Furman football ranks tied at No. 5 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
The Paladins lost 41-38 to UIW in the second round of the 2022 FCS playoffs after beating Elon 31-6. They finished 10-3 overall and 9-2 vs. the FCS.
Here’s a look at this year’s Furman squad.
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Returning 2022 All-Conference Players (7)
1st Team
OL Jacob Johanning
OL Pearson Toomey
FS Hugh Ryan
2nd Team
RB Dominic Roberto
CB Travis Blackshear
LB Braden Gilby
RS Wayne Anderson Jr.
Players In 2023 FCS Positional Rankings (7)
Transfer Portal Movement
Transfers Lost To The FBS (2)
Evan Jumper (OL) to Coastal Carolina
Dominic Morris (DB) to Colorado State
Transfers Lost To The FCS (1)
Jace Wilson (QB) to Texas Southern
Transfers Coming In From The FBS (2)
Marc Hernandez (DL), Army
Tex Elliott (OL), Colorado State
Transfers Coming In From The FCS (1)
Fred Norman Jr. (OL), ETSU
Offensive Outlook
Furman returns 18 starters and 38 players on the 44-man two-deep from last year’s squad that only lost to one FCS team in the regular season (34-27 vs. eventual quarterfinalist Samford) and nearly beat a Top 4 UIW squad in the second round (41-38).
Eight starters are back for the offense.
Tyler Huff leads the unit at quarterback. He is a 2023 graduate student who transferred to Furman last season after an All-Pioneer Football League career at Presbyterian. In 2022, Huff completed 68% of his passes for Furman (199/292) for 2,199 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also ran for 694 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and eight TDs.
The passing attack loses All-American tight end Ryan Miller to the NFL, but the top three wide receivers return: Joshua Harris (48 catches, 667 yards, 5 TDs), Kyndel Dean (44 catches, 407 yards), and Wayne Anderson (39 catches, 396 yards, 2 TDs).
Furman (33.08 PPG) enjoyed a balanced offense last fall (212.8 rushing YPG, 209.1 passing YPG). But it certainly wants to establish the run first. And it returns a dynamic and physical running back in Dominic Roberto (5’11” 231 lbs), who had 197 carries for 1,120 yards and 11 TDs.
Three starters return on the o-line in Wyatt Hughes (6’3″ 293 lbs) and All-American candidates Jacob Johanning (6’3″ 276 lbs) and Pearson Toomey (6’3″ 297 lbs). Furman also added transfer Fred Norman Jr. this offseason, a multi-year starter at SoCon foe ETSU.
In Furman’s last three games, the offense scored 63, 31, and 38 points.
Defensive Outlook
Furman had the No. 10 FCS scoring defense last year, allowing 20.2 points per game. The Paladins return 10 starters from that unit and their top 11 tacklers.
Braden Gilby and Bryce McCormick form a fierce duo at inside linebacker. Gilby had 94 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and four sacks in 2022, and McCormick totaled 77 tackles, five TFLs, and three sacks.
Hugh Ryan is a playmaker at safety, racking up 69 tackles, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups last year. Kam Brinson returns at strong safety after a solid season of 59 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and five PBUs.
Travis Blackshear (46 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 FF, 1 INT, 4 PBUs) is a back-to-back All-SoCon selection at cornerback. And Micah Robinson (35 tackles, 3 INT, 7 PBUs) is back at the other CB spot. Jalen Miller is a returning starter at the spur position, tallying 41 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two picks, and two forced fumbles in 2022.
The defensive front brings back three starters: 296-pound Matt Sochovka on the interior (28 tackles, 5.5 TFLs), 6-foot-4 defensive end Jack Barton (30 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 4 PBUs), and Luke Clark at the bandit position (41 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 sacks).
Furman defended the run well last season, allowing 116.2 YPG to rank No. 16 in the FCS. The pass defense was not nearly as strong, though, allowing 272.1 YPG to rank No. 115 in the subdivision. Furman allowed 394 passing yards in the 41-38 playoff loss to UIW, including a 32-yard TD with 1:54 remaining for the go-ahead score.
Tightening up against the pass is key for Furman to live up to its preseason hype.
Schedule
8/31 vs Tennessee Tech
9/9 at South Carolina
9/16 at Kennesaw State
9/23 vs No. 19 Mercer
10/7 vs The Citadel
10/14 at No. 8 Samford
10/21 at Western Carolina
10/28 vs East Tennessee State
11/4 at RV Chattanooga
11/11 vs VMI
11/18 at Wofford
HERO Sports’ rankings
RV = Received Votes
Bold indicates SoCon games
