HERO Sports welcomes you to "Three-a-Days" where we will preview every single one of the 126 FCS programs and all 13 conferences. Today, we present … the Northeast Conference.
We'll leave no stone left unturned when it comes to giving the FCS diehards all they could ask for this offseason. Learn about every program in the country with HERO Sports.
[divider]MORE FCS FOOTBALL:
- FCS Home
- FCS Preview Schedule – Conference Links
- The HERO Sports Preseason Top 25 Poll
- Preseason All-American Teams
[divider]
NEC
(NOTE: Team-by-team previews in this conference are below)
NAMES TO KNOW
THE NFL PROSPECT: LB Cam Gill, Wagner
Gill is the 18th-ranked small-school pro prospect by Draft Scout. He had 24 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in 2018.
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: RB A.J. Hines, Duquesne
The Preseason HERO Sports First Team All-American has run for more than 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns in his first three seasons.
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: DL Tomas Wright, Bryant
Gill is the reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Year, but he's highlighted above. Wright was a big offensive disrupter as well and had 12.5 sacks and 17.5 TFLs last year.
[divider]
OUR TAKE
SUM IT UP: The talk of the NEC by season's end was Duquesne. The Dukes proved a lot of doubters wrong by dominating the CAA's Towson 31-10 in the first round of the playoffs. But people may forget just how competitive the conference race was last year. Duquesne and Sacred Heart were co-champs at 5-1 with the Dukes earned the postseason auto-bid. Duquesne's lone conference loss came against Bryant, who finished 2-4 in the standings. The Dukes beat Saint Francis, Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut by only seven points or less.
Expect a ton of parity again in the NEC. Duquesne wants to take that next step and make a deeper playoff run. But there are some teams building something special that could threaten the Dukes.
THE FAVORITE: Duquesne – The Dukes have key pieces back on offense like running back A.J. Hines and quarterback Daniel Parr along with a loaded defense. They need to keep their noses clean and avoid letdown performances in the conference, though. As shown last year, the field isn't too far behind the Dukes.
THE THREAT: Sacred Heart – Duquesne's 28-24 win against Sacred Heart on Nov. 10 has probably been on the minds of the Pioneers all offseason. The defense has 10 starters back, and a returning 1,400-yard rusher in Jordan Meachum should help the offense as it needs to find a new starting quarterback. Sacred Heart was right there last year at the top of the conference standings and has impressed lately in recruiting.
THE DARK HORSE: Central Connecticut State – Let's not forget about CCSU, though. The Blue Devils nearly beat Duquesne (losing 38-31) in the regular-season finale, which would've shaken up the NEC standings. Two years ago, CCSU went 6-0 in the NEC and made the playoffs. Behind what looks to be a strong running game and a defense with solid production back, the Blue Devils may surprise some after being picked third in the conference's preseason poll.
[divider]
FCS 2020 NFL PROSPECTS: The List
BEST FCS TRADITIONS: The List
[divider]
TEAM PREVIEWS
Bryant | Central Connecticut | Duquesne
Long Island | Merrimack | Robert Morris
Sacred Heart | Saint Francis | Wagner
[divider]
CONFERENCE PREVIEWS
Big Sky | Big South | CAA
Ivy | MEAC | MVFC
NEC | OVC | Patriot
Pioneer | SoCon | Southland | SWAC
[divider]
SUBSCRIBE: HERO Sports FCS Podcast
