Samford Football 2025 Preview: Bulldogs Looking To re-establish 'Hatch Attack's' Explosiveness

Samford (4-7, 3-5 SoCon/5^th in SoCon)

 

Quincy Crittendon is the SoCon's top returning quarterback (photo courtesy of Samford Athletics)

While the 2024 season seemed a little off for everyone in the SoCon, especially after Hurricane Helene, it seemed like the 2024 version of Samford football was from some bygone era, especially on the offensive end of the field. Perhaps the even more surprising thing about the 2024 Samford Bulldogs was the improvement defensively amid having such offensive struggles.

At times last season, Samford's version of the 'Hatch Attack' offense was a hard-watch, and at some point, during the Alabama State game, fans probably thought it was time for a new plan to be hatched all together. 

The struggles on offense, however, couldn't be put solely on quarterback Quincy Crittendon, who was in his first season as the starting quarterback for Samford, and it was the junior quarterback that, at times, helped the Bulldogs salvage something on offense when everything else seemed to be a challenge.

The defense was as good as it has ever been under Chris Hatcher, and though there is a lot to replace, with players like linebacker Jaden Mosley and defensive back Jalik Yancey returning, there is a real hope the Bulldogs will be able to build off of last season's success.

HEAD COACH: Chris Hatcher (182-107 entering his 25^th year overall as a head coach/61-50 at Samford entering his 11^th season)

SAMFORD’S TRADITION

SHARED OR OUTRIGHT SOCON FOOTBALL TITLES: (1) 2022

FCS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: (6) 1991, ’92, 2013, ’16, ’17 and ‘22

FCS PLAYOFF RECORD:

YELLOW HAMMER STATE PRIDE: Samford is in a state steeped in football tradition, yet the Bulldogs continue to take steps as a reputable program at the FCS level in the great state of Alabama, and while the program will never reach the heights of what Alabama and Auburn are to the Yellow Hammer State, the Bulldogs have carved out their own unique football culture in the Homewood/Birmingham area. A lot of that culture is thanks to an old Georgia boy, in head coach Chris Hatcher, who has created excitement within the program after successfully succeeding former Auburn Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan as the head coach following the 2014 season. That’s when the “Hatch Attack” would be born, and he has made the Bulldogs a formidable challenge, as a top-half team in the league often.

The Bulldogs broke through to win their first Southern Conference title by putting together one of their best seasons in school history in 2022, as Samford finished the campaign with an 11-2 record, which included a perfect 8-0 mark in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs would make to the FCS Quarterfinals before eventually getting knocked out the postseason by North Dakota State, which defeated the Bulldogs 27-9 in Fargo. Samford also claimed a share of the 2013 SoCon title, however, it was vacated later after Samford played with an ineligible player.

The Bulldogs have made six appearances in the FCS Playoffs, with four of those coming since joining the Southern Conference in 2008. In its history, Samford has quiet the lineage, which includes one of the all-time winningest coaches in all of college football history, in Bobby Bowden, who coached at the program from 1959-62 when the school was known as Howard College. Prior to ascending the FCS level of football, the Bulldog program was a power at the NCAA Division II level. In 1971, Samford, which was led by head coach Wayne Grubbs, played in the Amos Alonzo Staggs Bowl, but then the mid-‘70s, the program was shelved for a nine-year span from 1974-83.

Football was resurrected in 1984 at the NCAA Division III level as a non-scholarship football program under then President Thomas E. Corts, which recognized the unique importance football had to a four-year institution, especially in the state of Alabama. Four years later, Samford moved to the NCAA Division I-AA scholarship level. The Samford program also sponsored scholarship football from 1920-41, 1959-73 and 1988-present. Samford began to carve out its tradition from 1988 forward, with head coach Terry Bowden—the son of Bobby Bowden—leading the program into its first seasons back playing scholarship football and at the NCAA Division I level.

In that first season as the head coach, Bowden had a young quarterback by the name of Jimbo Fisher, who passed for 2,394 yards en route to helping lead the Bulldogs to that nine-win season in ’87. Fisher would go on to make a name for himself as a head coach at the power five level, most notably at Florida State, where he would help lead the Seminoles to the 2014 national title. Terry Bowden coached Samford from 1987-92, leading the Bulldogs to an epic ’91 season in what would be his penultimate season as head coach at Samford before moving on to Auburn in 1993.

In his first season at the helm in 1987, Terry Bowden equaled his father’s record of 9-1 and a year later, just as his father had done in 1959, helped facilitate the return of scholarship football. In his final two seasons as the head coach, Bowden would lead the Bulldogs to consecutive FCS playoff berths in 1991 and ’92. The Bulldogs went 12-2 in the 1991 campaign, making it all the way to the FCS semifinals before eventually losing to Youngstown State (L, 0-10). The Penguins would go on to win the national title under the direction of Jim Tressel.

The Bulldogs would return to the playoffs in Bowden’s final season as head coach at Samford in 1992, dropping an opening-round contest at Delaware (L, 21-56) and legendary head coach Tubby Raymond. Terry Bowden’s successor would be Chan Gailey, who would coach the Bulldogs for one season, leading Samford to a 5-6 mark in 1993 before moving on to become the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bulldogs wouldn’t reach the playoffs again until 2013, which would mark the first of four FCS playoff appearances as a Southern  Conference member.

The playoff appearance in 2013 came five years after Samford’s first official season as a Southern Conference member in 2008. The coach then was the same one that would lead the Bulldogs to their first FCS playoff berth as a SoCon member some five years later—Pat Sullivan—a legend in the Yellow Hammer State, winning the 1972 Heisman Trophy as the quarterback of the Auburn Tigers. Sullivan would retire due to some health problems following the 2014 season, setting the stage for the Hatch Attack to arrive in Birmingham.

Hatcher has led the Bulldogs to its lone SoCon title and one of the best seasons in school history in 2022. He also helped procure the talented Devlin Hodges, who won the 2018 Walter Payton Award, which is basically the Heisman Trophy of the FCS level. Hodges finished his career as the FCS all-time career passing leader (14,484 yds) and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 where he spent two seasons before playing for a season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. He also ended up playing for the Ottawa Redblacks in 2021. Samford’s football history is a veritable “who’s who” of college football names associated with winning or record-setting players, especially when it comes to former coaches and quarterbacks.

OFFENSIVE SCHEME: West Coast

DEFENSIVE SCHEME: 4-2-5

COACHES PRESEASON PROJECTION: 5th

KEY OFFENSIVE RETURNERS:  QB Quincy Crittendon (Preseason second-team All-SoCon selection/277-of-394 passing, 2,689 yds, 18 TDs, 12 INTs/147 rush att., 386 yds, 7 TDs, 2.6 YPC), OL Duncan Johnson III (Logged action in 10 games as a backup at left tackle in ’24); OL Tyler Douthit (Logged action in eight games as a reserve on the OL in ’24); WR Teddy Davenport (6 rec., 34 yds, 5.7 YPR in ’24); WR Preston Bird (18 rec., 203 yds, 1 TD, 11.3 YPR in ’24); WR Rayf Vinson (5 rec, 122 yds, 1 TD, 24.4 YPR in ’24); OL Noah Watts (logged action in three games, including one start vs. Wofford for the Bulldogs in ’24); QB Haden Klees (0-of-1 passing in ‘24/redshirt freshman)

KEY OFFENSIVE DEPARTURES: RB Damonta Witherspoon (out of eligibility); OL Chris Noble (out of eligibility); OL Donovan Hawkins (out of eligibility); OL Cooper Frazier (transferred to Southern Miss); OL Luke Byrne (out of eligbility); WR E. Jai Mason (transferred to Charlotte); WR Brendan Jenkins (transferred to South Alabama); OL Darrian King (transferred to Mercer); WR D.J. Rias (out of eligibility); WR Jaylen Barden (out of eligibility); OL Zach Bond (out of eligibility); OL Zach Brown (out of eligibility), WR Stephen Martin (out of eligibility); WR Wesley Carlock (out of eligibility); RB Micah Kelly (out of eligibility); TE Daniel Bettis (out of eligibility)

KEY DEFENSIVE RETURNERS: DB Gumbo Gaskins (6 tackles in ’24); DL Conroy Cunningham II (Preseason first-team All-SoCon selection; 27 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 5.0 sacks, 1 FF in ‘24); DB Jalik Yancey (16 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.O sack, 1 FR in ’24); LB Deuce Caldwell II (4 tackles in ‘24/Saw action in six games); LB Malik Gaither (10 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack); LB Jaden Mosley (Preseason second-team All-SoCon selection/75 tackles, 14.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 1 INT in ‘24); LB Gavin Morris (19 tackles, 1.0 TFL in ‘24); LB Carson Sloan (5 tackles, 1 QBH/saw action in eight games in ’24); DB Luke Wattenbarger (3 tackles, 1 PBU/saw action in seven games in ’24); DL Corey Warren (10 tackles/saw action in 10 games in his first season at Samford in ’24); DB Jalen Nelson (16 tackles in ‘24/logged action in five contests in ’24);

KEY DEFENSIVE DEPARTURES: DB Dontae Pollard (transferred to Temple); DL Mekhi Gilbert (transferred to Eastern Michigan); DB CJ Douglas (transferred to Houston); DL Jamall Thompson (transferred to New Mexico State); DB Jamari Cannon (entered transfer portal/no announced destination); LB Noah Martin (first-team All-SoCon selection in ‘24/out of eligibility); DL Josh Mathiasen (out of eligibility); DB Xavier Lanier (out of eligibility); DB Seth Parker (out of eligibility); DL Xavier Nurse (out of eligibility); LB Thomas Neville (out of eligibility); DL Jalen Rainey (out of eligibility); DB Kamron Smith (out of eligibility); DL Johnny Johnson (out of eligibility); DB Mithcell Owen (out of eligibility); DL Nazir Sy (out of eligibility); DB Midnight Steward; DB Edwin Dearman (out of eligibility); Jordan Russell (out of eligibility); DL Nick Jackson (out of eligibility)

KEY SPECIAL TEAMS RETURNERS: P Willl Thorley (punted 69 times for an average 38.2 YPP in ’24)

KEY SPECIAL TEAMS DEPARTURES: K/PK William Beaverstock (out of eligibility)

KEY TRANSFER PORTAL ADDITIONS:  DL Jackson Bussey (Appalachian State); OL Web Davidson (Virginia Tech); LB Caulen Dunn (NW Mississippi CC); RB CJ Evans (Tennessee State); QB Charlie Gilliam (Wake Forest); WR Jaden Gibson (Virginia); DL Donovan Grayson (West Virginia); TE Grant Hidalgo (Auburn); K Ty Ippolito (South Florida); LB Jacob Johnson (Southern Miss); DB Trey Lenhardt (Appalachian State); DL Andrew Jordan (Golden West College); OL Kaleb May (Kennesaw State); DB Marlon McClendon (Georgia State); DL J.D. Methvin (Itawamba CC); OL Crosby Mullins (Mississippi Gulf Coast College); DB Dee Newsome (Jacksonville State); WR Calvin Jones (Western Carolina); OL Kaleb Pearley (SEM0); DB Nahil Perkins (Fordham); WR Jack Schwing (Southern Miss); DL Joseph Shannon (Iowa Central CC); DB Malik Thornton (University of the Cumberlands); DB Termaine Turner Jr. (North Dakota State); DB Amari Wansley (Murray State); DB Keshawn Washington (Murray State); DL Hank Weber (Wisconsin); DB Lashon Young (Miles College)

HOME STADIUM: Pete Hanna Stadium/Bobby Bowden Field (6,700)

OVERVIEW AND 2024 RECAP: Samford’s 2024 season was a microcosm of the Southern Conference as a whole for the duration of the 2024 season, which saw Samford be not only one of the most bipolar teams in the Southern Conference, but likely all of FCS football.

The Bulldogs would end up finishing out the 2024 football season with a 4-7 overall record, which included a 3-4 mark in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs originally had planned on playing 12 games like the rest of the league last fall, however, had one of its league games against Furman canceled due to the power outages in the Upstate South Carolina region as a result of Hurricane Helene.

With that said, the Bulldogs would win the award as the SoCon and maybe the FCS award for the most Jekyll and Hyde team in all of the FCS football last season. Sometimes you got the Samford team that knocked off Mercer (W, 55-35) at home and Chattanooga (W, 36-13), while at others you might get the one that lost three-straight down the stretch against Wofford (L, 13-17), at The Citadel (L, 11-28) and a non-conference loss at home against Tennessee Tech (L, 7-27).

Not only did the offense struggle in those three games towards the end of the season, but also earlier in the season. When is the last time you heard Samford involved in a game since Chris Hatcher took the helm prior to the 2016 season that the Bulldogs were involved in a game that there was a combined 19 points scored, and much less, that the Bulldogs were the actual victor in that game? Well, that’s exactly what happened in the Bulldogs third non-conference game of the season against Alabama State, as the Bulldogs came out with a strange 12-7 win.

During that three-game losing stretch that spanned the end of October and the first couple of weeks of November during the 2024 season, the Bulldogs managed just a combined 31 combined points in three-straight setbacks for Samford, which is unheard of for Hatcher-coached teams. Obviously we’re used to seeing the Bulldogs among the FCS leaders in total offense year-in and year-out on that side of the ball, however, during the 2024 campaign there was definitely more than a fair share of uncertainty on that side of the ball and the inconsistency under center at times could account for some of those problems offensively, but certainly not all of them.

However, you didn’t need that three-game losing stretch late, or even the game three eyesore against the in-state Hornets to know that the 2024 football season was going to be a strange one in Homewood. The 2024 season for the Bulldogs was very much a case of a step forward and two steps back with each win and loss throughout what was a roller-coaster type campaign.

It was not going to be easy for the Bulldogs when they opened on the road at NCAA Division I FCS transitioning West Georgia. The Wolves made it 1-for-1 in games as an NCAA Division I FCS recognized program, as they downed 2022 SoCon champion Samford, 38-29 in the season opener. It was certainly an inauspicious start to the campaign for Samford, and one that head coach Chris Hatcher had feared when I spoke with him at the SoCon’s annual football media day, which was held at Hotel Hartness in Greenville, S.C.

The loss by Samford was not a good look for a league trying to gain traction as the third-best conference in FCS football. Samford did hold a slight advantage in total yards (465-456), with starter Quincy Crittendon connecting on 24-of-41 passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns and an INT.

A 45-7 loss in “The Swamp” to Billy Napier’s Florida Gators came as no surprise in the second week of the season, but the Bulldogs would get back on the winning track the following week, clinching their first win of the season in what was a 12-7 triumph. Damonta Witherspoon’s 1-yard scoring plunge with 7:01 remaining in the game was the only points of the second half, as the Bulldogs ran out victors by five points in a slightly surprising scoreline at Pete Hanna Stadium/Bobby Bowden Field.

The strangeness would touch a different part of weird the following Saturday, as the Bulldogs would see their Southern Conference opener canceled all together against Furman in Greenville, as Samford made it to their hotel in Greenville, but had no power, as much of Greenville was without after Hurricane Helene hit the Upstate, S.C. area hard, leaving most of the Upstate of South Carolina in the dark, including the entire Furman University campus.

Since the Bulldogs already had an off-week built into its schedule prior to the Furman game, they would take the field until a full 21 days following their five-point win over the Hornets, which was an Oct. 5 clash against VMI. The Bulldogs would gain just 312 yards of total offense, but that would be more than enough for Quincy Crittendon and the Bulldogs offense, as the Bulldog defense did a number on the Keydet offense, limiting them to just 131 points and just a total of three points over the 60 minutes of football, claiming what was a 27-3 win.

The game that likely was one that changed the complexion of Samford’s 2024 season likely came the following week at East Tennessee State, as the Bulldogs jumped out to as much a two-touchdown lead twice in the game, with the latest coming with 10:35 remaining in the third quarter when E. Jai Mason hauled in a 7-yard scoring pass from Crittendon to give the Bulldogs the 28-14 lead.

However, after it had been a big day for Crittendon, it would be ETSU’s defense that would shut down Samford’s big-play offense the rest of the afternoon, scoring the game’s final 17 points, overcoming what had been a big day for passing-wise for Crittendon and the Samford offense. Unfortunately, balancing out three scoring tosses with three INTs is never a good ratio, and if there was one primary criticism of the junior quarterback back during the 2024 season, it was that he could be careless with the football at times.

Crittendon finished the contest connecting on 15-of-27 passes for 268 yards, with three touchdowns and three picks.

While the loss at East Tennessee State was certainly a disappointment, the 55-35 win over No. 7 Mercer a week later, notching what was easily the biggest win of the year for the Bulldogs.

A combination of an opportunistic defense and an explosive offensive were the perfect mix to combine for what was a most explosive afternoon. It was especially impressive for an offensive that had kind of been waiting to have that breakthrough game of the 2024 season, and Mercer caught a Samford team that, on this day, could do virtually nothing wrong on either side of the ball.

The Bulldogs had taken a 28-0 lead before Mercer really knew what hit it, as Quincy Crittendon eclipsed his three scoring tosses in Johnson City a week earlier by the end of the first quarter, highlighted by the final of the four scoring tosses with 8:25 left in the opening quarter, as the junior signal-caller found E. Jai Mason on a 77-yard scoring strike to make it a 28-0 lead.

Mercer’s only response in the opening 30 minutes of football came on the ensuing drive, as Bears quarterback DJ Smith scored on an 1-yard scoring plunge to conclude an eight-play, 55-yard drive for the visitors and make the score 28-7 with just 18 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

Order would be restored by the Bears in the second quarter, however, as Samford would tack on two more touchdowns and took a crazy 42-7 lead into the half. The Bulldogs would get second-quarter touchdowns on a pair of short scoring runs from Damonta Witherspoon, who posted runs of 2 and 4 yards to make it a 35-point halftime cushion for the home team.

Despite the huge deficit, it wasn’t as if Mercer were a team that didn’t earn its Top 10 ranking, and everyone kind of knew that the Bears were going to play their best football in the second half, however, the question for Samford and Mercer fans heading into the second half was had Samford done enough to kill Mercer’s will to believe it could win the game.

The answer was an emphatic NO! The Bears scored three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter, which included a pair of short scoring runs from SoCon Offensive Player of the Year DeWayne McGee, who posted scores of 1 and 2 yards to open the second half scoring for the Bears. Then, tight end Sam Albee hauled in a 5-yard scoring toss DJ Smith to cap the scoring for the quarter with 2:25 remaining in the third frame, getting the Bears to within 14 points (42-28) in this crazy game to make the make the nerves a little on edge for the 4,216 fans on-hand at Pete Hanna Stadium.

However, in what was a football game that, in many ways, was a microcosm of Samford’s entire 2024 season, it was fitting Samford should clinch the huge win with a pair of unconventional scores, with both coming on defensive scores. Gavin Morris scored on a 55-yard fumble return for a TD with 11:43 left before All-America linebacker capped the win of the season for Samford, returning a Whitt Neubauer pass 26 yards for a score to put the Bulldogs ahead 55-28 with 6:33 left. Mercer would tack on one more score on a Neubauer 5-yard scoring pass with 1:42 left, setting the final margin at 20, as Samford evened its overall record to 3-3 and improved to 2-1 in league play. The Bulldogs posted 446 yards of total offense, while holding the Bears to 391 in notching the signature win of 2024, handing Mercer its only SoCon loss of the season. Crittendon finished going 23-of-37 passing for 378 yards and four scoring tosses, while also throwing three picks. Crittendon added 24 rushing yards to finish with 402 yards of total offense for the game. The Bears had only given up 46 points in six games prior to having the Bulldogs put up double nickels in the home win.

The win over Mercer, however, would be the high point of the season, as the final five games of the season would ultimately be a big disappointment, with the inconsistency under center and on offense as a whole being the main reason for the struggle over the latter half of the season. The Bulldogs would go just 1-4 in their final games of the season, losing three-straight, with two of those losses coming at home. The Bulldogs dropped consecutive outings against Wofford (L, 13-17), at The Citadel (L, 11-28) and vs. Tennessee Tech (L, 7-27) in the decisive stretch that would see Samford playing its final two league games essentially for pride.

It was absolutely no surprise then, that the final win of the season for Hatcher’s Bulldogs would come against the team picked to win the SoCon, as the Bulldogs went to Chattanooga and shocked the Mocs, handing UTC a 36-13 loss to all but finish off any hopes of a SoCon title or the FCS playoffs for the home team.

The win over the 19^th-ranked Mocs gave Samford its second ranked win of the season, as the Bulldogs were a team that obviously played to the level of competition on the other side of the football. The Bulldogs posted a massive 465-177 edge in total offense for the game and the road win by the Bulldogs meant Samford had a rare opportunity to play spoiler in back-to-back weeks when it faced Western Carolina at home in the final regular-season clash.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they would close out the season with a home loss to Western Carolina, dropping a 47-42 contest in another wild SoCon game that featured a lot of points and offense, but while the Bulldogs put up 42 points and amassed a season-best 568 yards of total offense, out-rushing the visitors from Cullowhee, 365-74.

Quincy Crittendon produced his second truly magnificent performance of the as he finished off the season by posting 412 yards of total offense and five touchdown responsibilities.

The Bulldogs finished the 2024 season with a 4-7 overall record and a 3-4 league mark, and while there was an overall feeling of disappointment, the future looks bright heading into the 2025 season, with a good crop of talent once again on the way from the transfer portal, and with a year under his belt, starting quarterback Quincy Crittendon figures to be among the best in the SoCon next season.

The Bulldogs only had three players garner all-conference recognition, with two of those on the defensive of the football, as linebacker Noah Martin garnered first-team All-SoCon honors, as did sophomore defensive back C.J. Douglas. Martin ended up being a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award and finished the 2024 football season by contributing 114 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles, two sacks, two INTs and a touchdown. Martin would go on to garner second-team All-America honors according to the Associated Press.

This season there is hope to be entertained, as the Bulldogs look to return to the top half of SoCon, however, there are plenty of unknowns moving forward into 2025. Only four starters return on the offensive and defensive sides of the football, with quarterback Quincy Crittendon being the lone returning starter on the offensive side of the ball.

That’s a pretty good place to start, however. The other thing is Hatcher is as experienced as any coach in FCS football when it comes to bringing in huge hauls from the transfer portal. After all, it was the 2022 season that saw Hatcher bring in more than 40 from the portal, and that yielded one of the best seasons in school history.

THE OFFENSE: When only one starter returns on the offensive side of the ball, it could sometimes be a cause for concern. However, when that starter is a quarterback as talented as Quincy Crittendon, there is certainly less of a concern. Crittendon is a veteran of a full season’s worth of gridiron wars now, and he’s ready to lead almost a completely new group of players around him this fall, with plenty of talent added from the transfer portal.

Crittendon almost willed the Bulldogs to some of its wins last season on his own, but certainly the performances that come most vividly to mind from a year ago were his leading performances against Mercer and on the road late in the season at Chattanooga—both of which resulted in Samford wins. In the win over No. 7 Mercer, Crittendon looked unstoppable in the opening half of play, and he would finish the contest connecting on 23-of-37 for 378 yards, with four TDs and three INTs. In the win on the road against No. 19 Chattanooga, Crittendon was nearly equally impressive, as he finished the contest passing for 340 yards and a TD on 34-of-50 passing. He also threw one INT, and rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts.

While Crittendon is arguably the best quarterback in the league, or at least in that conversation, he’s not a one-man show. In fact, Chris Hatcher’s offenses never are, and while the quarterbacks in his offenses always do end up putting up big numbers, it’s never been the case where the Bulldogs didn’t have cast of worthy pass-catchers and running backs. Players like Ty King, Karel Hamilton and Kelvin McKnight at wide receiver and running backs like Roland Adams, DeMarcus Ware and Jay Stanton in past years were all enough productive in the ground game to keep defenses honest. However, the 2024 season was one that was starved for production at both at times during the season, making it seem as if it was a one-man show for Crittendon at times. Help is on the way, or at least it should be.

Tennessee State graduate transfer C.J. Evans should find himself in the mix at running back spot with the chance to see some significant action in the rotation for the Bulldogs this fall. Prior to his one season at Tennessee State, Evans spent a couple of seasons at Austin Peay, where he played in 34 games, rushing for a total of 1,309 yards and 12 TDs, including leading the game in rushing with 641 yards in 2022. He showed his versatility out of the backfield as well with the Governors, posting 517 receiving yards, with a pair of receiving scores. In his one season at Tennessee State, Evans rushed for 309 yards and three scores, while also hauling in 23 passes for 302 yards and three scores.

The offensive line is a bit of a concern heading into the 2025 season and it’s been a problem area over the past couple of seasons, as its been the primary area of struggle for Samford offense ever since that magical 2022 11-win, SoCon title-winning campaign. All five starters must be replaced along the offensive front heading into the 2025 season, with veterans like junior Tyler Douthit and Noah Watts, as both could be ready to step into starting roles and solidify the right side of the offensive front, with Douthit in line to challenge for the starting job at right tackle, while Watts could be ready to step into the starting role at right guard.

The offensive line, however, remains a big concern heading into the 2025 season. Of the returnees, Duncan Johnson III could also be a possibility to see some time this fall, as he logged action in 10 games as a backup at right guard. Web Davidson (Virginia Tech), Kaleb May (Kennesaw State), Crosby Mullins (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC), and Kaleb Pearley (SEMO) all have the immediate opportunity to play a role as impact performers along the OL this fall. Rayf Vinson is back at wide receiver, but like most every other positional unit from last season, was gutted by either graduating players going into the real world, or more notably, the transfer portal. That has been an issue more on offense at this particular spot in recent seasons, especially with how prolific the Hatch Attack is as an offense, and guys like Brendan Jenkins (transferred to South Alabama) and E. Jai Mason (transferred to Charlotte) were the latest to move on to the FBS.  

Vinson is joined by Preston Bird as one of the few veterans to return at the position. The staff managed to mine the transfer portal for some pretty good talent, such as Calvin Jones from SoCon rival Western Carolina, hauling in 111 passes for 1,445 yards and seven scores during his time as a Catamount wideout. Jaden Gibson comes over from the University of Virginia, where he saw action in 18 games spanning two seasons, catching a total of 15 passes for 145 yards during his time with the Cavaliers. As far as how the offensive ranked nationally last season, the Bulldogs finished off the campaign ranking 63^rd in total offense (358.9 YPG) last season, while also finishing the campaign ranking 23^rd in the nation in passing offense (245.9 YPG).

THE DEFENSE: On the defensive side of the football, the Bulldogs were equally hit hard by graduation, which includes losing All-American linebacker Noah Martin to graduation. Martin finished the 2024 season with 114 tackles, which ranked second behind 120 stops by VMI’s Eric Rankin and Furman’s Evan DiMaggio. The Bulldogs will also have new defensive coordinators for the 2025 season, with both Scot Sloan and Justin Cooper set to share the duties in the 2025 campaign.

Sloan is a veteran, serving in the same capacity at former SoCon programs App State (2010-17), as well as Georgia Southern. Sloan started out as the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at App State in his first stint with App State, while in his second stint, Sloan served as the defensive coordinator for the Mountaineers each of the previous two seasons. In his 30+ years of coaching experience, Sloan has spent 16 of those years serving in the role of defensive coordinator. The Bulldogs will likely be multiple on defensive side of the ball this season, featuring both a 3-4 defensive alignment, as well as a 4-2-5, which will likely be the more preferred defensive package. One of the anchors of Sloan and Cooper’s defense this fall will be returning along the defensive line, in Bethune-Cookman transfer and graduate Conroy Cunningham, who was a fixture along the defensive front last season and will be in his second and final season with Samford. Among those that could help out immediately along the defensive line this fall is J.D. Methvin out of Starkville, MS., as he comes to Homewood from Itwamba Community College, while also bringing in several other defensive line transfers from the portal, like JD Bussey (App State), Andrew Jordan (Golden West College), Donovan Grayson (West Virginia).

Georgia State transfer Corey Warren figures to compete for a starting job at one of the defensive tackle spots after seeing action in 10 games last fall in his first season with the Bulldogs. He posted 10 tackles, which included seven solo stops as a reserve last season. As far as linebacker is concerned, it’s going to be hard to replace Martin’s caliber in the unit, however, the good news is starter Jaden Mosley returns for a second graduate season after starting all 11 games at weakside linebacker for the Bulldogs last season.

He ended up finishing second on the team with 75 tackles last season, which included leading the team with 14 tackles-for-loss and was second on the team with four sacks. Mosley is a second-team preseason All-SoCon selection. Junior Gavin Morris and Malik Gilbert are both holdovers from last season’s two-deep, while Caulen Dunn from Northwest Mississippi Community College will be another that should compete for a spot on the two-deep.  Finally, the secondary lost nickel safety Dontae Pollard to the transfer portal, as he has decided to move on and play for Temple next season.

The same is true for corner CJ Douglas, who was a second-team All-SoCon pick last season, but has opted to move on and play for the Houston Cougars in 2025. Gumbo Gaskins figures to challenge to step in for the starting spot at nickel safety, while Jalik Yancey and Fordham graduate transfer Nahlil Perkins figure to be in line to be a solid tandem at cornerback. Also, one of the prized recruits of the class include University of the Cumberlands transfer cornerback Malik Thornton, who was a two-time Mid-South Conference all-conference pick and was the MSC Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2022 during his three seasons spent in rural Kentucky. In three seasons, Thornton posted 59 tackles, 10 INTs and 21 pass breakups.

Overall, Samford is in good position to make some waves in the SoCon this fall, but how another huge recruiting haul from the transfer portal pans out is anyone’s guess.

NON-CONFERENCE GAME TO WATCH: vs West Georgia (Aug. 28)—If there’s one team that Samford owes a tremendous amount of payback to on its schedule, it’s West Georgia. After all, the Wolves forever made the Bulldogs a note in program history, as it will always be known for being the team that the Wolves beat as an NCAA Division I member, taking a 39-28 win in a Thursday night season opener in Carrollton last fall. When the two meet in the Thursday night season-opener at Pete Hanna Stadium, it will mark the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs, with the  Wolves and Bulldogs all tied in the all-time series, 3-3.

CONFERENCE GAME TO WATCH: at Mercer (Oct. 4)-- A quickly emerging rivalry on the Southern Conference gridiron has been the one between Samford and Mercer, and it is a game that has truly had some wild finishes in recent seasons, with last season’s 55-35 win by the Bulldogs over the Bears not only being the only loss the Bears would suffer in SoCon play last season, but also the result was one of the most surprising results of the entire season on the SoCon gridiron campaign, if for no other reason than the margin of victory by the Bulldogs in the first place.

When the Bulldogs and Bears meet this season it will mark the 32^nd all-time meeting between the two teams, with the latest of those meetings seeing the Bulldogs assume a 16-14-1 lead in the all-time series, which began in 1907. You could certainly argue that the Mercer-Samford rivalry is one of the emerging rivalries on the SoCon gridiron, with the Bulldogs holding the 7-4 overall advantage since Mercer joined the SoCon as an official member back in 2014. The meeting back in the 2022 season produced a classic in the series, with Samford holding on for a 50-44 double-overtime win.

It would in fact be the first time we would be introduced to the name Quincy Crittendon, who will lead the Bulldogs into action this season under center, as it would be Crittendon’s 25-yard touchdown on his first play in the game that would end up being the game-winning points. That 2022 meeting would also see Mercer’s outstanding wideout Ty James set a Southern Conference record with 13 receptions for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win. It was among the best performances ever in an FCS game by a wideout and among the best performances by a wideout at any level of college football. Samford always finds a way to keep this game close, if not win the game. An early-October win on the road at what would be a likely highly-ranked Mercer team would be the kind of early-season league momentum that could result in a bigger than expected season for the Bulldogs.

QUOTABLE: Quincy Crittendon on playing point guard in high school and how it translates to being a college quarterback -

“Playing point guard, a big part of their job is to distribute the ball to players on the court and facilitate. I think being a quarterback goes hand to hand with that. Just getting all my receivers the ball, running back the ball, making sure I get everybody a fair share of the ball.”

Final Synopsis: Samford is a football team that is always dangerous, and though the Bulldogs have just one starter returning on the offensive side of the football, that one starter is Quincy Crittendon, who is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the FCS. Expect the Bulldogs to be a thorn in the side of everyone in the league this season, and I expect they could play spoiler to someone’s FCS playoff or SoCon title hopes this fall. I don’t think they are quite good enough to break through and challenge for a conference title or make it to the FCS Playoffs, however.