Albany State and Miles Predicted as SIAC Best; ASU Has 13 Named Preseason All-Conference

Defending Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions Albany State was picked to win the SIAC West Division and had 13 players chosen for preseason honors, the conference announced during the SIAC Football Media Day Wednesday morning.

The event, held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, serves as the unofficial kickoff of the 2022 SIAC football season.

Junior ASU quarterback Dionte Bonneau was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Golden Rams to a 10-2 season in 2021, including a 7-0 conference record, and an appearance in the 2021 NCAA Division II Playoffs. Bonneau threw for 1,896 yards and 19 touchdowns with three games in which he tossed at least three touchdowns. 

He was one of five Golden Rams named to the SIAC Preseason All-Conference team on offense while eight ASU defenders were named to the defensive squad.

The SIAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year is Lane’s Andrew Farmer.  Farmer, a senior defensive lineman from Jacksonville, Fla., led the conference with 11.5 sacks and made 54 tackles for the Dragons last season.

Miles, who lost last year’s SIAC Championship game to Albany State 31-0, is picked to finish the West Division.  The Golden Bulls will do so with a new coach as Sam Shade takes over the team that finished 6-4, 4-2 in the SIAC, last season.

Predicted Order of Finish

EAST

1)      1) Albany State

2)      2) Benedict

3)      3) Savannah State

4)      4) Morehouse

5)       5)  Fort Valley State

6)       6) Edward Waters

7)       7) Clark Atlanta

8)      8) Allen

WEST

1)      1) Miles

2)     2) Lane

3)     3) Tuskegee

4)      4) Kentucky State

5)     5) Central State

Preseason All-SIAC Team

First Team

 

Position	Name	School	Classification	Hometown
Offensive Lineman	Emmanuel Boone	Fort Valley State	Junior	Macon, Ga.
Offensive Lineman	Tyler Lowry	Miles	Junior	Evergreen, Ala.
Offensive Lineman	Terrence Jordan	Lane	Sophomore	New Orleans, LA
Offensive Lineman	Waylin Bell	Fort Valley State	Senior	Harlem, GA.
Offensive Lineman	KaTray Pringle	Albany State	Junior	St. George, S.C.
Tight End	Tyree Taylor	Albany State	Sophomore	Suwanne, Fla.
Wide Receiver	Anthony Evelyn	Lane	Senior	Atlantic Beach, Fla.
Wide Receiver	Marcus Lodge	Miles	R-Junior	Plantation, Fla.
Running Back	Ike Brown	Lane	Sophomore	Shreveport, La.
Running Back	Emanuel Wilson	Fort Valley State	Junior	Charlotte, N.C.
Quarterback	Dionte Bonneau	Albany State	Junior	Atlanta, Ga.
Defensive Lineman	Malik Barnes	Albany State	Sophomore	Newton, Ga.
Defensive Lineman	Andrew Farmer	Lane	Senior	Jacksonville, Fla.
Defensive Lineman	Makenly Newbill	Savannah State	Senior	Savannah, Ga.
Defensive Lineman	Roosevelt Thompson	Miles	R-Sophomore	Dixon Mills, Ala.
Linebacker	Stephan Pierre	Albany State	Junior	Tallahassee, Fl.
Linebacker	Rodney Lewis	Clark Atlanta	Junior	Atlanta, Ga.
Linebacker	Daylon Land	Morehouse	Sophomore	Benton, AR
Defensive Back	Mitchell Smiley	Miles	Senior	Huntsville, Ala.
Defensive Back	Armani Maddox	Morehouse	Sophomore	Atlanta, Ga.
Defensive Back	Charles Crawford	Clark Atlanta	Graduate Student	Prichard, Ala.
Defensive Back	Tyler Moore	Fort Valley State	Senior	Ashburn, Ga.
Kicker	Kenneth Lockhart	Savannah State	Sophomore	Hinesville, Ga.
Punter	Kenneth Lockhart	Savannah State	Sophomore	Hinesville, Ga.
Punt Returner	Marqueiz Pride	Morehouse	Junior	Seabring, Fla.
Kick Returner	Anthony Evelyn	Lane	Senior	Atlantic Beach, Fla.

 

Second Team

 

Position	Name	School	Classification	Hometown
Offensive Lineman	Jajuan Gordon	Albany State	Sophomore	Orlando, Fla.
Offensive Lineman	Genesis Hartley	Central State	Senior	Montgomery, Ala.
Offensive Lineman	Josh Simon	Albany State	Junior	Atlanta, Ga.
Offensive Lineman	Kyle Frazier	Savannah State	Sophomore	Augusta, Ga.
Offensive Lineman	Nathan Harrison	Tuskegee	Senior	Tuskegee, Ala.
Tight End	Latrevien O’Neal	Tuskegee	Junior	Notasulga, Ala.
Wide Receiver	O’Joshua Bunton	Lane	R-Senior	Crawfordsville, AR
Wide Receiver	Joe’Vontae Shorter	Albany State	Senior	Vicksburg, MS
Running Back	Kamran Ward	Albany State	Sophomore	Oscilla, Ga.
Running Back	Shamarcus Poole	Savannah State	Sophomore	Sandersville, Ga.
Quarterback	Michael Huntley	Lane	Senior	Montgomery, Ala.
Quarterback	Eric Phoenix	Benedict	Senior	Savannah, Ga.
Defensive Lineman	Anthony Harvey	Albany State	Sophomore	Leesburg, Ga.
Defensive Lineman	Josh Hill	Albany State	Sophomore	Valdosta, Ga.
Defensive Lineman	Tim Alderman	Fort Valley State	Sophomore	Fort Valley, Ga.
Defensive Lineman	Loobert Denelus	Benedict	Junior	Naples, Fla.
Linebacker	Mackenzie Howard	Lane	Graduate Student	Harvest, AL
Linebacker	Gary Bourrage	Allen	Junior	DeKalb, Ala.
Linebacker	Darrell Dorris Jr.	Kentucky State	Sophomore	Lancaster, CA
Defensive Back	James Hawkins	Albany State	Junior	Fayetteville, Ga.
Defensive Back	Brandarious Rawlings	Albany State	Senior	Wrightsville, Ga.
Defensive Back	Christian Maddox	Fort Valley State	Senior	North Augusta, S.C.
Defensive Back	Jeffery Johnson	Lane	R-Senior	Jacksonville, Fla.
Kicker	Jackson Spradlin	Miles	Senior	Dora, Ala.
Punter	Jose Chaires	Central State	Sophomore	Powder Springs, Ga.
Punt Returner	Hakeem Ellington	Fort Valley State	R-Junior	Summerville, S.C.
Kick Returner	Marqueiz Pride	Morehouse	Junior	Seabring, Fla.