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 … Northern Arizona.
[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
NORTHERN ARIZONA (7-5 IN 2017)
Big Sky (NAU was 5th in 2017)
COACH: Jerome Souers – 21st year (119-108 record)
2017 OFFENSE: 30.3 ppg. (29th in FCS)
2017 DEFENSE: 29.7 ppg. (93rd in FCS)
SUM IT UP: November was a whirlwind month for the Lumberjacks. It was announced at the beginning of the season that 2017 would be the last for Jerome Souers as head coach after 20 years at the helm. When NAU lost 48-20 in the season finale to Southern Utah to drop to 7-4, word was most of the players and coaching staff thought the season was done. But the next day the Lumberjacks were announced as part of the playoff field. A day after that, NAU announced Souers would return as head coach in 2018.
Whether that had anything to do with the Lumberjacks getting smacked at home, 41-10, in the first round against non-scholarship San Diego can be debated. But it has left this team with something to prove during the offseason. There's a whole lot of talent coming back to make a statement. You can start with All-Big Sky First Team quarterback Case Cookus and NFL Draft prospect in wide receiver Emmanuel Butler, who missed most of last season. Cory Young provides a solid balance at running back and NAU has brought in some junior college transfers to beef up the o-line. However, the defense is going to need to get better. With about nine returning starters and a talented secondary in place, an improvement is expected.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO: The Lumberjacks return to the playoffs and get a couple wins. Truth is, NAU needs to re-earn respect on a national level after how it exited last year's playoffs. This is no doubt a team good enough to make the postseason again in an incredibly tough 2018 Big Sky Conference. Once there, though, the Lumberjacks are going to need to prove themselves.
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BEST FCS PLAYER BY NUMBER: We count down, No. 99 through No. 1[divider]
TOP RETURNEE: WR Emmanuel Butler (HERO Sports Preseason All-American Third Team )
THE NEXT BEST: QB Case Cookus (3,413 yards, 22 TDs, 6 INT.); CB Khalil Dorsey, Jr. (Preseason All-Big Sky); S Wes Sutton (Preseason All-Big Sky); RB Cory Young (top rusher, 813 yards, 8 TDs); S Kam'ron Johnson (top returning tackler, 81 total)
TOP NEWCOMER: OL Mitchell Kay (Long Beach City College transfer, 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds)
DID YOU KNOW?: Because of its high elevation, NAU's facilities are sometimes used for altitude training by Olympic and elite-level endurance athletes.
THE QUOTE: "I am very pleased with the members of this year's early signing class in terms of how it adds depth and solidifies our program on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We added some talented players on both the offensive and defensive lines as well as an immediate replacement to fill the void left after the graduation of All-Big Sky center Blake Porter." — Head Coach Jerome Souers said on his new signing class
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
THE HASHTAG: #NAUStrong
FOOTBALL TWITTER: @NAU_Football
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NEXT: What Went Down at Big Sky Media Days
MORE BIG SKY PREVIEWS: Cal Poly | EWU | Idaho | Idaho State | Montana | Montana State
