CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A total of nine Camels have been named to 2019 Preseason All-Big South teams, while Campbell has been slotted fourth in the conference's preseason coaches' poll, announced Tuesday at the 2019 Big South Football Media Day.
Wide receiver
Caleb Snead (R-So.), tight end
Michael Wooten (R-Sr.), offensive linemen
Jacob Cuddington (R-Sr.) and
Matt Price (R-Sr.), defensive lineman
Damien Dozier (R-Jr.), defensive back
Dorian Jones (R-So.) and punter
Brad Dennis (R-Sr.). Additionally, kicker
Colin Gary (R-Sr.) and long snapper
Jackson Hayes (So.) were both named honorable mention preseason all-conference.
Monmouth quarterback Kenji Bahar was picked to be the 2019 Big South Offensive Player of the Year, while Kennesaw State linebacker Bryson Armstrong was tabbed the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Kennesaw State was picked to repeat as Big South Champions, taking 14 first place votes and 134 total points. Monmouth (5 first place, 122 points) and Charleston Southern (1, 79) followed in the poll, also picking up first place tallies. Campbell came in just behind CSU with 79 points, followed by Gardner-Webb (67), Hampton (64) and Presbyterian (21), rounding out the poll.
Snead was tabbed First Team Freshman All-America in 2018, also collecting First Team All-Big South accolades, registering finishing his rookie season with 810 receiving yards and nine TD catches, leading all FCS freshmen and ranking second among all Big South receivers.
Campbell's starter at tight end over the last 21 games, Wooten was a Big South All-Academic Team member in 2018, also garnering Phil Steele Second Team Big South All-Conference honors. He totaled 13 catches for 73 yards on the season.
Cuddington and Price, Campbell's starters at each offensive guard position, helped the Camels rank ninth nationally in sacks allowed in 2018, clearing the way for six individual 100-yard rushing games. CU registered the Big South's second-ranked passing offense, also ranking second in pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Cuddington was also named Third Team Big South All-Conference by Phil Steele. Cuddington and Price were the only Camels on the offensive line to start all 11 team games last season.
Dozier was named Second Team All-Big South in his first season as a Camel, also collecting a first team nod from Phil Steele. He led the Big South in tackles for loss with 11.5, while ranking third in sacks at 3.5, totaling 49 tackles.
Jones also notched 49 tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2018, ranking second among Big South freshmen. Jones added 1.5 tackles for loss, assisting on a sack, with an interception and two pass breakups, setting a Campbell single-season record with three fumble recoveries while starting 10 games.
Dennis joins Snead as a returning First Team All-Big South performer, averaging a school record 43.2 yards per punt in 2018, a Big South best, and ranking 10
th in the FCS. Dennis pinned 19 punts inside the 20, another CU record, with 10 kicks of 50 or more yards and eight fair catches.
Gary knocked down a pair of field goals as a redshirt junior, earning Big South Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Sept. 10, while Hayes was Campbell's starting long snapper as a true freshman in 2018.
Heading into his seventh season as head coach in 2019,
Mike Minter led the Camels through a successful transition to the Big South Conference last season, their first as a scholarship program. Campbell finished 6-5 overall and 1-4 in its inaugural Big South season, securing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in the program's modern era (since 2008).
For the third straight season, Campbell broke its overall attendance record (35,405), while resetting Barker-Lane Stadium's single-game mark with 6,712 for its Homecoming tilt vs. Gardner-Webb.
In addition, seven Camels were named to All-Big South teams, highlighted by Snead and Dennis on the league's first team.
The Camels led the FCS in fewest passing yards allowed per game (122.5), while ranking 25th in total defense (335.4 yards per game). CU also ranked in the FCS' top-10 in fewest sacks allowed (0.82 per game), finishing the year sixth.
Campbell kicks off the season Aug. 31 at Troy. The Camels make their home debut on Sept. 7, hosting Shaw, and begin Big South play on Oct. 5, welcoming Presbyterian to Barker-Lane Stadium.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST-TEAM
OFFENSE
QB Kenji Bahar, R-Sr., Monmouth
RB Juwon Farri, Soph., Monmouth
RB Pete Guerriero, R-Jr., Monmouth
WR Caleb Snead, R-Soph., Campbell
WR Keith Pearson, Jr., Presbyterian
WR Jakobi Byrd, R-Soph., North Alabama
TE Michael Wooten, R-Sr., Campbell
OL Zack Evans, R-Sr., Charleston Southern
OL Jacob Cuddington, R-Sr., Campbell
OL Brandon Leahey, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
OL Gibril Ghee, R-Sr., Hampton
OL Matt Price, R-Sr., Campbell
DEFENSE
DL Damien Dozier, R-Jr., Campbell
DL John Singleton, R-Soph., Gardner-Webb
DL
Desmond Johnson, R-Sr., Kennesaw State
DL Andrew Butcher, Sr., Kennesaw State
LB Bryson Armstrong, R-Jr., Kennesaw State
LB J.D. Sosebee, R-Sr., Charleston Southern
LB Colby Campbell, Jr., Presbyterian
LB Darien Reynolds, Jr., Gardner-Webb
DB Tymere Berry, R-Sr., Monmouth
DB Dorian Walker, Sr., Kennesaw State
DB Cincere Mason, R-Soph., Kennesaw State
DB Dorian Jones, Soph., Campbell
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Matt Mosquera, Sr., Monmouth
P Brad Dennis, R-Sr., Campbell
KR Isaac Foster, Soph., Kennesaw State
PR Isaac Foster, Soph., Kennesaw State
LS Ethan Ray, R-Jr., Charleston Southern
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
QB Christian Lopez, Sr., North Alabama
RB Shaquil Terry, Jr., Kennesaw State
WR Ronald Bell, Gr., Hampton
OL Eli Teeselink, R-Sr., Presbyterian
DL Josh Ramseur, Gr., Gardner-Webb
LB Jarrett Nagy, Soph., Presbyterian (tie)
LB Charlie Patrick, Jr., Kennesaw State (tie)
DB Justin Terry, Jr., Monmouth
PK Colin Gary, R-Sr., Campbell
P Kyle Reighard, R-Sr., Charleston Southern
LS Jackson Hayes, Soph., Campbell
PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kenji Bahar, R-Sr., QB, Monmouth (Baltimore, Md.)
PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bryson Armstrong, R-Jr., LB, Kennesaw State (Marietta, Ga)
| 2019 PRESEASON POLL |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
Points |
| 1. Kennesaw State (14 1st place votes) |
14 |
6 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
134 |
| 2. Monmouth (5) |
5 |
12 |
3 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
122 |
| 3. Charleston Southern (1) |
1 |
- |
6 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
- |
79 |
| 4. Campbell |
- |
1 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
- |
73 |
| 5. Gardner-Webb |
- |
1 |
3 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
- |
67 |
| 6. Hampton |
- |
- |
3 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
1 |
64 |
| 7. Presbyterian College |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
19 |
21 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 7 points, followed by 6 points for second-place, and so on.