The SoCon looks ready to assert itself as the No. 3 FCS conference in 2023.
Two teams are getting Top 10 preseason national love. And three more teams are getting some Top 25 recognition.
How’s the SoCon race looking in 2023? Here are the top returning players and our predicted order of finish.
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Returning All-Conference Players
From last season’s All-SoCon Team
Mercer — 9: WR/RS Devron Harper (1st Team/1st Team), WR Ty James (1st Team), OL John Thomas (1st Team), LB Isaac Dowling (1st Team), DL Solomon Zubairu (2nd Team), DB Lance Wise (2nd Team), OL Riley Adcock (2nd Team), DL Chris Hill (2nd Team), DB TJ Moore (2nd Team)
Chattanooga — 7: RB Ailym Ford (1st Team), DL Jay Person (1st Team), DB Kameron Brown (1st Team), DB Reuben Lowery III (2nd Team), DL Ben Brewton (2nd Team), DL Marlon Taylor (2nd Team), OL Reid Williams (2nd Team)
Furman — 7: OL Jacob Johanning (1st Team), OL Pearson Toomey (1st Team), DB Hugh Ryan (1st Team), RB Dominic Roberto (2nd Team), DB Travis Blackshear (2nd Team), LB Braden Gilby (2nd Team), RS Wayne Anderson Jr. (2nd Team)
The Citadel — 4: DB Dominick Poole (2nd Team), K Colby Kintner (2nd Team), LB Hasan Black (2nd Team), LS Steele Judy (2nd Team)
Western Carolina — 4: DB Andreas Keaton (2nd Team), K Richard McCollum (2nd Team), OL Tyler Smith (2nd Team), RB Desmond Reid (2nd Team)
Samford — 3: QB Michael Hiers (1st Team), WR Chandler Smith (1st Team), OL Jabari Brooks (2nd Team)
VMI — 2: DB Alex Oliver (1st Team), P Jack Culbreath (1st Team)
ETSU — 0
Wofford — 0
Teams Bringing In The Most D1 Transfers
FBS-to-FCS Transfers & FCS-to-FCS Transfers
Samford — 17 (9 FBS, 8 FCS)
Chattanooga — 11 (7 FBS, 4 FCS)
ETSU — 11 (5 FBS, 6 FCS)
Western Carolina — 10 (5 FBS, 5 FCS)
Names To Know
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Michael Hiers, Samford QB — A 2022 transfer from Northwest Mississippi Community College, Hiers went 353/461 passing (77%) in his debut season for 3,544 yards, 36 touchdowns, and four interceptions while adding three rushing TDs. Hiers finished fourth in the 2022 Walter Payton Award voting. He also was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year and earned numerous All-American accolades.
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Jay Person, Chattanooga DE — A 2019 transfer from App State, Person has earned All-SoCon honors in three straight seasons. In 2021, he had 63 tackles, 12 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks. Last season, the 6-foot-2, 233-pounder racked up 45 tackles, 16.5 TFLs, and eight sacks to be named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year.
TOP NFL PROSPECT: Ty James, Mercer WR — Josh Buchanan ranks James as the No. 17 small-school prospect for the 2024 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is a tremendous talent. After starting his career at Georgia, he transferred to Mercer before the 2020-21 season and has led the Bears in receiving in three straight seasons. James had 30 receptions for 518 yards and three touchdowns in 2020-21, 26 catches for 611 yards and seven scores in 2021, and 52 catches for 1,105 yards and 13 TDs last season. His 2022 PFF grade of 92.2 is the highest for a returning FCS wide receiver.
2023 FCS Preseason Preview Central
HERO Sports’ Predicted Order of Finish
- Furman
- Samford
- Mercer
- Chattanooga
- Western Carolina
- ETSU
- The Citadel
- VMI
- Wofford
Furman ranks No. 5 in HERO Sports’ Preseason FCS Top 25. The Paladins finished 10-3 overall and 9-2 vs. the FCS last year, and they return 18 starters and 38 players on the 44-man two-deep. Furman nearly beat a very good UIW team in the second round, losing 41-38. This year’s squad has all the pieces back to make some legit national noise. The front seven should be strong defensively. And the offense is led by QB Tyler Huff and 1,000-yard rusher Dominic Roberto.
Samford ranks No. 8 in our preseason Top 25 after reaching last season’s quarterfinals. The Bulldogs lose a lot on defense but are bringing in transfers to boost that side of the ball. The offense should be one of the most explosive in the FCS, led by top-tier QB Michael Hiers. Samford also returns 1,000-yard WR Chandler Smith, its leading RB Jay Stanton, and three starting offensive linemen.
Mercer was left on the wrong side of the playoff bubble in 2022. But with a league-high nine returning All-SoCon players, featuring standout names like WR Ty James, WR Devron Harper, and LB Isaac Dowling, the Bears appear primed to reach the bracket this fall. They are ranked No. 19 in our Preseason Top 25.
The bottom four teams have some rebuilding to do, which is good for the Top 5 teams to separate themselves and rack up wins for playoff positioning.
Chattanooga always has some of the best individual talent in the SoCon. But the Mocs have also barely missed the playoffs recently due to a loss they shouldn’t have had on paper. They received several votes in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Media Poll, ranking No. 27 in voting points. Chattanooga has seven standout All-SoCon players coming back and looks to be in that seven-win range again.
Keep an eye on WCU, who has finished 4-4 in the conference standings the last two seasons with a 6-5 overall record last year. That included a 47-40 loss at Furman. The Catamounts have brought in solid FCS transfers this offseason (South Dakota LB Jakari Starling, Harvard QB Charlie Dean, and Austin Peay LB Antoine Williams), plus return standouts like DB Andreas Keaton and RB Desmond Reid. They will be in the mix in 2023, pushing these Top 4 teams with some “upset” potential. FCS Nation Radio has WCU ranked No. 25 in their preseason FCS poll.
