FB: Southern Athletic Association

[BSCpanthers]

Oct 26th should be the de facto conference championship game.  Should be a good game in San Antonio. 

[Ron Boerger]

New story from Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Cory Hogue on Joe Austin's plans after his departure from Southwestern - https://x.com/CoryHogueSports/status/1826984582467420298 (but you have to be a DCTF subscriber to read it).  Basically sounds like he is going to go full-time with a (non-football) consulting business that he's been doing for ten years while still dabbling in some football-related pursuits (but not coaching the sport).

If you want to see the kind of things he's doing you can visit https://coachjoeaustin.com/ or hit his Xitter (https://x.com/CoachJoeAustin).  His football-related stuff will be at https://x.com/The_Tex_Bone (he actually published a book on an triple option concept by that name in 2021). 

The jarring thing from the article was that he considered his departure, in mid-July, to be "pretty good timing."  I doubt that feeling is shared by all in Georgetown. 

[Ron Boerger]

Speaking of Southwestern, had a look at their roster, which this year numbers 96 compared to 2023's 107.  They added 36 freshmen and a senior DB transfer from Lagrange that who played lacrosse one year but not football there.  One of the 19 listed as seniors last year returned for a fifth year; four juniors (of 21), seven sophomores (of 23), and 19 freshmen (of 44) did not return. 

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity has finally added the newcomers to their roster, which this year numbers 114 compared to last year's 123:

All 16 5th/COVID year players are gone, as are 13 of 25 seniors, 6 of 17 juniors (including WR/KR BJ Stewart who may be focusing on track after a couple of injury-plagued seasons - the T&F roster has not been updated), 4 of 28 sophomores, 9 of 37 freshmen.  12 seniors returned as fifth years; 35 freshman joined as did one sophmore who graduated high school in 2023 but did not play last season, and 4 sophomores transferred in:  Anthony Njoku, a 6'0" DB who played QB at Davidson in 2022, seeing limited action in three games; Jackson Barry, a 6'1" LB from Jackson State; Connor Watts, a 6'3" TE from Culver-Stockton College, and Ryland Ton, a 5'11" OL from Aurora. 

[Ron Boerger]

And let's look at the preseason favorite, Berry, whose roster swelled from 106 last year to 143 this season, thanks in no small part to an influx of 59 freshmen.  The three fifth years on last year's roster are gone, along with 13 of last year's 16 seniors including QB Blake Hembree.  All but one of 20 juniors returned, along with 37 of 38 sophomores and 22 of 29 freshmen.  One junior transfer also came on board; Brycen Williams, a 5'9" DB from BSC.  Joseph Rampey, a 6'2" junior OL, returns to the team after sitting out last season.

[tigerguy]

Quick look at all-SAA list and BSC roster shows six players that still have eligibility: (1st) Ricky Spence, DL (rising Jr.); (2nd) Tavian Moore, S (rising Jr.), (Hon Ment) Javien Beene, S (rising Sr), Jaden Hood, DL (rising Soph), Kobe Hughes, RB (rising Sr), and Nick paradise, OL (rising Sr.).

Would be a nice reload nabbing a few of those guys - especially Spence. Regardless, hope they (and all others) land on their feet on a good squad

Of BSC's All-SAA members, looks like almost all found new homes, although I couldn't find anything for Paradise with a quick google search:

Ricky Spence - Huntington

Tavian Moore - Delta state university

Javien Beene - Miles college

Jaden hood - University of west Florida

Kobe Hughes - Samford university

[Ron Boerger]

Continuing a look at SAA rosters:  Centre increased from 119 in 2023 to 123 players this season.  Of last year's class, all eight graduate students departed and only one of 13 seniors returned for a COVID year.  13 of 16 juniors are back, as are 22 of 30 sophomores and 39 of 52 freshman.  There are 44 freshman in this year's class, along with two transfers, both from BSC: sophmores Cree Ross (5'10" WR) and Mario Brewer (5'10" DB).   Carter Chandler (6'2" WR) returns after sitting out last season, and JJ Jones (5'11" LB) returns for the first time since 2021. 

[BSCpanthers]

Quick look at all-SAA list and BSC roster shows six players that still have eligibility: (1st) Ricky Spence, DL (rising Jr.); (2nd) Tavian Moore, S (rising Jr.), (Hon Ment) Javien Beene, S (rising Sr), Jaden Hood, DL (rising Soph), Kobe Hughes, RB (rising Sr), and Nick paradise, OL (rising Sr.).

Would be a nice reload nabbing a few of those guys - especially Spence. Regardless, hope they (and all others) land on their feet on a good squad

Of BSC's All-SAA members, looks like almost all found new homes, although I couldn't find anything for Paradise with a quick google search:

Ricky Spence - Huntington

Tavian Moore - Delta state university

Javien Beene - Miles college

Jaden hood - University of west Florida

Kobe Hughes - Samford university

Nick Paradise is no longer playing football.  He is still in school, but has stepped away from the gridiron.

[Ron Boerger]

Continuing our look at SAA rosters, next up is Rhodes.  The Lynx count 87 players on this year's roster, down from 95 last season. None of last year's 15 seniors or the one fifth-year returned; all 23 juniors, 13 of 20 sophomores, and 24 of 36 freshmen return.  25 players make up 2024's freshman class.  Soph LB Deon King returns after missing 2023.

[Ron Boerger]

Interesting to hear (on today's excellent D3football.com Podcast 356) that Berry's OC, Colin Duling, is now at Bethel.   This was announced back in March and Berry has not yet named a replacement.

So might as well look at Berry's roster:  a huge increase from 106 in 2023 to 142 this year.  Three of last year's 16 seniors return; three fifth years departed. 18 of 19 juniors return, as do 38 of 39 sophomores and 22 of 29 freshman.  The class of 2028 is twice the size of last year's freshman class, with 59 players.  OL Joseph Rampey returns after taking 2023 off. 

[Ron Boerger]

Looking at the only team (so far) to depart the SAA of its own volition, Hendrix has seen its roster increase from 88 last season to 102 in 2024.  Three of 12 seniors returned for their COVID year and one fifth year departed.   Eight of ten juniors, 16 of 23 sophomores, and 26 of 42 freshman return, one of the higher attrition rates in the conference.  The roster is bolstered by 46 freshmen including a redshirt transfer from Arkansas State, Beau Smith.  Other transfers are soph. QB Sage Treadwell (Culver-Stockton), redshirt junior WR James Randle (Fort Valley State).

Soph. TE Maverick Sartain, who signed last year, is on the roster for the first time this season.

[awadelewis]

Sports Information at Sewanee (all one of them  ) does a weekly livestream of a conversation with coaches and staff from our athletics department.  Andy MacCollum will be next week's guest talking about the football program.  Watch via SewaneeTigers.com

[Ron Boerger]

Sewanee!  Yes, let's go there next.  The Tigers are another team that have seen substantial growth this season, with rosters increasing from 76 to 92.  Two of eleven seniors return for a COVID year, while two 5th years depart. 14 of 15 juniors, 13 of 16 sophomores, and 20 of 32 freshmen return.  This year's freshman class numbers 41; two transfers, 5'9 junior WR AJ McLemore and 5'8" junior RB Ryan Nichol join the squad from BSC.

[Ron Boerger]

The final team on the SAA lookaround is Millsaps, which has now gone over a decade since finishing over .500 (2013, 9-1, but all downhill since including 1-9 last year).  New HC Brandon Lechtenberg and his staff had a successful year on the recruting trail, as the roster increased from 89 to this year's 109.  One of 13 seniors returns for a COVID year, as do nine of twelve juniors, 18 of 30 sophomores, and a crushingly small 14 of 34 freshmen.  Over half of this year's squad will consist of 63 new freshmen.  Transfers include 5'10" soph. RB MJ Taylor (Hinds CC), 6'1" junior LB Malachi Pasteur (West Alabama, Alabama), and sophomore DL Zabian Boutan (Baton Rouge CC).  Senior DB Jaden Edwards returns after a season away.

[tigerguy]

Anybody heard how Tigers looked in scrimmage vs Blinn?