Tusculum University is picked sixth in the overall South Atlantic Conference Football Coaches’ Poll. The Pioneers also have nine representatives listed on the Preseason All-Mountain Division Team.
Tusculum’s nine representatives are the most in the division including five on the defensive team. On the All-Mountain Division Offense, four Pioneers are recognized including wide receiver Tyler Burke, tight end Bryce Moore, offensive lineman Ben Shellenback, and return specialist Eddie Watson. Five TU student-athletes are listed on the defense, including the linebacker trio of Wesley Scott, Earnest Johnson III, and Ryan Dolce, and defensive linemen Dajavon White and Joslyn Mira.
Tusculum went 8-3 last season and finished runner-up in the SAC Mountain Division. TU’s eight wins were tied for the third-most in school history, while its six SAC victories were tied for the most by a Pioneer football team.
The Pioneers received 79 points of a vote of the league’s 12 head football coaches. The 79 points are the second-most of the six Mountain Division teams. Newberry is the overall favorite to repeat as SAC Champions. The Wolves received 114 total points including six first-place votes. Wingate is second with 109 points and four first-place votes. Lenoir-Rhyne is third with 101 points and one first-place vote while Limestone is fourth with 88 points and a first-place nod.
Mars Hill is sixth with 85 points, followed by Tusculum (79), Carson-Newman (58), Barton (48), Emory & Henry (41), UVA Wise (33), Catawba (22), and Erskine (14).
Scott, a 6-0, 210-pound junior from Hobe Sound, Florida, led the TU linebacker corps as he finished with a team-high 96 total tackles in 2022 including a TU-best 15 for loss. He averaged 8.7 tackles per game which were third in the conference and 39th nationally. He earned All-SAC Mountain Division first-team honors, posted double-digit stops on three occasions, and returned an interception for a 35-yard touchdown. He also recorded a team-best six quarterback hurries and forced one fumble.
Dolce, a 6-0, a 200-pound graduate student from Union, New Jersey, was an All-Division second-team selection at linebacker and finished third on the squad with 55 tackles including six for loss and a sack. He finished tied for the team lead with three interceptions including a 72-yard interception return for a touchdown. He also finished with four pass breakups and four quarterback hurries to go along with a forced fumble and one recovery.
Johnson, a 6-1, 215-pound junior from Miami, Florida, appeared in all 11 games and finished second on the roster with 56 tackles including 11 for loss and one sack. The linebacker forced two fumbles, recovered one and tallied three QB hurries.
White, a 5-10, 290-pound junior defensive lineman from Cocoa, Florida, appeared in all 11 games with seven starts where he accounted for 37 tackles including 12 for loss (14th in SAC) and a team-best six sacks (7th in SAC). The 2022 All-Division first-team honoree posted four QB hurries and blocked an extra point at Barton which proved to be the difference in a one-point Tusculum victory. In his 21-game career, White has amassed 58 tackles including 23 hits behind the line of scrimmage and 11 sacks.
Mira, a 6-2, a 250-pound graduate student from Ft. Myers, Florida, was an All-Division second-team choice for the Pioneers. He finished with 34 tackles in his 11 outings and blocked a potential game-winning field goal in the final minute in a 10-9 win at UVA Wise. He tallied nine tackles for loss with two sacks and was tied for the team-lead with six QB hurries.
Burke, a 5-6, 150-pound junior from Delray Beach, Florida, earned All-SAC Mountain Division second-team honors last season where he led the Pioneers with his 36 receptions for 578 yards, which were both fifth-most in the conference. He also led the team with six touchdown receptions which were third in the SAC.
Moore, a 6-4, 225-pound graduate student from Jefferson, Georgia, played in all 11 games last season including nine starts at tight end while earning All-Division second-team laurels. He was credited with 12 catches for 115 yards giving him 19 receptions for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his two years at the position.
Shellenback, a 6-5, 300-pound senior from Melbourne, Florida, played in 10 games in 2022 including nine starts at offensive tackle while earning All-SAC Mountain Division second-team recognition.
Watson, a 6-0, 180-pound sophomore from Adel, Georgia, established a new TU single-season record with his 32 punt returns during his rookie season, which were also the most in the nation. He totaled 303 punt return yards, which were tops in the conference and third-most in the country. He averaged 9.47 yards per punt return (3rd in SAC / 21st in NCAA II). He returned a punt for a 61-yard touchdown in his college debut last year.
The Preseason All-SAC teams are selected by a vote of the league’s media relations directors.
Tusculum opens its season Aug. 31 when they travel to Kennesaw State in the inaugural encounter between the Pioneers and the Owls. KSU has been competing as a NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member for the past eight seasons and will be moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBC) and Conference USA next fall.
