Liberty easily picked to repeat

As the hottest team in the league, it was no surprise when defending Big South champion Liberty was picked to win this year's conference title by the league's head coaches and media. The Flames, who went undefeated in conference play last year, return 13 starters and 39 lettermen.

"We're going to be a good football team," predicts third-year head coach Jim Rocco. "How good we ultimately are will depend on our focus, our work ethic, our preparation. We're excited to be in this position as the league favorite but having that bull's eye on your chest is tough if you don't handle it well. We know that every team in this conference has taken a long look at us during the offseason and they're going to be prepared to play us when the time comes."

Liberty is led by the league's preseason offensive player of the year, running back Rashad Jennings. Jennings led the conference in rushing last year, averaging 123 yards per game on the ground. He was named the conference offensive player of the year and scored a league-record 17 total touchdowns. He needs just over 1,200 yards to become the leading rusher in conference history.

Jennings has a capable backfield mate in senior Zack Terrell, who gained 795 yards and scored 11 touchdowns last season.

Senior Brock Smith returns at quarterback and is the league's preseason all-conference pick at that position. As if that is not enough, the Flames also return a pair of all-conference linemen in seniors Britt Stone and Mike Godsil.

Defensively, safety Patrick Calvary returns as an all-conference performer, along with linebacker Nick Hurskey (78 tackles in '07) and tackle Colin Dugan.

Coastal Carolina had its streak of conference titles snapped at three last year, slipping to 5-6 overall on the season. Look for the Chanticleers to bounce back this fall, as coach David Bennett has a bevy of experience and talent returning.

Senior Britt Leggett returns to anchor the offensive line, a unit that has four returning starters. The Chants' are loaded at quarterback where starter Will Richardson returns. However, he is being pushed hard by former Wando standout Jamie Childers and Wake Forest transfer Zack McDowell.

Coastal will be stacked defensively, led by the return of junior tackle Phillip Oboh, senior linebacker D.J. Rice and senior defensive back Marrio Norman.

Gardner-Webb is another team with a large number of returning starters. In fact, the Bulldogs only lost three starters from last year's team. Senior all-conference performer Demario Deese anchors a strong offensive line, while preseason all-conference pick Dobson Collins will be one of the league's top receiving threats.

Defensively, senior linebacker Mario Brown was tabbed as the preseason defensive player of the year and is regarded as the top backer in the conference.

New to the league this season are the Seawolves of Stony Brook, a school located about an hour outside of New York city. Third-year coach Chuck Priore is building a solid program and most of the league's coaches believe the Seawolves can be a serious threat in league play in their first season.

"We have 20 starters back, so we will rely heavily on their experience and maturity this season," Priore said.

Junior Lawrence Lovell leads a solid and experienced offensive line, while Dane Hoffman takes over at quarterback as a redshirt freshman. Junior Conte Cuttino is returning as the leading ground gainer and senior Lynell Suggs was a preseason all-conference selection.

Defensively, Stony Brook's leader is senior end Adam Soivillen, and senior placekicker Luke Gaddis was a preseason all-league selection.

VMI has a new coach, one familiar to Palmetto State fans, as Sparky Woods takes over the struggling program. Woods' best player is receiver/return specialist Tim Maypray, one of the league's most exciting players. Running back Howard Abegesah gained 1,121 yards on the ground last season, and junior Kyle Hughes is back for his third season at quarterback.