State college football outlook
South Carolina State
Record: 8-4
Coach: Buddy Pough
Conference: MEAC
Key player: DL Javon Hargrave rang up 24 tackles for loss and 16 sacks on the way to a first-team FCS All-America berth and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the conference.
Outlook: The Bulldogs have been perennial conference title contenders under Pough, and this season should be no different. S.C. State shared conference honors last season, but missed the FCS playoff cut. Returning to the postseason is the priority.
Coastal Carolina
Record: 12-2
Coach: Joe Moglia
Conference: Big South
Key player: QB Alex Ross threw for 3,389 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 691 yards and nine scores to lead the Chanticleers to the NCAA playoffs for the third year in a row and the fifth times since 2006.
Outlook: Coastal is loaded with eight returning starters on offense and seven on defense. Making a serious bid for a FCS national title is not an outlandish notion.
Presbyterian
Record: 6-5
Coach: Harold Nichols
Conference: Big South
Key player: CB Ed Britt was a first-team Big South all-star. Last year, he became the first player in conference history to score a touchdown via interception, fumble recovery and blocked kick return.
Outlook: The Blue Hose finished in the black for the first time since 2007. This is the year to find out if PC has staying power at the FCS level.
Charleston Southern
Record: 8-4
Coach: Jamey Chadwell
Conference: Big South
Key player: QB Austin Brown had tough times last season after transferring from UAB, but he came on strong in the final three games. Brown is the key to a CSU attack that is adjusting to life without go-to running back Christian Reyes.
Outlook: A three-game losing streak in the middle of the season doomed the thinking-big Buccaneers to a good, but ultimately disappointing report card. CSU expects to make a move in Chadwell’s third season.
Citadel
Record: 5-7
Coach: Mike Houston
Conference: Southern
Key player: RB Vinny Miller is fourth on the school’s career yards-per-rushing attempt list (6.36). Miller ran for 957 yards last season to lead a balanced, option-running attack.
Outlook: The Bulldogs have a load of experience except at the key quarterback position. If sophomore Dominique Allen does the job, Citadel should take another step up in the SoCon ranks.
Furman
Record: 3-9
Coach: Bruce Fowler
Conference: Southern
Key player: QB Reese Hannon was lost for the duration with a fractured ankle in the third quarter of the opening game and Furman’s season went down with him.
Outlook: Perhaps Hannon will make all the difference. If not, Fowler could be on the hot seat.
Wofford
Record: 6-5
Coach: Mike Ayers
Conference: Southern
Key player: QB Evan Jenks was on target for a season of more than 1,500 yards of total offense, but missed the final five games. Healthy, he gives Wofford the run-pass blend required of the position in this offense.
Outlook: With Jenks and rising star fullback Lorenzo Long (930 yards, 15 TDs) in place, Wofford has the look of a SoCon title contender again.
Benedict
Record: 4-6
Coach: Mike White
Conference: SIAC
Key player: LB Stephen Williams is one of the few experienced players on a roster that features 49 sophomores and freshmen.
Outlook: The Tigers are rebuilding under a new coach again. If White, a proven winner in the SIAC, can’t turn things around long-term … maybe it can’t be done.
Newberry
Record: 5-6
Coach: Todd Knight
Conference: SAC
Key player: QB Raleigh Yeldell, a relief/change-of-pace man behind W.T. Murden for two seasons, gets his shot at running the Wolves show.
Outlook: If Yeldell handles the job well, the Wolves have a chance to be more than a middle-of-the-pack club.
North Greenville
Record: 7-5
Coach: Jeff Farrington
Conference: Independent
Key player: QB Nelson Hughes has amassed 7,528 passing yards on 668 completions in three seasons, along with 52 touchdown passes.
Outlook: Eight starters return on an offensive unit that averaged 420 yards a game. The passing combo of Hughes-to-Robbie Brown is worth the price of admission. The Crusaders are aiming at a double-digit win season.
Limestone
Record: 2-9
Coach: Bobby Jones
Conference: Independent
Key player: WR D’Anta Fleming had an outstanding freshman season for the first-year Saints with teams highs in receptions (32), receiving yards (514) and touchdowns (8).
Outlook: The rookie Saints were respectable enough for a freshman-dominated team. The goal is to make steady, measurable progress in the second go-round.
John Devlin