South Atlantic Conference football underwent major staff upheaval in the off-season, with seven of the league’s 11 established programs bringing new head coaches into their folds (the 12th school is Anderson, new to football).
Mars Hill bucked that trend though — as it has for more than three decades — and will welcome back the head coach with the longest continuous collegiate tenure in North Carolina, Tim Clifton, who begins his 31st season on campus.
With the 2024 NCAA Division II season less than a month away, here are seven things to know about the Clifton and his latest Mars Hill group:
1. The team to beat in the Mountain
SAC coaches picked Mars Hill as the No. 4 team in the conference in the league’s preseason poll, released Friday. The Lions trailed only Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate and Limestone in the voting — all schools that play in the Piedmont Division. Mars Hill, which plays in the Mountain Division, received two first-place votes.
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Defending champion Lenoir-Rhyne tops the SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Preseason All-Division teams announced.
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— South Atlantic Conference (@SAC_Athletics) August 2, 2024
2. Offensive firepower returns
Mars Hill put four offensive players on the All-Mountain preseason team. All four — quarterback JR Martin, running back Jon Gullette, wide receiver Malik Laurent and tight end Beau DeBerry — played starting roles on last year’s team, which finished 8-2 overall and earned a share of the Mountain Division title.
Martin finished fourth in the conference in passing yards-per-game a year ago (192.8). He threw 16 touchdown passes. Gullette rushed for 869 yards (fourth best in the league). Laurent caught 49 passes for 648 yards and three touchdowns, while DeBerry hauled in 30 passes for 390 yards and 5 TDs.
3. Big shoes to fill on defense
One of the best to ever play linebacker at Mars Hill bid farewell to the school after 2023. Landon Honeycutt, who earned a tryout with the Cleveland Browns in the spring, started 45 games in his college career. He recorded 370 tackles, 44.5 tackles-for-loss and 18 sacks. He was to Mars Hill and the SAC what Payton Wilson was to NC State’s defense – a motor that never stopped.
The Lions will build their 2024 defense around a trio of preseason all-Mountain players — linebacker Dexter Fitzpatrick, defensive lineman Boris Lewis and defensive back Tristan Rankin. Fitzpatrick trailed only Honeycutt in total tackles (69) last season and returned a fumble 57 yards for a touchdown against UVA Wise.
4. The OG of the Mountain Division
Clifton is the only returning head coach in the SAC’s Mountain Division (which includes newcomer Anderson). He’s second all-time in the conference in wins, earning 167 overall and 105 in league action. He trails only former Carson-Newman skipper Ken Sparks (338-99-2 overall, 203-57 SAC). Clifton started at Mars Hill in 1993.
Since the COVID pandemic, Clifton has orchestrated some of his best work. Mars Hill went 8-3 in 2021, 7-3 in 2022 (winning the Mountain Division) and 8-2 a year ago. The 2022 team played in the SAC championship game (losing a heart-breaker to Newberry 27-24), while last year’s squad was within a double-overtime loss to Tusculum of returning to the title game.
5. Can they break the playoff drought?
Mars Hill has been knocking on the door of making the D2 post-season bracket the past two years. The Lions were listed in the D2 regional rankings up until that loss to Tusculum last November.
Mars Hill last went to the playoffs in 2011, losing in the second round. With all three projected conference front-runners adjusting to new coaches and revamped rosters, experience may play in the Lions’ favor this fall.
6. Early start, challenging home opener
Division II teams have the chance this season to play a “Week 0” game over Labor Day weekend. The Lions responded by scheduling one of the top programs in the south, Delta State, who will visit the Hill on Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
Delta State finished 10-2 a year ago and has been picked to finish third in the powerhouse Gulf South Conference. The Statesmen were 11-2 in 2022.
Mars Hill has back-to-back bye weeks after that game, the only non-conference contest on the schedule this season.
7. Jumping right in with conference heavyweights
We should learn the pecking order in the SAC pretty quickly, at least from Mars Hill’s point of view. The first two conference games come against defending champion Lenoir-Rhyne (home on Sept. 21) and Wingate (on the road Sept. 28).
Mars Hill beat Wingate in a defensive struggle to start last season. The Lions last played Lenoir-Rhyne in 2021, a 31-16 defeat.
Other conference foes include Carson-Newman, Tusculum and Emory & Henry at home, as well as Newberry, UVA Wise, Anderson and Catawba on the road. Anderson is a brand new program, replacing Erskine, which will spend this season in the Gulf South before jumping to Conference Carolinas in 2025.
