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East Rutherford, NJ — In seven of the past 10 iterations of the Northeast Conference (NEC) Football Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the reigning regular-season champion and recipient of the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs has been tabbed the favorite to run it back and hoist the trophy the ensuing year.
2024 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Duquesne (5)
2. St. Francis, PA (1)
3. Robert Morris
4. LIU (1)
5. Stonehill
6. Wagner
7. Central Connecticut
*-First place votes in parentheses
History has shown that the odds have not been in favor of a repeat, though. Of the seven instances where the defending champ prevailed as the favorite in the annual preseason poll, the head coaches’ forecast of a reigning NEC champion running it back the following year has only come to fruition twice.
Claiming the NEC regular season crown for the sixth time in program history in 2023, Duquesne will look to buck the trend and prove the coaches right, as Jerry Schmitt’s team pulled in five first-place votes to finish first in the NEC preseason predicted order-of-finish.
St. Francis, PA, which came short of defending its 2022 title despite being selected as the prohibitive preseason favorite in 2023, finished second in the poll.
In its first season back in the NEC, Robert Morris was slotted for a third-place finish, while LIU and Stonehill, who were part of a four-way tie for second in the standings at year’s end in 2023, occupied the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Wagner was picked sixth followed by Central Connecticut in seventh.
NEC newcomer Mercyhurst was not included on the annual preseason poll ballot because the reclassifying Lakers will not be playing a full conference slate until the 2025 campaign.
The NEC unveiled the poll results, along with a 27-member Preseason All-Conference Team, during its #NECFB Social Media Day, held on July 24 at MetLife Stadium.
The reigning NEC Coach of the Year and his talented Duquesne squad will hit the gridiron in 2024 with hopes of making it back-to-back banner-raising campaigns for just the second time in the program’s 16 years as an NEC member. Schmitt, who has guided his team to winning seasons in eight of the past nine years with top-two finishes in seven of those campaigns, enters his 20th season at the helm boasting the best conference winning percentage amongst his fellow NEC peers with a 66-41 lifetime record against league foes (.617)
Passing was the name of the game and the key to the Dukes’ success a season ago, and that more than likely will not change in the upcoming year thanks to the return of 2023 All-NEC first team signal caller Darius Perrantes (Los Angeles, CA/St. Francis (URI)). The senior’s arm was the catalyst of a Duquesne offense that produced a league-leading 44 touchdowns — including the 15th-most passing scores in the FCS — and paved the way as the only team in the circuit to average 200-or-more yards in the air per contest (205.5).
Senior Tedy Afful (Bloomfield, NJ/DePaul Catholic (Stony Brook)), who was on the receiving end of nearly a quarter of the Dukes’ touchdown throws, is expected to be a top target for Perrantes in 2024, while senior wideout Joey Isabella (Mayfield, OH/Mayfield), who averaged the third-most yards per catch in the NEC a year ago, will provide another option for the league’s top returning quarterback. In addition, Schmitt added even more depth at the position with the addition of Noah Canty (Dover, MA/Xaverian Brothers (Stonehill)), who was an All-NEC Second Team selection at Stonehill in 2023.
Boasting the NEC’s top offensive squad that produced 27.2 points and 360.1 yards per contest, St. Francis, PA was tangled in a four-way tie for second place in the conference standings at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. All three of the Red Flash’s defeats during the seven-game slate were decided by three points or fewer, though, including a three-point defeat to eventual league champ Duquesne in October.
Chris Villarrial, St. Francis, PA’s all-time winningest coach, will turn to redshirt sophomore Nick Whitfield, Jr. (Fredonia, NY/Fredonia) to get the Red Flash over the hump and bring the coveted NEC regular-season title back to Loretto. The Fredonia, NY native showed glimpses of greatness when he was called up to start at QB against Merrimack (Oct. 28) and LIU (Nov. 4), combining to go 28-for-44 for 63.6 completion percentage, 373 passing yards and three touchdowns. Whitfield will also have the luxury of being protected by fellow classmate Mason Imbt (Troy, PA/Troy), who at an elusive 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, snuck into the endzone four times and was the only offensive lineman in the FCS to score a touchdown last season.
Piloted by seventh-year head coach Bernard Clark, Jr., the Colonials make their return to the conference in style, boasting one of the nation’s top running backs on their roster. Tyvon Edmonds Jr. (White Plains, MD/Bishop McNamara (Merrimack)) needs no introduction to the NEC, though, as he has already wreaked havoc on conference opponents after he topped the league’s charts with 10 rushing scores, 1,247 rushing yards (8th in FCS) and 113.4 rushing yards per game (7th in FCS) at Merrimack last season. Robert Morris’ offense will also receive a much-needed jolt with the return of starting quarterback Anthony Chiccitt (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) and wide receiver Noah Robinson (Mineral, VA/Louisa County (Old Dominion)), an all-conference performer who became the Big South’s all-time single-season leader in receptions with 70 catches in 2023.
The Colonials went 6-1 for a second-place finish in the league standings in their most recent season as an NEC member in 2019. Having helped launch NEC football in 1996, Robert Morris claimed the first five conference crowns and secured its sixth title in 2010.
LIU has been on the up-and-up since Ron Cooper’s arrival in 2022. Inheriting a team that had two victories the year before, Cooper doubled that win total in his first season at the helm before he piloted the Sharks to the top half of the NEC standings for the first time since they joined the league in 2019. LIU closed out the latter part of its 2023 conference slate on a tear, scoring wins in three of its final four games to finish in a never-before-seen four-way tie for second place in the standings.
Cooper will rely on a healthy Luca Stanzani (Clearwater, FL/Clearwater Academy International) — the league’s most efficient returning single caller with a 60.0 career completion percentage — to call the shots in 2024. There is even more experience at the quarterback position on the depth chart, though, as Queens native Chris Howell (Queens, NY/Canarsie) called the shots in place of the injured Stanzani last season. He threw for 995 yards and seven scores while adding a pair of touchdown rushes in 11 appearances as a rookie.
Stonehill surged at the end of its second season as an NEC and Division I member. Scoring victories in three of its final four games, including consecutive defeats of eventual regular season champion Duquesne and LIU, the Skyhawks doubled their conference win total from the 2022 campaign and closed out the slate with a 4-3 mark, which was good for second place in the year-end rankings.
Veteran quarterback Ashur Carraha (Cambridge, MA/Cambridge Rindge & Latin) has been a mainstay on offense for eighth-year head coach Eli Gardner and his Skyhawks, who are ineligible for the FCS Playoffs for two more years due to their status as an NCAA reclassifying program. Leading the conference in completions (141) and attempts (295), the local product from Cambridge, MA was third in passing yards per game (157.3) and total passing yards (1,573).
There might be some uncertainty in who will emerge as Wagner’s starting quarterback in 2024, but what is clear is that whoever fills the role will have the luxury of connecting with Jaylen Bonelli (Cooper City, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas), one of the league’s top returning receivers. The speedy 5-foot-10 wideout quickly made a name for himself in his first year on Grymes Hill, ranking in the loop’s top-five with 40 catches, 627 yards and 57.0 receiving yards per game, and as a result, he was tabbed the NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Fifth-year head coach Tom Masella also has other key components in place to build on last season’s 3-4 NEC record, which was the program’s most successful campaign since 2018.
Veterans Rickey Spruill (Morrisville, PA/Notre Dame) and Andre Hines Jr (Staten Island, NY/Erasmus Hall (Florida State)) — a fifth-year ACC transfer — will anchor a Seahawks’ running game that showed vast improvement from 2022 to 2023. Wagner’s defense also made noticeable advancements last season, shaving 12.7 points per game from the 2022 campaign.
Several key pieces are in place for Central Connecticut, which enters the second year of the Adam Lechtenberg Era. The NEC’s newest coach has two unanimous Preseason All-NEC all-stars — one on the offensive end of the gridiron and the other hailing from the defensive side of the field — to help the Blue Devils reestablish their dominance in the NEC and end a four-year title drought in New Britain.
Making a highly anticipated return is junior Elijah Howard (Knoxville, TN/Baylor School (Virginia Tech)), a 2023 All-NEC second teamer who powered the league’s top running squad (186.8 yards per game) by averaging the third-most yards on the ground per game in the conference (90.0). Defensively, junior Kimal Clark (Lackawanna, NY/St. Francis) put the opposition’s passing game in a stranglehold by delivering 8.9 tackles per game — the second-most in the league and 32nd-most in the nation — to earn a spot on the All-NEC first team. Add to the mix the nearly flawless right foot of junior and NEC first teamer Jack Barnum (Southington, CT/Southington), the league’s most efficient and top-scoring place kicker from a year ago, and the Blue Devils have what it takes to turn the corner in 2024.
Mercyhurst will look to linebacker Tyler Buterbaugh (Saxonburg, PA/Knoch) and defensive lineman Camden White (Batavia, NY/Batavia) — a pair of 2023 Second Team All-PSAC defenders — to guide the transitioning Lakers in their first year as an NEC member. Also returning to the gridiron for head coach Ryan Riemedio, who enters his third year at the helm, is quarterback Adam Urena (Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills). As a junior, the Californian threw for 23 touchdowns while his 2,651 passing yards were the most by a Laker baller in more than a decade.
Seven-of-eight teams will be action during Week 1 of the 2024 campaign. Central Connecticut, Mercyhurst and Duquesne kick things off on Thursday, Aug. 29 with road games against Central Michigan, Wheeling and Toledo, respectively. Two days later, LIU (UAlbany), Robert Morris (Utah State), St. Francis, PA (Dayton) and Wagner (Virginia University of Lynchburg) make their season debuts.
Stonehill opens its season on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Stony Brook on a date that lands all eight NEC squads on the gridiron for non-conference matchups.
8/29 at Central Michigan (FBS)
9/7 Fordham
9/14 at St. Francis, PA*
10/5 at Yale
10/12 Mercyhurst*
10/19 at Dartmouth
10/26 at LIU*
11/2 Wagner*
11/9 at Stonehill*
11/16 Robert Morris*
11/23 Duquesne*
8/29 at Toledo (FBS)
9/7 at Boston College (FBS)
9/14 at Youngstown State
9/21 West Virginia Wesleyan (D2)
10/5 LIU*
10/12 at St Francis, PA*
10/26 at Stonehill*
11/2 Mercyhurst*
11/9 Robert Morris*
11/16 Wagner*
11/23 at Central Connecticut*
8/31 at Albany
9/7 at Texas Christian (FBS)
9/14 Lehigh
9/21 Rhode Island
9/28 at Villanova
10/5 at Duquesne*
10/12 Stonehill*
10/19 at Robert Morris*
10/26 Central Connecticut*
11/9 at Sacred Heart
11/16 St. Francis, PA*
11/23 at Wagner*
8/29 at Wheeling (D2)
9/7 at Howard
9/14 at Robert Morris*
9/21 at Montana State
9/28 Frostburg State (D2)
10/5 Buffalo State (D3)
10/12 at Central Connecticut*
10/26 at Sacred Heart
11/2 at Duquesne*
11/9 Lincoln, PA (D2)
11/23 St. Francis, PA*
8/31 at Utah State (FBS)
9/7 Edinboro (D2)
9/14 Mercyhurst*
9/21 at Wagner*
9/28 at Eastern Kentucky
10/12 Delaware State
10/19 LIU*
10/26 St. Francis, PA*
11/2 Merrimack
11/9 at Duquesne*
11/16 at Central Connecticut*
11/23 Stonehill*
8/31 at Dayton
9/7 at Kent State (FBS)
9/14 Central Connecticut*
9/21 at Eastern Michigan (FBS)
10/5 at Delaware State
10/12 Duquesne*
10/19 at Wagner*
10/26 at Robert Morris*
11/2 Stonehill*
11/16 at LIU*
11/23 at Mercyhurst*
9/7 at Stony Brook
9/14 at New Hampshire
9/21 Sacred Heart
10/5 Wagner*
10/12 at LIU*
10/19 at Merrimack
10/26 Duquesne*
11/2 at St. Francis, PA*
11/9 Central Connecticut*
11/16 Lafayette
11/23 at Robert Morris*
8/31 Virginia-Lynchburg (D2)
9/7 at Lehigh
9/14 Delaware State
9/21 Robert Morris*
9/28 at Florida Atlantic (FBS)
10/5 at Stonehill*
10/12 Columbia
10/19 St. Francis, PA*
10/26 at Massachusetts (FBS)
11/2 at Central Connecticut*
11/16 at Duquesne*
11/23 LIU*
East Rutherford, NJ — The Northeast Conference (NEC) unveiled a 27-member Preseason All-Conference Team on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium as part of its #NECFB Social Media Day.
Each of the seven NEC teams included on the ballot sported at least one preseason all-conference representative.
Defending NEC champion Duquesne, the preseason favorite to run it back in 2024, landed a league-high six All-NEC selections. Guided by second-year head coach Adam Lechtenberg, Central Connecticut followed suit with five picks, while Robert Morris, LIU and Wagner, which were slotted third, fourth and sixth in the preseason poll, respectively, each had four student-athletes garner Preseason All-NEC distinction.
In addition, 11 returning standouts that are fresh off All-NEC-worthy campaigns a year ago were forecasted to again put together star-studded season in 2024 as this year’s preseason squad included six 2023 All-NEC First Team members, four 2023 All-NEC Second Team selections and the reigning NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year
Duquesne’s passing game was tops in the league a year ago, and as a result, the Dukes earned a league-high four Preseason All-NEC offensive picks.
Highlighting that group is senior Darius Perrantes (Los Angeles, CA/St. Francis (URI)), a 2023 Walter Payton Award Finalist. The unanimous preseason All-NEC quarterback finished first in the FCS in passing yards per completion (17.74) and 15th in passing touchdowns (21) a season ago. Perrantes put up 200-or-more passing yards against all seven NEC opponents and threw for three touchdowns four times in that stretch to help propel the Dukes to their sixth NEC crown.
Senior wide receiver Tedy Afful (Bloomfield, NJ/DePaul Catholic (Stony Brook)) and graduate student offensive lineman Vince Lumia (Riviera Beach, FL/Suncoast (Louisville)), who each contributed to Duquesne’s potent passing game, also garnered Preseason All-NEC recognition.
The race to the league’s rushing title is already shaping up to be an exciting one with the return of star running backs Tyvon Edmonds Jr. (White Plains, MD/Bishop McNamara (Merrimack)) and Elijah Howard (Knoxville, TN/Baylor School (Virginia Tech)).
Howard was one of two unanimous Preseason All-NEC selections to hail from Central Connecticut. Arriving to New Britain by way of Virginia Tech, the speedy Tennessean made an immediate impact for the Blue Devils offense, accounting for 119.5 all-purpose yards per game, which were the 19th-most in the FCS last season. Howard averaged 90.0 yards per contest on the ground and had four outings with 100-plus yards, including a 257-yard rushing effort against Delaware State.
One of the nation’s top running backs returns to the NEC in 2024, but this time, a different — but familiar — name will be stitched on the front of his chest. Covering more than 1,000 yards on the ground for Merrimack en route to capturing the league’s coveted rushing title in 2023, Edmonds looks to continue to wreak havoc on NEC defenses at Robert Morris this season. The All-NEC first teamer closed out last season ranked eighth in the FCS in rushing yards (1,247) and seventh in rushing yards per game (113.4), while his 10 rushing scores topped the NEC charts a year ago.
Wagner wideout Jaylen Bonelli (Cooper City, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas), the reigning NEC Offensive Rookie of the Year, is slated to have stellar campaign on Grymes Hill. Ranking in the league’s top-five in nearly every receiving category in his collegiate debut, the Floridian is just one of two true sophomores to earn Preseason All-NEC distinction.
Bonelli is joined by fellow classmate Zachary Ricci (Egg Harbor City, NJ/Myrtle Beach Collegiate), a defensive back who racked up 20.0 tackles and two interceptions, including a pick-six, in nine appearances in the Green and White.
A pair of 2023 All-NEC First Team members landed Preseason All-NEC honors to highlight the defense team.
Junior Kimal Clark (Lackawanna, NY/St. Francis) comes back to New Britain as one of the league’s most experienced defensive backs. The Empire State product ranked amongst FCS leaders and was second in the circuit in tackles with 8.9 per game.
St. Francis, PA linebacker Eddie Bierals (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic), a senior, finished the 2023 campaign with a team-best 3.0 sacks. The Garden State native constantly drew attention from opposing offensive lines, and as a result, 12 different Red Flash defenders registered at least one-half sack to their credit.
Special teams are highlighted by a pair of rising juniors who garnered 2023 All-NEC First Team distinction a year ago. Accounting for 6.3 points per game, the second-most by an NEC baller and the most amongst league kickers, Central Connecticut’s Jack Barnum (Southington, CT/Southington) etched his name on the list. He was joined by LIU punter Will Lynch (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia/Somerset College), who averaged a league-leading 41.5 yards per boot, including an NEC-best 72-yarder against Merrimack.
The 2024 NEC slate kicks off with two matchups on Saturday, Sept. 14. Mercyhurst is set to take on Robert Morris in its inaugural game as a league member, while St. Francis, PA is slated to play host to Central Connecticut.
About The Northeast Conference
Now entering its 44th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, St. Francis, PA, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.
Offense
Pos, Name, School
QB Darius Perrantes, Duquesne
RB Elijah Howard, Central Connecticut
RB Tyvon Edmonds Jr., Robert Morris
WR Jaylen Bonelli, Wagner
WR Tedy Afful, Duquense
WR Noah Robinson, Robert Morris
TE/HB Noah Canty, Duquesne
OL Mason Imbt, St. Francis, PA
OL Vincent Lumia, Duquesne
OL Isaiah DeLoatch, Central Connecticut
OL Jake Timm, LIU
OL Brady Anderson, Wagner
Defense
Pos, Name, School
DL Eddie Bierals, St. Francis, PA
DL A.J. Acderkman, Duquesne
DL Tizlam Muhammad, Robert Morris
DL Jorel Liverpool, Wagner
LB Gianni Rizzo, Duquesne
LB Jamar Shegog, Robert Morris
LB Jayden Anderson, Central Connecticut
LB Mercury Swaim, St. Francis, PA
DB Kimal Clark, Central Connecticut
DB Caleb Nartey, LIU
DB Jordan Irvine, Stonehill
DB Zachary Ricci, Wagner
Special Teams
Pos, Name, School
K Jack Barnum, Central Connecticut
P Will Lynch, LIU
RS Michael Love, LIU
Now in its 44th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#34) and Syracuse (#85). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, St. Francis, PA, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.