GREENVILLE, S.C. –Four Samford football players were named to the preseason All-SoCon teams, and the Bulldogs were picked fifth in the preseason poll released at the annual SoCon Football Media Day Tuesday at Hotel Hartness in Greenville, S.C.
Defensive lineman
Conroy Cunningham II and long-snapper
Alex Applefield were both named first team preseason All-SoCon, while quarterback
Quincy Crittendon and linebacker
Jaden Mosley both earned second-team honors.
Cunningham tallied 27 tackles, including 17 solo stops last season. He ranked second on the team with 5.0 sacks and he ranked fifth on the squad with 6.5 tackles for loss. He also led the team with eight quarterback hurries.
Applefield has been the team's main long snapper for the past three seasons. He has seen action in 35 games in the last three seasons. He has been a steady presence on Samford's special teams throughout his collegiate career.
Crittendon completed 277-of-394 passes for a Southern Conference best 2,689 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He finished second in the SoCon in completion percentage at 70.3 and he threw for over 300 yards four times.
Mosley finished second on the team with 75 tackles, including 43 solo stops in 2024. He led the team in tackles for loss with 14.0 and ranked third in sacks with 4.0.
Defending champion Mercer was picked as the favorite to win the league with 60 points in the poll voted on by the league's head coaches. Chattanooga was picked second with 50 points, followed by Western Carolina (49), ETSU (43), Samford (40), Furman (36), Wofford (19), The Citadel (17) and VMI (10).
Samford will open the 2025 season by playing host to the West Georgia Wolves on Thursday, Aug. 28. The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start from Pete Hanna Stadium.
2025 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes): Total
1. Mercer (6): 60
2. Chattanooga (2): 50
3. Western Carolina (1): 49
4. ETSU: 43
5. Samford: 40
6. Furman: 36
7. Wofford: 19
8. The Citadel: 17
9. VMI: 10
2025 Preseason All-Southern Conference Football Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Taron Dickens, R-So., QB, Western Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Zock, So., DL, Mercer
First team offense
QB: Taron Dickens, Western Carolina
RB: Devontae Houston, ETSU
RB: Branson Adams, Western Carolina
OL: Mike Bartilucci, The Citadel
OL: Ashton Flinn, ETSU
OL: Eli Brasher, Furman
OL: Xavier Jennings, Mercer
OL: B.J. Ragland, Chattanooga
OL: Zach Watson, Western Carolina
TE: Jackson Pryor, Furman
WR: Hakeem Meggett, ETSU
WR: Adjatay Dabbs, Mercer
First team defense
DL: Nick Hunter, ETSU
DL: Andrew Zock, Mercer
DL: Conroy Cunningham II, Samford
DL: Caleb Fisher, Western Carolina
LB: Je'Mazin Roberts, The Citadel
LB: Ryan Earl, Furman
LB: Hayward McQueen Jr., Western Carolina
DB: Cale Williams, The Citadel
DB: Kouri Crump, VMI
DB: Ken Moore Jr., Western Carolina
DB: C.J. Coombes, Wofford
First team specialists
PK: Ian Williams, Furman
P: James Platte, The Citadel
LS: Alex Applefield, Samford
RS: Brayden Smith, Mercer
Second team offense
QB: Quincy Crittendon, Samford
RB: Autavius Ison, Mercer
RB: C.J. Miller, Mercer
OL: Jonathan Cline, ETSU
OL: Micah Sumpter, ETSU
OL: Luke Petit, Furman
OL: Tyler Murray, Mercer
OL: Aaron Sanez, Western Carolina
OL: Quincy Hughes, Wofford
TE: John McIntyre., Chattanooga
WR: Adonis McDaniel, Mercer
WR: Malik Knight, Western Carolina
WR: Isaiah Scott, Wofford
Second team defense
DL: Brenden LeBlanc, ETSU
DL: Micah Nelson, Western Carolina
DL: Brandon Maina, Wofford
DL: Marion Smokes, Wofford
LB: Ty Anderson, ETSU
LB: Jaden Mosley, Samford
LB: Blue Monroe, Western Carolina
DB: Donovan Watkins, Mercer
DB: Jeremiah Batiste, Chattanooga
DB: Samaurie Dukes, Western Carolina
DB: Maximus Pulley, Wofford
Second team specialists
PK: Ewan Johnson, ETSU
P: John McConnell, Mercer
LS: Jaiden Hamilton, Mercer
RS: Braylon Knauth, The Citadel
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