CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Campbell defensive end Brevin Allen has been named the 2022 Big South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, headlining 10 CU selections on the league's preseason team, and the Camels have been picked second in the coaches' poll.

The Camels' 10 selections leads the conference, while CU's second place prediction is the highest in program history, announced Tuesday at the 2022 Big South Conference Football Media Day presented by BuyB1.com at the Charlotte Marriott SouthPark Hotel.

PRESEASON POLL
With a pair of first place votes and nine total top-three votes of a possible 12, the Camels finished with 50 points, just behind North Carolina A&T, which finished with six first place tallies and 60 points.

Following the Camels were Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb in a tie for third with 44 points. Big South newcomer Bryant (33 points) and Robert Morris (21) rounded out the poll. Five of the six league members picked up at least one first place vote.

Campbell's second place preseason nod is its highest since moving to the Big South in 2018. CU was picked fourth in 2019 and 2020, also taking fifth in 2018 and 2021. Campbell was never voted higher than fourth in a preseason poll in its previous conference, the Pioneer Football League (2008-17).

PRESEASON ALL-BIG SOUTH PICKS
Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, tight end Julian Hill and offensive tackle Tyler McLellan, as well as special teamers in punter Corey Petersen, long snapper Jackson Hayes and Josh McNeely, who was voted to the preseason squad as both a kick and punt returner, all joined Allen on the 2022 Preseason All-Big South team, while offensive tackle Mike Edwards and safety Dorian Jones were honorable mention picks.

Allen is coming off an All-American season for the Camels in 2021, leading the Big South in sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (17.5), while ranking in the top-20 nationally in both categories.

The 2021 Big South Defensive Player of the Year was also a finalist for the Stats Perform FCS Buck Buchanan Award, setting a Campbell single season record for sacks, while tying the program single season mark in stops for loss, adding 44 total tackles with a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and six hurries.

Williams, who played in just four games in 2021 due to injury, makes his second career appearance on the league's preseason all-conference team after being named 2020 Preseason Big South Offensive Player of the Year. The redshirt junior, who owns 3,418 career passing yards and 996 yards rushing, threw for 714 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception in limited time last season, adding 127 yards rushing. The Atlanta, Ga. QB was named First Team FCS Freshman All-America (HERO Sports) and Big South Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2019.

Hill, a two-time all-conference selection, led all Big South tight ends in receptions (34) in 2021, while ranking second in receiving yards at the position with 367, also standing 15th overall in the league for catches and 18th in receiving yards. The senior collected two receiving touchdowns and averaged 10.8 yards per catch, putting up career-highs in receptions, yards and TDs for the season.

McLellan and Edwards, meanwhile, bookended a CU offensive line that helped set a school record for passing yards (2,901) and passing touchdowns (24) in 2021 as the Camels led the Big South in passing offense at 261.6 yards per game, ranking 22nd in the FCS, while posting a school single season record four 300-plus yard passing games, including a single game record 424 yards in a win over Presbyterian.

McLellan, a three-time All-Big South pick, including First Team in 2021, has started 26 consecutive games on the CU offensive line. Edwards started the first seven games of last season, his second in Buies Creek, at left tackle before being lost for the remainder of the year.

Campbell's primary long snapper since arriving on campus in 2018, Hayes leads a near-sweep of the special teams positions on the Big South's preseason all-conference teams. The Dillon, S.C. native has played in 33 career games for the Camels, also serving as a team captain in 2021.

The Big South's leading returning punter, Petersen averaged 40.6 yards per punt in 2021, tied for third in the conference, on 41 punts. The Traralgon, Australia native posted six boots of 50 or more yards with a long of 61, while forcing 16 fair catches, with only one touchback.

Earning Second Team All-Big South accolades as a kick returner last season, McNeely led the league with 28.8 yards per kick return in 2021, ranking eighth in the FCS. One of three Big South kick returners with 500 or more return yards, McNeely totaled 11 kick returns of 20 or more yards, including a long of 99 – the longest in the Big South this season. He also served as CU's primary punt returner, returning seven punts for 30 yards, and adding four tackles with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup on the defensive side.

A staple of the Fighting Camel defense, Jones, a former third team All-Big South pick by Phil Steele in 2019, is coming off a season where the safety totaled 35 tackles, 1.0 stop for loss, an interception and three pass breakups. Jones logged multiple tackles four times in 2021 in nine games, missing two due to injury while making five starts, including each of CU's final four games.

LOOKING AHEAD
Campbell will open the 2022 season, its 15^th of the program's modern era (since 2008) in Buies Creek on September 1, hosting The Citadel. The Bulldogs are one of eight first time opponents for CU this season. The Camels open Big South play on October 8 with Charleston Southern at Barker-Lane Stadium for Campbell's 2022 homecoming game.

The Camels, led by head coach Mike Minter in his 10^th season in Buies Creek, return a combined 14 starters on the offense and defense in 2022, and 61 letterwinners while welcoming a bevy of newcomers that make up the FCS' top-ranked recruiting class.

2022 BIG SOUTH FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST-TEAM
OFFENSE
QB Hajj-Malik Williams, R-Jr., Campbell
RB Narii Gaither, Sr., Gardner-Webb
RB Alijah Jackson, Gr., Robert Morris
WR Cayden Jordan, R-Jr., Charleston Southern
WR Justin Franklin, Soph., Gardner-Webb
WR Jamison Warren, Soph., North Carolina A&T
TE Julian Hill, Gr., Campbell
OL Tyler McLellan, Gr., Campbell
OL Clayton Frady, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
OL Gabe Thompson, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
OL Ricky Lee III, R-Sr., North Carolina A&T
OL Haydon Baron, Jr., Robert Morris

DEFENSE
DL Brevin Allen, R-Sr., Campbell
DL Ty French, Jr., Gardner-Webb
DL Ricardo Watson, R-Jr., Robert Morris
DL Jermaine McDaniel, Gr., North Carolina A&T
LB Garrett Sayegh, Gr., Charleston Southern
LB William McRainey, Jr., Gardner-Webb
LB Jacob Roberts, Sr., North Carolina A&T
LB Joe Andreessen, Gr., Bryant
DB Hombre Kennedy, Gr., Charleston Southern
DB Jamari Brown, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
DB Karon Prunty, R-Jr., North Carolina A&T
DB Sydney Audiger, Gr., Robert Morris

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Andrew Brown, Soph., North Carolina A&T
P Corey Petersen, Gr., Campbell
KR Josh McNeely, Gr., Campbell
PR Josh McNeely, Gr., Campbell
LS Jackson Hayes, Gr., Campbell 

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
QB Bailey Fisher, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
RB Bhayshul Tuten, Soph., North Carolina A&T
WR David Zorilla, Sr., Bryant
TE Nicholas Dobson, Jr., North Carolina A&T
OL Mike Edwards, R-Sr., Campbell
DL Anton Williams, Gr., Charleston Southern
LB Jamar Shegog, R-Jr., Robert Morris
DB Dorian Jones, Gr., Campbell
P Bailey Fisher, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
KR TJ Luther, R-Sr., Gardner-Webb
LS David McCain, Jr., Bryant

PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Narii Gaither, Sr., RB, Gardner-Webb (Rock Hill, S.C.)

PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Brevin Allen, R-Sr., DL, Campbell (Greensboro, N.C.)
 

	2022 PRESEASON POLL (first-place votes)	1	2	3	4	5	6	Points
1.	North Carolina A&T (6)	6	2	2	2	-	-	60
2.	Campbell (2)	2	4	3	-	3	-	50
T-3.	Charleston Southern (2)	2	2	-	6	2	-	44
T-3.	Gardner-Webb (1)	1	3	3	2	2	1	44
5.	Bryant (1)	1	1	2	2	2	4	33
6.	Robert Morris	-	-	2	-	3	7	21

Note: Points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 6 points, followed by 5 points for second-place, and so on.