By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Catawba’s football team was rated seventh in the preseason poll of the South Atlantic Conference head coaches, although that means even less than usual.

Tim Clifton is still at Mars Hill, Chip Hester is firmly in place at Barton and Todd Knight is still guiding Newberry, but there’s change all over the place in the SAC. There’s even a new program in the league, as Anderson has joined the football frenzy.

“There’s been so much coaching turnover,” Catawba head coach Tyler Haines said. “There’s not much a new coach in the league can do as far as making predictions except look at last year’s records and scores.”

Haines’s team is picked seventh, but he’s confident the Indians will do better than that. On paper, just based on returning starters, they are way better than that. The transfer portal is the game-changer now for every program. No one really knows how the new faces will fit in or if they’ll pan out, but Catawba had added a ton of them, guys with solid track records, guys who look like serious players.

“We’re not where we’re going to be two or three years from now, but we’re ahead of schedule from where we were last year,” Haines said. “Our talent pool today is much different than it was last year.”

There’s no doubt Catawba is deeper and more experienced. And it’s not like the Indians were hapless in Haines’ first season at the helm. The bottom line was 5-6, but when you look at a reasonably impressive 2023 stat sheet — Catawba out-rushed, out-passed and out-scored its opponents — the Indians could have won six or seven with a bounce here or a call there.

“Young teams tend to lose the close games,” Haines said. “We were young. So that’s the next big step for us, finding a way to win the close ones.”

A guy who Haines is counting on to take that next step — from very good to outstanding — is starting quarterback Preston Brown. Brown, a transfer from Charlotte, threw for 2,565 yards last season. He completed 56 percent of his passes. He threw for 19 TDs, with only five interceptions.

“He was second team all-conference, and he’s gotten better,” Haines said.

Catawba will run the ball by committee. That whole crew, which includes leading rusher LJ Turner, Marquece Williams (eight TDs), Lee Bracey and former North Rowan star Malcolm Wilson, returns, and the Indians have added additional thunder and lightning through the portal.

“We’ve got a stable,” Haines said. “We’ve got speed backs and we’ve got power backs, and we’ve got guys who can catch the ball. We’ve got five or six we feel really good about.”

Catawba returns standout receivers Bo Pryor and Jordan Mitchell and added three tall pass-catchers  through the transfer portal. One of those rangy newcomers is Amari McArthur, the former North Rowan phenom who signed with Lenoir-Rhyne but was buried on the Bears’ depth chart as a true freshman. “The General” still has four years of eligibility.

Another receiver to watch is freshman slot receiver Mike Geter, the former Salisbury QB. Haines envisions lining Geter up on the opposite side from Pryor and watching defenses sweat.

“Mike is bigger and stronger than people realize — about 195 pounds,” Haines said. “He’s an unbelievable athlete and he’s intelligent. The key for any freshman skill guy getting to play is how much can he learn, how much can he retain. He’s picking things up fast.”

Catawba also will be in super shape at tight end. Kobe Christian is one of the SAC’s best, a stud who blocked hard and also piled up 402 receiving yards.

Catawba returns four offensive line starters. Kanyon James, one of the familiar names, is making a transition from tackle to center. Center is where the Indians had a hole to fill.

Dallas Foard, a portal transfer from South Carolina State, is set to man right tackle. Haines believes he can be as good as anyone in the league at that position.

The kicking game should be a plus. Bryson Sims was excellent on field goals and PATs, and he’s back. Freshman punter Kylan Odean has impressed Haines. Wade Robins, a hero of Salisbury High’s state championship run a few years ago, is a transfer from James Madison. Robins will handle kickoffs.

If there’s a question mark, it’s the defensive line, but that’s only because most of those guys are new to the program. That’s the position where the Indians’ staff worked the portal night and day.

“We brought in four new guys, two defensive ends and two defensive tackles,” Haines said. “Fans may not  know the names yet, but from what we’ve seen in camp, we’l be fine there.”

Linebacker names to know are Jaylen Hinton and Khalil Stimpson.

Hinton played really well until he was injured in the Newberry game and missed the last month of the 2023 season. Haines believes Stimpson, a sophomore, has the tools and the work ethic to be an All-SAC performer.

“Young, fast and physical,” Haines said. “He’s got a big future.”

Evan Simons, who plays a hybrid linebacker/safety position, accounts for a lot of tackles and is another All-SAC candidate.

Catawba is loaded in the defensive backfield, with all four starters returning, including standouts such as Deno Wardlow and Jakarri Martin.  Jamal Boyd, a Tennessee Tech transfer, and East Carolina transfer Dru Dotter are expected to make an immediate impact for a deep group.

“We’re optimistic that we’re better than a seventh-place team,” Haines said. “We don’t just have more talent, we are a more cohesive team. We’re getting really good leadership from older players and from young players, and we’re excited to get started.”

It will start officially for the Indians at 7 p.m. on Sept. 7 at Davidson College.

Catawba won’t play at home until Carson-Newman visits on Sept. 28.