North Carolina should be a hotbed for NCAA FCS football this season.
The Old North State boasts two teams in the newly released AFCA FCS Coaches Poll – North Carolina Central at 19th and Gardner-Webb at 24th. Elon received enough votes to finish 30th. North Carolina A&T, Davidson and Campbell also received votes.
South Dakota State, the reigning FCS champion, headlines the AFCA coaches preseason top 25, followed by North Dakota State, Montana State, William & Mary and Holy Cross. Campbell’s season opener will be Thursday, Aug. 31 at home against William & Mary.
North Carolina has seven FCS teams. Only Western Carolina was not included in the coaches poll, but the Catamounts could be a team to be reckoned with in the solid Southern Conference, which includes No. 6 Furman, No. 9 Samford and No. 22 Mercer.
Western Carolina’s home opener will be Sept. 9 against Samford.
AFCS FCS Coaches Preseason Top 25
| Rank | School (1st votes) | 2022 Rec. | Pts. | 2022 Rank | Season Opener | Head Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota St. (24) | 14-1 | …624 | 1 | Aug. 31 vs. Western Oregon | Jimmy Rogers | |
| 2 | North Dakota St. (1) | 12-3 | 596 | 2 | Sept. 2 vs. Eastern Washington | Matt Entz | |
| 3 | Montana St. | 12-2 | 567 | 5 | Sept. 2 vs. Utah Tech | Brent Vigen | |
| 4 | William & Mary | 11-2 | 510 | 8 | Aug. 31 at Campbell | Mike London | |
| 5 | Holy Cross | 12-1 | 459 | 6 | Sept. 2 vs. Merrimack | Bob Chesney | |
| 6 | Furman | 10-3 | 438 | 10 | Aug. 31 vs. Tennessee Tech | Clay Hendrix | |
| 7 | UIW | 12-2 | 424 | 3 | Sept. 2 at UTEP | Clint Killough | |
| 8 | Sacramento St. | 12-1 | 421 | 4 | Aug. 31 at Nicholls St. | Andy Thompson | |
| 9 | Samford | 11-2 | 414 | 7 | Aug. 31 vs. Shorter | Chris Hatcher | |
| 10 | Weber St. | 10-3 | 325 | 9 | Aug. 31 vs. Central Washington | Mickey Mental | |
| 11 | Southeast Missouri St. | 9-3 | 322 | 13 | Sept. 2 at Kansas St. | Tom Matukewicz | |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 9-4 | 304 | 15 | Sept. 2 at Stonehill | Rick Santos | |
| 13 | Idaho | 7-5 | 288 | 22 | Aug. 31 at Lamar | Jason Eck | |
| 14 | Montana | 8-5 | 285 | 14 | Sept. 2 vs. Butler | Bobby Hauck | |
| 15 | Southeastern Louisiana | 9-4 | 259 | 19 | Sept. 2 at Mississippi St. | Frank Scelfo | |
| 16 | Richmond | 9-4 | 235 | 12 | Sept. 2 vs. Morgan St. | Russ Huesman | |
| 17 | UC Davis | 6-5 | 226 | NR | Aug. 31 at Texas A&M-Commerce | Dan Hawkins | |
| 18 | North Dakota | 7-5 | 188 | NR | Sept. 2 vs. Drake | Bubba Schweigert | |
| 19 | North Carolina Central | 10-2 | 139 | 17 | Sept. 2 vs. Winston-Salem St. | Trei Oliver | |
| 20 | Northern Iowa | 6-5 | 137 | NR | Sept. 2 at Iowa St. | Mark Farley | |
| 21 | Delaware | 8-5 | 124 | 24t | Aug. 31 at Stony Brook | Ryan Carty | |
| 22 | Mercer | 7-4 | 123 | 21 | Aug. 26 vs. North Alabama | Drew Cronic | |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 7-4 | 73 | NR | Aug. 31 at Georgia St. | Jim Fleming | |
| 24 | Gardner-Webb | 7-6 | 72 | NR | Sept. 2 at Appalachian St. | Tre Lamb | |
| 25 | Florida A&M | 9-2 | 70 | 23 | Sept. 3 vs. Jackson St. | Willie Simmons |
Others Receiving Votes: Yale, 64; Eastern Kentucky, 59; Fordham, 58; Jackson St., 37; Elon, 30; St. Thomas (Minn.), 30; Youngstown St., 28; Princeton, 26; Southern Illinois, 26; UT Martin, 23; Central Arkansas, 22; Chattanooga, 13; North Carolina A&T, 13; Illinois St., 12; Northern Arizona, 12; Southern, 9; Davidson, 7; St. Francis (Pa.), 7; Tennessee Tech, 6; Howard, 5; Pennsylvania, 5; Abilene Christian, 4; Austin Peay, 3; Campbell, 2; Villanova, 1.
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Recommended Reading From NC Football News
—> Five Who Could Surprise In 2023
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—> NC A&T Will Tackle 3 ACC Teams, Georgia In Future Schedules
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More ‘Best In State’ Reading From NC Football News
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Wingate’s Fleming tallied most TFLs; Brevard’s Dorsey led in sacks; WCU’s Lowery had most INTs. - All-North Carolina Tackling Leaders: Wake’s Andersen, JCSU’s Black Swarmed On Defense
Five North Carolina reached 100 tackles in 2024, led by Wake Forest safety’s 122 - All-North Carolina Passing Leaders: Jalen Ferguson, Joey Aguilar break 3,000 yards in 2024
UNC Pembroke’s Colin Johnson topped the state with 36 touchdown passes - Notre Dame’s North Carolina Connection: 7 Players from NC Chasing National Title
Fighting Irish tapping into talent pool from Old North State - D2 Stat Champions: Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate, UNC Pembroke kickers stayed busy in 2024
Highlighting the season’s top place-kicking performances in NC Division II football
