Southland Announces Preseason Coaches Poll and All-Conference Selections

July 24, 2023 by CollegeFootballPoll.com Staff and southland.org

Conference coaches and Sports Information Directors have tabbed Southeastern as the preseason favorite. They also placed more Lions on the all-conference team than any other program.

Half of the teams in the conference have a new head coach. See the entire list of FCS coaching changes for the 2023 season.

At Houston Christian, Vic Shealy resigned after a 2-9 season and a 10-year mark of 21-79. Former Campbell assistant head coach Braxton Harris is his replacement.

Incarnate Word's G.J.Kinne was nabbed by FBS member Texas State after taking the Cardinals deep in the FCS playoffs in his only season with the squad. The new head coach is Clint Killough, a UIW alum and player (2013-2015) who served as AHC this past season under Kinne.

Lamar fired Blane Morgan after his teams were 5-23 over-all and 3-16 in the conference. Peter Rossomando, who was the interim head coach of FBS member Charlotte for the final 4 games of the 2022 season, takes Morgan's place. Rossomondo also has previous head coaching experience at D2 New Haven and FCS member Central Connecticut State with at least one playoff appearance with each school.

Texas A&M-Commerce parted ways with David Bailiff after failing to reach terms on a new deal with. Clint Dolezel, who was the head coach of the Frisco (TX) Fighters of the Indoor Football League, takes the reigns. He was a 3-sport star (football, golf and track) at the school, and is the first alum to be named head football coach since Will Hill Acker (1929-30).

Preseason Media Poll

For the third year in a row, Southeastern is the preseason favorite for the Southland Conference football season, the league announced Monday during Southland Football Media Days. The Lions received nine first-place votes and 93 total points to take the spot.

UIW and Southeastern were actually co-champs last season and both participated in the FCS Playoffs.

The Lions grabbed the automatic berth by virtue of their 41-35 head-to-head win over UIW in Hammond in September. Unseeded Southeastern defeated Idaho (45-42) in round one, but lost in the second round at No. 8 seed Samford (48-42 in OT).

UIW was seeded 5th and eked past Furman at home (41-38) and Sacramento State (66-63) on the road before bowing at North Dakota State (35-32) in the semifinal.

The Cardinals won the title outright in 2021 while Southeastern finished second..

This year's poll has UIW right behind the Lions, nabbing 7 first-place votes and 91 total points.

No other teams received a 1st-place ballot.

McNeese was picked third with 65 points followed by Nicholls is fourth with 62 points. Northwestern State was fifth with 52 points, while Texas A&M-Commerce (33), Lamar (28), and HCU (24) wrapped up the poll.

All-Conference Selections

Returning all-conference selections from the previous season are automatically named to the preseason all-conference teams and may advance to higher team slots if they are vacated by non-returning players. Open positions are nominated and voted upon by the league’s head coaches.

Led by Preseason All-Americans John Allen of Southeastern and Rodney Dansby of Houston Christian, the Southland Conference has announced the 2023 Preseason All-Conference Football Team.

The Lions lead the way with 17 total selections, followed by Nicholls with 11. UIW added seven selections followed by McNeese and HCU with five and Lamar and Texas A&M-Commerce with four.

Allen, who was named an Athlon Sports Preseason All-American, returns for his final season after being named the Southland Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year last season for the SLC champions. A Stats Perform and AFCA FCS Coaches All-America selection as a junior, Allen started 12 games at left guard for a Lion offense that averaged 35.3 points and 439.8 yards per contest. His consistent excellence helped SLU weather the loss of three opening day starters on the offensive line by week four.

Dansby earned HERO Sports Sophomore All-America and Stats Perform FCS All-America Third Team honors last season and HERO Sports Preseason All-American honors to open this season. The junior finished last season with 126 tackles after totaling 130 during his freshman campaign. His 256 total tackles during the previous two seasons rank second among all FCS players with only Fordham's James Conway who had 258. He was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented by Stats Perform to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year, last season.

The group of returning talents also includes Eli Ennis of Nicholls, a first-team Freshman All-American and Southland Freshman of the Year last season and Zach Patterson of Northwestern State, the 2022 Southland Newcomer of the Year. All-American offensive lineman Evan Roussel also finds a spot on the first team.

Southeastern nabbed the top two all-conference spots at quarterback as incoming Northwestern State transfer Zachary Clement earned the first team nod with returner Eli Sawyer grabbing a second team nod.