BigBlueMU
February 11th, 2021, 10:58 AM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com (http://www.bigsouthsports.com/)) – Defending Big South Champion Monmouth University has been tabbed the favorite in the conference’s preseason 2021 spring football poll as voted by the league’s head coaches and media panel, it was announced today. The Big South’s 2021 spring football schedule will feature five teams playing a four-game conference slate to determine the league’s automatic qualifier to the FCS Playoffs.
The Hawks collected six of the 10 first-place votes and finished with 44 points to earn the league’s top ranking entering the 2021 spring football season. Kennesaw State was just behind Monmouth in the preseason rankings with 43 points, and received three first-place votes from the panel. Charleston Southern collected the remaining first-place vote and 31 points for third-place in the preseason standings. Gardner-Webb and new football associate member Robert Morris tied for fourth in the polling with 16 points each. Big South football members Campbell, North Alabama and Hampton will not compete during the upcoming spring season.
Meanwhile, Kennesaw State teammates Isaac Foster and Bryson Armstrong were voted the Big South’s Spring Football Preseason Players of the Year. Foster was the Offensive selection, while Armstrong was the Defensive honoree. The running back rushed for 506 yards and four touchdowns in 2019, but missed the final five games due to injury. He averaged 14.9 yards per carry and 72.3 rushing yards in his seven appearances that season. Foster enjoyed a breakout game at Missouri State with touchdown runs of 75 and 67 yards as part of his 187-yard performance on the ground. In 2019 he also caught six passes for 111 yards and a score, returned 14 kickoffs for 407 yards (29.1 yard average) and averaged 162.3 all-purpose yards. Foster received four first-place votes and 10 total points in the Preseason Spring Offensive Player of the Year voting, ahead of Gardner-Webb wide receiver Izaiah Gathings (three first-place votes and 8 points).
Armstrong is a three-time First-Team All-Conference selection in his career at KSU. The linebacker was the 2019 Big South Defensive Player of the Year, earned five All-America plaudits that season and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation’s top defensive player. Named Second-Team All-American by the AFCA, Associated Press and Hero Sports in addition to Third-Team All-America honors from STATS LLC and Phil Steele, Armstrong finished 2019 with a team-high 95 total tackles during the season -- including 51 solo stops. A member of the nation’s third-ranked defense, Armstrong totaled 12.0 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 2019. He helped the Owls lead the Big South in total defense (278.7), scoring defense (18.7) and rushing defense (88.9). Armstrong led KSU in tackles seven times -- including five games with 10+, and his 95 stops were 39 more than his next-closest teammate. He also recorded a tackle-for-loss in 10 of his 14 games played. The 2017 STATS Jerry Rice Award Winner as the FCS National Freshman of the Year, Armstrong enters the spring campaign 16 tackles shy of 300 in his career, and has posted 67 stops in seven career FCS Playoff games (9.57 average). He collected seven first-place votes and 17 points in the preseason spring balloting, ahead of Charleston Southern defensive lineman Shaundre Mims (two first-place votes and 7 points)
2021 SPRING FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
Rk - School (first-place votes)
Points
1 - Monmouth (6)
44
2 - Kennesaw State (3)
43
3 - Charleston Southern (1)
31
T-4 - Gardner-Webb
16
T-4 - Robert Morris
16
The Hawks collected six of the 10 first-place votes and finished with 44 points to earn the league’s top ranking entering the 2021 spring football season. Kennesaw State was just behind Monmouth in the preseason rankings with 43 points, and received three first-place votes from the panel. Charleston Southern collected the remaining first-place vote and 31 points for third-place in the preseason standings. Gardner-Webb and new football associate member Robert Morris tied for fourth in the polling with 16 points each. Big South football members Campbell, North Alabama and Hampton will not compete during the upcoming spring season.
Meanwhile, Kennesaw State teammates Isaac Foster and Bryson Armstrong were voted the Big South’s Spring Football Preseason Players of the Year. Foster was the Offensive selection, while Armstrong was the Defensive honoree. The running back rushed for 506 yards and four touchdowns in 2019, but missed the final five games due to injury. He averaged 14.9 yards per carry and 72.3 rushing yards in his seven appearances that season. Foster enjoyed a breakout game at Missouri State with touchdown runs of 75 and 67 yards as part of his 187-yard performance on the ground. In 2019 he also caught six passes for 111 yards and a score, returned 14 kickoffs for 407 yards (29.1 yard average) and averaged 162.3 all-purpose yards. Foster received four first-place votes and 10 total points in the Preseason Spring Offensive Player of the Year voting, ahead of Gardner-Webb wide receiver Izaiah Gathings (three first-place votes and 8 points).
Armstrong is a three-time First-Team All-Conference selection in his career at KSU. The linebacker was the 2019 Big South Defensive Player of the Year, earned five All-America plaudits that season and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation’s top defensive player. Named Second-Team All-American by the AFCA, Associated Press and Hero Sports in addition to Third-Team All-America honors from STATS LLC and Phil Steele, Armstrong finished 2019 with a team-high 95 total tackles during the season -- including 51 solo stops. A member of the nation’s third-ranked defense, Armstrong totaled 12.0 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 2019. He helped the Owls lead the Big South in total defense (278.7), scoring defense (18.7) and rushing defense (88.9). Armstrong led KSU in tackles seven times -- including five games with 10+, and his 95 stops were 39 more than his next-closest teammate. He also recorded a tackle-for-loss in 10 of his 14 games played. The 2017 STATS Jerry Rice Award Winner as the FCS National Freshman of the Year, Armstrong enters the spring campaign 16 tackles shy of 300 in his career, and has posted 67 stops in seven career FCS Playoff games (9.57 average). He collected seven first-place votes and 17 points in the preseason spring balloting, ahead of Charleston Southern defensive lineman Shaundre Mims (two first-place votes and 7 points)
2021 SPRING FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
Rk - School (first-place votes)
Points
1 - Monmouth (6)
44
2 - Kennesaw State (3)
43
3 - Charleston Southern (1)
31
T-4 - Gardner-Webb
16
T-4 - Robert Morris
16