylor Casey Holman Liam Smith
6-3 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-4
215 205 210 210 185 245 280 315 285 295 270
SO JR JR FR FR FR SO SR SO FR JR
59 53 92 96 43 41 4 31 27 23 13
Tre Hornbuckle Tahj Rice Edgar Cerenord Chris Rumph II Rocky Shelton II Xander Gagnon Myles Hudzick Josh Blackwell Damani Neal Lummie Young IV Tony Davis
DE DT DT DE LB LB CB CB S S S
6-4 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-3 5-10 5-11 5-10 6-1 6-2
255 320 305 225 220 235 170 175 200 210 195
SR SO SR SO FR JR JR SO SO SO FR
48 45
A.J. Reed Austin Parker
180 190
JR SR
25 19
Deon Jackson Jake Bobo
215 200
JR SO
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
5-11 6-1
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31.....Alabama (Atlanta)
O. 19....................at Virginia
S. 7..... North Carolina A&T
O. 26.......at North Carolina
S. 14........... at Middle Tenn.
N. 9.................. Notre Dame
S. 27...........at Virginia Tech
N. 16...................... Syracuse
O. 5......................Pittsburgh
N. 23........... at Wake Forest
O. 12.............. Georgia Tech
N. 30..........................Miami
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-0 6-4
NEWCOMERS Jacob Monk — The big tackle enrolled early and unfortunate injuries to starting tackles provided the true freshman the opportunity for reps with the first team offense in the spring. Monk will get on the field this fall. Tony Davis — The consensus four-star cornerback was ranked as high as No. 18 in the nation at the position by Rivals. He enrolled in January and impressed coaches with his advanced skills. DeWayne Carter — The three-star defensive tackle may redshirt this season, but has a bright future with the Blue Devils.
25 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
26 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
27 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
GEORGIA TECH Atlanta, GA
HEAD COACH: Geoff Collins OFF. COORDINATOR: Dave Patenaude DEF. COORDINATORS: Andrew Thacker, Nate Burton
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (5-3) FOUNDED: 1885 STADIUM: Bobby Dodd (55,000)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Well, the Paul Johnson Era at Georgia Tech is over and scratched is the option attack in favor of a more traditional, balanced approach. That means that the entire offense must learn a new system and offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude must find players that fit the new system. That may take a year or so. But the Yellow Jackets have games to win this season, and they will get no sympathy or be allowed any slack by their ACC brethren. Just who lines up at quarterback is a question yet to be answered, but junior Lucas Johnson appears to be the best fit for the new spread attack. The running back position is loaded and KirVonte Benson is a former 1,000-yard runner. Grad transfer Tyler Davis, a tight end from Connecticut, will step in immediately and upgrade the passing game. The Jackets lost some talent upfront and must adjust quickly to the new spread offense.
The Tech defense has transitioned from a 4-3 to a 3-4 last season and now to a 4-2-5 under new coordinators Andrew Thacker and Nate Burton. The system in place for 2019 is designed to put pressure on the secondary, essentially putting cornerbacks on an island, so that the defensive front can be aggressive in pressuring the quarterback and creating turnovers. The group of defensive backs should be up to the challenge. Sophomores are the leaders of the secondary. Tre Swilling and Juanyeh Thomas are top performers and much is expected from rising star Kaleb Oliver. Junior Tariq Carpenter is a returning starter at strong safety. David Curry and Charlie Thomas are experienced linebackers, but not stars. The defensive line could be a trouble area. It was thin before a tragic accident took the life of likely All-ACC pick Brandon Adams over the winter.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER 7 Lucas Johnson 5 Jerry Howard Jr. 1 Jalen Camp 15 Malachi Carter 10 Ahmarean Brown 9 Tyler Davis 73 Zach Quinney 55 Kenny Cooper 59 Scott Morgan 70 Jared Southers 78 Jack DeFoor
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
HT 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-3 5-10 6-4 6-6 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-5
WT CLASS 215 JR 215 JR 220 SR 195 SO 155 FR 250 SR 295 SO 317 SR 302 SR 315 SR 305 JR
NO PLAYER 52 Justice Dingle 89 Antwan Owens 93 T.K. Chimedza 41 Jaquan Henderson 25 Charlie Thomas 6 David Curry 22 Kaleb Oliver 33 Jaytlin Askew 3 Tre Swilling 1 Juanyah Thomas 29 Tariq Carpenter
14 27 31 12 27 47 71 56 63 65 72
James Graham Jordan Mason Nathan Cottrell Adonicas Sanders Josh Blancato Nathan Tyler Harrison Jump Connor Hansen Chet Lagod Austin Smith Charlie Clark
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
6-1 6-1 5-11 6-1 5-10 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-0 6-5 6-4
192 219 193 195 180 215 275 310 282 295 292
FR SO SR SO SO FR FR JR JR FR SO
91 97 95 42 44 12 38 14 11 13 10
Kelton Dawson DE Brentavious Glanton DT Jahaziel Lee DT Jordan Domineck DE Quez Jackson LB Bruce Jordan-Swilling LB Ajani Kerr NB Jaylon King CB Devin Smith CB Avery Showell FS Christian Campbell SS
38 27
Wesley Walls K Pressley Harvin III P
185 245
SO JR
1 1
Juanyah Thomas Juanyah Thomas
SPECIAL TEAMS
6-0 6-0
2019 SCHEDULE A. 29..................at Clemson
O. 19...................... at Miami
S. 7................. South Florida
N. 2......................Pittsburgh
S. 14.................. The Citadel
N. 9......................at Virginia
S. 28....................at Temple
N. 16...............Virginia Tech
O. 5............. North Carolina
N. 21....................... NC State
O. 12........................ at Duke
N. 30....................... Georgia
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB NB CB CB FS SS
HT 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-4 5-11 6-0 6-3 6-2
WT CLASS 265 FR 275 JR 298 FR 211 JR 210 SO 230 JR 212 SO 180 JR 200 SO 216 SO 218 JR
6-3 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-2
258 302 300 220 219 225 190 186 178 208 208
SO SR SR FR SO JR JR FR SO SO SR
216 216
SO SO
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-3 6-3
NEWCOMERS Tyler Davis — Georgia Tech fans probably don’t recognize the tight end position, which hasn’t been a part of the Yellow Jackets’ attack in several years. Davis, a grad transfer from Connecticut, was a critical piece of the Huskies’ offense last season. Davis is an accomplished blocker and an exceptional receiver. Jamious Griffin — The four-star running back was named an All-American by USA Today. He averaged better than 20 yards a carry during his senior season. Griffin is also a gifted receiver and should be a big part of the Jackets’ offense in the future, if not is 2019.
28 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
MIAMI
HEAD COACH: Manny Diaz OFF. COORDINATOR: Dan Enos DEF. COORDINATORS: Blake Baker, Ephraim Banda
Coral Gables, FL
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4) FOUNDED: 1925 STADIUM: Hard Rock (65,326)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Miami slumped a bit on offense midseason last year after a stellar 2017 campaign had fans in South Florida dreaming of a national title again last season. In four consecutive games, the Canes scored 13, 14, 12 and 21 points in losses. There is a three-man quarterback derby that will continue into fall camp. Sophomore N’Kosi Perry split time last season with Malik Rosier and completed half of his 191 throws for 1,091 yards. Redshirt freshman Jarren Williams is also in the mix with Ohio State transfer Tate Martell, who will probably take most of the snaps this season. DeeJay Dallas ran for 617 yards and a 5.7 average per carry. There is a load of talent behind Dallas. The receiving corps is headed by receiver Jeff Thomas and tight end Brevin Jordan. The offensive line is big and should be able to protect whomever lines up behind center.
It seems like linebackers Michael Pinckney, Shaquille Quarterman and Zach McCloud have been at Miami for a decade. But it’s been just three years as the trio has started for a vaunted defense since they were freshmen. All three will vie for AllACC honors this season, if not All-America. Quarterman led the team with 45 solo stops and added 14 tackles for a loss. He also had an interception and broke up a couple of passes. Pinckney had 11 stops behind the line. McCloud drops in coverage more than his two running buddies. Defensive end transfer Trevon Hill from Virginia Tech will arrive in the fall and is probably the best NFL prospect on the Hurricanes roster. Jonathan Garvin isn’t far behind and neither is tackle Nesta Silvera. The secondary is super-talented as well, but not as experienced as the guys upfront.
DEPTH CHART NO PLAYER POS 18 Tate Martell QB 13 DeeJay Dallas RB 8 Dee Wiggins WR 4 Jeff Thomas WR 2 K.J. Osborn WR 9 Brevin Jordan TE 72 Tommy Kennedy LT 55 Navaughn Donaldson LG 65 Corey Gaynor C 52 Cleveland Reed Jr. RG 51 DJ Scaife Jr. RT 5 N’Kosi Perry QB 1 Lorenzo Lingard RB 3 Mike Harley WR 12 Jeremiah Payton WR 6 Mark Pope WR 87 Michael Irvin II TE 60 Zion Nelson LT 67 Zach Dykstra LG 53 Jakai Clark C 57 Kai-Leon Herbert RG 75 Zalon’tae Hillery RT 21 17
Bubba Baxa Jack Spicer
WT CLASS 205 SO 220 JR 200 SO 180 JR 205 SR 245 SO 294 SR 340 JR 305 SO 313 FR 300 SO
NO PLAYER POS 71 Scott Patchman DE 93 Pat Bethel DT 1 Nesta Silvera DT 97 Jonathan Garvin DE 53 Zach McCloud LB 55 Shaquille Quarterman LB 56 Michael Pinckney LB 2 Trajan Bandy CB 7 Al Blades Jr. CB 5 Amari Carter S 20 Robert Knowles S
HT 6-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-1 5-9 6-1 6-2 6-1
WT CLASS 255 SR 285 SR 305 SO 250 JR 230 SR 235 SR 220 SR 188 JR 185 SO 197 JR 198 SR
6-4 6-0 5-9 6-1 6-1 6-3 6-5 6-6 6-2 6-5 6-6
195 202 180 195 180 240 285 300 310 302 304
SO SO JR FR SO JR FR SO FR SO SO
52 96 96 99 30 44 9 8 4 26
Patrick Joyner Jr. Jonathan Ford Jonathan Ford Chigozie Nnoruka Romeo Finley Bradley Jennings Jr. Avery Huff DJ Ivey Keontra Smith Bubba Bolden Gurvan Hall Jr.
6-2 6-5 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-3 6-1 5-11 6-3 6-0
232 306 306 300 218 230 200 195 195 200 195
FR JR JR SR SR SO FR SO FR JR SO
205 220
SO SR
13 13
DeeJay Dallas DeeJay Dallas
220 220
JR JR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
DEPTH CHART
HT 5-11 5-10 6-3 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-6 6-4 6-3 6-3
6-0 6-3
2019 SCHEDULE A. 24.......Florida (Orlando)
O. 19.............. Georgia Tech
S. 7..........at North Carolina
O. 26...............at Pittsburgh
S. 14..... Bethune-Cookman
N. 2.............at Florida State
S. 21........Central Michigan
N. 9........................Louisville
O. 5.................Virginia Tech
N. 23................................ FIU
O. 11......................... Virginia
N. 30....................... at Duke
DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB S S
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-10 5-10
NEWCOMERS Bubba Bolden — The transfer from USC did not enroll at Miami over the summer, which leaves questions about his commitment to the Hurricanes. The talented safety would be a starter if he has enough time in camp, but the most likely scenario at this point is that he begins his Miami career coming off the bench. Tate Martell — The former Ohio State quarterback joins a crowded field at the position in Miami. N’Kosi Perry has the most experience for the Hurricanes, but Martell will likely start the first game against Florida.
29 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
30 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
31 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
NORTH CAROLINA
HEAD COACH: Mack Brown OFF. COORDINATOR: Phil Longo DEF. COORDINATORS: Jay Bateman, Tommy Thigpen
Chapel Hill, NC
2018 RECORD: 2-9 (1-7) FOUNDED: 1789 STADIUM: Kenan Memorial (50,500)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Mack Brown’s second tenure as head man at North Carolina begins with a three-way battle for the starting quarterback position. Jace Ruder and Cade Fortin competed last season, but spent more time injured than on the field. Heralded freshman Sam Howell has also entered the picture. There are plenty of targets for the quarterbacks. Receiver Dazz Newsome led the teams with 44 catches last season. Receiver Beau Corrales and tight end Carl Tucker were integral parts of the passing game in 2018. The running back position is in good hands with Michael Carter returning. He ran for 597 yards and averaged 7.1 yards a carry. He also caught 25 passes. The offensive line is going through a major shakeup. All-ACC tackle Will Sweet declared for the draft with a year of eligibility remaining and center JayJay McCargo decided to give up football.
The defense was just not very good last season. The Tar Heels ranked 105 or worse in total yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and points allowed. The interior line must improve dramatically, and Brown believes it will. Defensive tackles Aaron Crawford and Jason Strowbridge are good places to start. The linebacker group is a bit thin after losing Cole Holcomb, the leading tackler for the past three seasons. Dominique Ross is the only linebacker with starting experience, but he had just 15 solo stops last season in 10 games. The secondary could be the strength of this unit with experience returning at all four positions. Safety Myles Dorn is the best player and had a pair of interceptions to go with his 34 solo tackles. Patrick Rene and Greg Ross are experienced corners. Freshman Storm Duck enrolled early and was impressive in spring drills.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER 7 Sam Howell 8 Michael Carter 2 Dyami Brown 15 Beau Corrales 5 Dazz Newsome 86 Carl Tucker 67 Charlie Heck 63 Ed Montilus 58 Nick Polino 75 Joshua Ezeudu 74 Jordan Tucker
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
HT 6-1 5-10 6-1 6-4 5-11 6-2 6-8 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-7
WT CLASS 225 FR 200 JR 195 SO 210 JR 190 JR 248 SR 315 SR 315 FR 305 SR 325 FR 335 SO
NO PLAYER 92 Aaron Crawford 55 Jason Strowbridge 12 Tomon Fox 17 Chris Collins 3 Dominique Ross 7 Jonathan Smith 10 Greg Ross 5 Patrice Rene 11 Myles Wolfolk 1 Myles Dorn 4 Trey Morrison
POS DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS NB
HT 6-2 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-0 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-2 5-10
WT CLASS 290 SR 285 SR 260 JR 240 SO 228 SR 230 SR 188 JR 208 SR 205 JR 205 SR 190 SO
6 24 11 9 4 80 66 56 68 76 73
Cade Fortin Antonio Williams Roscoe Johnson Corey Bell Jr. Rontavius Groves Jake Bargas Tobechi Nwokeji Billy Ross Brian Anderson William Barnes Marcus McKethan
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG LT
6-3 5-11 6-1 5-9 5-11 6-2 6-5 6-5 6-2 6-4 6-7
220 215 200 190 195 250 305 315 302 318 332
SO SR JR SR JR SR SO SO SO FR SO
33 52 90 42 30 44 25 29 16 6 15
Allen Cater Jahlil Taylor Xach Gill Tyrone Hopper Matthew Flint Jeremiah Gemmel Tre Shaw Storm Duck D.J. Ford Bryson Richardson DeAndre Hollins
DE DT DT LB LB LB CB CB SS FS NB
6-4 6-0 6-5 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-1
260 300 290 255 240 228 190 200 210 203 210
SR FR SO JR FR SO SO FR JR SO FR
97 91
Noah Ruggles Ben Kiernan
185 205
SO FR
5 5
Dazz Newsome Dazz Newsome
190 190
JR JR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-2 6-0
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31.South Carolina (Charlotte)
O. 19..........at Virginia Tech
S. 7..............................Miami
O. 26............................. Duke
S. 13............ at Wake Forest
N. 2.......................... Virginia
S. 21......Appalachian State
N. 14...............at Pittsburgh
S. 28...................... Clemson
N. 23......................... Mercer
O. 5............at Georgia Tech
N. 30.................at NC State
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-11 5-11
NEWCOMERS Storm Duck — Carolina fans will remember the name of the three-star freshman. Duck enrolled early and impressed coaches and teammates with his advanced knowledge of the game and keen instincts. He will play an integral role on defense this fall. Sam Howell — The highly sought after four-star quarterback switched his commitment to the Tar Heels from Florida State late in the recruiting cycle. He will compete in a crowded field at quarterback and should eventually play his way into the starting role.
32 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
33 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
PITTSBURGH
HEAD COACH: Pat Narduzzi OFF. COORDINATOR: Mark Whipple DEF. COORDINATOR: Randy Bates
Pittsburgh, PA
2018 RECORD: 7-7 (6-2) FOUNDED: 1787 STADIUM: Heinz Field (68,400)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Panthers’ offense produced just 25.6 points a game and 369.7 yards. Those ranked 93rd and 97th in FBS. Not good. The passing game was the primary culprit contributing just 141.8 yards to the total, which ranked 120th. Unfortunately, there are few reasons to believe that enough has changed in order to move the needle in 2019. Kenny Pickett returns at quarterback, and he has some talent. He threw for 1,969 yards, but was too quick to just tuck it and run without surveying the field. That is the reason head coach Pat Narduzzi brought in quarterback guru Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator. The Panthers had two 1,000-yard runners last season, but both are gone. A.J. Davis and V’Lique Carter, who combined for 57 carries and 336 yards, will share duties this fall. Maurice Ffrench, Taysir Mack and Aaron Mathews form a solid receiving corps.
The Pitt defense is expected to be one of the best in the ACC this season. The primary reason is a strong, deep defensive line. The group of juniors and seniors enters its third year together and the cohesiveness shows. Defensive end Rashad Weaver is a candidate for All-ACC honors. Among his 31 solo stops, 14 were behind the line. Big defensive tackles Amir Watts and Keyshon Camp don’t put up big stats, but they are asked to plug the middle and occupy blockers, which they do extremely well. That is certainly a key considering that the Panthers are revamping their linebackers. Elias Reynolds returns after making just 23 solo stops. The secondary technically returns two starters, but all four projected starters have experience. Sophomore cornerback Paris Ford can be exciting. He’s one of those players when he’s involved, someone’s band in about to play.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS NO PLAYER 8 Kenny Pickett QB 6-2 225 JR 17 Rashad Weaver 19 V’Lique Carter RB 5-9 185 SO 34 Amir Watts 6 Aaron Mathews WR 6-4 220 SR 10 Keyshon Camp 2 Maurice Ffrench WR 5-11 200 SR 91 Patrick Jones II 11 Taysir Mack WR 6-2 205 JR 24 Phil Campbell III 84 Grant Carrigan TE 6-7 280 SO 44 Elias Reynolds 77 Carter Warren LT 6-5 320 SO 36 Chase Pine 71 Bryce Hargrove LG 6-4 315 JR 15 Jason Pinnock 67 Jimmy Morrissey C 6-3 300 JR 12 Paris Ford 56 Brandon Ford RG 6-5 310 JR 3 Damar Hamlin 70 Nolan Ulizio RT 6-5 320 SR 11 Dane Jackson 3 Jeff George Jr. QB 6-3 220 SR 5 Deslin Alexandre 21 A.J. Davis RB 6-0 215 JR 97 Jaylen Twyman 5 Tre Tipton WR 6-0 185 SR 95 Devin Danielson 18 Shocky Jacques-Louis WR 6-0 185 SO 6 John Morgan 88 Dontavius Butler-Jenkins WR 6-0 215 SO 47 Kyle Nunn 81 Jim Medure TE 6-2 235 SR 9 Saleem Brightwell 57 Gabe Houy LT 6-6 310 SO 38 Cam Bright 59 Carson Van Lynn LG 6-5 300 SO 21 Damarri Mathis 53 Jake Kradel C 6-3 300 FR 14 Marquis Williams 54 Rashad Wheeler RG 6-3 280 JR 7 Jazzee Stocker 74 Jerry Drake Jr. RT 6-5 310 SO 27 Bricen Garner 97 98
SPECIAL TEAMS
Alex Kessman K Kirk Christodoulou P
6-3 6-1
195 210
JR SO
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31......................... Virginia
O. 18................. at Syracuse
S. 7.................................Ohio
O. 26...........................Miami
S. 14............... at Penn State
N. 2............at Georgia Tech
S. 21................................UCF
N. 14........... North Carolina
S. 28..................... Delaware
N. 23..........at Virginia Tech
O. 5.......................... at Duke
N. 30.......... Boston College
2 12
Maurice Ffrench Paris Ford
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB S S CB
HT 6-5 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-0
WT CLASS 270 JR 295 SR 285 JR 265 JR 220 JR 240 JR 250 JR 200 JR 195 SO 195 SR 190 SR
DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB S S
6-4 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-0 5-11 5-8 6-2 6-1
265 290 295 255 230 230 225 195 170 190 190
SO SO FR FR SO SR SO JR FR SR JR
200 195
SR SO
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-11 6-0
NEWCOMERS Davis Beville — The three-star quarterback should blossom under offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. While Kenny Pickett did struggle at times last season, the job is clearly his. Beville will be ready if called upon this season, but his time will come and he is the future quarterback for the Panthers. Daniel Carter — The three-star running back will sit and learn behind A.J. Davis and V’Lique Carter, but he’ll be ready in 2020. Brandon Hill — It wouldn’t be a surprise if the three-star safety played his way into the starting lineup this fall.
34 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
VIRGINIA
HEAD COACH: Bronco Mendenhall OFF. COORDINATOR: Robert Anae DEF. COORDINATOR: Nick Howell Kelly Poppinga
Charlottesville, VA
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4) FOUNDED: 1819 STADIUM: Scott (61,500)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Virginia coaches didn’t know exactly what to expect last season when junior college quarterback Bryce Perkins stepped onto campus. The former Arizona State signal-caller was handed the starting job immediately and he ran with it—literally. Perkins established a new total offense record at Virginia with 2,680 passing yards and 923 rushing. Only Heisman winner Kyler Murray had better run-pass numbers. He completed better than 64 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns and just nine picks. The bad news is that the offense may lean too heavily on Perkins to make plays. There aren’t experienced running backs. The receivers are talented but tentative. The offensive line has some experience and young talent, and could be pretty good, which would allow this offense—and Perkins—to be even better in 2019.
Last year’s defense had to replace the heart and soul of the unit from 2017 in All-ACC performers Micah Kiser, a linebacker, and safety Quin Balding. Coaches and fans were concerned. But the defense rose to the occasion and ranked 21st in points allowed and 20th in total yards allowed. Now expectations are higher with six starters returning. Senior cornerback Bryce Hall is one of the best in the country. He passed on the opportunity to skip ahead to the NFL and returns for his senior season. The lockdown corner picked off two passes, but broke up another 22 giving him a nation’s best 24 pass breakups. Quarterbacks will stay away from him this season. But the rest of the secondary is experienced and should be up to the task. Linebacking will also be a strength for this unit with Jordan Mack and Zane Zandier returning starters.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 3 Bryce Perkins QB Wayne Taulapapa RB 2 Joe Reed WR 84 Terrell Jana WR 8 Hasise Dubois WR 44 Tanner Cowley TE 54 Ryan Nelson LT 69 Chris Glaser LG Olusegun Oluwatimi C 79 Dillon Reinkensmeyer RG 72 Ryan Swoboda RT
HT 6-3 5-9 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-6 6-10
WT CLASS 210 SR 210 SO 215 SR 190 JR 215 SR 240 SR 290 SO 305 JR 305 SO 305 JR 200 SO
NO PLAYER 94 Aaron Faumui 58 Eli Hanback 91 Mandy Alonso 11 Charles Snowden 37 Jordan Mack 33 Zane Zandier 42 Noah Taylor 34 Bryce Hall 32 Darrius Bratton 28 Brenton Nelson 29 Joey Blount
POS DE DT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB S S
HT 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-7 6-2 6-3 6-5 6-1 6-0 5-11 6-1
WT CLASS 285 SO 305 SR 280 JR 225 JR 230 SR 235 JR 215 SO 200 SR 190 JR 185 JR 190 JR
6 27 80 86 70 63
Brennan Armstrong QB PK Kier RB Tavares Kelly Jr. WR Billy Kemp WR Ugo Obasi WR Christian Baumgardner TE Bobby Haskins LT Joe Bissinger LG Tyler Fannin C Derek Devine RG Alex Gellerstedt RT
6-2 6-0 5-8 5-9 6-0 6-5 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-7
220 235 160 175 195 245 285 305 295 295 325
FR JR SO SO SO JR SO FR SO FR JR
76 16 22 43 56 30 20 15 7
Tommy Christ Jordan Redmond Richard Burney Rob Snyder Elliott Brown T.C. Harrison Matt Gahm Myles Robinson Nick Grant De’Vante Cross Chris Moore
DE NT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB S S
6-5 6-0 6-4 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-3 5-11 6-1 6-2 6-0
280 290 275 240 210 225 240 205 200 210 210
SO SO SR JR JR FR JR JR JR JR JR
26 26
Brian Delaney Brian Delaney
200 200
JR JR
2 19
Joe Reed Chuck Davis
215 175
SR JR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
5-10 5-10
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31................at Pittsburgh
O. 19............................. Duke
S. 6............ William & Mary
O. 26.................at Louisville
S. 14................ Florida State
N. 2.........at North Carolina
S. 21..............Old Dominion
N. 9................ Georgia Tech
S. 28........... at Notre Dame
N. 23..........................Liberty
O. 11....................... at Miami
N. 29...............Virginia Tech
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-1 5-9
NEWCOMERS Alex Gellerstedt — The transfer from Penn State will compete for the tackle positions after not seeing much playing time for the Nittany Lions. Jowon Briggs — The four-star defensive lineman from Cincinnati will be in the mix for playing time this season. He was ranked No. 7 at his position by 247Sports. Hunter Stewart — The three-star linebacker from Washington, DC, was ranked No. 31 at his position by 247Sports. There is depth at this position, so Stewart is a redshirt candidate this season.
35 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
36 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
37 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
VIRGINIA TECH
HEAD COACH: Justin Fuente OFF. COORDINATOR: Brad Cornelsen DEF. COORDINATOR: Bud Foster
Blacksburg, VA
2018 RECORD: 6-7 (4-4) FOUNDED: 1872 STADIUM: Lane (65,632)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Senior quarterback Ryan Willis started 11 games over two seasons at Kansas before transferring to Virginia Tech. He started the final 10 games last season after Josh Jackson was injured. Willis threw for 2,716 yards and 24 touchdowns with only nine picks. He loves to throw the ball all around the field, and he has a group of receivers that go get it. Damon Hazelton is an All-ACC candidate with good hands and 51 catches for 802 yards last season. Sophomore Tre Turner is a budding star. He averaged better than 20 yards a catch last season on 26 receptions. Junior tight end Dalton Keene is also a real weapon. Junior running back Deshawn McClease ran for 433 yards in a backup role last season. The offensive line is solid behind Zach Hoyt at center and Christian Darrisaw at tackle. Sophomore tackle Silas Dzansi is a future star who excels at pass protection.
Bud Foster’s defense has been in a bit of rebuilding, or at least retooling, mode for the past two seasons. But his guys are ready to blossom now. The defensive line may hold the key to any success that the Hokies enjoy on defense this season. Foster must replace Ricky Walker, one of the most productive linemen in recent Hokie history, but the cupboard is well stocked. Jarrod Hewitt and Emmanuel Belmar are capable contributors, but the best player this season will likely be junior college transfer DaShawn Crawford, who will step in immediately at defensive tackle. The young linebackers and defensive backs were thrown to the wolves over the last two seasons, but Foster believes both groups have grown into top-notch ACC units. Safety Reggie Floyd is excellent against the run. He had 9.5 stops behind the line last season, none of them quarterback sacks.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 5 Ryan Willis QB 33 Deshawn McClease RB 11 Tre Turner WR 6 Hezekiah Grimsley WR 14 Damon Hazelton WR 29 Dalton Keene TE 77 Christian Darrisaw LT 52 Austin Cannon LG 75 Zach Hoyt C 54 Lecitus Smith RG 60 Silas Dzansi RT
HT 6-4 5-9 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-3 6-5
WT CLASS 223 SR 197 JR 190 SO 182 JR 215 JR 251 JR 311 SO 323 JR 308 JR 316 SO 325 SO
NO PLAYER 8 Emmanuel Belmar 36 DeShawn Crawford 5 Jarrod Hewitt 45 TyJuan Garbutt 23 Rayshard Ashby 4 Dax Hollifield 9 Khalil Ladler 3 Caleb Farley 28 Jermaine Waller 17 Divine Deablo 21 Reggie Floyd
POS DE DE DT DE LB LB LB CB CB FS SS
HT 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-1 5-10 6-1 5-11 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-0
WT CLASS 250 JR 290 JR 288 JR 238 SO 237 JR 232 SO 192 JR 202 SO 180 SO 223 JR 222 SR
4 13 83 8 19 82 71 72 79 57 69
Quincy Patterson II Jalen Holston Tayvion Robinson Phil Patterson DeJuan Ellis James Mitchell T.J. Jackson Jesse Hanson Tyrell Smith John Harris Luke Tenuta
6-4 5-11 5-10 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-6 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-7
245 218 186 195 178 252 359 301 301 303 315
FR JR FR JR FR SO JR FR JR FR FR
58 53 98 13 15 44 22 27 26 18 7
Nathan Proctor Aiden Brown Rob Porcher Zion Debose Keshon Artis Dylan Rivers Chamarri Conner Armani Chatman Jovonn Quillen Tyree Rodgers Devon Hunter
DE DT DE DE LB LB LB CB CB FS SS
6-2 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-0
241 290 275 246 235 237 211 195 188 180 225
SO SO SO SO SO JR SO FR SR JR SO
93 91
Brian Johnson Oscar Bradburn
182 221
JR JR
24 14
Terius Wheatley Damon Hazelton
190 215
SO JR
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C LG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-1 6-1
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31....... at Boston College
O. 19........... North Carolina
S. 7................Old Dominion
N. 2............. at Notre Dame
S. 14..........................Furman
N. 9..................Wake Forest
S. 27.............................. Duke
N. 16..........at Georgia Tech
O. 5........................ at Miami
N. 23....................Pittsburgh
O. 12...............Rhode Island
N. 29....................at Virginia
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-0 6-2
NEWCOMERS DeShawn Crawford — No 2019 recruit will have a bigger impact in 2019 than defensive lineman Crawford. He comes from Jones County Junior College in Mississippi and coaches expect him to step in to a starting role immediately this fall. Tayvion Robinson — The four-star athlete is expected to be a part of the passing game this fall. He’s quick and has tremendous hands. Doug Nester — The four-star guard will have a real opportunity to play this fall as part of what could be a thin offensive line group.
38 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
THE SIDELINES
39 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
40 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FOR THE BIG GAME
41 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
SEC MUST SEE GAMES Aug. 31 Auburn v. Oregon (Arlington) Sept. 21 Notre Dame at Georgia Oct. 5 Auburn at Florida Oct. 12 Florida at LSU Oct. 26 Auburn at LSU Nov. 2 Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville) Nov. 9 LSU at Alabama Nov. 16 Georgia at Auburn Nov. 30 Alabama at Auburn
ALL-SEC Alabama
RB D’Andre Swift
Georgia
RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Vanderbilt
WR Jerry Jeudy
Alabama
WR Kalija Lipscomb
Vanderbilt
TE Albert Okwuegbunam
Missouri
OL Alex Leatherwood
Alabama
OL Andrew Thomas
Georgia
OL Darryl Williams
Mississippi State
OL Prince Tega Wanogho
Auburn
OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Missouri
K Rodrigo Blankenship
Georgia
DEFENSE DL Raekwon Davis
Alabama
DL Jabari Zuniga
Florida
DL Derrick Brown
Auburn
DL Benito Jones
Ole Miss
LB Jacob Phillips
LSU
LB Dylan Moses
Alabama
LB Anfernee Jennings
Alabama
DB CJ Henderson DB Cameron Dantzler DB Grant Delpit DB J.R. Reed P Braden Mann
2018 RECORD: 14-1 (8-0)
2. LSU
2018 RECORD: 10-3 (5-3)
The Alabama machine just keeps churning out wins. One difference this season is that the best quarterback in the nation is playing with a chip on his shoulder after losing the national championship in January. The talent level on offense is staggering—except at running back. The Tigers may lean on quarterback Joe Burrow more this season. The defense lost some real playmakers in the middle, but the secondary will be outstanding.
3. AUBURN
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (3-5)
4. TEXAS A&M
2018 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3)
5. MISSISSIPPI STATE
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4)
The Tigers’ bitter loss to LSU last season still stings. The offensive line will be among the best in the nation, which is a good thing when you’re breaking in a new quarterback and backfield. The secondary will be the strength of the defense. The offense should flourish with quarterback Kellen Mond and receivers Jhamon Ausbon and Quartney Davis behind a solid line. The defense, however, returns just one starter from a terrific unit. Justin Madubuike is a beast at defensive tackle.
OFFENSE QB Tua Tagovailoa
1. ALABAMA
Florida Mississippi State LSU Georgia Texas A&M
Quarterback Keytaon Thompson is solid but needs to improve his accuracy. He will enjoy handing it to running back Kylin Hill. The defense could not have been much better last season and returns studs at linebacker in Willie Gay Jr. and Erroll Thompson.
6. OLE MISS
2018 RECORD: 5-7 (1-7)
Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Corral is the most experienced in the QB room, and he’s surrounded by an inexperienced group of receivers. The defense will be tough upfront with Benito Jones manning the middle of the line.
7. ARKANSAS
2018 RECORD: 2-10 (0-8)
Life is tough in the SEC West. Coach Chad Morris has a couple of transfer quarterbacks to work with this season in Ben Hicks and Nick Starkel. Running back Rakeem Byrd is talented. The defense will be stout upfront, but thin elsewhere.
1. GEORGIA
2018 RECORD: 11-3 (7-1)
2. FLORIDA
2018 RECORD: 10-3 (5-3)
3. MISSOURI
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4)
4. SOUTH CAROLINA
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4)
5. TENNESSEE
2018 RECORD: 5-7 (2-6)
6. VANDERBILT
2018 RECORD: 6-7 (3-5)
The Bulldogs should spend most of the season in the top 5, and perhaps earn a berth in the playoffs. But Clemson and Alabama await—again. Quarterback Jake Fromm will break in a new group of talented receivers and D’Andre Smith could run for 1,500 yards. The difference between Florida being on the top-15 bubble and competing for a national championship will be the play of quarterback Feleipe Franks and how well the offensive line holds up. The four-game stretch from Oct. 5-Nov. 2 will reveal all. While fans in Missouri were still celebrating the decision of former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant to spend his senior season in Columbia, the NCAA handed down a bowl ban. The offense will be awesome, and the defense could be pretty good as well. Quarterback Jake Bentley returns to throw to talented wideout Bryan Edwards. The Gamecocks need to develop a running game in order to compete at a high level. The defense must fill some huge holes in the front seven, but linebacker T.J. Brunson is a stud. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano proved he can win in the SEC, beating Auburn and Kentucky. Ty Chandler is a breakaway threat at running back. The receivers are good, but the offensive line is still being rebuilt. The linebackers and secondary are solid. Vanderbilt will miss quarterback Kyle Shurmur. But running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, receiver Kalija Lipscomb and tight end Jared Pinkney are all NFL talents. The defense gave up 6.1 yards a play and doesn’t appear dramatically improved.
7. KENTUCKY
2018 RECORD: 10-3: (5-3)
The Wildcats enjoyed a huge season last year behind running back Benny Snell Jr. and linebacker Josh Allen. Terry Wilson returns at quarterback, but the offensive line and secondary are being rebuilt.
Get Your Game Back 42 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
43 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FLORIDA
HEAD COACH: Dan Mullen OFF. COORDINATOR: Billy Gonzales John Hevesy DEF. COORDINATOR: Todd Grantham
Gainesville, FL
2018 RECORD: 10-3 (5-3) FOUNDED: 1905 STADIUM: Ben Hill Griffin (88,548)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Florida Gators could easily be one of the best offensive teams in the SEC this fall. Junior quarterback Feleipe Franks is beginning to live up to almost impossible high expectations that followed him to Gainesville out of high school. He was especially sharp down the stretch last season, accounting for 12 touchdowns and no interceptions in his final four games. He is even more comfortable in the offense now and growing as a leader. Running back Lamical Perine ran for 826 yards last season and averaged 6.2 yards a carry. There’s plenty of talent and experience behind him. The receiving corps is second only to maybe Alabama in the SEC. Seniors Tyrie Cleveland, Van Jefferson and Josh Hammond give Franks reliable and big-play targets all over the field. So what could hold the Gators back? Replacing four starters along the offensive front.
The Gators have eight returning starters on defense, But that’s only part of the story. Linebacker Jonathan Greenard is a grad transfer from Louisville who had 15.5 tackles for loss two seasons ago. Sophomore linebacker Amari Burney is considered among the fastest players on this side of the ball. And cornerback Marco Wilson was named to the All-SEC Freshman team in 2017 before suffering a torn ACL last September. So there’s three pretty good replacements for the only players lost from last season. Junior cornerback CJ Henderson has track speed, excels in coverage and is among the best in the country. Junior safety Brad Stewart Jr. is an elite athlete and has developed quickly after only seven starts last season. Senior linebacker David Reese II is the best player on defense and tallied 77 tackles in 2018.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER 13 Feleipe Franks 2 Lamical Perine 89 Tyrie Cleveland 10 Josh Hammond 12 Van Jefferson 88 Kemore Gamble 72 Stone Forsythe 61 Brett Heggie 66 Nick Buchanan 67 Christopher Bleich 56 Jean Delance
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
HT 6-5 5-11 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-5
WT CLASS 227 JR 218 SR 205 SR 194 SR 192 SR 246 SO 329 JR 330 JR 283 SR 321 FR 315 JR
NO PLAYER 92 Jabari Zuniga 55 Kyree Campbell 88 Adam Shuler 58 Jonathan Greenard 30 Amari Burney 33 David Reese II 21 Trey Dean III 1 CJ Henderson 3 Marco Wilson 2 Brad Stewart 13 Donovan Stiner
POS DE NT DT LB LB LB NB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-1
WT CLASS 250 SR 305 JR 275 SR 263 SR 222 SO 239 SR 181 SO 186 JR 177 SO 191 JR 203 JR
5 20 8 4 16 7 76 77 65 75 70
Emory Jones Malik Davis Trevon Grimes Kadarius Toney Freddie Swain Lucas Krull Richard Gouraige Ethan White Kingsley Eguakun T.J. Moore Michael Tarquin
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
6-2 5-11 6-5 5-11 6-0 6-6 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-6
199 191 210 194 195 255 303 392 294 305 275
FR SO JR JR SR JR FR FR FR SO FR
17 93 56 7 51 41 26 5 5 29 31
Zachary Carter Elijah Conliffe Tedarrell Slaton Jeremiah Moon Ventrell Miller James Houston IV John Huggins Kaiir Elam Kaiir Elam Jeawon Taylor Shawn Davis
DE NT DT LB LB LB NB CB CB SS FS
6-4 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-0
270 317 358 228 229 233 206 187 187 206 202
SO JR JR SO SO SO SO FR FR SR JR
19 88
Evan McPherson K Tommy Townsend P
165 175
SO SR
4 16
Kadarius Toney Freddie Swain
194 195
JR SR
SPECIAL TEAMS
6-0 6-1
2019 SCHEDULE A. 24....... Miami (Orlando)
O. 12...........................at LSU
S. 7...................... UT Martin
O. 19.......at South Carolina
S. 14..................at Kentucky
N. 2.Georgia (Jacksonville)
S. 21.................... Tennessee
N. 9..................... Vanderbilt
S. 28.........................Towson
N. 16..................at Missouri
O. 5...........................Auburn
N. 30.............. Florida State
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-11 6-0
NEWCOMERS Jonathan Greenard — The Louisville grad transfer will immediately start at outside linebacker for the Gators. Greenard was originally recruited to Louisville by Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Greenard had 15.5 stops behind the line in 2017 then broke his hand in the opener last season and missed the remainder of the season. Kaiir Elam — The four-star prospect out of West Palm Beach is an excellent cover corner who should see the field often this fall.
44 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
45 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
GEORGIA
HEAD COACH: Kirby Smart OFF. COORDINATOR: James Coley DEF. COORDINATOR: Dan Lanning
Athens, GA
2018 RECORD: 11-3 (7-1) FOUNDED: 1785 STADIUM: Sanford (92,746)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Georgia continues to ride an era of producing some of the best running backs in the country. D’Andre Smith returns after sharing carries with Elijah Holyfield last season. Both runners gained more than 1,000 yards and there’s no reason Smith couldn’t approach 1,500 this season. Jake Fromm enters his third season as a starter (although it seems like much longer). He’s made 28 starts and has 54 touchdown passes—30 of them in 2018—and just 13 picks over two seasons. He’s a 65 percent passer for his career. Fromm’s top three targets from 2018 are gone, but there’s plenty of talent available at receiver. Look for Jeremiah Hollomon, who had 24 catches for 418 yards last season, to be the primary threat. The Bulldogs’ offensive line should be the best in the SEC this fall. Junior tackle Andrew Thomas is the best in the nation.
If there’s one area of concern that could prevent the Bulldogs from repeating as SEC East champs it would be the defensive front. Four seniors will get the bulk of snaps upfront and only Julian Rochester is a returning starter. There is an opportunity for incoming freshmen to break into the rotation in August. The four-man linebacking corps is extremely talented but lacks starting experience. Jermaine Johnson is considered the top player out of junior college, and he will take over one of the outside linebacker spots. Freshman Azeez Ojulari is a rising star and will be able to prove himself at the outset of the season. Senior J.R. Reed is the leader of the secondary after transferring from Tulsa a few years ago. Sophomores Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes will man the corners, giving the Bulldogs excellent one-on-one pass coverage skills.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 11 Jake Fromm QB 7 D’Andre Swift RB 9 Jeremiah Holloman WR 87 Tyler Simmons WR 16 Demetris Robertson WR 89 Charlie Woerner TE 71 Andrew Thomas LT 66 Solomon Kindley LG 55 Trey Hill C 74 Ben Cleveland RG 79 Isaiah Wilson RT
HT 6-2 5-9 6-2 6-0 5-11 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-7
WT CLASS 225 JR 215 JR 200 JR 206 SR 190 JR 245 SR 320 JR 333 JR 330 SO 335 JR 345 SO
NO PLAYER 51 David Marshall 94 Michael Barnett 52 Tyler Clark 11 Jermaine Johnson 32 Monty Rice 13 Azeez Ojulari 30 Tae Crowder 27 Eric Stokes 3 Tyson Campbell 2 Richard LeCounte 20 J.R. Reed
POS DE DT DT LB LB LB LB CB CB S S
HT 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-1 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-2 5-11 6-1
WT CLASS 270 SR 304 SR 300 SR 240 JR 235 JR 245 FR 235 SR 185 SO 185 SO 181 JR 194 SR
13 35 5 10 17 75 54 50 77 69
Stetson Bennett Brian Herrien Matt Landers Dominik Blaylock Kearis Jackson Eli Wolf Owen Condon Justin Shaffer Warren Ericson Cade Mays Jamaree Salyer
5-11 6-0 6-5 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-4
190 210 200 195 200 236 310 333 305 318 325
SO SR SO FR FR SR FR JR FR SO SO
10 99 5 84 17 41 4 23 14 16 6
Malik Herring Jordan Davis Julian Rochester Walter Grant Nakobe Dean Channing Tindall Nolan Smith Mark Webb D.J. Daniel Lewis Cine Otis Reese
DE DT DT LB LB LB LB CB CB S S
6-3 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-3
280 330 304 245 220 218 235 200 185 185 210
JR SO SR JR FR SO FR JR JR FR SO
98 90
Rodrigo Blankenship K Jake Camarda P
191 180
SR SO
35 35
Brian Herrien Brian Herrien
210 210
SR SR
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS
6-1 6-2
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31................at Vanderbilt
O. 19......................Kentucky
S. 7................. Murray State
N. 2.....Florida (Jacksonville)
S. 14............Arkansas State
N. 9........................ Missouri
S. 21................. Notre Dame
N. 16.................... at Auburn
O. 5.................at Tennessee
N. 23................. Texas A&M
O. 12........... South Carolina
N. 30.........at Georgia Tech
SPECIAL TEAMS PR KR
6-0 6-0
NEWCOMERS Nakobe Dean — The five-star recruit enrolled early this spring and immediately caught the attention of coaches. Dean will see the field often this fall, perhaps eventually starting before the end of the season. He was ranked No. 2 at inside linebacker in the nation by 24/7Sports. Nolan Smith — The five-star linebacker is from Savannah and attended IMG Academy in Florida. Smith and Dean should form a dynamic duo at linebacker for the next three seasons. Trevon Walker — Yet another five-star defender matriculating to Georgia this fall, Walker is athletic enough for linebacker.
46 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
KENTUCKY Lexington, KY
2018 RECORD: 10-3 (5-3) FOUNDED: 1865 STADIUM: Kroger Field (61,000)
HEAD COACH: Mark Stoops OFF. COORDINATORS: Eddie Gran, Darin Hinshaw DEF. COORDINATOR: Brad White
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Benny Snell Jr. and his 1,449 yards have departed. But Kentucky fans will be happy to know there are three capable options for the Wildcats’ running game this season. Junior A.J. Rose has some experience and averaged 6.2 yards a carry on 71 attempts last season. Redshirt freshmen Chris Rodriguez and Kavosiey Smoke will contribute as well. Rodriguez is more of a power runner while Smoke brings speed and shiftiness for a changeof-pace element. Quarterback Terry Wilson won the job last season after transferring from junior college. He completed 67.2 percent of his throws, but he wasn’t asked to do too much with Snell carrying the offensive load. Wilson and the passing game will be more a part of the offense this season. Lynn Bowden Jr. is the lone returning receiver with significant numbers. He caught 67 passes, but totaled just 745 yards.
Kentucky football reached historical heights last season and the running game behind Benny Snell Jr. received most of the attention. But make no mistake, it was the defense that carried this team to 10 wins for the first time since 1977. End/linebacker Josh Allen was one of the best in the nation last year and is no longer around. Only four starters return from the vaunted defense that allowed just 337.9 yards last year, good enough to rank 23rd in the nation. Opponents scored just 16.8 points a game. Senior linebacker Kash Daniel will be the focal point of the defense. Since coming in as a heralded recruit, Daniel has steadily improved and made himself an All-SEC caliber player. He had 84 stops last season, 7.5 behind the line. Linebacker Jamar Watson should be the leading sack man this season. The secondary is being rebuilt.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS 3 Terry Wilson QB 6-3 205 JR 10 A.J. Rose RB 6-1 210 JR 82 Josh Ali WR 6-0 188 JR 81 Isaiah Epps WR 6-2 181 JR 1 Lynn Bowden WR 6-1 195 JR 83 Justin Rigg TE 6-6 257 SO 67 Landon Young LT 6-7 305 JR 71 Logan Stenberg LG 6-6 320 SR 52 Drake Jackson C 6-2 303 JR 79 Luke Fortner RG 6-6 293 JR 70 Darian Kinnard RT 6-5 324 SO
NO PLAYER 90 T.J. Carter 91 Calvin Taylor Jr. 95 Quinton Bohanna 31 Boogie Watson 56 Kash Daniel 15 Jordan Wright 43 DeAndre Square 27 Cedrick Dort 26 Brandin Echols 3 Jordan Griffin 9 Davonte Robinson
POS DE DT DT LB LB LB LB CB CB FS SS
HT 6-4 6-9 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-5 6-1 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-2
WT CLASS 265 SR 310 JR 361 JR 234 JR 242 SR 242 SO 208 SO 176 SR 174 JR 194 SR 200 JR
12 Gunnar Hoak QB 6-4 206 JR 24 Chris Rodriguez RB 5-11 224 FR 85 Bryce Oliver WR 6-1 211 FR 89 Allen Dailey WR 6-3 206 SO 19 Akeem Hayes WR 5-8 165 FR 88 Keaton Upshaw TE 6-6 247 FR 66 Naasir Watkins LT 6-5 318 SO 68 Kenneth Horsey LG 6-3 307 FR 77 Mason Wolfe C 6-6 315 SR 61 Austin Dotson RG 6-6 322 SO 78 Nick Lewis RT 6-9 367 FR
4 50 92 6 58 22 44 11 21 23 29
Josh Paschal Marquan McCall Phil Hoskins Jared Casey Alex King Chris Oats Jamin Davis Moses Douglass Quandre Mosely Tyrell Ajian Yusuf Corker
DE DT DT LB LB LB LB CB CB S S
6-3 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0
278 368 306 232 236 227 224 204 180 194 192
SO SO SR FR SO SO SO FR JR SO SO
1 1
Lynn Bowden Lynn Bowden
195 195
JR JR
12 93
Chance Poore Max Duffy
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-2 6-1
216 186
FR JR
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31........................... Toledo
O. 19................... at Georgia
S. 7..........Eastern Michigan
O. 26...................... Missouri
S. 14........................... Florida
N. 9..................... Tennessee
S. 21....at Mississippi State
N. 16...............at Vanderbilt
S. 28.......at South Carolina
N. 23................... UT Martin
O. 12..................... Arkansas
N. 30.....................Louisville
SPECIAL TEAMS PR KR
6-1 6-1
NEWCOMERS Jared Casey — The four-star linebacker out of Louisville had committed to Oregon, but jumped to Kentucky late in the recruiting cycle. Casey enrolled early and is already climbing the depth chart. He was ranked No. 21 at ILB nationally. J.J. Weaver — At 6’5”, 240, the four-star prospect is a good candidate to redshirt this season. He was highly rated at defensive end as well and could find his way to that side of the ball. Moses Douglass — The four-star safety was ranked No. 30 in the nation at his position by 247Sports.
47 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
48 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
49 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
MISSOURI
HEAD COACH: Barry Odom OFF. COORDINATOR: Derek Dooley DEF. COORDINATOR: Ryan Walters
Columbia, MO
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4) FOUNDED: 1839 STADIUM: Faurot Field (71,168)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Missouri received exciting news over the winter when former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant chose the Tigers to cap his collegiate career. While fans were still celebrating that decision, the NCAA handed down a bowl ban for 2019 because of improprieties by a former tutor. Amid this distraction, the Tigers’ offense remains locked in and is poised to continue produce big numbers. Bryant has started a national championship game and has been diligent to quickly develop a rapport with his new teammates. Bryant will have some terrific targets in tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, a Mackey Award finalist last season, and senior receiver Johnathan Johnson who led the team in receiving last season. Jonathan Nance was Arkansas’ leading receiver in 2017 and is good after the catch. Running back Larry Rountree ran for 1,216 yards last season.
Head coach Barry Odom has taken pride in developing a top-tier defense in Columbia. Cale Garrett is among the top two or three inside linebackers in the SEC. Garrett has started the past two years and led the team in tackles both seasons. He has 217 tackles over the past two years and is developing into an adept pass rusher from the middle. Upfront, the Tigers return a pair of starters in Chris Turner and Akial Byers. But the coaches are excited to see Jordan Elliott blossom. A transfer from Texas, Elliott had three sacks in the regular-season finale against Arkansas last season. Missouri’s scheme this season will feature three safeties. Boundary safety Tyree Gillespie is a hybrid safety/outside linebacker who gives the unit toughness and athleticism. Missouri coaches believe the Tigers have the best cornerback duo in the SEC in DeMarkus Acy and Christian Holmes.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 7 Kelly Bryant QB 34 Larry Rountree III RB 12 Johnathon Johnson WR 9 Jalen Knox WR 4 Jonathan Nance WR 81 Albert Okwuegbunam TE 70 Yasir Durant LT 79 Larry Borom LG 55 Trystan Colon-Castillo C 75 Tre’vour Wallace-Simms RG 50 Hyrin White RT
HT 6-3 5-10 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-5 6-7 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-6
WT CLASS 225 SR 210 JR 185 SR 195 SO 190 SR 260 JR 340 SR 345 SO 315 JR 340 SR 305 SO
NO PLAYER 15 Trajan Jeffcoat 1 Jordan Elliott 97 Akial Byers 39 Chris Turner 32 Nick Bolton 47 Cale Garrett 2 DeMarkus Acy 21 Christian Holmes 9 Tyree Gillespie 3 Ronnell Perkins 18 Joshuah Bledsoe
5 1 13 14 21 82 76 59 67 73 64
Taylor Powell Tyler Badie Kam Scott Dominic Gicinto Alex Ofodile Daniel Parker Jr. Javon Foster Case Cook Jonah Dubinski Mike Ruth Bobby Lawrence
6-2 5-9 6-2 5-9 6-2 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-2 6-7 6-8
210 190 170 180 200 260 315 300 295 320 300
SO SO SO SO SR SO FR SO SR FR FR
28 90 78 45 22 25 14 8 4 20 11
Jatorian Hansford DE Markell Utsey DT Kobie Whiteside DT Franklin Agbasimere DE Aubrey Miller Jr. LB Jamal Brooks LB Adam Sparks CB Jarvis Ware CB Jalani Williams BS Khalil Oliver SS Jordan Ulmer FS
7 7
Tucker McCann Tucker McCann
205 205
SR SR
1 12
Tyler Badie KR Johnathon Johnson PR
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-0 6-0
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31................. at Wyoming
O. 19...............at Vanderbilt
S. 7................ West Virginia
O. 26.................at Kentucky
S. 14....... SE Missouri State
N. 9..................... at Georgia
S. 21............ South Carolina
N. 16.......................... Florida
O. 5.................................Troy
N. 23................... Tennessee
O. 12...................... Ole Miss
N. 29......... Arkansas (Little
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB CB CB BS SS FS
HT 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-0
WT CLASS 250 SO 315 JR 285 JR 250 JR 235 SO 230 SR 195 SR 200 JR 210 JR 205 SR 205 JR
6-4 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-2
245 295 310 255 225 240 180 190 175 210 195
SO JR JR SR JR JR JR SO FR SR JR
190 185
SO SR
SPECIAL TEAMS
5-9 5-10
NEWCOMERS Jalani Williams — The four-star safety from St. Louis was ranked among the top 25 safeties in the nation. He has good size, is not afraid of contact and should see the field quite often this fall after a strong showing this spring. A foot injury ended his spring early, but he should begin the season healthy. Jack Buford — The four-star guard ranked in the top 20 at his position nationally. At 6’3”, 307, Buford has the size to play right away instead of redshirt. Connor Bazelak — The three-star quarterback will likely redshirt this season and compete for the job next year.
50 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia, SC
HEAD COACH: Will Muschamp OFF. COORDINATOR: Bryan McClendon DEF COORDINATOR: Travaris Robinson
2018 RECORD: 7-6 (4-4) FOUNDED: 1801 STADIUM: Williams-Brice (80,250)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
South Carolina entered last season with high expectations; hopes high enough that most fans—and some experts—felt the Gamecocks could challenge Georgia for the SEC East title. But an early thrashing at the hands of the Bulldogs derailed the season. The Gamecocks never lost back-to-back games, but won back-to-back games just once. After ranking outside the top 100 in yards per game for two seasons, the South Carolina offense averaged 425.6 yards a game in 2018, which was 43rd in the nation. The quarterback-receiver duo of Jake Bentley and Bryan Edwards should lift the offense to even higher numbers this season. Bentley is growing as a quarterback and threw for 3,171 yards and 27 touchdowns last season. Edwards caught 55 for 846 yards. The offensive line has shuffled a few positions, but is talented and experienced.
South Carolina’s defense regressed a bit last season, giving up 424.3 yards a game. Only five starters return from the unit, but there is talent on the roster and this defense should be better than it was in 2018. There are four capable defensive tackles that will anchor the middle and be the focal point of stopping the run. Linebacker T.J. Brunson led the team in tackles and should be an impact player this fall. He needs more support from his compatriots at the position for the defense to really make strides. The secondary will probably be the strength of the defense. Three sophomores grew up quickly last season and should be difficult to throw against this season. Corner Jaycee Horn was a Freshman All-American last season. Israel Mukuamu uses his height well in defending passes. R.J. Roderick is a hybrid corner/safety and is a key against the run and pass.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 19 Jake Bentley QB 25 A.J. Turner RB 18 OrTre Smith WR 13 Shi Smith WR 89 Bryan Edwards WR 87 Kiel Pollard TE 50 Sadarius Hutcherson LT 72 Donell Stanley LG 70 Hank Manos C 54 Jovaughn Gwyn RG 79 Dylan Wonnum RT
HT 6-4 5-10 6-4 5-10 6-3 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-5
WT CLASS 223 SR 195 SR 220 SO 190 JR 220 SR 240 SR 310 SO 315 JR 289 FR 305 FR 310 SO
NO PLAYER 52 J.J. Enagbare 3 Javon Kinlaw 90 Rick Sandidge 8 D.J. Wonnum 35 Daniel Fennell 6 T.J. Brunson 44 Sherrod Greene 7 Jaycee Horn 24 Israel Mukuamu 10 R.J. Roderick 29 J.T. Ibe
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-4 6-0 5-10
WT CLASS 270 SO 302 SR 297 SO 258 SR 244 SR 240 SR 225 JR 200 SO 205 SO 200 SO 190 SR
7 5 86 6 8 84 75 76 60 71 52
Dakereon Joyner Rico Dowdle Chad Terrell Josh Vann Randrecous Davis Kyle Markway Jordon Carty Jordan Rhodes Chandler Farrell Eric Douglas Jaylen Nichols
6-1 6-0 6-3 5-10 5-10 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-5
205 215 215 192 186 234 323 323 292 298 315
FR SR SO SO JR JR SO SO JR SO FR
15 26 95 5 53 19 23 1 3 26 21
Aaron Sterling Zacch Pickens Kobe Smith Keir Thomas Ernest Jones Brad Johnson Derek Boykins Cameron Smith John Dixon Jaylin Dickerson Jamyest Williams
DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
6-1 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-0 5-11 6-1 5-8
240 293 297 276 230 250 226 171 180 188 182
JR FR SR SR SO JR FR FR FR SO JR
43 20
Parker White Joseph Charlton
196 187
JR SR
25 89
A.J. Turner Bryan Edwards
195 220
SR SR
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-5 6-5
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31North Carolina (Charlotte)
O. 19............................Florida
S. 7.....Charleston Southern
O. 26............... at Tennessee
S. 14.........................Alabama
N. 2....................... Vanderbilt
S. 21.....................at Missouri
N. 9........ Appalachian State
S. 28....................... Kentucky
N. 16.............. at Texas A&M
O. 12..................... at Georgia
N. 30....................... Clemson
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-10 6-3
NEWCOMERS Zacch Pickens — The Under Armor All-American was ranked No. 8 overall in the nation by 247Sports. While ranked as a defensive end/outside linebacker, Pickens may see the field this fall at defensive tackle. But his future is on the outside. Ryan Hillinski — The four-star signal-caller is traveling across the country to sign with the Gamecocks. He will have the opportunity to earn the backup position this fall, but most likely headed for a redshirt season. Jaquaze Sorrells — The big defensive lineman was an Under Armor All-American.
51 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
52 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
53 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
TENNESSEE
HEAD COACH: Jeremy Pruitt OFF. COORDINATOR: Jim Chaney DEF. COORDINATOR: Derrick Ansley
Knoxville, TN
2018 RECORD: 5-7 (2-6) FOUNDED: 1794 STADIUM: Neyland (102,455)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
After a disastrous 2017 season, head coach Jeremy Pruitt righted the ship last season and has the Vols on an upward trend. Tennessee isn’t ready to contend for an SEC championship—or even and SEC East title—but this year’s version of the Vols should make fans on Rocky Top much happier than they’ve been in a long while. Offensively, Tennessee ranked last in the SEC in scoring and rushing. So new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will begin igniting the offense by refueling the ground game. Junior running back Ty Chandler came in with much fanfare out of high school, and he’s shown he has talent. He ran for 630 yards and 5.5 yards a carry. He’s also a receiving threat out of the backfield. Pruitt’s rebuilding efforts have focused on beefing up the offensive line. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed better than 62 percent of his passes to a talented receiving corps.
The defense has struggled against the run the last two years, and losing all three starters upfront doesn’t bode well for 2019. End Savion Williams, a highly-rated lineman out of junior college, needs to contribute in a big way immediately. Linebacker Darrell Taylor is the best player on this side of the ball. He had 11 tackles for loss last season, including eight sacks. His stats didn’t come against weak opponents. Taylor posted four sacks in the win over Kentucky and three against Georgia. Offenses must account for him on every play. Linebacker Daniel Bituli came on strong as the season progressed. He logged 28 of his 39 solo stops in the second half of the season. Nigel Warrior led the team in solo tackles from his safety position. It’s always a bad sign when a safety is the team’s leading tackler, but Warrior is an anchor against both the run and pass.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 2 Jarrett Guarantano QB 8 Ty Chandler RB 5 Josh Palmer WR 15 Jauan Jennings WR 1 Marquez Callaway WR 4 Dom. Wood-Anderson TE 64 Wanya Morris LT 70 Ryan Johnson LG 55 Brandon Kennedy C 73 Trey Smith RG 68 Marcus Tatum RT
HT 6-4 5-11 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-3 6-6 6-6
12 9 7 10 11 81 57 75 56 58 72
JT Shrout QB Tim Jordan RB Brandon Johnson WR Tyler Byrd WR Jordan Murphy WR Austin Pope TE Nathan Niehaus LT Jerome Carvin LG Riley Locklear C Jahmir Johnson RG Darnell Wright RT
6-3 213 5-11 203 6-2 193 5-11 210 6-0 177 6-4 235 6-6 300 6-5 307 6-4 295 6-5 285 6-6 330
42 47
Brent Cimaglia Joe Doyle
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-0 6-0
WT CLASS 209 JR 201 JR 201 JR 221 SR 200 SR 257 SR 309 FR 300 JR 301 SR 320 JR 290 JR
210 209
FR JR SR SR JR JR JR SO JR JR FR
NO PLAYER 50 Savion Williams 93 Emmit Gooden 99 John Mincey 19 Darrell Taylor 35 Daniel Bituli 23 Will Ignont 13 Deandre Johnson 2 Alontae Taylor 20 Bryce Thompson 18 Nigel Warrior 25 Trevon Flowers 79 Kurott Garland 90 Greg Emerson 56 Matthew Butler 8 Jordan Allen 11 Henry To’oto’o 6 J.J. Peterson 27 Quavaris Crouch 17 Tyus Fields 36 Terrell Bailey 26 Theo Jackson 22 Jaylen McCollough
JR SO
8 1
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31.............. Georgia State
O. 19................. at Alabama
S. 7..................................BYU
O. 26........... South Carolina
S. 14................Chattanooga
N. 2................................ UAB
S. 21...................... at Florida
N. 9...................at Kentucky
O. 5.......................... Georgia
N. 23..................at Missouri
O. 12....... Mississippi State
N. 30.................. Vanderbilt
POS DE DT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-0 5-11 6-0 5-11
WT CLASS 300 JR 305 SR 280 SO 247 SR 244 SR 229 JR 244 JR 190 SO 188 SO 188 SR 189 SO
DE DT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB FS SS
6-3 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-2 6-1 5-10 5-11 6-2 6-0
304 309 276 238 232 233 246 186 188 194 204
FR FR JR JR FR FR FR FR SO JR FR
201 200
JR SR
SPECIAL TEAMS
Ty Chandler KR Marquez Callaway PR
5-11 6-2
NEWCOMERS Eric Gray — Ranked No. 4 in the nation at running back by 247Sports, Gray, a Memphis native, will have the opportunity to earn some carries this fall. He should succeed Ty Chandler and become the next great runner at Tennessee. Wanya Morris — One of two five-star tackles signed by Tennessee this spring, Morris was on campus in January and impressed the coaches enough to earn a starting spot at left tackle. Henry To’oto’o — The four-star prospect was ranked No. 4 in the nation at outside linebacker by 247Sports.
54 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
55 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
VANDERBILT
HEAD COACH: Derek Mason OFF. COORDINATOR: Gerry Gdowski DEF. COORDINATOR: Jason Tarver
Nashville, TN
2018 RECORD: 6-7 (3-5) FOUNDED: 1873 STADIUM: Vanderbilt (40,550)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Vanderbilt has three stars on offense this season; talent at skill positions that doesn’t come around often at VU. Running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn has superior talent and ran for 7.9 yards a carry last season on his way to 1,244 yards. He is elusive, has quickness and shows surprising power. He has had trouble staying healthy, which is a key for this offense. The Commodores are a totally different team with Vaughn in the lineup. He ran for 243 yards against Baylor in the Texas Bowl on just 13 carries. Tight end Jared Pinkney is a true weapon in the passing game. He is a future NFL regular who is big, strong and an excellent route runner. He is dangerous after the catch averaging 15.5 yards per catch last season. Receiver Kalija Lipscomb has been used primarily as a possession receiver but he can be a big-play threat. The problem? No proven QB and a suspect offensive line.
Vanderbilt’s defense allowed 6.1 yards a play last season, and that must improve for this team to have any success in 2019. The Commodores did create 22 turnovers last season, and defensive coordinator has instilled the turnover mentality. But sometimes turnover numbers can be fool’s gold in that some turnovers are the result of careless offense, rather than aggressive defense. VU must replace a number of key components from 2018. Among the eight players who saw the most snaps last season, only two return. Linebacker Dimitri Moore will be the focal point this season. He rarely missed a snap last season after the first couple of games. Linebacker Kenny Hebert led the team with just four sacks, even though he was not a starter. The defensive line could turn into a strength due to the depth. End Dayo Odeyingbo is a stud.
DEPTH CHART NO PLAYER 2 Deuce Wallace 5 Ke’Shawn Vaughn 83 C.J. Bolar 7 Cam Johnson 16 Kalija Lipscomb 80 Jared Pinkney 77 Devin Cochran 56 Saige Young 63 Grant Miller 74 Cole Clemens 54 Tyler Steen
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
6 32 19 11 87 86 73 53 72 50 78
Riley Neal QB Jamauri Wakefield KR Chris Pierce WR Justice Shelton-Mosley WR Amir Abdur-Rahman WR Ben Bresnahan TE Johnathan Stewart LT Rowan Godwin LG Dan Dawkins C Sean McMoore RG Bryce Bailey RT
98 36
Ryley Guay Jared Wheatley
WT CLASS 205 JR 215 SR 190 SO 185 SO 200 SR 255 SR 315 JR 315 SR 285 SO 310 JR 302 SO
NO PLAYER POS 91 Drew Birchmeier DE 90 Cameron Tidd DE 10 Dayo Odeyingbo DE 9 Caleb Peart LB 42 Kenny Hebert LB 7 Dimitri Moore LB 24 Alston Orji LB 4 Randall Haynie CB 5 Dontye Carriere-Williams CB 2 Frank Coppet SS 3 Tae Daley FS
HT 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-0 5-11 5-11 6-0
WT CLASS 295 JR 290 JR 265 JR 240 SR 228 JR 223 SO 230 SO 190 SO 185 JR 185 JR 190 JR
6-6 6-1 6-4 5-10 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-5
225 220 225 196 210 245 326 305 305 292 305
SR JR JR SR SO SO SO SR SO JR SO
94 34 55 88 12 18 41 28 31 13 14
Rutger Reitmaier DE Eddie Zinn-Turner DT Daevion Davis DT Michael Owusu LB Brayden DeVault-Smith LB Colin Anderson LB Elijah McAllister LB Allan George CB Cam Watkins CB Brendon Harris SS Max Worship FS
6-3 6-1 6-2 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-6 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1
270 315 300 235 230 228 258 185 203 195 202
SO SR SR SO SO SO SO SO SR SO SO
190 195
SR FR
32 11
Jamauri Wakefield KR Justice Shelton-Mosley PR
220 196
JR SR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
DEPTH CHART
HT 6-2 5-10 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-4 6-7 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-5
5-10 6-1
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31......................... Georgia
O. 19...................... Missouri
S. 7........................at Purdue
N. 2.........at South Carolina
S. 21................................ LSU
N. 9....................... at Florida
S. 28.........Northern Illinois
N. 16......................Kentucky
O. 5....................at Ole Miss
N. 23.East Tennessee State
O. 12............................UNLV
N. 30..............at Tennessee
SPECIAL TEAMS
6-1 5-10
NEWCOMERS Daevion Davis — The big, athletic defensive lineman enrolled early and played his way onto the depth chart during the spring. He will be in the defensive line rotation, and is expected to earn more and more snaps as the season progresses. Anfernee Orji — The tenacious safety is widely considered Vanderbilt’s best signee this year—as his brother was last year— and is expected to compete for playing time this fall. Commodore coaches believe he could easily grow into a linebacker. Dontye Carriere-Williams — The junior college product began his collegiate career at Wisconsin.
56 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
57 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
58 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
ALABAMA
HEAD COACH: Nick Saban OFF. COORDINATOR: Steve Sarkisian DEF. COORDINATOR: Pete Golding
Tuscaloosa, AL
2018 RECORD: 14-1 (8-0) FOUNDED: 1831 STADIUM: Bryant-Denny (101,821)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The numbers are staggering. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 3,966 yards, completed 69 percent of his throws and tossed 43 touchdown passes with just six interceptions. And he spent much of third and fourth quarters watching his backup Jalen Hurts. The future first-round draft pick is on a mission this season after losing the national title game to Clemson last year. Tagovailoa will look for receiver Jerry Jeudy often. Jeudy, also projected to go in the first round should he decide to forgo his senior season, caught 68 passes for 1,1315 yards. Henry Ruggs III and DeVonta Smith would be the best receivers on pretty much any other team in the nation. Running back Najee Harris has patiently waited his turn and will be the next Alabama star running back. The line will have three new starters in the middle, but tackles Alex Leatherwood and Jedrick Woods Jr. are terrific.
Alabama has appeared at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll at some point in each of the last 11 seasons. During the scholarship limit era of parity, very few experts 11 years ago would have thought that possible. But this just might be the year that streak ends. Not so much because of the Tide’s decline, but the appearance of a weakened defense will likely have Clemson sitting atop the poll in August, and the Tigers may not relinquish No. 1. The Tide certainly have the talent, but early exits to the NFL are beginning to expose some lack of experience, especially at safety and linebacker. But no SEC offensive coordinators are giddy about facing this bunch. There is a pair of shutdown corners in Trevon Diggs and Patrick Surtain II. Freshman DJ Dale enrolled early and became an instant hit at nose tackle. So SEC West dominance should continue.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER 13 Tua Tagovailoa 22 Najee Harris 6 DeVonta Smith 11 Henry Ruggs III 4 Jerry Jeudy 87 Miller Forristall 70 Alex Leatherwood 55 Emil Ekiyor Jr. 79 Chris Owens 77 Matt Womack 74 Jedrick Wills Jr.
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
HT 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-5 6-6 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-5
WT CLASS 219 JR 228 JR 173 JR 179 JR 192 JR 234 JR 310 JR 335 FR 315 JR 326 SR 316 JR
NO PLAYER 89 LaBryan Ray 94 DJ Dale 99 Raekwon Davis 40 Joshua McMillon 24 Mack Wilson 32 Dylan Moses 33 Anfernee Jennings 2 Patrick Surtain Jr. 7 Trevon Diggs 15 Xavier McKinney 21 Jared Mayden
10 24 17 14 18 20 76 73 55 65 75
Mac Jones Brian Robinson Jr. Jaylen Waddle Tyrell Shavers Slade Bolden Cameron Latu Scott Lashley Evan Neal Emil Ekiyor Jr. Deonte Brown Tommy Brown
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
6-2 6-1 5-10 6-6 5-11 6-5 6-7 6-7 6-3 6-4 6-7
205 226 182 213 195 247 307 360 335 338 317
SO JR SO SO FR FR JR FR FR JR FR
48 91 58 44 4 35 42 28 22 5 3
Phidarian Mathis DE Tevita Musika NT Christian Barmore DE Kevin Harris II LB Christopher Allen LB Shane Lee LB Jaylen Moody LB Josh Jobe CB Jalyn Armour-Davis CB Shyheim Carter SS Daniel Wright FS
16 12
Will Reichard Skyler DeLong
176 189
FR SO
17 17
Jaylen Waddle Jaylen Waddle
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-1 6-4
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31..............Duke (Atlanta)
O. 19................... Tennessee
S. 7........ New Mexico State
O. 26..................... Arkansas
S. 14........at South Carolina
N. 9................................. LSU
S. 21.............Southern Miss
N. 16...at Mississippi State
S. 28...................... Ole Miss
N. 23...... Western Carolina
O. 12.............at Texas A&M
N. 30................... at Auburn
POS DE NT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-5 6-3 6-7 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-0
WT CLASS 285 JR 314 FR 309 SR 243 SR 252 JR 236 JR 262 SR 202 SO 198 SR 197 JR 200 SR
6-4 6-1 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-1
308 338 310 222 242 246 228 189 182 191 185
SO SR FR FR SO FR SO SO FR SR SO
182 182
SO SO
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-10 5-10
NEWCOMERS DJ Dale — The big, athletic defensive tackle enrolled in January and made a huge splash in the spring. It didn’t take long for the Pinson, Ala., native to play his way into the starting lineup. Evan Neal — The five-star offensive lineman is huge at 6’7”, 360. He hails from Okeechobee, Fla., but prepped at IMG Academy. He will work his way onto the field this fall, if not as a starter, as a valuable reserve at multiple positions. Trey Sanders — The five-star running back will certainly get some carries this fall. He was the best running back prospect in the nation according to 247Sports.
59 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
60 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
61 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
ARKANSAS
HEAD COACH: Chad Morris OFF. COORDINATOR: Joe Craddock DEF. COORDINATOR: John Chavis
Fayetteville, AR
2018 RECORD: 2-10 (0-8) FOUNDED: 1871 STADIUM: Reynolds Razorback (76,000)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
Last season, new coach Chad Morris scrapped the ground-andpound running attack that once was the Arkansas offense. The hurry-up, “hammer down” approach stalled out of the gate and the second-year coach has scaled back his offensive approach. The Razorbacks will begin fall camp with two quarterbacks who weren’t on campus last season. Two graduate transfers will see most of the playing time. Ben Hicks, a transfer from SMU where he played under Morris, emerged from spring practice as the starter. But Nick Starkel, a grad transfer from Texas A&M, will come to camp in the fall with two years of eligibility remaining and a ton of game experience. Running back Rakeem Boyd averaged 6.0 yards a carry in 2018 and will relieve some pressure off the quarterback and passing game. There isn’t much experienced depth at receiver and the offensive line could struggle.
The Arkansas defense has two solid building blocks in lineman McTelvin Agim and linebacker De’Jon Harris. Agim, a senior, was highly touted coming out of high school and plans to impress NFL scouts with his dominance this season. Harris, also a senior, is coming off foot surgery that kept him out of spring practice. Pain associated with a hairline fracture has hampered Harris for a while. Now that the injury is behind him, Harris should be a force in the middle of the defense. Harris led the SEC last season with 118 tackles and Agim led the Hogs with 10 tackles for loss. The secondary features sophomore cornerback Jarques McClellion, who started nine games as a freshman. Junior safety Kamren Curl has started at both corner and safety, and is the most experienced on the unit. Nickel back D’Vone McClure is a 25-year-old junior who is a former minor league baseball player.
DEPTH CHART NO PLAYER 6 Ben Hicks 5 Rakeem Boyd 8 Mike Woods 7 Trey Knox 1 De’Vion Warren 85 Cheyenne O’Grady 74 Colton Jackson 54 Austin Capps 66 Ty Clary 57 Shane Clenin 78 Dalton Wagner
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
17 21 16 10 13 82 76 68 75 71 73
Nick Starkel QB Devwah Whaley RB Treylon Burks WR Jordan Jones WR Deon Stewart WR Hudson Henry TE Myron Cunningham LT Kirby Adcock LG Silas Robinson C Ryan Winkel RG Noah Gatlin RT
19 28
Connor Limpert Reid Bauer
WT CLASS 214 SR 213 JR 203 SO 205 FR 188 JR 253 SR 301 SR 304 SR 288 JR 308 SO 302 SO
NO PLAYER 5 Dorian Gerald 52 T.J. Smith 3 McTelvin Agim 6 Gabe Richardson 10 Bumper Pool 8 De’Jon Harris 36 D’Vone McClure 4 Jarques McClellion 21 Montaric Brown 2 Kamren Curl 7 Joe Foucha
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB NB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-2 5-11
WT CLASS 260 SR 293 SR 294 SR 240 SR 222 SO 248 SR 215 JR 179 SO 187 SO 201 JR 195 SO
6-3 5-11 6-3 6-1 5-11 6-5 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-7
214 209 223 180 163 238 290 288 306 285 302
JR SR FR JR SR FR JR SO FR FR FR
56 93 42 48 22 31 9 14 23 24 18
Zach Williams Isaiah Nichols Jonathan Marshall Nick Fulwider Deon Edwards Grant Morgan Greg Brooks Jr. Britto Tutt Devin Bush LaDarrius Bishop Myles Mason
DE DT DT DE LB LB NB CB CB SS FS
6-4 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-1 5-11 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-2
224 277 299 260 220 229 179 179 203 193 203
FR FR JR FR JR JR FR SR FR FR SO
175 198
SR SO
1 13
De’Vion Warren Deon Stewart
188 163
JR SR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
DEPTH CHART
HT 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-5 5-10 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-9
6-1 5-11
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31..............Portland State
O. 19.........................Auburn
S. 7.....................at Ole Miss
O. 26................. at Alabama
S. 14............ Colorado State
N. 2......... Mississippi State
S. 21............. San Jose State
N. 9.......Western Kentucky
S. 28.Texas A&M (Arlington)
N. 23...........................at LSU
O. 12.................at Kentucky
N. 29.......... Missouri (Little
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-10 5-11
NEWCOMERS Trey Knox — The tall receiver was impressive from his first appearance at spring practice and continued his stellar play through the spring game. Expect Knox to become a favorite target of new quarterback Ben Hicks. Treylon Burks — The four-star receiver from Warren, Ark., may not see immediate playing time, but he’s sure to make a splash at some point this season. He was rated the No. 1 player in Arkansas by 247Sports. Mataio Soli — The four-star pass rusher should play his way into the defensive line rotation early this fall.
62 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
AUBURN
HEAD COACH: Gus Malzahn OFF. COORDINATOR: Kenny Dillingham DEF. COORDINATOR: Kevin Steele
Auburn, AL
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (3-5) FOUNDED: 1856 STADIUM: Jordan-Hare (87,451)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Tigers were a Jeckyl and Hyde team last season, and most of that was due to an inconsistent offense. Auburn looked like a team that could follow up its 2017 berth in the SEC Championship Game with another terrific season. The Tigers defeated Washington in the Chick Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta to begin the season, and destroyed Purdue 63-14 in the Music City Bowl. But in between, there was a gut-wrenching loss to LSU on the game’s final play, a loss at Mississippi State that produced only nine points and a home loss to a subpar Tennessee team. A pair of freshmen in Joey Gatewood and Bo Nix will continue the quarterback competition in the fall. Head coach Gus Malzahn is high on both players and doesn’t see the position as a problem. The offensive line returns all five starters and should be particularly strong in the running game.
The Auburn defense is tremendously athletic, and one of the best in the SEC. The defensive line is loaded and makes it tough for any team to generate a consistent running attack. Derrick Brown surprised fans and returned for his senior season. In his 40 career games, he has 115 tackles, 21 for a loss, including nine sacks. At 6’5”, 325, he’s projected to go in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. End Marlon Davidson has started for three seasons and is exceptional against the run. Junior Nick Coe, who plays the Buck position, led the unit with seven sacks last season. The secondary is one of the fastest crews in the nation and should be a real strength this season. Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene is a former receiver and one of the best athletes on the squad. The linebacker position doesn’t return anyone with starting experience, but K.J. Britt and Zakoby McClain are talented.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 1 Joey Gatewood QB 28 JaTavious Whitlow RB 12 Eli Stove WR 5 Anthony Schwartz WR 18 Seth Williams WR 47 John Samuel Shenker TE 76 Prince Tega Wanogho LT 77 Marquel Harrell LG 53 Kaleb Kim C 64 Mike Horton RG 71 Jack Driscoll RT
HT 6-5 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-7 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-5
WT CLASS 233 FR 210 SO 188 SR 179 SO 224 SO 252 SO 304 SR 307 SR 300 SR 324 SR 296 SR
NO PLAYER 3 Marlon Davidson 5 Derrick Brown 94 Tyrone Truesdell 91 Nick Coe 33 K.J. Britt 35 Zakoby McClain 6 Christian Tutt 13 Javaris Davis 4 Noah Igbinoghene 24 Daniel Thomas 20 Jeremiah Dinson
POS DE DT DT Buck LB LB NB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-3 6-5 6-2 6-5 6-0 6-0 5-11 5-10 5-11 5-11 6-0
WT CLASS 281 SR 325 SR 314 JR 291 JR 236 JR 210 SO 190 SO 184 SR 196 JR 199 JR 195 JR
10 9 99 11 17 80 66 56 52 59 68
Bo Nix Kam Martin Spencer Nigh Shedrick Jackson Marquis McClain Sal Cannella Bailey Sharp Tashawn Manning Nick Brahms Brodarius Hamm Austin Troxell
6-2 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-5 6-6
207 193 267 198 217 230 307 320 301 325 305
FR SR SR SO JR SR SR SO SO SO SO
1 97 8 55 31 10 15 12 17 9 21
Big Kat Bryant Gary Walker Coynis Miller Jr. T.D. Moultry Chandler Wooten Owen Pappoe Jordyn Peters Devan Barrett Roger McCreary Jamien Sherwood Smoke Monday
DE DT DT Buck LB LB NB CB CB S S
6-5 5-11 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-2
253 283 312 240 228 219 195 195 188 200 188
JR SR SO JR JR FR JR JR SO SO SO
26 90
Anders Carlson Arryn Siposs
210 212
SO JR
4 6
Noah Igbinoghene KR Christian Tutt PR
196 190
JR SO
QB RB FB WR WR WR LT LG C RG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-5 6-3
2018 SCHEDULE A. 31....... Oregon (Arlington)
O. 19.....................at Arkansas
S. 7................................. Tulane
O. 26...............................at LSU
S. 14.........................Kent State
N. 2............................ Ole Miss
S. 21.................at Texas A&M
N. 16............................ Georgia
S. 28........... Mississippi State
N. 23........................... Samford
O. 5........................... at Florida
N. 30......................... Alabama
SPECIAL TEAMS
5-11 5-11
NEWCOMERS Bo Nix — For the second straight year, Auburn has signed an excellent quarterback. Nix is a five-star prospect from Pinson, Ala., and is very much in contention to earn the starting job this fall. It will be interesting how quickly he gets thrown into the fire. Owen Pappoe — The five-star linebacker was ranked No. 1 at outside linebacker in the nation by 247Sports. There is no doubt that Pappoe will get on the field this fall. The only question is how quickly he becomes a starter.
63 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
64 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
65 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
LSU
HEAD COACH: Ed Orgeron OFF. COORDINATOR: Steve Ensminger DEF. COORDINATOR: Dave Aranda
Baton Rouge, LA
2018 RECORD: 10-3 (5-3) FOUNDED: 1860 STADIUM: Tiger (102,321)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
With experience at quarterback in Joe Burrow, a proven offensive line and a talented and experienced receiving corps, the LSU Tigers will look to put the ball in the air more than in recent seasons. Burrow threw for 2,894 yards last season, completing 57.8 percent of his passes. He tossed just five interceptions. Junior Justin Jefferson led the team with 54 catches for 875 yards and six touchdowns. Expect those numbers to improve dramatically this season with more emphasis on the air attack. Tight end Stephen Sullivan is a proven weapon with 23 catches for 363 yards last year. Sophomore Ja’Marr Chase is a rising star. Along with the receivers, the offensive line will be the strength of the unit. Four starters return from a group that improved steadily throughout last season. Junior center Lloyd Cushenberry III is a potential All-SEC candidate.
The LSU defense will rival Alabama as the best in the conference with as many as five legitimate All-America candidates. Safety Grant Delpit is considered by many to be the best at his position in the nation. Despite opposing quarterbacks shying away from Delpit’s side of the field, he picked off five passes last season as he became the first player in LSU history with five interceptions and five sacks in the same season. Senior cornerback Kristian Fulton is tough in pass coverage. Defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence is a 317-pound menace at both end and inside. Jacob Phillips is one of the two best inside linebackers in the SEC and among the best in the nation. K’Lavon Chaisson missed almost all of last season after tearing his ACL in the season opener. He’ll be eased into contact in fall camp. The Tigers’ championship hopes ride on the strength of the defense.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 9 Joe Burrow QB 22 Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB 44 Tony Carter RB 2 Justin Jefferson WR 1 Ja’Marr Chase WR 10 Stephen Sullivan TE 77 Saahdiq Charles LT 73 Adrian Magee LG 79 Lloyd Cushenberry III C 68 Damien Lewis RG 76 Austin Deculus RT
HT 6-4 5-9 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-7 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-7
WT CLASS 216 SR 208 JR 259 JR 185 JR 205 SO 232 SR 305 JR 335 SR 309 JR 326 SR 324 JR
NO PLAYER 90 Rashard Lawrence Tyler Shelvin 91 Breiden Fehoko 4 K’Lavon Chaisson 8 Patrick Queen 6 Jacob Phillips 45 Michael Divinity Jr. 22 Kristian Fulton 24 Derek Stingley Jr. 9 Grant Delpit 3 JaCoby Stevens
POS DE DT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-2
WT CLASS 317 SR 362 SO 298 SR 240 SO 232 JR 229 JR 239 SR 192 SR 188 FR 201 SO 214 SO
15 27 24 6 7 80 74 57 67 71 61
Myles Brennan QB Lanard Fournette RB Chris Curry RB Terrace Marshall Jr. WR Jonathan Giles WR Jamal Pettigrew TE Badara Traore LT Chasen Hines LG Cole Smith C Donavaughn Campbell RG Cameron Wire LT
6-4 5-11 6-0 6-4 6-0 6-7 6-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-7
193 206 219 209 193 241 310 336 275 343 296
SO SR FR SO SR JR SR SO FR JR FR
92 97 62 46 35 23 43 1 5 9 33
Neil Ferrell Jr. Glen Logan Siaki Ika Andre Anthony Damone Clark Micah Baskerville Ray Thornton Kelvin Joseph Kary Vincent Jr. Marcel Brooks Todd Harris Jr.
DE DE DT LB LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-1 5-10 6-2 5-11
287 315 347 238 238 233 228 181 182 194 186
JR JR FR JR SO SO JR SO JR FR JR
34 46
Connor Culp K Zach Van Rosenberg P
203 245
JR JR
22 7
Clyde Edwards-Helaire KR Jonathan Giles PR
208 193
JR SR
SPECIAL TEAMS
6-0 6-5
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31........ Georgia Southern
O. 19....at Mississippi State
S. 7............................at Texas
O. 26..........................Auburn
S. 14.... Northwestern State
N. 9.................... at Alabama
S. 21.................at Vanderbilt
N. 16.................. at Ole Miss
O. 5......................Utah State
N. 23...................... Arkansas
O. 12...........................Florida
N. 30................. Texas A&M
SPECIAL TEAMS
5-9 6-0
NEWCOMERS Derek Stingley Jr. — Unanimously the top prospect in Louisiana, Stingley was ranked the No. 1 cornerback in the nation. He has run a 4.32 40 and is extremely athletic. Stingley was on campus in January and earned a starting position during the spring. Marcel Brooks — Brooks is a five-star outside linebacker, but the dynamic two-way player could eventually see some time on offense. For now, he’s slated to line up at safety and will find his way onto the field this fall. John Emery Jr. — The five-star running back could become the feature back in this offense by season’s end.
66 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
67 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
MISSISSIPPI STATE Starkville, MS
HEAD COACH: Joe Moorhead OFF. COORDINATOR: Andrew Breiner, Terry Richardson DEF. COORDINATOR: Bob Shoop
2018 RECORD: 8-5 (4-4) FOUNDED: 1878 STADIUM: Davis-Wade (61,337)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
With Joe Moorehead, former offensive coordinator at Penn State, taking over the head coaching job at Mississippi State last season, fans immediately held high expectations, especially for the offense. But the offense dipped below 30 points a game for the first time in a while and gained fewer than 400 yards a game. So the loss of a quarterback who was the team’s leading rusher might be cause of alarm. However, the coaching staff and players have tremendous confidence in junior Keytaon Thompson, who is 2-0 as a starter. As a true freshman in 2017, Thompson started and won a bowl game for MSU. The dual-threat quarterback is more of a runner than thrower, so the passing game may take a while to develop. Junior running back Kylin Hill battled injuries to run for 734 yards last year. The offensive line is being reworked around two returning starters.
The Mississippi State defense allowed the second fewest points a game (13.2) in the nation last season. Only Clemson was better. The Bulldogs’ 263.1 yards a game allowed was the fewest in the country. But just about all the key elements of that stellar unit have moved on to the NFL, including all four starters on the defensive line. Starting linebackers Erroll Thompson and Leo Lewis return, as well as Willie Gay, who may have earned a starting role over Lewis. Thompson is considered a top NFL prospect. The secondary is deep and talented, but a little shy on experience. Cornerback Cameron Dantzler is among the best in the nation. He picked off a pair of passes in 2018 and broke up 11. He is growing into an elite cover corner. The secondary certainly benefited from a terrific push upfront last season. The unit will have to stand on its own more this season.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS 10 Keytaon Thompson QB 6-4 225 JR 8 Kylin Hill RB 5-11 215 JR 2 Deddrick Thomas WR 5-9 188 SR 1 Stephen Guidry WR 6-4 190 SR 5 Osirus Mitchell WR 6-5 210 JR 82 Farrod Green TE 6-4 239 SR 78 Tyre Phillips LT 6-5 340 SR 56 Dareuan Parker LG 6-4 330 JR 73 Darryl Williams C 6-2 310 SR 51 Stewart Reese RG 6-5 340 JR 70 Tommy Champion RT 6-5 320 SR 14 Jalen Mayden QB 6-2 230 FR 21 Nick Gibson RB 5-11 215 SR 85 Austin Williams WR 6-3 205 SO 9 Malik Dear WR 5-9 220 SR 3 Devonta Jason WR 6-3 225 SO 84 Dontea Jones TE 6-4 250 JR 69 Kwatrivous Johnson LT 6-7 330 FR 75 Michael Story LG 6-4 310 SR 75 Michael Story C 6-4 310 SR 63 LaQuinston Sharp RG 6-3 315 JR 55 Greg Eiland RT 6-8 335 SO
NO PLAYER POS HT WT CLASS 5 Chauncey Rivers DE 6-3 275 SR 97 Lee Autry DT 6-2 313 SR 54 Fabien Lovett DT 6-4 335 FR 42 Marquiss Spencer DE 6-4 285 JR 40 Erroll Thompson LB 6-1 250 JR 6 Willie Gay Jr. LB 6-2 235 JR 32 Brian Cole NB 6-2 210 SR 3 Cameron Dantzler CB 6-2 185 JR 8 Maurice Smitherman CB 5-10 190 SR 11 Jaquarius Landrews SS 6-0 190 SR 29 C.J. Morgan FS 6-0 200 JR 52 Kobe Jones DE 6-4 278 JR 84 Jaden Crumedy DT 6-5 300 FR 92 Kendell Jones DT 6-4 300 SR 43 Fletcher Adams DE 6-2 265 SR 10 Leo Lewis LB 6-2 240 SR 50 Tim Washington LB 6-3 230 SR 38 Fred Peters NB 5-10 200 JR 16 Korey Charles CB 5-10 180 JR 13 Tyler Williams CB 6-2 175 SO 35 Landon Guidry S 6-0 195 SO 7 Marcus Murphy S 6-1 200 SO
47 87
Jace Christmann Corliss Waitman
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
6-0 6-2
200 205
JR SR
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31............... Louisiana (New
O. 12................at Tennessee
Orleans)
O. 19................................ LSU
S. 7................Southern Miss
O. 26..............at Texas A&M
S. 14.................Kansas State
N. 2....................at Arkansas
S. 21....................... Kentucky
N. 16.......................Alabama
S. 28..................... at Auburn
N. 23........Abilene Christian
9 2
SPECIAL TEAMS
Malik Dear Deddrick Thomas
KR PR
5-9 5-9
220 188
SR SR
NEWCOMERS Garrett Shrader — The four-star quarterback appears to have the perfect set of tools for head coach Joe Moorhead’s offense. Shrader had 2,564 yards passing and 799 yards rushing as a senior. Charles Cross — The five-star tackle played well in the U.S. Army All-American Game. He was ranked the second-best tackle in the nation by 247Sports.
Jarrian Jones — Currently projected as a safety, Jones could easily find his way onto the other side of the ball. He was ranked No. 20 at safety, but had 55 catches for 1,151 yards as a senior.
68 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
OLE MISS
HEAD COACH: Matt Luke OFF. COORDINATOR: Rich Rodriguez DEF. COORDINATOR: Mike MacIntyre
Oxford, MS
2018 RECORD: 5-7 (1-7) FOUNDED: 1848 STADIUM: Vaught-Hemingway (64,038)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
After a two-year ban on bowl participation, the Ole Miss Rebels are itching to get back into the postseason. Head coach Matt Luke has gone all-in with offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez, a former head coach at West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona. Even though Rodriguez is known for throwing the ball all over the field, expect the Rebels to rely on the running game until new quarterback Matt Corral, a redshirt freshman, gets established. Running back Scottie Phillips is one of just three returning starters on offense. Phillips finished with 928 yards last season and was sidelined late in the season with an ankle injury. He is expected to top the 1,000-yard mark this season. Sophomore guard Ben Brown and senior tackle Alex Givens are returning starters upfront. The coaches believe that the young talented receivers will contribute immediately.
In addition to a new offensive coordinator, the Rebels also have a defensive coordinator with head coaching experience in Mike MacIntyre, who was the head man at Colorado 2012-18. The primary order of business for MacIntyre is an emphasis on stopping the run. Over the last three seasons, the Rebels have given up 246.3, 245.3 and 221.8 yards on the ground, ranking them near the bottom among FBS teams each year. Ole Miss is switching to a 3-4 alignment this season and linebacker Mohamed Sanogo should benefit from the change. He is the best player on this side of the ball. But stopping the run effectively will rely on the three big fellas upfront. Nose tackle Benito Jones anchors the group, and should be focused on run defense rather than rushing the passer. Senior end Josiah Coatney led linemen with 63 tackles last season.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER POS 2 Matt Corral QB 22 Scottie Phillips RB 13 Braylon Sanders WR 11 Dontario Drummond WR 8 Elijah Moore WR 15 Octavious Cooley TE 71 Bryce Mathews LT 72 Royce Newman LG 61 Eli Johnson C 55 Ben Brown RG 67 Alex Givens RT
HT 6-1 5-8 6-0 6-1 5-9 6-3 6-6 6-5 6-1 6-5 6-6
WT CLASS 203 FR 212 SR 193 JR 204 JR 182 SO 268 SR 302 JR 301 JR 294 JR 315 SO 304 SR
NO PLAYER 89 Ryder Anderson 95 Benito Jones 40 Josiah Coatney 97 Qaadir Sheppard 46 Mohamed Sanogo 10 Jacquez Jones 13 Sam Williams 31 Jaylon Jones 15 Myles Hartsfield 25 Montrell Custis 26 Jalen Julius
POS DE NT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-3 5-11 5-11 6-0 5-10
WT CLASS 225 JR 326 SR 315 SR 249 SR 233 JR 231 SO 258 JR 181 JR 216 SR 188 JR 189 SR
14 26 17 1 4 7 52 68 71 78 77
Grant Tisdale Isaiah Woullard Jadon Jackson Jonathan Mingo Tylan Knight Jason Pellerin Michael Howard Chandler Tuitt Bryce Mathews Jeremy James Hamilton Hall
6-0 5-9 6-2 6-2 5-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-5
205 198 180 200 173 234 268 325 302 315 318
FR SO FR FR SO SR SR JR JR FR FR
22 94 12 1 3 17 99 23 20 8 5
Tariqious Tisdale Quentin Bivens Austrian Robinson Lakia Henry Vernon Dasher Willie Hibbler Charles Wiley JaKorey Hawkins Keidron Smith C.J. Miller Jon Haynes
DE NT DE LB LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
6-5 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-0 5-11
292 299 280 230 200 262 249 185 196 190 208
JR FR SR JR SR SR JR FR SO SO JR
92 96
Luke Logan Mac Brown
177 203
JR JR
31 8
Jaylon Jones Elijah Moore
181 182
JR SO
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
5-11 6-3
2019 SCHEDULE A. 31..................at Memphis
O. 12..................at Missouri
S. 7........................ Arkansas
O. 19................. Texas A&M
S. 14.................SE Louisiana
N. 2...................... at Auburn
S. 21......................California
N. 9....... New Mexico State
S. 28................. at Alabama
N. 16............................... LSU
O. 5..................... Vanderbilt
N. 28...at Mississippi State
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
5-11 5-9
NEWCOMERS Jerrion Ealy — The five-star running back was named MVP of the Under Armor All-American Game. He was listed among the top five backs in the nation. He will earn some carries this season before being asked to do the heavy lifting in 2020. Sam Williams — The Rebels dipped into the junior college ranks for immediate help at linebacker, and Williams will be a good one. Lakia Henry — Henry was ranked as the No. 1 junior college linebacker by 247Sports. He will be a part of the defensive rotation immediately.
69 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
70 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
71 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
TEXAS A&M
HEAD COACH: Jimbo Fisher OFF. COORDINATOR: Darrell Dickey DEF. COORDINATOR: Mike Elko
College Station, TX
2018 RECORD: 9-4 (5-3) FOUNDED: 1871 STADIUM: Kyle (102,733)
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
The Aggies’ offense relied on a rugged running game and a heavy dose of their tight ends in the passing game last season. Even though the primary characters from last season have departed, that approach probably won’t change this season. Running back Jashaun Corbin should pick up where Trayveon Williams left off last season. Corbin carried it just 61 times last season for 346 yards last year for an impressive 5.7 yards a carry. Tight end Baylor Cupp, a true freshman who enrolled early to participate in spring practice, was impressive during spring drills and should be quarterback Kellen Mond’s primary target this fall. Mond improved significantly through last season, and finished with more than 3,100 yards passing. Mond is more than mobile and can make plays with his legs, but not a true running quarterback.
The Aggies’ defense dug deep last season and was terrific against the run, allowing just 95.2 yards a game. There is one bit of bad news in that just four players return from the starting 11 in 2018. The best news is that the best player on the team is junior defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. Combining power and quickness, Madubuike made 10.5 stops behind the line last season and will likely receive a ton of attention from offensive lines this fall. Freshman defensive end DeMarvin Leal was a top recruit last winter and enrolled early but a minor knee injury sidelined him for spring drills. The Aggies’ top six tacklers from 2018 have graduated (or left early), so there is some rebuilding at linebacker. Anthony Hines III and Ikenna Okeke are returning from injuries. Three starters return on defense, but none may start this season.
DEPTH CHART
DEPTH CHART
NO PLAYER 11 Kellen Mond 7 Jashaun Corbin 2 Jhamon Ausbon 1 Quartney Davis 13 Kendrick Rogers 88 Baylor Cupp 65 Dan Moore Jr. 73 Jared Hocker 77 Ryan McCollum 79 Tank Jenkins 54 Carson Green
POS QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C RG RT
HT 6-2 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-5 6-3 6-6
WT CLASS 215 JR 207 SO 220 JR 200 JR 204 JR 250 FR 325 JR 318 JR 305 JR 320 FR 315 JR
NO PLAYER 2 Michael Clemons 5 Bobby Brown III 52 Justin Madubuike 3 Tyree Johnson 19 Anthony Hines III 1 Buddy Johnson 20 Ikenna Okeke 10 Myles Jones Elijah Blades 11 Larry Pryor 9 Leon O’Neal Jr.
POS DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
HT 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-1
WT CLASS 272 SR 325 SO 300 JR 247 SO 230 SO 225 JR 225 SO 185 JR 170 JR 207 SR 206 SO
8 23 14 9 5 86 74 76 76 75 72
Connor Blumrick Jacob Kibodi Camron Buckley Hezekiah Jones Jalen Preston Glenn Beal Kellen Diesch Colton Prater Colton Prater Luke Matthews Colten Blanton
QB RB WR WR WR TE LT LG C LG RT
6-5 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-5 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-7
210 220 190 194 210 260 310 297 297 315 303
SO SO JR JR SO SO JR SR SR FR FR
8 90 92 93 15 58 32 29 21 14 4
DeMarvin Leal TD Moton Jayden Peevy Max Wright Aaron Hansford Braden White Andre White Jr. Debione Renfro Charles Oliver Keldrick Carper Derrick Tucker
DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB SS FS
6-4 6-3 6-6 6-4 6-3 5-11 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-1
285 308 300 262 240 220 225 193 202 200 200
FR JR JR SO JR JR FR JR SR JR JR
47 34
Seth Small Braden Mann
205 190
SO SR
6 6
Roshauud Paul Roshauud Paul
180 180
JR JR
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
5-11 5-11
2019 SCHEDULE A. 29..................Texas State
O. 19..................at Ole Miss
S. 7.....................at Clemson
O. 26....... Mississippi State
S. 14............................ Lamar
N. 2..............................UTSA
S. 21..........................Auburn
N. 16........... South Carolina
S. 28.Arkansas (Arlington)
N. 23................... at Georgia
O. 12...................... Alabama
N. 30..........................at LSU
SPECIAL TEAMS KR PR
6-0 6-0
NEWCOMERS Elijah Blades — Blades was ranked the No. 4 JUCO player and No. 1 JUCO cornerback by 247Sports. He will be expected to man a corner position from Day 1, and perhaps contribute in the return game. Kenyon Green — The five-star tackle from Humble is a strong, gifted run blocker. He may take a redshirt this season while fine-tuning his pass protection skills. DeMarvin Leal — The five-star defensive lineman from San Antonio will certainly fit into the rotation this fall.
72 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
2019 SFG NFL PREDICTIONS AFC AFC EAST
1 2 3 4
AFC WEST
NEW ENGLAND NEW YORK BUFFALO MIAMI
WILD CARD
1 2 3 4
LOS ANGELES KANSAS CITY DENVER OAKLAND
HOUSTON OVER CLEVELAND KANSAS CITY OVER PITTSBURGH
AFC NORTH
1 2 3 4
AFC SOUTH
PITTSBURGH CLEVELAND BALTIMORE CINCINNATI
DIVISIONAL
1 2 3 4
HOUSTON TENNESSEE INDIANAPOLIS JACKSONVILLE
NEW ENGLAND OVER HOUSTON LOS ANGELES OVER KANSAS CITY
LOS ANGELES OVER NEW ENGLAND
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
NFC NFC EAST
1 2 3 4
NFC WEST
PHILADELPHIA DALLAS NEW YORK WASHINGTON
WILD CARD
1 2 3 4
LOS ANGELES SEATTLE SAN FRANCISCO ARIZONA
PHILADELPHIA OVER ATLANTA CHICAGO OVER SEATTLE
NFC NORTH
1 2 3 4
NFC SOUTH
CHICAGO GREEN BAY MINNESOTA DETROIT
DIVISIONAL
1 2 3 4
NEW ORLEANS ATLANTA CAROLINA TAMPA BAY
NEW ORLEANS OVER PHILADELPHIA LOS ANGELES OVER CHICAGO
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
LOS ANGLES OVER NEW ORLEANS
SUPER BOWL
L.A. RAMS OVER L.A. CHARGERS
73 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
BUFFALO BILLS | 6-10 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Sean McDermott
KEY PLAYER QB Josh Allen
KEY ADDITIONS WR Cole Beasley, WR John Brown, RB Frank Gore, TE Tyler Kroft, C Mitch Morse, T Ty Nsekhe, T LaAdrian Waddle, CB Kevin Johnson
KEY LOSSES G John Miller, DT Kyle Williams
The Bills appeared to be on an upward track heading into 2018, but the offensive game plan went awry with the trade of experienced quarterback Tyrod Taylor that led to rookie Josh Allen being thrown to the wolves. Allen ranked 32nd in the league in passer rating and threw just 10 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions. But the coaches believe in Allen and he’ll operate with a revamped offensive line that includes center Mitch Morse and tackle Ty Nsekhe, and some quality receivers in John Brown and Zay Jones. LeSean McCoy ran for just 514 yards (3.2 per carry) and now will back up Frank Gore. Defensively, the Bills were the toughest in the NFL to throw against.
MIAMI DOLPHINS | 7-9 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Brian Flores
KEY PLAYER QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
KEY ADDITIONS QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, TE Dwayne Allen, CB Eric Rowe KEY LOSSES RB Frank Gore, LB Cameron Wake, T Ja’Wuan James, QB Ryan Tannehill, G Ted Larsen, DE Robert Quinn
The Ryan Tannehill Era is officially over in Miami. Now the keys to the offense are in the hands of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. That doesn’t exactly excite Miami fans. Fitzpatrick has played in all 16 games just three times and passed for more than 3,000 yards four times, the last for either was in 2015 with the Jets. Running back Kenyan Drake ran for 535 yards as a backup to Frank Gore, and caught 53 passes. Drake should be come the focal point of the attack in 2019. The Dolphins didn’t do much to improve the second-worst offense in the NFL. The defense kept Miami in many games, but defensive end Robert Quinn will be missed. He led the team in sacks and tackles for loss.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | 11-5 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Bill Belichick
KEY PLAYER QB Tom Brady
KEY ADDITIONS DE Michael Bennett, DL Mike Pennel, RB Brandon Bolden, S Terrence Brooks, TE Rob Gronkowski
KEY LOSSES DE Trey Flowers, T LaAdrian Waddle, TE Dwayne Allen, CB Eric Rowe, T Trent Brown, WR Cordarrelle Patterson
At some point, preseason prognosticators will not pick the Patriots to win the AFC Championship. Perhaps, the media gurus won’t even predict a division title for the Pats. But once again, this is not the season to pick against New England. Not with Bill Belichick in control and Tom Brady at quarterback, even at age 42. The quarterback will miss his go-to weapon Rob Gronkowski, who has retired, but there are plenty of threats in this offense with running back Sony Michel improving and Julian Edelman continuing to produce. The defense will rely on Michael Bennett upfront and linebacker Dont’a Hightower in the middle.
NEW YORK JETS | 4-12 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Adam Gase
KEY PLAYER RB Le’Veon Bell
KEY ADDITIONS RB Le’Veon Bell, LB C.J. Mosley, WR Jamison Crowder, WR Josh Bellamy, CB Brian Poole, C Ryan Kalil
KEY LOSSES DL Mike Pennel, DB Buster Skrine, QB Josh McCown, G James Carpenter, S Terrence Brooks
The Jets took the Le’Veon Bell bait over the offseason and all eyes in New York will be on the former Pittsburgh running back who sat out last season rather than accept franchise tag money. Second-year quarterback Sam Darnold will need a solid rushing attack to alleviate some pressure. Darnold’s QB rating improved over his final four games of 2018. The defense should be pretty good with an extremely talented secondary. Safety Jamal Adams led the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and 86 solo stops. Opposing quarterbacks have learned to avoid cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Linebacker C.J. Mosley led the tough Baltimore defense in tackles last season.
74 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
BALTIMORE RAVENS | 10-6 IN 2018 HEAD COACH John Harbaugh
KEY PLAYER QB Lamar Jackson
KEY ADDITIONS S Earl Thomas, CB Justin Bethel, RB Mark Ingram KEY LOSSES LB C.J. Mosley, DL Za’Darius Smith, DE Terrell Suggs, S Eric Weddle, WR John Brown, QB Joe Flacco
Fans who love to watch teams run the football probably didn’t enjoy Ravens’ games last season. The Ravens couldn’t run the ball (fewer than 150 yards a game) and opponents certainly couldn’t muster a ground attack (fewer than 100 yards a game). The Ravens have turned the offense over to quarterback Lamar Jackson and expect an improvement in both facets of offense, but they don’t expect Jackson to run as much this season. Baltimore signed running back Mark Ingram from New Orleans to bolster the running game. The defense will most certainly take a step back this season. Gone are top playmakers C.J. Mosley, Eric Weddle and Terrell Suggs.
CINCINNATI BENGALS | 6-10 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Zac Taylor
KEY PLAYER DL Geno Atkins
KEY ADDITIONS CB B.W. Webb, G John Miller KEY LOSS LB Vontaze Burfict, OL Clint Boling
The Bengals are aging, and injuries are beginning to take a toll on the offense. Quarterback Andy Dalton missed five games last season. When he was upright, he was very Dalton-like. He completed 61.9 percent of this throws for a 7.0 average per attempt with a 89.6 passer rating. (His career numbers are 62.3, 7.2 and 88.8.) Receiver A.J. Green was carted off the field during the first practice with an ankle injury. He is expected to miss at least a few games. Running back Joe Mixon missed a couple of games, but still managed 1,168 yards on the ground and 43 receptions. He has fumbled just once in his career in 415 carries. Geno Atkins is a load in the middle of the defensive line.
CLEVELAND BROWNS | 7-8-1 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Freddie Kitchens
KEY PLAYER QB Baker Mayfield
KEY ADDITIONS WR Odell Beckham, DE Olivier Vernon and DL Sheldon Richardson, RB Kareem Hunt, TE Demetrius Harris
KEY LOSSES S Jabrill Peppers, G Kevin Zeitler, LB Tanner Vallejo, DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, WR Breshad Perriman
The Cleveland Browns have made a remarkable recovery from the 0-16 debacle of 2017. Seven wins last season is quite an accomplishment, and now the organization believes the team is ready to contend for a division title in 2018. Really? Yes, really. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Nick Chubb and newly acquired receiver Odell Beckham Jr. provide quite a trio for the offense. Chubb ran for 996 yards last season sharing time with Carlos Hyde, who has departed. Jarvis Landry caught 81 passes for 976 yards, but those numbers will likely decline with Beckham on board. Olivier Vernon and Sheldon Richardson bolster the defense appreciably.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS | 9-6-1 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Mike Tomlin
KEY PLAYER OLB T.J. Watt
KEY ADDITIONS CB Steven Nelson, LB Mark Barron, WR Donte Moncrief KEY LOSSES WR Antonio Brown, ILB L.J. Fort, T Marcus Gilbert
Will quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, now 37, begin showing signs of decline this season? Probably not. He threw for 5,129 yards last season, completing 67 percent of his throws. JuJu Smith-Schuster is now Big Ben’s favorite target after catching 111 balls for 1,426 yards. The Steelers are confident that free agent Donte Moncrief will pick up some slack left by the departure of Antonio Brown. Running back James Conner ran for 973 yards, keeping the defense honest upfront. Outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree are among the best combos in the league. Watt had 17 stops behind the line and Dupree 11. Safeties Sean Davis and Terrell Edmunds are both outstanding.
75 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
HOUSTON TEXANS | 11-5 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Bill O’Brien
KEY PLAYER OLB Jadeveon Clowney
KEY ADDITIONS S Tashaun Gipson, CB Bradley Roby, CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun KEY LOSSES S Tyrann Mathieu, CB Kareem Jackson, CB Kevin Johnson, WR Sammie Coates, DE Christian Covington, DB Andre Hal
The Texans’ defense ranked third in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed last season, and the defense shouldn’t miss a beat this season. Defensive end J.J. Watt had 16 sacks for 119 yards in losses and totaled 24 tackles for loss. Running mate at outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney had 19 stops behind the line. Middle linebacker Zach Cunningham led the team with 73 solo tackles. There was some turnover in the secondary, but safety Tashaun Gipson should adequately replace Tyrann Mathieu. Quarterback Deshaun Watson proved last season that he was completely recovered from a torn ACL. He threw for 4,165 yards and ran for 551. DeAndre Hopkins caught 115 passes for 1,572 yards.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | 10-6 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Frank Reich
KEY PLAYER QB Andrew Luck
KEY ADDITION WR Devin Funchess, DE Justin Houston KEY LOSSES None
The Colts ranked 11th in the NFL in total defense last season, and improving that side of the ball was clearly an emphasis over the offseason. Indianapolis signed defensive end Justin Houston and used the draft to bolster that side of the ball as well. The offense relies heavily on Andrew Luck, who threw 639 of the team’s 644 pass attempts last season. T.Y. Hilton caught 76 passes for 1,270 yards and tight end Eric Ebron proved to be a clutch receiver with 66 catches. Nyhiem Hines’ role is increasing in the offense. He ran for 314 yards and had 425 through the air. Kicker Adam Vinatieri and punter Rigoberto Sanchez are still among the league’s best.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | 5-11 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Doug Marrone
KEY PLAYER QB Nick Foles
KEY ADDITIONS QB Nick Foles, WR Chris Conley, TE Geoff Swaim, T Cedric Ogbuehi, OLB Jake Ryan
KEY LOSSES DL Malik Jackson, FS Tashaun Gipson, WR Donte Moncrief, T Ereck Flowers, QB Blake Bortles, RB Jamaal Charles
The Jaguars took a step backward last season and have moved in a new direction offensively with quarterback Nick Foles, just a season removed from a Super Bowl MVP. Running back Leonard Fournette, then a rookie, ran for 1,040 yards in 2017 as the Jaguars led the NFL in rushing. Last season, Fournette missed eight games and averaged just 3.3 yards a carry. But he remains the focal point of the offense. The Jags were among the toughest teams to throw against last season. Ends Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. Corners Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye are among the best in the league, but didn’t produce enough picks—only four— last season.
TENNESSEE TITANS | 9-7 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Mike Vrabel
KEY PLAYER FS Kevin Byard
KEY ADDITIONS QB Ryan Tannehill, G Rodger Saffold, WR Adam Humphries, LB Cameron Wake KEY LOSSES CB Malcolm Brown, LB Brian Orakpo, DE Derrick Morgan
The Tennessee Titans have spent several season hovering around .500 since moving from Houston in 1997. But second-year coach Mike Vrabel is determined to get this franchise over the hump. The defense should be among the best in the NFL once again. Only Chicago and Baltimore allowed fewer points last season. The elephant in the Titans’ locker room is the durability of quarterback Marcus Mariota. He must stay on the field and in good health for this offense to realize its full potential. Derrick Henry is a rugged runner and the offensive line is a strength of the team. Receiver Corey Davis is growing into the feature receiving role, and tight end Delanie Walker causes matchup problems.
76 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
DENVER BRONCOS | 6-10 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Vic Fangio
KEY PLAYER OLB Von Miller
KEY ADDITIONS QB Joe Flacco, T Ja’Wuan James, S Kareem Jackson, CB Bryce Callahan KEY LOSSES CB Bradley Roby, G Max Garcia, OLB Shaq Barrett, C Matt Paradis, OL Billy Turner, QB Case Keenum, OL Jared Veldheer
For some perspective on just how rare losing seasons are in Denver, 2018 marked the first time the Broncos had back-to-back losing seasons since 1971-72. Still in search of consistent quarterback play, the Broncos signed Joe Flacco. The team really isn’t that far from turning the corner. Six of their 10 losses last season were by seven points or less. They were 6-6 when leading receiver Emmanuel Sanders went down with an Achilles injury. Sanders is hopeful to be ready to play by Week 1. Phillip Lindsay ran for 1,037 yards, averaging 5.4 yards a carry. Youngster Bradley Chubb and veteran Von Miller are the playmakers on this defense.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | 12-4 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Andy Reid
KEY PLAYER QB Patrick Mahomes
KEY ADDITIONS S Tyrann Mathieu, DE Alex Okafor, ILB Damien Wilson, RB Carlos Hyde, WR Sammie Coates, CB Dontae Johnson, DE Frank Clark
KEY LOSSES TE Demetrius Harris, DE Dee Ford, CB Steven Nelson, DB Eric Berry, WR Chris Conley, C Mitch Morse, LB Justin Houston
Last year, the Chiefs handed the keys to the offense to the unproven Patrick Mahomes. He responded with an MVP season by throwing for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns while driecting the most potent offense in the NFL. The Chiefs will enter 2019 without prolific running back Kareem Hunt. In his place, Damien Williams and free agent Carlos Hyde will share carries. The Chiefs added rookie Mecole Hardman to receivers Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and tight end Travis Kelce, giving Mahomes weapons all over the field. This offense is certainly capable of posting huge numbers once again. Expect more shootouts this season because the defense still needs work.
OAKLAND RAIDERS | 4-12 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Jon Gruden
KEY PLAYER QB Derek Carr
KEY ADDITIONS WR Antonio Brown, T Trent Brown, S Lamarcus Joyner, WR Tyrell Williams, WR JJ Nelson, LB Vontaze Burfict
KEY LOSSES WR Jordy Nelson, TE Jared Cook
The Raiders coaxed Jon Gruden out of coaching retirement in hopes of revitalizing a stale offense. Last season, only four NFL teams scored fewer points than the Raiders. Quarterback Derek Carr completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 4,049 yards, but had just 19 touchdown strikes. The Raiders must find a way to get into the end zone more frequently. Carr must operate this season without his top two targets from 2018. Tight end Jared Cook is now with the Saints and Jordy Nelson retired. The team brought in receiver Antonio Brown from Pittsburgh and Tyrell Williams from the rival Chargers. Oakland needs playmakers on defense.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | 12-4 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Anthony Lynn
KEY PLAYER QB Philip Rivers
KEY ADDITION LB Thomas Davis KEY LOSS WR Tyrell Williams
The Chargers’ 12-win season marked the first double-digit win campaign since 2009. The Chargers did very little tinkering with this team and expect another trip to the playoffs in 2019. Quarterback Philip Rivers proved he can still play, throwing for 4,308 yards and completing 68.3 percent of his passes. Melvin Gordon is one of the most exciting players in the league with 1,375 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns last season. Receiver Keenan Allen caught 97 passes for 1,196 yards. Bookends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram combined to produce 23 sacks in 2017. Bosa was limited to just seven games after suffering a foot injury in training camp.
77 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
DALLAS COWBOYS | 10-6 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Jason Garrett
KEY PLAYER RB Ezekiel Elliott
KEY ADDITIONS WR Randall Cobb, TE Jason Witten, DE Christian Covington, DE Robert Quinn KEY LOSSES WR Cole Beasley, TE Geoff Swaim, ILB Damien Wilson
The numbers show just how important Ezekiel Elliott is to the Dallas Cowboys. Elliott knows it. The Cowboys know it. And fans know it. History also says that players missing significant training camp time typically struggle during the season. Quarterback Dak Prescott will operate behind one of the best lines in the NFC. It will be interesting to see how much there is left in tight end Jason Witten’s tank after retiring for a season. Randall Cobb joins the offense, but his best years are behind him. The difference between this team being really special and struggling at .500 is Elliott. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is a beast chasing down quarterbacks and had 21 tackles for loss last season.
NEW YORK GIANTS | 5-11 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Pat Shurmur
KEY PLAYER RB Sequon Barkley
KEY ADDITIONS WR Golden Tate, S Antoine Bethea, S Jabrill Peppers, G Kevin Zeitler KEY LOSSES WR Odell Beckham, CB B.W. Webb, DE Olivier Vernon, S Landon Collins, G Jamon Brown
For the past two seasons, the Giants have had trouble keeping quarterback Eli Manning upright. But center Jon Halapio returns from a broken leg and the Giants traded for Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler from Cleveland, and now the line appears pretty solid. Manning will miss throwing to Odell Beckham Jr., but Sterling Shepard is a nice talent and running back Sequon Barkley amassed more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Manning will also welcome wideout Golden Tate into the fold. The Giants are continuing to rebuild their defense, but they lost their leading tackler and sack leader. Alec Ogletree is a beast at linebacker and new safeties Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea will help.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | 9-7 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Doug Pederson
KEY PLAYER QB Carson Wentz
KEY ADDITIONS RB Jordan Howard, DL Malik Jackson, ILB L.J. Fort, S Andrew Sendejo, WR DeSean Jackson,
KEY LOSSES DE Michael Bennett, WR Golden Tate, QB Nick Foles, WR Jordan Matthews, MLB Jordan Hicks, DE Chris Long
There hasn’t been a repeat NFC East winner since 2004, and the Eagles are determined to continue that trend in 2019. Philadelphia didn’t run the ball well last season and addressed that weakness by trading for Chicago’s Jordan Howard and drafting Miles Sanders. The offensive line should be solid. Quarterback Carson Wentz would love to play a full 16-game season. He has a fine stable of targets in tight end Zach Ertz and receivers Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor. The defense held teams to fewer than 100 yards a game on the ground, but was gutted with the loss of middle linebacker Jordan Hicks and end Michael Bennett to free agency, and the retirement of Chris Long.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS | 7-9 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Jay Gruden
KEY PLAYER S Landon Collins
KEY ADDITIONS QB Case Keenum, T Ereck Flowers, S Landon Collins KEY LOSSES T Ty Nsekhe, WR Jamison Crowder, S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, LB Preston Smith
The defense gave up 134.1 rushing yards a game in 2017, the worst in the league, yet improved that to 116.3 y/g in 2018, which ranked 17th. But there is more to be done. The Redskins signed safety Landon Collins, who was the Giants leading tackler last season. Washington also drafted outside linebacker Montez Sweat to pair with star Ryan Kerrigan, who led the team with 13 sacks. Adrian Peterson is still around after running for 1,042 yards last season. Just who will line up at quarterback is still a mystery. Colt McCoy, Case Keenum, and possibly Alex Smith will take snaps. The Redskins need playmakers to step up on offense. No player had more than two TD catches last season.
78 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
CHICAGO BEARS | HEAD COACH Matt Nagy
KEY PLAYER RB Tarik Cohen
KEY ADDITIONS RB Mike Davis, WR Cordarrelle Patterson, G Ted Larsen, S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, DB Buster Skrine KEY LOSSES WR Josh Bellamy, CB Bryce Callahan, S Adrian Amos, RB Jordan Howard
12-4 IN 2018 The Chicago defense remains one of the best in the league, and has been for some time now. The Bears’ defense was the stingiest in the league when it came to rushing yards—and most importantly, points. The key players remain in Chicago. Kyle Fuller is a lockdown corner and linebacker Roquan Smith is a budding star. Running back Jordan Howard was traded after rushing for 3,370 over three seasons. But the Bears like their three-headed monster in the backfield of Tarik Cohen, Mike Davis and rookie David Montgomery. Cohen had 1,169 yards from scrimmage last season. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky could use more down field threats.
DETROIT LIONS | 6-10 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Matt Patricia
KEY PLAYER QB Matthew Stafford
KEY ADDITION NT Sylvester Williams KEY LOSSES None
The Lions are still all about that pass, there’s no mistake about that. But rookie Kerryon Johnson ran for 641 yards and averaged 5.4 yards a carry. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had thrown for 4,000 yards or more in all of his full seasons until last year when he totaled 3,777. Kenn Gollady caught 70 passes for 1,063 yards. The Lions drafted tight end T.J. Hockenson in the first round in hopes of improving the short-range passing attack. Detroit was much improved on defense last season and the playmakers are poised for another step up. Leading tackler Jarrad Davis had 10 tackles for loss. Linebacker Devon Kennard had seven sacks and Romeo Okwara added 7.5
GREEN BAY PACKERS | 6-9-1 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Matt LaFleur
KEY PLAYER QB Aaron Rodgers
KEY ADDITIONS S Adrian Amos, OL Billy Turner, LB Preston Smith, DE Za’Darius Smith KEY LOSSES WR Randall Cobb, LB Clay Matthews
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t slowing down and the Packers continue to ask their star quarterback to do much of the heavy lifting. Aaron Jones averaged 5.5 yards a carry, so perhaps the running game will become more of a part of the offense. But it will most likely be the Rodgers to Davante Adams Show once again. Adams caught 111 passes for 1,386 yards in his first season as Rodgers’ top target. Most of the offseason attention was given to the defense where upgrades were made at all three levels. The Pack will miss long-time stud Clay Matthews, but his production dramatically declined last season. Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith are stellar linebackers off the edge.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | 8-7-1 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Mike Zimmer
KEY PLAYER QB Kirk Cousins
KEY ADDITION DL Shamar Stephen KEY LOSSES DL Sheldon Richardson, OL Nick Easton, RB Latavius Murray
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was brought into a pressure situation last season and he rewarded the Vikings’ confidence in him with 4,298 yards passing and 30 touchdowns, completing better than 70 percent of his throws. Running back Dalvin Cook (920 yards from scrimmage), receiver Adam Thielen (113 catches for 1,373 yards), receiver Stefon Diggs (102 for 1,021) and tight end Kyle Rudolph (64 for 634 and 32 first downs) complete a terrific offense. The defense was very good, but not as dominant as in 2017. Defensive end Danielle Hunter totaled 21.5 tackles behind the line. Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes are solid playmakers at the corners.
79 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
ATLANTA FALCONS | 7-9 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Dan Quinn
KEY PLAYER QB Matt Ryan
KEY ADDITIONS G Jamon Brown, G James Carpenter KEY LOSSES CB Brian Poole, DE Bruce Irvin, RB Tevin Coleman
The Falcons were so close to a Super Bowl title in 2016 and 2017 before slipping to below .500 last season. Has their championship window closed? The team doesn’t believe the window has even begun to close. The team didn’t resign leading running back Tevin Coleman because Devonta Freeman, a two-time 1,000-yard runner in returning from an injury. Atlanta made huge upgrades along the offensive line through free agency and the draft. Guard Chris Lindstrom was the 14th overall pick out of Boston College. Matt Ryan triggers the offense and will continue to look to Julio Jones. The defense needs to figure out a way to create more big plays.
CAROLINA PANTHERS | 7-9 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Ron Rivera
KEY PLAYER RB Christian McCaffrey
KEY ADDITIONS C Matt Paradis, DE Bruce Irvin KEY LOSSES LB Thomas Davis, WR Devin Funchess, ILB David Mayo, C Ryan Kalil, DE Julius Peppers
Casual fans immediately think of Cam Newton when they hear the name Carolina Panthers. But make no mistake, the fuel for this engine comes from all-purpose star Christian McCaffrey. He ran for 1,088 yards and was the team’s leading receiver with 107 catches for 867 yards. He totaled 13 touchdowns and 94 first downs. As long as McCaffrey and Newton are in the same backfield, this team has a chance to win. The defense has been in decline for a few seasons, but a concerted effort was made to imbue some fire in the pass rush. The Panthers drafted Brian Burns in the first round and Christian Miller in the third round after signing defensive end Bruce Irvin.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | 13-3 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Sean Payton
KEY PLAYER QB Drew Brees
KEY ADDITIONS C Nick Easton, RB Latavius Murray, DT Malcolm Brown, TE Jared Cook KEY LOSSES C Max Unger, RB Mark Ingram, DE Alex Okafor
By the end of last season, the receiving corps was a bit depleted and struggling. So the team added tight end Jared Cook to the mix and expect Ted Ginn Jr. back completely healthy to begin the season. The Saints were one of three teams in the league to average more than 30 points a game; and that was before the offseason improvements. They will feel the loss of running back Mark Ingram, but Alvin Kamara is one of the most exciting players in the NFL. He had 1,792 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. Receiver Michael Thomas has 92, 104 and 125 receptions in his three-year career. The defense is stout at all three levels.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | 5-11 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Bruce Arians
KEY PLAYER QB Jameis Winston
KEY ADDITIONS OLB Shaq Barrett, WR Breshad Perriman, LB Deone Bucannon KEY LOSSES WR DeSean Jackson, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Adam Humphries, OLB Kwon Alexander
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked last in the NFL last season in defensive completion percentage at 73 percent and last in average yards per attempt at 8.2. Clearly this was an area of need, and the team wasted no time shoring up that part of the defense through the draft. Linebacker Devin White out of LSU will start on the inside. He excels in pass coverage. Corners Sean Bunting, Mike Edwards and Jamel Dean were taken in the second and third rounds. Quarterback Jameis Winston is growing into a solid NFL quarterback. Winston has tremendous weapons in Mike Evans who had 86 catches for 1,524 yards, and Chris Godwin who has proven to be an excellent clutch receiver on third down.
80 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
ARIZONA CARDINALS | 3-13 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Kliff Kingsbury
KEY PLAYER QB Kyler Murray
KEY ADDITIONS T Marcus Gilbert, G J.R. Sweezy, G Max Garcia, MLB Jordan Hicks, LB Terrell Suggs, LB Tanner Vallejo
KEY LOSSES G Mike Iupati, WR JJ Nelson, CB Justin Bethel, LB Deone Bucannon, S Antoine Bethea,
The Arizona Cardinals owned the league’s worst offense last season, scoring just 14.1 points a game and averaging 241.6 yards a game. That average was 48.3 yards worse than the next-worst team in generating offense. Couple that with the league’s worst rushing defense and you have a bad, bad team. But somehow the Cardinals won three games last season. Four of the losses were by three points or less, so perhaps this squad isn’t far from being a .500 team. Now enter new coach Kliff Kingsbury, and most importantly, Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray and all should be good, right? Well, history says that won’t happen overnight, but the transformation has clearly begun.
LOS ANGELES RAMS | 13-3 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Sean McVay
KEY PLAYER DL Arron Donald
KEY ADDITIONS S Eric Weddle, QB Blake Bortles, LB Clay Matthews KEY LOSSES S Lamarcus Joyner, LB Mark Barron, T Rodger Saffold
The Rams are on the cusp of greatness, and a favorite to win the Super Bowl. The offense is still growing with a young quarterback, a dynamic running back and a talented stable of young receivers. Jared Goff threw for 4,688 yards and completed 64.9 percent of his passes. Most of his throws find the hands of Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, both 1,200yard receivers. Todd Gurley II ran for 1,251 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. This offense finished second to Kansas City in yards and points last season, but should be the best in 2019. Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald, anchors the defense. He had an incredible 20.5 sacks and 30 stops behind the line.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | 4-12 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Kyle Shanahan
KEY PLAYER QB Jimmy Garoppolo
KEY ADDITIONS DE Dee Ford, LB Kwon Alexander, RB Tevin Coleman, WR Jordan Matthews, ILB David Mayo, CB Jason Verrett
KEY LOSS RB Jerick McKinnon
It is abundantly clear what San Francisco’s priority was this offseason; building a pass rush. The 49ers signed Dee Ford and drafted Nick Bosa with the second overall pick to bolster the defense. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner was a one-man pass rush last season and he finished with 12 sacks. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a horrific torn ACL in September last season. He’s completely healthy now and back leading the offense. Tight end George Kittle is Garoppolo’s favorite target, but expect rookie Deebo Samuel to make a splash this season. Running back Jerick McKinnon, signed to a four-year deal from the Vikings, tore his ACL and is out for the year.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | 10-6 IN 2018 HEAD COACH Pete Carroll
KEY PLAYER QB Russell Wilson
KEY ADDITION G Mike Iupati KEY LOSSES G J.R. Sweezy, S Earl Thomas, RB Mike Davis, DL Shamar Stephen, WR Doug Baldwin, K Sebastian Janikowski, CB Justin Coleman, DE Frank Clark
The Seahawks’ version of a tear down and rebuild resulted in a 10-6 season and trip to the playoffs, which ended with a stinging loss at Dallas. Quarterback Russell Wilson is still around to lead the offense, but the league knows him pretty well now. Chris Carson was a pleasant addition to the running game with 1,151 yards last season. Longtime Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin retired at the end of the season. The Seahawks are in need of playmakers among their receivers, and rookie DK Metcalfe will have a significant role this season. First-round draft pick L.J. Collier will start at defensive end and hopefully provide an effective pass rush.
81 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FANTASY QUARTERBACKS
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
1. Julio Jones, Atlanta
Goff triggers one of the top offenses in the league and he has two top-tier receivers in Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods. We had Goff No. 1 here last season and he responded by increasing his passing yards by about 800.
He doesn’t find the end zone as much as you would think (12 TDs in 2017-18), but he gets open between the 20s, and Matt Ryan loves throwing to him. He led the NFL with 1,677 yards.
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Even with a top running game, Brees still posts terrific numbers. He had 3,992 yards last season and shouldn’t miss that mark in 2019. Receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara produce so many yards after the catch. Brees led the NFL with a 74.4 percent completion rate.
3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Mahomes surprised so many people last season, but not the Kansas City coaches who had complete faith in him. He was one of two 5,000-yard passers. One advantage Mahomes has is that his defense is not very good, resulting in shootouts rather than kneeldowns.
2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City HIll has a proven quarterback and fewer teammates to share touches with this season. He’ll top 100 catches this season, which should slot him north of 1,700 yards.
3. Davante Adams, Green Bay It’s reasonable to expect Adams to grab 105-110 balls (111 in 2018) for about 1,400 yards. He is clearly Aaron Rodgers’ go-to guy, and that’s a sweet place to be.
4. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston
4. Matt Ryan, Atlanta
Hopkins is probably the most gifted receiver in the league. We said here last year that his 96 catches and 1,378 yards should increase with a healthy Deshaun Watson. They certainly did (115, 1,572).
Ryan threatened 5,000 yards last season (4,924) with just one big-time threat in Julio Jones. The Falcons will run up scores again this season.
5. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay
5. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers
Quarterback Jameis Winston keeps improving, which can only mean Evans’ numbers will continue to climb.
6. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh
Rivers’ 8.48 yards per attempt last season was second in the league among quarterbacks with as many as 250 pass attempts. He posted 4,308 yards and has plenty of weapons.
6. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Big Ben hasn’t always been a stellar fantasy play, but last year he led the NFL with 5,129 yards. He also threw 36 more passes than anyone else, and that is not likely to happen again. But he’ll complete 67 percent of his throws for about 7.5 yards a pop.
7. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Luck had the second-most attempts and completions last season. And those numbers aren’t likely to decrease.
8. DeShaun Watson, Houston It’s hard to go wrong with the best athlete on the board.
9. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay While Rodgers ages, and the Packers talk about a more balanced attack, the savvy QB will be racking up numbers in Green Bay. He threw just two picks in 597 passes last season.
10. Tom Brady, New England Brady will miss his favorite target in Gronk, but he’s always seemed to click with receivers.
Last season Smith-Schuster shared the field with Antonio Brown. In 2019, the gridiron is his alone with the quarterback that threw the most passes in the NFL last year.
7. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Thomas is teammates with Drew Brees and coached by Sean Payton. Now that’s a recipe for big fantasy numbers as evidenced by his 125 catches for 1,405 yards last season.
8. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Hilton is a bit of a sleeper, but he’s the only proven target for Andrew Luck. Hilton posted 1,270 yards last season and just 76 receptions. His 76 catches were the fewest among receivers with 1,100 yards.
9. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams There’s little difference between Woods and teammate Brandin Cooks. Woods caught six more passes for 13 more yards than Cooks. Woods had about 100 more yards after the catch though.
10. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams Cooks will team up with Robert Woods to provide quarterback Jared Goff with the most potent combo in the league.
82 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FANTASY RUNNING BACKS 1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina
do so as well as any team in the league.
Last season we had McCaffrey ranked No. 14. We underestimated him. His receptions jumped from 80 to 107, and his rushing total climbed from a modest 435 to 1,098. He had 1,965 yards from scrimmage.
10. Phillip Lindsay, Denver
2. Sequon Barkley, New York Giants Barkley’s 1,305 yards on the ground with a 5.0 yards per carry didn’t surprise fantasy players. But how many saw the 91 receptions for another 721 yards coming?
3. Todd Gurley II, Los Angeles Rams Gurley tallied more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in 2017, but slipped to 1,831 yards last season. His scoring improved though with 21 TDs.
4. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Kamara amassed 1,554 yards from scrimmage with 13 touchdowns in 2017, then followed that with 1,592 and 18 last season imagine what his numbers might be without sharing the ball with Mark Ingram.
5. Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers Gordon’s numbers dipped in 2018, but 50 catches and 1,375 yards from scrimmage isn’t shabby. One problem is that the defense is stout enough that the Chargers often spend the fourth quarter sitting on leads.
6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland The Browns were cautious with Chubb last season. He ran for 996 yards even though he had 16 carries through six games. He finished with 20 catches even though he didn’t catch a pass in the first seven contests.
7. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati While the Bengals continue to struggle, Mixon keeps putting up huge rushing totals. He had 1,168 yards and a 4.9 yards a carry average.
8. Sony Michel, New England Michel has a Super Bowl ring after just one season in the league. While that means absolutely nothing to fantasy owners, it does indicate that he plays for a winner, and that he’s young and should develop quickly.
9. Chris Carson, Seattle The Seahawks love to run the ball and will continue to
Lindsay’s 5.4 yards a carry was tops in the NFL for all runners with 140 or more carries. Every fantasy team needs a 1,000-yard rusher, and this Bronco fits that bill.
11. James Conner, Pittsburgh Conner ran for 973 yards for a team that throws it all over the field. If the Steelers turn to the running game more this season, Conner will benefit.
12. Derrick Henry, Tennessee The Titans remain committed to the running game and have the offensive line to wear down opponents. Henry is a perfect fit for the Tennessee attack and carried it for 1,059 yards last season at 4.9 yards a pop. He had just four carries for more than 20 yards, but one was a dazzling 99-yard touchdown run.
13. Lamar Miller, Houston The focus for the Texans will be on DeShaun Watson and the air attack, but don’t sleep on Miller. He has been a consistent performer throughout his career. He should improve on his 973 yards from last season.
14. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Jones ran for just 728 yards last season, so most fantasy players will overlook him. But as Green Bay transitions to a ground attack, Jones will flourish. He scored eight touchdowns and averaged 5.5 yards a carry.
15. Adrian Peterson, Washington When he’s drafted, someone will ask, “Is he still in the league?” Yes he is and he’s durable enough to have carried 251 times last season for 1,042 yards. At some point soon he will stop producing, but we see one more good season left.
Sleepers It’s worth monitoring the Ezekiel Elliott situation. If he reports to camp soon, then he’s a top-5 running back. If he misses most of camp, he’s not worth much. Also, Leonard Fournette is just a year removed from a terrific season. He’s been beaten up already in his young career, so he may be in decline already.
83 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
FANTASY TIGHT ENDS
KICKERS
1. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia
1. Will Lutz, New Orleans
Ertz was second in the league with 116 catches last season. His 1,1163 yards was third among tight ends, but with a healthy Carson Wentz, that certainly won’t decline. Plus, he’s married to a world class soccer player.
Lutz kicks for a top-5 scoring team that plays in a dome. Paradise for a kicker and for your fantasy team.
2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Kelce has proven he can consistently put up numbers. He had 103 catches for 1,336 yards and 10 touchdowns. Without ultra playmaker Kareem Hunt in the lineup, Kelce’s production could actually increase.
3. George Kittle, San Francisco Kittle led tight ends with 1,336 yards, but it’s difficult to recommend offensive players in San Francisco.
4. Jared Cook, New Orleans Cook has been productive everywhere he’s been; Tennessee, Oalkand, and now he will work with one of the best quarterbacks in the land, in one of the most prolific offenses in the league.
5. Eric Ebron, Indianapolis If Andrew Luck is upright, Ebron will have big numbers. If not, forget about him.
DEFENSES 1. Chicago The Bears were the stingiest team points allowed last season. Chicago also created 36 turnovers, five more than second place Cleveland.
2. Houston With J.J. Watt battling injuries, the Houston sack totals were 31 and 32 in 2016-17. Last season, with a healthy Watt wreaking havoc, the Texans led the NFL with 62 sacks, six more than the Cowboys’ 56. Houston created 29 turnovers (4th) and was fourth in scoring defense.
3. Baltimore The Ravens play defense year in and year out. Last season, Baltimore allowed just 17.9 points a game and a league-best 292.9 yards a game.
4. Jacksonville The Jaguars were one of three teams with Baltimore and Chicago to finish in the top five in both total defense and scoring defense. Jacksonville also posted 53 sacks (T3rd).
5. Dallas Dallas allowed just 20.3 points a game and totaled 56 sacks.
2. Justin Tucker, Baltimore
Tucker missed an extra point last season for the first time since the distance change. The Ravens will likely settle for field goals often this season as the offense will stall.
3. Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams
Zuerlein was perfect from inside 40 yards and his team is in scoring position whenever it has the ball. He missed just one extra point and four field goal attempts.
4. Brett Maher, Dallas
The Dallas offense will provide field goal opportunities, especially without Ezekiel Elliott. He hit six from 50+ last season.
5. Ka’imi Fairbairn, Houston
Fairbairn led the NFL with 37 field goals as the Texans gave him 42 opportunities. Hint: Learn how to pronounce his name before announcing him at your draft.
84 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
NFC SCHEDULES ARIZONA CARDINALS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 O. 31 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
Detroit at Baltimore Carolina Seattle at Cincinnati Atlanta at N.Y. Giants at New Orleans San Francisco at Tampa Bay at San Francisco Bye L.A. Rams Pittsburgh Cleveland at Seattle at L.A. Rams
ATLANTA FALCONS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 N. 28 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
at Minnesota Philadelphia at Indianapolis Tennessee at Houston at Arizona L.A. Rams Seattle Bye at Now Orleans at Carolina Tampa Bay New Orleans Carolina at San Francisco Jacksonville at Tampa Bay
4:25 1:00 4:05 4:05 1:00 4:05 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 4:05 4:05 4:25 4:05 4:25 4:25 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 4:25 1:00 1:00
CAROLINA PANTHERS S. 8 S. 12 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
L.A. Rams 1:00 Tampa Bay 8:20 at Arizona 4:05 at Houston 1:00 Jacksonville 1:00 at Tampa Bay (Lon) 9:30a Bye at San Francisco 4:05 Tennessee 1:00 at Green Bay 1:00 Atlanta 1:00 at New Orleans 1:00 Washington 1:00 at Atlanta 1:00 Seattle 1:00 at Indianapolis 1:00 New Orleans 1:00
CHICAGO BEARS S. 5 S. 15 S. 23 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 N. 28 D. 5 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
Green Bay at Denver at Washington Minnesota at Oakland Bye New Orleans L.A. Chargers at Philadelphia Detroit at L.A. Rams N.Y. Giants at Detroit Dallas at Green Bay Kansas City at Minnesota
8:20 4:25 8:15 4:25 1:00 4:25 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 12:30 8:20 1:00 8:20 1:00
DALLAS COWBOYS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 4 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 N. 28 D. 5 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
N.Y. Giants at Washington Miami at New Orleans Green Bay at N.Y. Jets Philadelphia Bye at N. Y. Giants Minnesota at Detroit at New England Buffalo at Chicago L.A. Rams at Philadelphia Washington
DETROIT LIONS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 14 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 N. 28 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
at Arizona L.A. Chargers at Philadelphia Kansas City Bye at Green Bay Minnesota N.Y. Giants at Oakland at Chicago Dallas at Washington Chicago at Minnesota Tampa Bay at Denver Green Bay
GREEN BAY PACKERS S. 5 S. 15 S. 22 S. 26 O. 6 O. 14 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 23 D. 29
at Chicago Minnesota Denver Philadelphia at Dallas Detroit Oakland at Kansas City at L.A. Chargers Carolina Bye at San Francisco at N.Y. Giants Washington Chicago at Minnesota at Detroit
LOS ANGELES RAMS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 3 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 25 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
at Carolina New Orleans at Cleveland Tampa Bay at Seattle San Francisco at Atlanta Cincinnati Bye at Pittsburgh Chicago Baltimore at Arizona Seattle at Dallas at San Francisco Arizona
4:25 1:00 1:00 8:20 4:25 4:25 8:20 8:15 8:20 1:00 4:25 4:30 8:20 4:25 4:24 1:00 4:25 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 4:05 1:00 1:00 1:00 12:30 1:00 1:00 TBA 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 8:20 4:25 8:15 1:00 8:20 4:25 1:00 4:25 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 4:25 8:20 4:05 8:20 4:05 1:00 1:00 4:25 8:20 8:15 4:05 8:20 4:25 TBA 4:25
MINNESOTA VIKINGS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 24 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 2 D. 8 D. 15 D. 23 D. 29
Atlanta at Green Bay Oakland at Chicago at NY. Giants Philadelphia at Detroit Washington at Kansas City at Dallas Denver Bye at Seattle Detroit at L.A. Chargers Green Bay Chicago
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS S. 9 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 N. 28 D. 8 D. 16 D. 22 D. 29
Houston at L.A. Rams at Seattle Dallas Tampa Bay at Jacksonville at Chicago Arizona Bye Atlanta at Tampa Bay Carolina at Atlanta San Francisco Indianapolis at Tennessee at Carolina
NEW YORK GIANTS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 10 O. 20 O. 27 N. 4 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 9 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
at Dallas Buffalo at Tampa Bay Washington Minnesota at New England Arizona at Detroit Dallas at N.Y. Jets Bye at Chicago Green Bay at Philadelphia Miami at Washington Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 26 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 9 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
Washington at Atlanta Detroit at Green Bay N.Y. Jets at Minnesota at Dallas at Buffalo Chicago Bye New England Seattle at Miami N.Y. Giants at Washington Dallas at N.Y. Giants
1:00 1:00 1:00 4:25 4:25 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 8:20 1:00 8:15 1:00 8:20 8:15 1:00 7:10 4:25 4:25 8:20 1:00 1:00 4:25 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 4:25 1:00 4:05 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 4:25 8:20 1:00 8:15 1:00 4:25 1:00
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 7 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 O. 31 N. 11 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
at Tampa Bay at Cincinnati Pittsburgh Bye Cleveland at L.A. Rams at Washington Carolina at Arizona Seattle Arizona Green Bay at Baltimore at new Orleans Atlanta L.A. Rams at Seattle
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 3 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 11 N. 17 N. 24 D. 2 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh New Orleans at Arizona L.A. Rams at Cleveland Baltimore at Atlanta Tampa Bay at San Francisco Bye at Philadelphia Minnesota at L.A. Rams at Carolina Arizona San Francisco
4:25 1:00 4:25
8:15 4:05 1:00 4:05 8:20 8:15 4:05 4:25 1:00 1:00 4:25 TBA 4:25 4:05 1:00 4:25 4:05 8:20 1:00 4:25 1:00 4:05 8:15 8:20 8:15 8:20 1:00 4:25 4:25
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS S. 8 S. 12 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
San Francisco at Carolina N.Y. Giants at L.A. Rams at New Orleans Carolina (London) Bye at Tennessee at Seattle Arizona New Orleans at Atlanta at Jacksonville Indianapolis at Detroit Houston Atlanta
4:25 8:20 4:05 4:05 1:00 9:30a 1:00 4:05 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 TBA 1:00
WASHINGTON REDSKINS S. 8 S. 15 S. 23 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 24 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
at Philadelphia Dallas Chicago at N.Y. Giants at New Orleans at Miami San Francisco at Minnesota at Buffalo Bye N.Y. Jets Detroit at Carolina at Green Bay Philadelphia N.Y. Giants at Dallas
1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00
85 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
AFC SCHEDULES BALTIMORE RAVENS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 25 D. 1 D. 8 D. 12 D. 22 D. 29
at Miami Arizona at Kansas City Cleveland at Pittsburgh Cincinnati at Seattle Bye New England at Cincinnati Houston at L.A. Rams San Francisco at Buffalo N.Y. Jets at Cleveland Pittsburgh
BUFFALO BILLS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 N. 28 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
at N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants Cincinnati New England at Tennessee Bye Miami Philadelphia Washington at Cleveland at Miami Denver at Dallas Baltimore at Pittsburgh at New England N.Y. Jets
1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 4:25 8:20 1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 4:30 1:00 1:00 TBA 1:00
CINCINNATI BENGALS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 30 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
at Seattle 4:05 San Francisco 1:00 at Buffalo 1:00 at Pittsburgh 8:15 Arizona 1:00 at Baltimore 1:00 Jacksonville 1:00 L.A. Rams (London) 9:30a Bye Baltimore 1:00 at Oakland 4:25 Pittsburgh 1:00 N.Y. Jets 1:00 at Cleveland 1:00 New England 1:00 at Miami 1:00 Cleveland 1:00
CLEVELAND BROWNS S. 8 S. 16 S. 22 S. 29 O. 7 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 14 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
Tennessee at N.Y. Jets L.A. Rams at Baltimore at San Francisco Seattle Bye at New England at Denver Buffalo Pittsburgh Miami at Pittsburgh Cincinnati at Arizona Baltimore at Cincinnati
1:00 8:15 8:20 1:00 8:15 1:00 4:25 4:25 1:00 8:20 1:00 4:25 1:00 4:05 1:00 1:00
DENVER BRONCOS S. 9 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 17 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
at Oakland Chicago at Green Bay Jacksonville at L.A. Chargers Tennessee Kansas City at Indianapolis Cleveland Bye at Minnesota at Buffalo L.A. Chargers at Houston at Kansas City Detroit Oakland
10:20 4:25 1:00 4:25 4:05 4:25 8:20 4:25 4:25 1:00 1:00 4:25 1:00 1:00 TBA 4:25
HOUSTON TEXANS S. 9 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 21 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
at New Orleans 7:10 Jacksonville 1:00 at L.A. Chargers 4:25 Carolina 1:00 Atlanta 1:00 at Kansas City 1:00 at Indianapolis 1:00 Oakland 1:00 Jacksonville (London) 9:30a Bye at Baltimore 1:00 Indianapolis 8:20 New England 8:20 Denver 1:00 at Tennessee 1:00 at Tampa Bay TBA Tennessee 1:00
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS S. 8 at L.A. Chargers S. 15 at Tennessee S. 22 Atlanta S. 29 Oakland O. 6 at Kansas City O. 13 Bye O. 20 Houston O. 27 Denver N. 3 at Pittsburgh N. 10 Miami N. 17 Jacksonville N. 21 at Houston D. 1 Tennessee D. 8 at Tampa Bay D. 16 at New Orleans D. 22 Carolina D. 29 at Jacksonville
4:05 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 4:25 1:00 4:05 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS S. 8 S. 15 S. 19 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
Kansas City at Houston Tennessee at Denver at Carolina New Orleans at Cincinnati N.Y. Jets Houston (London) Bye at Indianapolis at Tennessee Tampa Bay L.A. Chargers at Oakland at Atlanta Indianapolis
1:00 1:00 8:20 4:25 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 9:30a 1:00 4:05 1:00 4:05 4:05 1:00 1:00
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 17 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 18 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
at Jacksonville 1:00 at Oakland 4:05 Baltimore 1:00 at Detroit 1:00 Indianapolis 8:20 Houston 1:00 at Denver 8:20 Green Bay 8:20 Minnesota 1:00 at Tennessee 1:00 L.A. Chargers (Mex. City) 8:15 Bye Oakland 1:00 at New England 4:25 Denver 1:00 at Chicago 8:20 L.A. Chargers 1:00
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
S. 8 Indianapolis 4:05 S. 15 at Detroit 1:00 S. 22 Houston 4:25 S. 29 at Miami 1:00 O. 6 Denver 4:05 O. 13 Pittsburgh 8:20 O. 20 at Tennessee 4:05 O. 27 at Chicago 1:00 N. 3 Green Bay 4:25 N. 7 at Oakland 8:20 N. 18 Kansas City (Mex.City) 8:15 N. 24 Bye D. 1 at Denver 4:25 D. 8 at Jacksonville 4:05 D. 15 Minnesota 8:20 D. 21 Oakland TBD D. 29 at Kansas City 1:00
MIAMI DOLPHINS
S. 8 Baltimore S. 15 New England S. 22 at Dallas S. 29 L.A. Chargers O. 6 Bye O. 13 Washington O. 20 at Buffalo O. 28 at Pittsburgh N. 3 N.Y. Jets N. 10 at Indianapolis N. 17 Buffalo N. 24 at Cleveland D. 1 Philadelphia D. 8 at N.Y. Jets D. 15 at N.Y. Giants D. 22 Cincinnati D. 29 at New England
1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 4:05 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 10 O. 21 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 21 D. 29
Pittsburgh at Miami N.Y. Jets at Buffalo at Washington N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets Cleveland at Baltimore Bye at Philadelphia Dallas at Houston Kansas City at Cincinnati Buffalo Miami
8:20 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 8:15 4:25 8:20 4:25 4:25 8:20 4:25 1:00 TBA 1:00
NEW YORK JETS S. 8 S. 16 S. 22 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 21 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 12 D. 22 D. 29
Buffalo Cleveland at New England Bye at Philadelphia Dallas New England at Jacksonville at Miami N.Y. Giants at Washington Oakland at Cincinnati Miami at Baltimore Pittsburgh at Buffalo
OAKLAND RAIDERS S. 10 S. 16 S. 23 S. 30 O. 7 O. 14 O. 21 O. 28 N. 1 N. 11 N. 18 N. 25 D. 2 D. 9 D. 16 D. 24 D. 30
L.A. Rams at Denver at Miami Cleveland at L.A. Chargers Seattle (Lon.) Bye Indianapolis at San Francisco L.A. Chargers at Arizona at Baltimore Kansas City Pittsburgh at Cincinnati Denver at Kansas City
1:00 8:15 1:00 1:00 4:25 8:15 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 10:20 4:25 1:00 4:05 4:05 1:00 4:05 8:20 4:05 4:05 1:00 4:05 8:20 1:00 8:15 1:00
PITTSBURGH STEELERS S. 8 S. 15 S. 22 S. 30 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 28 N. 3 N. 10 N. 14 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
at New England Seattle at San Francisco Cincinnati Baltimore at L.A. Chargers Bye Miami Indianapolis L.A. Rams at Cleveland at Cincinnati Cleveland at Arizona Buffalo at N.Y. Jets at Baltimore
TENNESSEE TITANS S. 8 S. 15 S. 19 S. 29 O. 6 O. 13 O. 20 O. 27 N. 3 N. 10 N. 17 N. 24 D. 1 D. 8 D. 15 D. 22 D. 29
at Cleveland Indianapolis at Jacksonville at Atlanta Buffalo at Denver L.A. Chargers Tampa Bay at Carolina Kansas City Bye Jacksonville at Indianapolis at Oakland Houston New Orleans at Houston
8:20 1:00 4:25 8:15 1:00 8:20 8:15 1:00 4:25 8:20 1:00 4:25 4:25 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 1:00 8:20 1:00 1:00 4:25 4:05 1:00 1:00 1:00
4:05 1:00 4:25 1:00 1:00 1:00
86 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
SOUTHERN FOOTBALL SCHEDULES AAC Cincinnati A. 29 UCLA S. 7 at Ohio State S. 14 Miami (OH) S. 28 at Marshall O. 4 UCF O. 12 at Houston O. 19 Tulsa N. 2 at East Carolina N. 9 Connecticut N. 16 at South Florida N. 23 Temple N. 29 at Memphis Connecticut A. 29 Wagner S. 7 Illinois S. 21 at Indiana S. 28 at UCF O. 5 South Florida O. 12 at Tulane O. 19 Houston O. 26 at Massachusetts N. 1 Navy N. 9 at Cincinnati N. 23 East Carolina N. 30 at Temple East Carolina A. 31 at NC State S. 7 Gardner-Webb S. 14 at Navy S. 21 William & Mary S. 28 at Old Dominion O. 3 Temple O. 19 at UCF O. 26 South Florida N. 2 Cincinnati N. 9 at SMU N. 23 at Connecticut N. 30 Tulsa Houston S. 1 at Oklahoma S. 7 Prairie View S. 13 Wash. State S. 19 at Tulane S. 28 at North Texas O. 12 Cincinnati O. 19 at Connecticut O. 24 SMU N. 2 at UCF N. 16 Memphis N. 23 at Tulsa N. 30 Navy Memphis A. 31 Ole Miss S. 7 Southern S. 14 at South Alabama S. 26 Navy O. 5 at ULM O. 12 at Temple O. 19 Tulane O. 26 at Tulsa N. 2 SMU N. 16 at Houston N. 23 at South Florida N. 29 Cincinnati Navy A. 31 Holy Cross S. 14 East Carolina S. 26 at Memphis O. 5 Air Force
O. 12 O. 19 O. 26 N. 1 N. 16 N. 23 N. 30 D. 14
at Tulsa South Florida Tulane at Connecticut at Notre Dame SMU at Houston Army (Phil.) SMU A. 31 at Arkansas State S. 7 North Texas S. 14 Texas State S. 21 at TCU S. 28 at South Florida O. 5 Tulsa O. 19 Temple O. 24 at Houston N. 2 at Memphis N. 9 East Carolina N. 23 at Navy N. 30 Tulane South Florida A. 30 Wisconsin S. 7 at Georgia Tech S. 14 South Carolina St. S. 28 SMU O. 5 at Connecticut O. 12 BYU O. 19 at Navy O. 26 at East Carolina N. 7 Temple N. 16 Cincinnati N. 23 Memphis N. 30 at UCF Temple A. 31 Bucknell S. 14 Maryland S. 21 at Buffalo S. 28 Georgia Tech O. 3 at East Carolina O. 12 Memphis O. 19 at SMU O. 26 UCF N. 9 at South Florida N. 16 Tulane N. 23 at Cincinnati N. 30 Connecticut Tulane A. 29 FIU S. 7 at Auburn S. 14 Missouri State S. 19 Houston O. 5 at Army O. 12 Connecticut O. 19 at Memphis O. 26 at Navy N. 2 Tulsa N. 16 at Temple N. 23 UCF N. 30 at SMU Tulsa A. 30 at Michigan State S. 7 at San Jose State S. 14 Oklahoma State S. 21 Wyoming O. 5 at SMU O. 12 Navy O. 19 at Cincinnati O. 26 Memphis N. 2 at Tulane N. 8 UCF
N. 23 Houston N. 30 at East Carolina UCF A. 29 Florida A&M S. 7 at FAU S. 14 Stanford S. 21 at Pittsburgh S. 28 Connecticut O. 4 at Cincinnati O. 19 East Carolina O. 26 at Temple N. 2 Houston N. 8 at Tulsa N. 23 at Tulane N. 30 South Florida Big Ten Illinois A. 31 Akron S. 7 at Connecticut S. 14 Eastern Michigan S. 21 Nebraska O. 5 at Minnesota O. 12 Michigan O. 19 Wisconsin O. 26 at Purdue N. 2 Rutgers N. 9 at Michigan State N. 23 at Iowa N. 30 Northwestern Indiana A. 31 Ball State (Indianapolis) S. 7 Eastern Illinois S. 14 Ohio State S. 21 Connecticut S. 28 at Michigan State O. 12 Rutgers O. 19 at Maryland O. 26 at Nebraska N. 2 Northwestern N. 16 at Penn State N. 23 Michigan N. 30 at Purdue Iowa A. 31 Miami (OH) S. 7 Rutgers S. 14 at Iowa State S. 28 Middle Tenn. O. 5 at Michigan O. 12 Penn State O. 19 Purdue O. 26 at Northwestern N. 9 at Wisconsin N. 16 Minnesota N. 23 Illinois N. 30 at Nebraska Maryland A. 31 Howard S. 7 Syracuse S. 14 at Temple S. 27 Penn State O. 5 at Rutgers O. 12 at Purdue O. 19 Indiana O. 26 at Minnesota N. 2 Michigan N. 9 at Ohio State N. 23 Nebraska N. 30 at Michigan State Michigan A. 31 Middle Tenn.
S. 7 Army S. 21 at Wisconsin S. 28 Rutgers O. 5 Iowa O. 12 at Illinois O. 19 at Penn State O. 26 Notre Dame N. 2 at Maryland N. 16 Michigan State N. 23 at Indiana N. 30 Ohio State Michigan State A. 30 Tulsa S. 7 Western Michigan S. 14 Arizona State S. 21 at Northwestern S. 28 Indiana O. 5 at Ohio State O. 12 at Wisconsin O. 26 Penn State N. 9 Illinois N. 16 at Michigan N. 23 at Rutgers N. 30 Maryland Minnesota A. 29 South Dakota St. S. 7 at Fresno State S. 14 Georgia Southern S. 28 at Purdue O. 5 Illinois O. 12 Nebraska O. 19 at Rutgers O. 26 Maryland N. 9 Penn State N. 16 at Iowa N. 23 at Northwestern N. 30 Wisconsin Nebraska A. 31 South Alabama S. 7 at Colorado S. 14 Northern Illinois S. 21 at Illinois S. 28 Ohio State O. 5 Northwestern O. 12 at Minnesota O. 26 Indiana N. 2 at Purdue N. 16 Wisconsin N. 23 at Maryland N. 30 at Illinois Northwestern A. 31 at Stanford S. 14 UNLV S. 21 Michigan State S. 28 at Wisconsin O. 5 at Nebraska O. 18 Ohio State O. 26 Iowa N. 2 at Indiana N. 9 Purdue N. 16 Massachusetts N. 23 Minnesota N. 30 at Illinois Ohio State A. 31 FAU S. 7 Cincinnati S. 14 at Indiana S. 21 Miami (OH) S. 28 at Nebraska O. 5 Michigan State O. 18 at Northwestern
O. 26 N. 9 N. 16 N. 23 N. 30
Wisconsin Maryland at Rutgers Penn State at Michigan Penn State A. 31 Idaho S. 7 Buffalo S. 14 Pittsburgh S. 27 at Maryland O. 5 Purdue O. 12 at Iowa O. 19 Michigan O. 26 at Michigan State N. 9 at Minnesota N. 16 Indiana N. 23 at Ohio State N. 30 Rutgers Purdue A. 30 at Nevada S. 7 Vanderbilt S. 14 TCU S. 28 Minnesota O. 5 at Penn State O. 12 Maryland O. 19 at Iowa O. 26 Illinois N. 2 Nebraska N. 9 at Northwestern N. 23 at Wisconsin N. 30 Indiana Rutgers A. 30 Massachusetts S. 7 at Iowa S. 21 Boston College S. 28 at Michigan O. 5 Maryland O. 12 at Indiana O. 19 Minnesota O. 26 Liberty N. 2 at Illinois N. 16 Ohio State N. 23 Michigan State N. 30 at Penn State Wisconsin A. 30 at South Florida S. 7 Central Michigan S. 21 Michigan S. 28 Northwestern O. 5 Kent State O. 12 Michigan State O. 19 at Illinois O. 26 at Ohio State N. 9 Iowa N. 16 at Nebraska N. 23 Purdue N. 30 at Minnesota Big 12 Baylor A. 31 S.F. Austin S. 7 UTSA S. 21 at Rice S. 28 Iowa State O. 5 at Kansas State O. 12 Texas Tech O. 19 at Oklahoma State O. 31 West Virginia N. 9 at TCU N. 16 Oklahoma N. 23 Texas N. 30 at Kansas
87 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
SOUTHERN FOOTBALL SCHEDULES Iowa State A. 31 Northern Iowa S. 14 Iowa S. 21 ULM S. 28 at Baylor O. 5 TCU O. 12 at West Virginia O. 19 at Texas Tech O. 26 Oklahoma State N. 9 at Oklahoma N. 16 Texas N. 23 Kansas N. 30 at Kansas State Kansas A. 31 Indiana State S. 7 Coastal Carolina S. 13 at Boston College S. 21 West Virginia S. 28 at TCU O. 5 Oklahoma O. 19 at Texas O. 26 Texas Tech N. 2 Kansas State N. 16 at Oklahoma State N. 23 at Iowa State N. 30 Baylor Kansas State A. 31 Nicholls State S. 7 Bowling Green S. 14 at Mississippi State S. 28 at Oklahoma State O. 5 Baylor O. 19 TCU O. 26 Oklahoma N. 2 at Kansas N. 9 at Texas N. 16 West Virginia N. 23 at Texas Tech N. 30 Iowa State Oklahoma S. 1 Houston S. 7 South Dakota S. 14 at UCLA S. 28 Texas Tech O. 5 at Kansas O. 12 Texas (Dallas) O. 19 West Virginia O. 26 at Kansas State N. 9 Iowa State N. 16 at Baylor N. 23 TCU N. 30 at Oklahoma State Oklahoma State A. 30 at Oregon State S. 7 McNeese State S. 14 at Tulsa S. 21 at Texas S. 28 Kansas State O. 5 at Texas Tech O. 19 Baylor O. 26 at Iowa State N. 2 TCU N. 16 Kansas N. 23 at West Virginia N. 30 Oklahoma TCU A. 31 Arkansas-Pine Bluff S. 14 Purdue S. 21 SMU
S. 28 Kansas O. 5 at Iowa State O. 19 at Kansas State O. 26 Texas N. 2 at Oklahoma State N. 9 Baylor N. 16 at Texas Tech N. 23 at Oklahoma N. 30 West Virginia Texas A. 31 Louisiana Tech S. 7 LSU S. 14 at Rice S. 21 Oklahoma State O. 5 at West Virginia O. 12 Oklahoma (Dallas) O. 19 Kansas O. 26 at TCU N. 9 Kansas State N. 16 at Iowa State N. 23 at Baylor N. 30 Texas Tech Texas Tech A. 31 Montana State S. 7 UTEP S. 14 at Arizona S. 28 at Oklahoma O. 5 Oklahoma State O. 12 at Baylor O. 19 Iowa State O. 26 at Kansas N. 9 at West Virginia N. 16 TCU N. 23 Kansas State N. 30 at Texas West Virginia A. 31 James Madison S. 7 at Missouri S. 14 NC State S. 21 at Kansas O. 5 Texas O. 12 Iowa State O. 19 at Oklahoma O. 31 at Baylor N. 9 Texas Tech N. 16 at Kansas State N. 23 Oklahoma State N. 30 at TCU C-USA Charlotte Gardner-Webb at Appalachian State S. 14 Massachusetts S. 21 At Clemson S. 28 FAU O. 12 at FIU O. 19 at Western Kentucky O. 26 North Texas N. 2 Middle Tenn. N. 9 at UTEP N. 23 Marshall N. 30 at Old Dominion FIU A. 29 at Tulane S. 7 Western Kentucky S. 14 New Hampshire S. 21 at Louisiana Tech O. 5 Massachusetts O. 12 Charlotte O. 19 UTEP A. 31 S. 7
O. 26 at Middle Tenn. N. 2 Old Dominion N. 9 at FAU N. 23 Miami N. 30 at Marshall FAU A. 31 at Ohio State S. 7 UCF S. 14 at Ball State S. 21 Wagner S. 28 at Charlotte O. 12 Middle Tenn. O. 19 Marshall O. 26 at Old Dominion N. 2 at Western Kentucky N. 9 FIU N. 23 at UTSA N. 30 Southern Miss Louisiana Tech A. 31 at Texas S. 7 Grambling S. 14 at Bowling Green S. 21 FIU S. 28 at Rice O. 12 Massachusetts O. 19 Southern Miss O. 26 at UTEP N. 9 North Texas N. 16 at Marshall N. 23 at UAB N. 30 UTSA Marshall A. 31 VMI S. 6 at Boise State S. 14 Ohio S. 28 Cincinnati O. 5 at Middle Tenn. O. 12 Old Dominion O. 19 at FAU O. 26 Western Kentucky N. 2 at Rice N. 16 Louisiana Tech N. 23 at Charlotte N. 30 FIU Middle Tenn. A. 31 at Michigan S. 7 Tennessee State S. 14 Duke S. 28 at Iowa O. 5 Marshall O. 12 at FAU O. 19 at North Texas O. 26 FIU N. 2 at Charlotte N. 16 Rice N. 23 Old Dominion N. 30 at Western Kentucky North Texas A. 31 Abilene Christian S. 7 at SMU S. 14 California S. 21 UTSA S. 28 Houston O. 12 at Southern Miss O. 19 Middle Tenn. O. 26 at Charlotte N. 2 UTEP N. 9 at Louisiana Tech N. 23 at Rice N. 30 UAB
Old Dominion A. 31 Norfolk State S. 7 at Virginia Tech S. 21 at Virginia S. 28 East Carolina O. 5 Western Kentucky O. 12 at Marshall O. 19 at UAB O. 26 FAU N. 2 at FIU N. 9 UTSA N. 23 at Middle Tenn. N. 30 Charlotte Rice A. 30 at Army S. 7 Wake Forest S. 14 Texas S. 21 Baylor S. 28 Louisiana Tech O. 5 at UAB O. 19 at UTSA O. 26 Southern Miss N. 2 Marshall N. 16 at Middle Tenn. N. 23 North Texas N. 30 at UTEP Southern Miss A. 31 Alcorn State S. 7 at Mississippi State S. 14 at Troy S. 21 at Alabama S. 28 UTEP O. 12 North Texas O. 19 at Louisiana Tech O. 26 at Rice N. 9 UAB N. 16 at UTSA N. 23 Western Kentucky N. 30 at UTEP UAB A. 29 Alabama State S. 7 at Akron S. 21 South Alabama S. 28 at Western Kentucky O. 5 Rice O. 12 at UTSA O. 19 Old Dominion N. 2 at Tennessee N. 9 at Southern Miss N. 16 UTEP N. 23 Louisiana Tech N. 30 at North Texas UTSA A. 31 Incarnate Word S. 7 at Baylor S. 14 Army S. 21 at North Texas O. 5 at UTEP O. 12 UAB O. 19 Rice N. 2 at Texas A&M N. 9 at Old Dominion N. 16 Southern Miss N. 23 FAU N. 30 at Louisiana Tech Western Kentucky A. 29 Central Arkansas S. 7 at FIU S. 14 Louisville (Nashville) S. 28 UAB
O. 5 at Old Dominion O. 12 Army O. 19 Charlotte O. 26 at Marshall N. 2 FAU N. 9 at Arkansas N. 23 at Southern Miss N. 30 Middle Tenn. Independents Army
A. 30 S. 7 S. 14 S. 21 O. 5 O. 12
Rice at Michigan at UTSA Morgan State Tulane at Western Kentucky O. 19 at Georgia State O. 26 San Jose State N. 2 at Air Force N. 9 Massachusetts N. 16 VMI N. 30 at Hawaii D. 14 Navy (Phil.) BYU A. 29 Utah S. 7 at Tennessee S. 14 USC S. 21 Washington S. 28 at Toledo O. 12 at South Florida O. 19 Boise State N. 2 at Utah State N. 9 Liberty N. 16 Idaho State N. 23 at Massachusetts N. 30 at San Diego State Notre Dame S. 2 Louisville S. 14 New Mexico S. 21 at Georgia S. 28 Virginia O. 5 Bowling Green O. 12 USC O. 26 at Michigan N. 2 Virginia Tech N. 9 at Duke N. 16 Navy N. 23 Boston College N. 30 at Stanford Pac-12 Arizona A. 24 at Hawaii S. 7 Northern Arizona S. 14 Texas Tech S. 28 UCLA O. 5 at Colorado O. 12 Washington O. 19 at USC O. 26 at Stanford N. 2 Oregon State N. 16 at Oregon N. 23 Utah N. 30 at Arizona State Arizona State A. 29 Kent State S. 6 Sacramento State S. 14 at Michigan State S. 21 Colorado S. 27 at California O. 12 Wash. State
88 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
SOUTHERN FOOTBALL SCHEDULES O. 19 at Utah O. 26 at UCLA N. 9 USC N. 16 at Oregon State N. 23 Oregon N. 29 Arizona
California UC Davis at Washington North Texas at Ole Miss Arizona State at Oregon Oregon State at Utah Wash. State USC at Stanford at UCLA Colorado A. 30 Colo. St. (Denver) S. 7 Nebraska S. 14 Air Force S. 21 at Arizona State O. 5 Arizona O. 11 at Oregon O. 19 at Wash. State O. 25 USC N. 2 at UCLA N. 9 Stanford N. 23 Washington N. 30 at Utah Oregon A. 31 Auburn (Arlington) S. 7 Nevada S. 14 Montana S. 21 at Stanford O. 5 California O. 11 Colorado O. 19 at Washington O. 26 Wash. State N. 2 at USC N. 16 Arizona N. 23 at Arizona State N. 30 Oregon State Oregon State A. 30 Oklahoma State S. 7 at Hawaii S. 14 Cal Poly S. 28 Stanford O. 5 at UCLA O. 12 Utah O. 19 at California N. 2 at Arizona N. 8 Washington N. 16 Arizona State N. 23 at Wash. State N. 30 at Oregon Stanford A. 31 Northwestern S. 7 at USC S. 14 at UCF S. 21 Oregon S. 28 at Oregon State O. 5 Washington O. 17 UCLA O. 26 Arizona . N. 9 at Colorado A. 31 S. 7 S. 14 S. 21 S. 27 O. 5 O. 19 O. 26 N. 9 N. 16 N. 23 N. 30
N. 16 N. 23 N. 30
at Wash. State California Notre Dame UCLA A. 29 at Cincinnati S. 7 San Diego State S. 14 Oklahoma S. 21 at Wash. State S. 28 at Arizona O. 5 Oregon State O. 17 at Stanford O. 26 Arizona State N. 2 Colorado N. 16 at Utah N. 23 at USC N. 30 California USC A. 31 Fresno State S. 7 Stanford S. 14 at BYU S. 20 Utah S. 28 at Washington O. 12 at Notre Dame O. 19 Arizona O. 25 at Colorado N. 2 Oregon N. 9 at Arizona State N. 16 at California N. 23 UCLA Utah A. 29 at BYU S. 7 Northern Illinois S. 14 Idaho State S. 20 at USC S. 28 Wash. State O. 12 at Oregon State O. 19 Arizona State O. 26 California N. 2 at Washington N. 16 UCLA N. 23 at Arizona N. 30 Colorado Washington A. 31 Eastern Wash. S. 7 California S. 14 Hawaii S. 21 at BYU S. 28 USC O. 5 at Stanford O. 12 at Arizona O. 19 Oregon N. 2 Utah N. 8 at Oregon State N. 23 at Colorado N. 29 Wash. State Wash. State A. 31 New Mexico State S. 7 Northern Colorado S. 13 at Houston S. 21 UCLA S. 28 at Utah O. 12 at Arizona State O. 19 Colorado O. 26 at Oregon N. 9 at California N. 16 Stanford N. 23 Oregon State N. 29 at Washington
Sun Belt Appalachian St. A. 31 East Tenn. St. S. 7 Charlotte S. 21 at North Carolina S. 28 Coastal Carolina O. 9 at Louisiana O. 19 ULM O. 26 at South Alabama O. 31 Georgia So. N. 9 at South Carolina N. 16 at Georgia State N. 23 Texas State N. 30 at Troy Arkansas State A. 31 SMU S. 7 at UNLV S. 14 at Georgia S. 21 Southern Illinois S. 28 at Troy O. 5 at Georgia State O. 17 Louisiana O. 26 Texas State N. 2 at ULM N. 16 Coastal Carolina N. 23 Georgia So. N. 29 at South Alabama Coastal Carolina A. 31 Eastern Michigan S. 7 at Kansas S. 14 Norfolk State S. 21 at Massachusetts S. 28 at Appalachian St. O. 12 Georgia State O. 19 at Georgia So. N. 2 Troy N. 7 Louisiana N. 16 at Arkansas State N. 23 at ULM N. 30 Texas State Georgia So. A. 31 at LSU S. 7 Maine S. 14 at Minnesota S. 28 Louisiana O. 3 at South Alabama O. 19 Coastal Carolina O. 26 New Mexico State O. 31 at Appalachian St. N. 9 at Troy N. 16 ULM N. 23 at Arkansas State N. 30 Georgia State Georgia State A. 31 at Tennessee S. 7 Furman S. 14 at Western Michigan S. 21 at Texas State O. 5 Arkansas State O. 12 at Coastal Carolina O. 19 Army O. 26 Troy N. 9 at ULM N. 16 Appalachian St. N. 23 South Alabama N. 30 at Georgia So. Louisiana A. 31 Miss. State (N.O.) S. 7 Liberty S. 14 Texas Southern S. 21 at Ohio
S. 28 at Georgia So. O. 9 Appalachian St. O. 17 at Arkansas State N. 2 Texas State N. 7 at Coastal Carolina N. 16 at South Alabama N. 23 Troy N. 30 ULM ULM A. 31 Grambling S. 7 at Florida State S. 21 at Iowa State S. 28 South Alabama O. 5 Memphis O. 10 at Texas State O. 19 at Appalachian St. N. 2 Arkansas State N. 9 Georgia State N. 16 at Georgia So. N. 23 Coastal Carolina N. 30 at Louisiana South Alabama A. 31 at Nebraska S. 7 Jackson State S. 14 Memphis S. 21 at UAB S. 28 at ULM O. 3 Georgia So. O. 16 at Troy O. 26 Appalachian St. N. 9 at Texas State N. 16 Louisiana N. 23 at Georgia State N. 29 Arkansas State Texas State A. 29 at Texas A&M S. 7 Wyoming S. 14 at SMU S. 21 Georgia State S. 28 Nicholls State O. 10 ULM O. 26 at Arkansas State N. 2 at Louisiana N. 9 South Alabama N. 16 Troy N. 23 at Appalachian St. N. 30 at Coastal Carolina Troy A. 31 Campbell S. 14 Southern Miss S. 21 at Akron S. 28 Arkansas State O. 5 at Missouri O. 16 South Alabama O. 26 at Georgia State N. 2 at Coastal Carolina N. 9 Georgia So. N. 16 at Texas State N. 23 at Louisiana N. 30 Appalachian St.
89 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
90 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
DATE TIME Dec. 20 2:00 Dec. 20 7:30 Dec. 21 2:00 Dec. 21 2:30 Dec. 21 3:30 Dec. 21 5:30 Dec. 21 7:30 Dec. 21 9:00 Dec. 23 2:30 Dec. 24 8:00 Dec. 26 4:00 Dec. 26 8:00 Dec. 27 Noon Dec. 27 3:20 Dec. 27 6:45 Dec. 27 8:00 Dec. 27 10:15 Dec. 28 Noon Dec. 28 Noon Dec. 28 4/8:00 Dec. 28 4/8:00 Dec. 30 12:30 Dec. 30 4:00 Dec. 30 4:00 Dec. 30 8:00 Dec. 31 Noon Dec. 31 2:00 Dec. 31 3:45 Dec. 31 4:30 Dec. 31 7:30 Jan. 1 1:00 Jan. 1 1:00 Jan. 1 5:00 Jan. 1 8:45 Jan. 2 3:00 Jan. 2 7:00 Jan. 3 3:30 Jan. 4 11:30am Jan. 6 7:30 Jan. 13 8:00
TV SITE MATCHUP ESPN Nassau, Bahamas C-USA vs. MAC ESPN2 Frisco, TX AAC vs. At-large ESPN Albuquerque, NM C-USA vs. MWC CBSSN Orlando, FL AAC vs. Sun Belt ABC Boca Raton, FL AAC/C-USA/MAC ESPN Montgomery, AL MAC vs. Sun Belt ABC Las Vegas, NV MWC vs. Pac-12 ESPN New Orleans, LA C-USA vs. Sun Belt ESPN St. Petersburg, FL AAC vs. C-USA ESPN Honolulu, HI AAC vs. BYU ESPN Shreveport, LA ACC/ND vs. SEC ESPN Detroit, MI ACC/ND vs. Big Ten ESPN Annapolis, MD ACC/ND vs. American ESPN New York, NY ACC/ND vs. Big Ten ESPN Houston, TX Big 12 vs. SEC FS1 San Diego, CA Big Ten vs. Pac-12 ESPN Phoenix, AZ Big 12 vs. Pac-12 ABC Orlando, FL ACC/ND vs. Big 12 ESPN Arlington, TX At-large vs. At-large ESPN Atlanta, GA CFP Semifinal ESPN Glendale, AZ CFP Semifinal ESPN Dallas, TX Big Ten vs. C-USA Fox San Francisco, CA Big Ten vs. Pac-12 ESPN Nashville, TN SEC vs. Big Ten/ACC/ND ESPN Miami Gardens, FL ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC/ND ESPN Charlotte, NC ACC/ND vs. SEC CBS El Paso, TX ACC/ND vs. Pac-12 ESPN Memphis, TN Big 12 vs. SEC CBSSN Tucson, AZ Sun Belt vs. MWC ESPN San Antonio, TX Big 12 vs. Pac-12 ABC Orlando, FL SEC vs. Big Ten/ACC/ND ESPN Tampa, FL Big Ten vs. SEC ESPN Pasadena, CA Big Ten vs. Pac-12 ESPN New Orleans, LA Big 12 vs. SEC ESPN Birmingham, AL American vs. SEC ESPN Jacksonville, FL SEC vs. Big Ten/ACC/ND ESPN Boise, ID MAC vs. MWC ESPN Fort Worth, TX Big Ten vs. MWC JAN. 11 ESPN Mobile, AL MAC vs. Sun Belt 8:30PM ESPN New Orleans, LA Peach vs. Fiesta Winners ESPN
BOWL Bahamas Frisco New Mexico Cure Boca Raton Camellia Las Vegas New Orleans Gasparilla Hawaii Independence Quick Lane Military Pinstripe Texas Holiday Cheez-It Camping World Cotton Peach Fiesta First Responder Redbox Music City Orange Belk Sun Liberty Arizona Alamo Citrus Outback Rose Sugar Birmingham Gator Idaho Potato Armed Forces Mobile Nat’l Champ.
91 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE
92 | 2019 SOUTHERN FOOTBALL GUIDE