Western Carolina will kick off a busy stretch of Media Day events for North Carolina’s college football teams on Monday, July 21, as the Southern Conference gathers for two days in Greenville, South Carolina.
Expectations are running high in Cullowhee heading into 2025. The Catamounts are coming off back-to-back seven-win seasons and a runner-up finish in the SoCon standings last fall.
Expect the chatter to focus on whether WCU can snap a couple of decades-long droughts this season. The Catamounts are still chasing their first Southern Conference football title since joining the league in 1976. Western Carolina is looking to get back to the FCS playoffs for the first time since its run to the Division I-AA title game in 1983.
Offensive superpower Western Carolina sending a pair of defensive standouts to SoCon Media Days next week:
🏈DE Micah Nelson | Murphy HS | 42 career starts, 121 tackles
🏈DE Caleb Fisher | Decatur, GA | 36 career starts, 13 TFLs
If that 'D' rises up this season, look out https://t.co/5uSkmdprFZ — NC Football News (@NCFootballNews) July 18, 2025
Head coach Kerwin Bell will be joined at SoCon Media Day by two of his top defensive veterans: DE Micah Nelson, a graduate student from Murphy with 42 career starts and 121 total tackles, and DE Caleb Fisher, a fifth-year senior from Decatur, GA, with 13 career TFLs in 36 starts.
The Catamounts have made headlines with their explosive offense in recent years, but their decision to highlight two defensive linemen at Media Day may be a signal: they are ready to turn it up on that side of the ball as well. If both offense and defense thrive over the next several months, WCU may very well add a trophy to its collection this fall.
The media sessions in Greenville will bring the unveiling of the preseason All-SoCon teams and conference predicted order of finish. WCU fans can follow the action on social media using #SoConFB and by following @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB on Twitter/X.
WCU football officially reports for fall camp on Tuesday, July 29, with the first helmet-only practice scheduled for Wednesday, July 30 at 8:30 a.m. The Catamounts open the season under the lights at home against Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Aug. 30, with postgame fireworks on tap.
🎟️ Want to check out a game at Whitmire Stadium this fall? Season and single-game tickets are available now at WCU’s athletics web site.
🟣🏆 Follow NC Football News this week and all season long as we track the WCU Catamounts quest for a conference championship and FCS playoff run.
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