Western Carolina football has never hoisted the Southern Conference championship trophy since joining the league for football in 1977. But the Catamounts have served notice that the hunt is on for 2025.
Eleven WCU players have been named to the SoCon Preseason All-Conference team, and quarterback Taron Dickens has been tabbed as the league’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
WCU was picked third in the SoCon preseason coaches poll, just one point behind Chattanooga for second in the balloting. Defending champion Mercer was predicted to repeat. Western Carolina garnered one first-place vote, Chattanooga two and Mercer six.
It’s the second straight year the Catamounts were picked third. This time, they enter the season with both motivation and momentum after coming oh-so-close to winning the league title a year ago.
Eyes on the prize! Ready to HUNT🏆#NoExcuses #LOTE #SOCONMEDIADAY pic.twitter.com/RkZwP3viAb — Western Carolina Football (@CatamountsFB) July 22, 2025
🐾 All-SoCon Honorees (11 total)
First-Team Offense
Taron Dickens (QB) — Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Branson Adams (RB)
Zach Watson (OL)
First-Team Defense
Caleb Fisher (DL)
Hayward McQueen Jr. (LB)
Ken Moore Jr. (DB)
Second-Team Offense
Malik Knight (WR)
Aaron Sanez (OL)
Second-Team Defense
Micah Nelson (DL)
Blue Monroe (LB)
Samaurie Dukes (DB)
🧱 Building on Last Year’s Breakthrough
The Catamounts finished second in the league in 2024 with a program-best six SoCon wins. Eight of WCU’s 11 all-conference picks are upperclassmen, including fifth-year seniors Adams, Fisher and Nelson — a sign this team has the veteran leadership needed to make a title run.
🔥 Taron Dickens Steps Into the Spotlight
Taron Dickens isn’t just the new face of Western Carolina’s offense in 2025 — he’s now one of the key faces of the entire SoCon.
Named the 2025 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, the redshirt sophomore from Miami (Northwestern HS) takes over full-time after stepping in midseason last year for injured starter Cole Gonzales, the 2023 SoCon Offensive Player of the Year.
When Gonzales went down, the Catamounts didn’t flinch. Dickens made his starting debut against nationally ranked Chattanooga and lit up the Mocs for 431 passing yards and five touchdowns in one of the most electric SoCon performances of the season. He went 3-1 as a starter to close the regular season, helping WCU finish as the league runner-up.
Dickens ended the year with 1,428 passing yards and 12 touchdowns on 127 completions, collecting multiple national FCS honors along the way — including two SoCon Offensive Player of the Week awards and a Stats Perform National Freshman of the Week nod.
Now, with Gonzales having transferred out — first to Oklahoma, then to Pitt to reunite with former WCU offensive coordinator Kade Bell — Dickens steps into a legacy of SoCon quarterback success in Cullowhee. He becomes the third Catamount quarterback to earn the league’s top preseason offensive honor, following Gonzales (2024) and Tyrie Adams (2019) in recent memory.
Though Dickens lost one of his top receiving targets, AJ Colombo, who will likely miss the season due to injury, the message is clear: WCU isn’t rebuilding — they’re reloading. And Dickens is ready to lead the charge.
🌄 North Carolina Roots, Florida-Georgia (Pipe)Line
Three of Western Carolina’s 11 preseason All-SoCon honorees hail from right here in North Carolina:
🟣 Branson Adams — RB, Greensboro (Dudley HS)
🟣 Blue Monroe — LB, Concord (Jay M. Robinson HS)
🟣 Micah Nelson — DE, Murphy (Murphy HS)
Each plays a key role — from Adams’ leadership and yardage in the backfield, to Monroe’s rising impact at linebacker, to Nelson’s veteran presence up front.
But the bulk of WCU’s preseason SoCon standouts come from Florida and Georgia, a reflection of head coach Kerwin Bell’s southern recruiting roots.
Bell, a former Florida Gators quarterback and assistant coach, has long tapped into the speed and depth of talent across the Sunshine State and the Peach State. Before arriving in Cullowhee, Bell built high-powered offenses at Valdosta State (DII national champs in 2018) and Jacksonville University. He also served as the USF offensive coordinator before taking the WCU job.
That background has paid off in the North Carolina mountains, with Florida and Georgia standouts leaving their marks in Cullowhee:
🟠 Zach Watson – Waycross, GA (Ware County)
🟠 Caleb Fisher – Decatur, GA (Columbia HS)
🔵 Taron Dickens – Miami, FL (Northwestern HS)
🔵 Hayward McQueen Jr. – Fort Lauderdale, FL (TRU Prep)
🔵 Ken Moore Jr. – Miami, FL (Christopher Columbus HS)
🔵 Malik Knight – Fort Lauderdale, FL (Fort Lauderdale HS)
🔵 Aaron Sanez – Clearwater, FL (Clearwater HS)
🔵 Samaurie Dukes – Miami, FL (Miami HS)
With Bell’s connections and WCU’s rising profile, the Catamounts have become a serious destination for southern talent — blending in-state toughness with out-of-state playmakers to chase a championship.
🔢 Where WCU Stands in the SoCon Preseason Coaches Poll:
Mercer (6 first-place votes) – 60 pts
Chattanooga (2) – 50 pts
Western Carolina (1) – 49 pts
ETSU – 43 pts
Samford – 40 pts
Furman – 36 pts
Wofford – 19 pts
The Citadel – 17 pts
VMI – 10 pts
On location📍#noexcuses #LOTE #SOCONMEDIADAY pic.twitter.com/ON2tQXRXDY — Western Carolina Football (@CatamountsFB) July 21, 2025
🏈 Opening Countdown, Closing Mayhem
Western Carolina opens the 2025 season under the lights on Saturday, Aug. 30, hosting Gardner-Webb in a rare night game at Whitmire Stadium. It’s one of four in-state matchups that will help shape the Catamounts’ path before diving into conference play.
🗓️ Key 2025 In-State Matchups
Aug. 30 vs Gardner-Webb
Sept. 6 at Wake Forest
Sept. 13 vs Elon
Sept. 27 at Campbell
➡️ Full SoCon slate begins in October
There’s already plenty of buzz around the opener, with the electric home atmosphere expected to set the tone for the season. But Week 2 at Wake Forest presents an intriguing opportunity. Could the Demon Deacons, adjusting to a new coach and a new system, be ripe for the taking?
The Sept. 27 game at Campbell is likely circled, too. WCU fell to the Camels at home last year — a loss that played a key role in keeping the Catamounts out of the 2024 FCS playoffs. Consider it a revenge tour stop.
The final month of the season will be the gauntlet with major title implications:
📅 November Stretch Run
Nov. 1 at Chattanooga
Nov. 8 vs Mercer
Nov. 15 vs ETSU
Nov. 22 at VMI
If WCU’s “Eyes on the Prize” mantra holds, these four weeks will be where it all gets decided.
🎟️ Check out the complete 2025 WCU Football Schedule
📣 Stay Connected
NC Football News will be following the Catamounts every step of the way — from opening kickoff to the final whistle (to the FCS playoffs?)
Follow along all season for game recaps, player features, weekly Western Carolina updates and more:
- 📰 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, NC Football Weekly
- 📱 Follow us on X @NCFootballNews
- 🌐 Bookmark NCFootballNews.com
This could be the season in Cullowhee. We’ll be here for all of it.
