July 27, 2009
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -
Four members of the Samford football team were named to the Southern Conference's Preseason All-Conference teams, when the league released the teams on Monday. The league also released its preseason coaches' poll, with Samford tying for sixth in the voting.
Three Samford players were named to the first team All-Conference team. Junior running back Chris Evans, senior offensive lineman Jon Weber and junior linebacker Bryce Smith were named first team All-Conference by the coaches.
Evans, a member of the Payton Award preseason watch list, led the SoCon in rushing last season with a Samford record 1,284 yards. Evans also scored 14 touchdowns, and led the team in scoring with 86 points.
Evans, who was named first-team All-Conference last season, became the first running back in Samford history to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Evans ranked 12th nationally with over 116 yards rushing per game.
Weber, who was named second-team All-Conference as a junior in 2008, has been the leader of Samford's offensive line for the last two seasons. The offensive line was one of the strengths of Samford's team last season, producing the first running back in Samford history to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Smith, also a second-team selection in 2008, led Samford in tackles last season with 92, including 65 solo stops. He also led the team in interceptions with five, and he had seven tackles for a loss and forced two fumbles on the year.
Junior punter Bob Hooper was named second team All-Conference in the preseason voting. On 49 punts last season, Hooper averaged 39.9 yards per kick. He placed 22 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line and produced two touchbacks.
In the preseason poll, Samford tied with The Citadel for sixth in the conference. Defending champion Appalachian State was picked to win the league. Wofford was picked second, Elon third, Furman fourth and Georgia Southern fifth in the preseason poll.
After Samford and The Citadel, Western Carolina and Chattanooga came in eighth and ninth, respectively.
A complete breakdown of the coaches' preseason poll and the complete preseason All-Conference teams are listed below.
2009 SoCon Football Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, School (First-place votes), Points
1. Appalachian State (8), 64
2. Wofford, 53
3. Elon, 51
4. Furman, 40
5. Georgia Southern (1), 39
T-6. Samford, 26
T-6. The Citadel, 26
8. Western Carolina, 15
9. Chattanooga, 10
2009 Southern Conference Preseason All-Conference Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Armanti Edwards, Sr., QB, Appalachian State
Defensive Player of the Year: Jacque Roman, Sr., LB, Appalachian State
First Team Offense
QB: Armanti Edwards, Sr., Appalachian State
RB: Mike Brown, Jr., Furman
RB: Chris Evans, Jr., Samford
OL: Mario Acitelli, Sr., Appalachian State
OL: Pat Illig, Jr., Wofford
OL: David Harrison, Sr., Elon
OL: (tie) Brett Irvin, Jr., Appalachian State
OL: (tie) Daniel Kilgore, Jr., Appalachian State
OL: (tie) Jon Weber, Sr., Samford
TE : Chris Truss, Sr., Furman
WR: Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel
WR: Terrell Hudgins, Sr., Elon
First Team Defense
DL: Jabari Fletcher, Jr., Appalachian State
DL: Terrence Reese, Sr., The Citadel
DL: Mitch Clark, Sr., Wofford
DL: Eric Ludwig, Sr., Elon
LB: Jacque Roman, Sr., Appalachian State
LB: Bryce Smith, Jr., Samford
LB: Joshua Jones, So., Elon
DB: Mark LeGree, Jr., Appalachian State
DB: Max Lerner, Jr., Furman
DB: Karlos Sullivan, Sr., Elon
DB: Cortez Gilbert, Jr., Appalachian State
First Team Specialists
PK: Adrian Mora, So., Georgia Southern
P: Trent Hawk, Sr., Furman
RS: Andre Roberts, Sr., The Citadel
Second Team Offense
QB: Scott Riddle, Jr., Elon
RB: Devon Moore, Jr., Appalachian State
RB: Brandon Newsome, Jr., Elon
OL: Cole Fountain, Sr., Georgia Southern
OL: Thomas Suggs, Sr., The Citadel
OL: Daniel DeHaven, Sr., The Citadel
OL: Trey Johnson, Jr., Wofford
OL: Tyler Haynes, Sr., Furman
TE: Ben Jorden, So., Appalachian State
WR: CoCo Hillary, Jr., Appalachian State
WR: Brian Quick, So., Appalachian State
Second Team Defense
DL: Brandon Ward, Jr., Elon
DL: Anthony Williams, Sr., Appalachian State
DL: Justin Brown, Sr., Furman
DL: Eric Eberhardt, So., Wofford
LB: D.J. Smith, Jr., Appalachian State
LB: Gary Blount, Sr., Wofford
LB: Dion Dubose, So., Georgia Southern
DB: Ed Gainey, So., Appalachian State
DB: Mychael Johnson, Sr., Wofford
DB: Julian Hicks, Sr., Furman
DB: (tie) Buster Skrine, Jr., Chattanooga
DB: (tie) Cortez Allen, Jr., The Citadel
Second Team Specialists
PK: Jason Vitaris, Jr., Appalachian State
P: Bob Hooper, Jr., Samford
RS: CoCo Hillary, Jr., Appalachian State
