HERO Sports welcomes you to "Two-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 125 FCS programs, with two being released each day from June 18 to August 18 (with the final day having three in one day). Today we give you … Hampton.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
FCS TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEW: The countdown
FCS PRESEASON TOP 25: The poll
FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA: The teams
HAMPTON (6-5)
INDEPENDENT (Hampton was T4th in the MEAC in 2017)
COACH: Robert Prunty – 1st year (0-0 record)
2017 OFFENSE: 21.5 ppg (76th in FCS)
2017 DEFENSE: 22.1 ppg (33rd in FCS)
SUM IT UP: Hampton made a highly publicized (and sometimes contentious) departure from the MEAC to join the Big South, and its 2018 schedule reflects it. The Pirates won't be eligible for the Big South title or the league's automatic FCS playoff berth, but it is technically eligible for an FCS at-large berth. By 2019, everything will be locked in with the Big South and the transition will be complete. In the meantime, Hampton scheduled 5 games with lower division program to give itself 11 games. The good news for Hampton is its lineup is relatively intact from a winning team last year, and the "D" was pretty stingy last year — holding six opponents to 17 or fewer points and going to overtime with FCS playoff team Monmouth. Take away the 59 points given up to FBS Ohio and Hampton allowed 18.7 points per game to FCS competition. That's a good starting point for first-year coach Robert Prunty — who in recent years had been defensive coordinator at East Carolina and Cincinnati, and prior to that was an assistant at Texas Tech.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO: Hampton will be heavily favored to win 7 of its 11 games, while games with Monmouth, Tennessee State and Charleston Southern should be solid matchups. Only the trip to Northern Iowa seems on paper to be an underdog scenario for the Pirates. The potential is there for this team to win 8 or 9 games, but even that probably wouldn't nab an at-large playoff berth just yet, thanks to the 5 lower-division games on the schedule. But it would sure be a nice springboard for a new staff setting the tone for 2019, when it could compete for the Big South championships and an FCS Playoff berth.
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BEST FCS PLAYER BY NUMBER: We count down, No. 99 through No. 1[divider]
TOP RETURNEE: WR Ronald Bell (2nd team All MEAC – 60 catches, 674 yards, 7 TDs)
THE NEXT BEST: OL Malik Mackey (3rd team All MEAC); QB Delmon Williams (1,757 yards passing, 13 TDs; 500 rushing yards gained, 3 TDs); RB Shai McKenzie (489 yards, 3 TDs); DL Davonte Spruill (39 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 hurries); DB Oral Varcciann (39 tackles, 3.5 TFLs); DB Robert Scott (35 tackles, 6 PBUs); LB Jay'son Davidson (34 tackles, 4.5 TFLs).
TOP NEWCOMER: DL J'Cori Shaw (6-4/270 – two-time All-State Selection in North Carolina — 4.8 second time in the 40-yard dash)
DID YOU KNOW?: Booker T. Washington graduated from Hampton University in 1875. Born into slavery in Virginia in the 1850s, Washington became a popular speaker on behalf of the African American community.
THE QUOTE: "This schedule has relationships written all over it. As you acquire and develop good relationships with people you can get things done. We play five HBCU schools, reaching alumni from Connecticut to Philadelphia in the East, to Chicago in the Midwest playing Northern Iowa and in the Deep South playing Mississippi Valley State. This schedule will get us prepared to start our conference schedule in 2019." — Head Coach Robert Prunty said this spring
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
THE HASHTAG: #RespectTheH
FOOTBALL TWITTER: @Hampton_FB
— Robert Prunty (@Coachp_Hampton) July 1, 2018
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FCS QB TRANSFERS: Who Tops The List?
