Football Picked Fifth in GAC Preseason Poll

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern football heads into the 2024 season picked to finish fifth in the Great American Conference Preseason Poll released on Thursday afternoon.
 
The poll, voted on by the league's coaches, saw the Savage Storm pick up 72 points in the voting, finishing eight points ahead of Arkansas Tech in sixth.
 
Harding was the preseason top pick with 10 of the 12 possible first-place votes, followed by Ouachita Baptist in Second and Southern Arkansas in third place with one first-place nod apiece.
 
Henderson State was fourth just ahead of the Storm, while Oklahoma Baptist checked in seventh, followed by Arkansas-Monticello and East Central in eighth and ninth, respectively.
 
Southern Nazarene, Southwestern Oklahoma State, and Northwestern Oklahoma State would round out the poll in order.
 
SE returns a pair of All-GAC selections from a year ago in DJ Brown and Ryan Hirt who paced the Savage Storm rushing attack.
 
Brown, a junior from Leonard, Texas, led the way with 671 yards on the ground, averaging 4.7 yards per carry with four touchdowns.
 
Hirt, a senior from Coppell, Texas, was next in line with 370 yards, averaging 6.6 ypc, with a team-high seven touchdowns.
 
The Storm return two of their top six receivers, led by Kaleb Whitley who posted 437 yards on 34 catches with one touchdown, while Victor Taylor added 111 yards on seven catches.
 
Whitley was also the team leader in kickoff returns, averaging 20.25 yards per return.
 
On defense, SE welcomes back four of its top six tacklers, with Michael Hookfin leading that group with 66 tackles along with a pair of interceptions.
 
Tyveon Williams followed with 58 stops and a forced fumble, with Braeden Winters recording 54 tackles, while Jordan Hood racked up 44 tackles from the defensive line with a pair of sacks.
 
Jackson Nalley leads the special team's returners after ranking fourth in the GAC in punting a season ago at 40.7 yards per punt.

Southeastern opens the 2024 season on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. versus Southern Arkansas at Paul Laird Field.