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(Photos Courtesy of FIT Athletics and UWF Athletics)
Florida Institute of Technology Panthers
Location: Melbourne, FL
Enrollment: 7,300
Stadium: Florida Tech Panther Stadium
Capacity: 4,980
Surface: Synthetic Turf
2015 Record: 7-4
Last Playoff Appearance: N/A
Head Coach: Steve Englehart
Alma Mater: Indiana State (2000)
Career Record: 44-30 (7 seasons)
Record at School: 18-16 (3 seasons)
Location: Melbourne, FL
Enrollment: 7,300
Stadium: Florida Tech Panther Stadium
Capacity: 4,980
Surface: Synthetic Turf
2015 Record: 7-4
Last Playoff Appearance: N/A
Head Coach: Steve Englehart
Alma Mater: Indiana State (2000)
Career Record: 44-30 (7 seasons)
Record at School: 18-16 (3 seasons)
Florida Tech is planning on making 2016 their break-out year as they look to win the conference and make the playoffs for the first time in school history. Two-time reigning GSC Coach of the Year Steve Englehart has seen his team get progressively better in each of their three seasons in the league and last season was by far their best as they were in the conference title and playoff hunt, boosted by a late-season win over #1 ranked and eventual national semifinalist West Georgia. The Panthers have several key players returning including 8 All-GSC honorees.
Among the offense returning starters for FIT are junior quarterback Mark Cato (6-2, 205) and senior running back Trevor Sand (5-11, 213) as well as All-American senior tight end Kenny Johnston (6-4, 195), senior guard Kevin Delgado (6-5, 357), senior center Blake Stone (6-1, 275), and senior tackle Matt Nelson (6-5, 277). Johnston, Delgado, and Stone were on the 2015 all-conference team. Johnston was tied for the conference lead with 10 receiving touchdowns and ranked fifth in total yards with 787 for the year. Cato passed for 2066 yards last season and 19 touchdowns along with 7 rushing scores. He had two 350+ yard games coming against conference Co-Champions North Alabama and West Georgia. Sand ranked third last season in the conference in rushing by averaging 92.1 yards per game and had four 100+ yard performances in 2015.
Florida Tech also has key veterans returning on defense. They are led by senior defensive backs Manny Abad (6-0, 187) and Trai Cadore (5-10, 200) along with senior linebacker Chris Stapleton (5-11, 225) and senior lineman Skyler Sheffield (6-3, 275). All four were members of the 2015 All-GSC team. Stapleton ranked third in the GSC in 2015 with 89 total tackles and tallied 8.0 tackles for loss as well as forcing two fumbles and recovering one. Abad was tied for second in the conference with 10 pass breakups and third with 11 passes defended last season, while Cadore contributed 47 total tackles on the year.
On special teams, the Panthers return sophomore kicker Kyle Gullikson and the GSC Freshmen of the Year in sophomore return special Antwuan Haynes. Last season Gullikson ranked second in the GSC with eight punts of over 50 yards and was third in the conference with a 37.8 average per punt. He also averaged 59.8 yards per kickoff. In 2015, Haynes placed fifth in the league in all-purpose yards, averaging 121.4 yards, and kick return yards, averaging 20.7 yards, along with being sixth in rushing averaging 50.4 yards.
In the off-season, Tech picked up several additional playmakers including junior linebacker J.T. Hassell (5-11, 205), a transfer from FCS South Dakota State, and senior quarterback Ryan Singer (6-4, 210), a transfer from Presbyterian. Hassell had 21 total tackles for the Jackrabbits last year. Also joining them are a pair of junior wide receivers from New Mexico Military in Troy Gatling (6-3, 190) and Romell Guerrier (5-11, 175). Last season, Gatling scored five touchdowns while Guerrier pulled in over 300 yards in four games. The Panthers also have two offensive linemen in Danian Alvarez, coming in from ASA Miami, and Steven Gilbert (6-4, 270), a transfer from Jackson State, as well as sophomore defensive end Adonis Davis (6-2, 237), from Iowa Western CC, and senior defensive lineman David Howell (6-2, 270), a transfer from FCS Murray State.
FIT travels four out of their first five games including to FCS (former D2) Presbyterian before hosting several tough GSC opponents including UNA, VSU, and DSU. Other than those conference matchups, their biggest test of the season will be the rematch with West Georgia.
University of West Florida Argonauts
Location: Pensacola, FL
Enrollment: 12,700
Stadium: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Capacity: 5,371
Surface: Natural Grass
2015 Record: N/A
Last Playoff Appearance: N/A
Head Coach: Pete Shinnick
Alma Mater: Colorado (1988)
Career Record: 103-46 (14 seasons)
Record at School: First Season
West Florida will hit the field this fall after two years of preparation for Gulf South Conference action. Coach Pete Shinnick has to be ready to finally step onto the gridiron for competition as the 2013 SR2 playoffs was his last time coaching against another team. That game was a loss to UNA but came after he’d built startup program UNC-Pembroke into a two-time playoff team in his seven seasons there. The Argos have assembled a team with plenty of talent and experience on both sides of the ball and I feel will compete well during their inaugural season.
The Argos will run a spread offense and in their 2014 & 2015 recruiting classes they signed several experienced transfers including junior lineman Josh White (6-2, 295), who played two seasons for UNCP, lineman Blake McCall (6-3, 307) from Jackson State, and sophomore receiver Antoine Griffin (5-10, 146), who played at Valley City State (ND), along with sophomore tight end Miles Clark (6-3, 212), a transfer from Florida Tech. That group also included talented freshmen quarterback Grey Jackson (6-1, 195), the 2014 Alabama 7A Back of the Year and AL.com Coastal Alabama Offensive Player of the Year.
UWF will run a 3-4 scheme on defense and return experienced players from those signing classes on this side of the ball in sophomore lineman John Williamson (6-3, 227), a transfer from Nicholls State, and Jeff Parker (5-11, 16), a transfer defensive back from Virginia-Wise. Williamson had a 50-yard interception return against Arkansas for the FCS Colonels in 2014 and Parker was All-Mountain East Conference honorable mention for the D2 Cavaliers that season. They are joined by defensive backs Tyler Henderson (5-10, 198), a transfer from Florida Atlantic, and Marvin Conley (5-10, 176), from Valley City State, along with senior linebacker Reggie Barnes (6-1, 226), a transfer from Air Force. Barnes had 42 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2013 for the Falcons.
Special Teams players from those recruiting classes include several redshirt freshmen in kicker/punter Caleb Miller (5-10, 146), from Vilseck, Germany, and kicker Austin Peffers (5-10, 150), from Arnold High School in Panama City, Fla., as well as punter Caleb Cochran (6-2, 222), from Atlantic Coast High School in Jacksonville, Fla. The 2016 signing class added kicker Andrew Bogaenko from St. Cloud High School near Kissimmee, Fla., who was on the 2015 7A All-State Second Team. He connected on a career long 51-yard field goal in 2014.
This past off-season was used to secure more experienced transfers including senior wide receiver Anas Hasic (5-11, 215), from North Carolina Central, redshirt junior quarterback Kaleb Nobles (5-10, 195), from Valdosta State, and sophomore linemen Jared Coker (6-3, 305), from FCS Richmond. Also coming in from that singing class are junior defensive end Everett Curry (5-10, 245), from Stillman College, and redshirt freshmen wide receiver Chris Davis, Jr. (5-11, 180), from DI FBS Central Florida, along with two junior transfers from Miss. Gulf Coast CC in wide receiver Ishmel Morrow (5-11, 185) and offensive lineman Fiante Weir (6-3, 305). In 2014, Nobles was 103 for 164 on passes completing 62.8% for 1042 yards and 7 touchdowns while earning a GSC Offensive Player of the Week accolade.
The Argos start their inaugural season on the road against NAIA Ave Maria before returning home to host Missouri S&T of the GLVC in the first college football game ever played at the beautiful Community Maritime Park on the Pensacola Bay. The following week they finish their non-conference schedule by traveling to Chowan of the CIAA before starting GSC play on the road against Valdosta State.
