07 Aug 2024 Reigning national champions selected as GAC football favorite

Posted at 7:51 PMh in Sports by

RUSSELLVILLE – The Great American Conference released its 2024 football preseason coaches’ poll on Aug. 1, and Harding, the 2023 NCAA Division II national champions, topped the list with 10 of the 11 available first-place votes.

Harding’s Historic 2023 Season

  • The Bisons secured the program’s and conference’s first football national title with a perfect 15-0 season, a feat achieved by only eight teams in the 50-year history of Division II.
  • They won the championship game with a 38-7 victory over Colorado School of Mines, the second-largest margin since 1998.
  • The team set a Division II record for rushing yards in a season with 6,160.

2024 Season Outlook

  • Harding returns 11 of its 2023 All-GAC selections and 13 starters overall.
  • The top six rushers return, including:
  • Quarterback Cole Keylon returns after scoring 15 rushing touchdowns and throwing for eight touchdowns with only one interception.

Defensive Unit

  • While the Bisons lose First-Team All-American and GAC Defensive Player of the Year Nathaniel Wallace, they return seven starters from a unit that ranked:
    • Second nationally in scoring defense and interceptions
    • Third in rushing defense
    • Fourth in turnovers forced
    • Fifth in total defense
  • Returning starters include:

Upcoming Season

  • The regular season begins in five weeks, with all 12 teams opening on Thursday, September 5.
  • Harding opens at home against Southern Nazarene at 7 p.m.