Davidson football received one first-place vote and ended up third overall in the Pioneer Football League’s preseason coaches poll, released Tuesday.
The Wildcats, who won the non-scholarship FCS conference in 2020 and 2021, finished behind defending champion Drake and St. Thomas in the balloting.
Drake received eight out of 11 first-place votes and 98 total points (coaches can’t vote for their own teams). St. Thomas, which won the Pioneer title in 2022, earned one first-place vote and edged Davidson 87-81 for the runner-up slot.
Butler and San Diego round out the top five, followed by Dayton, Presbyterian, Marist, Morehead State, Valparaiso and Stetson.
Interestingly, Davidson (7-4, 6-2 in 2023) will not face either Drake or St. Thomas this season. PFL teams play an eight-game conference slate, and the Wildcats miss both of the front-runners this go-around. They didn’t play Drake or St. Thomas in 2023 either.
There is no league title game in the PFL. The regular season champion earns an automatic berth into the FCS playoffs.
Davidson kicks off the new season Saturday, Aug. 31 at Georgetown. After non-conference home games against Catawba and Point, then a bye week, the ‘Cats will begin their quest to regain the Pioneer Football League trophy at Presbyterian on Sept. 28.
The PFL plans to release its preseason all-conference team on Wednesday.
Mari Adams named to Payton Award watch list
The Davidson junior running back — featured in an FCS Spotlight story by NC Football News earlier today — has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award. This honor, similar to the Heisman Trophy, is presented annually to the national offensive player of the year in Division I FCS football.
As a sophomore, Adams led the Pioneer Football League and finished fifth nationally in rushing touchdowns with 15, while ranking among conference leaders in rushing yards (1,019 / 3rd), yards per rush (6.21 / 4th) and yards per game (92.6 / 3rd).
Adams, a native of nearby Shelby, ran for more than 100 yards in a game five times, including 150 twice highlighted by a career-best 171 yards and three scores at Butler.
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