Sun Belt Releases Preseason All-Conference Team and Coaches Poll
NEW ORLEANS – A season removed from thumping Rice 41-17 in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and laying claim to a share of the Sun Belt Conference Championship, the Troy Trojans have been picked by the SBC head football coaches to repeat as champs.
The Trojans picked up five first place votes in the head coaches poll, released Monday at the Sun Belt’s annual Football Media Days in New Orleans, and tallied a total of 59 points.
Trojan quarterback and defending Sun Belt Player of the Year Omar Haugabook was selected as the Sun Belt’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Preseason All-Sun Belt quarterback as the league’s Preseason All-Conference picks were also released at Media Days.
Joining Haugabook on the preseason squad are fellow Trojan seniors Gary Banks (WR) and Leodis McKelvin (DB). Banks returns as the league’s leading touchdown catcher (8 in 2006) and McKelvin comes back to a Trojan defense that returns nine starters from last year’s championship squad.
With the Trojans on top as the clear number one choice of the head coaches, the picks after that were a little more varied as a total of 8 points separated second and sixth place.
Middle Tennessee, 2006 Sun Belt Co-Champions and Motor City Bowl participants, were selected by the league head coaches to finish second this season. The Blue Raiders tallied 44 points in the poll and Franklin Dunbar (OL), Erik Walden (DL), Tavares Jones (DL), and Damon Nickson (DB and RS) were selected to the preseason team.
The Blue Raiders likely won’t worry too much about the preseason prognostications as they were picked to finish sixth in the 2006 preseason coaches poll and ended the season tied for first.
One point was all that separated Arkansas State from second place in the poll. The Indians were picked third, receiving 43 points and one first place vote.
ASU senior safety Tyrell Johnson was picked as the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and a preseason choice as All-Sun Belt defensive back. Johnson is a three-time All-Sun Belt selection and has led the Indians in tackles for two consecutive seasons.
Joining Johnson on the All-SBC preseason squad from ASU are Matt Mandich (OL) and Koby McKinnon (LB).
Fourth place in the predicted order of finish is occupied by the SBC’s two Louisiana squads as Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette each tallied 37 points.
ULM placed a league high five individuals on the preseason team as Calvin Dawson (RB), LaGregory Sapp (WR), Zeek Zacharie (TE), Kyle Cunningham (OL), and Adam Hill (OL) received the honor.
The Warhawk offense will certainly be worth keeping an eye on as Dawson returns as the league’s rushing champion (having gone for a net of 1,210 yards last season), Sapp comes back as the league’s receiving yards leader (796 yards), and Hill and Cunningham are part of an offensive line that returns all five starters.
ULL had two individuals selected to the preseason team as Tyrell Fenroy (RB) and Jesse Newman (OL) represent the Ragin’ Cajuns.
ULL won a league best three nonconference games in 2006, including a win over CUSA champ Houston, and the Ragin’ Cajuns have been bowl eligible for two consecutive seasons.
Florida Atlantic was selected sixth in the preseason poll, but the Owls were only one point shy of the fourth place tie.
FAU had two defensive stars make the preseason team – Josh Pinnick (DL) and Cergile Sincere (LB).
The Owls surprised many last season, finishing 4-3 in league play after being picked seventh in the preseason poll.
North Texas and Florida International were respectively selected seventh and eighth in the preseason poll. Both squads will be under the direction of new coaches as Mario Cristobal takes over for the Golden Panthers and Todd Dodge will be at the helm of the Mean Green.
UNT placed four on the preseason team – Jeremiah Chapman (DL), Maurice Holman (LB), Aaron Weathers (DB), and Truman Spencer (P).
Complete Sun Belt Football Media Days coverage is available on the league’s website: www.sunbeltsports.org. The two day event is being held at the Hilton St. Charles in downtown New Orleans and begins the afternoon of Monday, July 23 and concludes at noon on Tuesday, July 24.
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2007 Preseason Sun Belt Poll
As voted on by the league’s eight head coaches.
First place votes in parentheses.
|
School |
Points |
|
1. Troy (5) |
59 |
|
2. Middle Tennessee |
44 |
|
3. Arkansas State (1) |
43 |
|
T4. Louisiana-Lafayette |
37 |
|
T4. Louisiana-Monroe (1) |
37 |
|
6. Florida Atlantic (1) |
36 |
|
7. North Texas |
22 |
|
8. Florida International |
10 |
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2007 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
As voted on by the league’s eight head coaches and selected media members.
Offense
QB: Omar Haugabook (Troy)
RB: Tyrell Fenroy (Louisiana-Lafayette)
RB: Calvin Dawson (Louisiana-Monroe)
WR: LaGregory Sapp (Louisiana-Monroe)
WR: Gary Banks (Troy)
TE: Zeek Zacharie (Louisiana-Monroe)
OL: Matt Mandich (Arkansas State)
OL: Jesse Newman (Louisiana-Lafayette)
OL: Kyle Cunningham (Louisiana-Monroe)
OL: Adam Hill (Louisiana-Monroe)
OL: Franklin Dunbar (Middle Tennessee)
Defense
DL: Josh Pinnick (Florida Atlantic)
DL: Tavares Jones (Middle Tennessee)
DL: Erik Walden (Middle Tennessee)
DL: Jeremiah Chapman (North Texas)
LB: Koby McKinnon (Arkansas State)
LB: Cergile Sincere (Florida Atlantic)
LB: Maurice Holman (North Texas)
DB: Tyrell Johnson (Arkansas State)
DB: Damon Nickson (Middle Tennessee)
DB: Aaron Weathers (North Texas)
DB: Leodis McKelvin (Troy)
Special Teams
P: Truman Spencer (North Texas)
PK: Drew Edmiston (Louisiana-Lafayette)
RS: Damon Nickson (Middle Tennessee)
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Omar Haugabook (Troy, QB)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Tyrell Johnson (Arkansas State, S)
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