COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Benedict College Tigers are expected to record an encore in 2023.
The Tigers are the top team in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll based on voting by the league head coaches and sports information directors.
Benedict and Albany State are 1-2 in the poll which means those two programs are expected to face off in the November 11 SIAC Championship game. The upcoming 2023 season will mark the end of divisions in the SIAC with the top two teams meeting in the conference championship game.
The Tigers are coming off a historic 2022 season, highlighted by an undefeated regular season and the first SIAC football title.
Another Columbia-based program in the SIAC, Allen University, was picked to finish 11th in the 13-team conference.
2023 SIAC Football Preseason Rankings
1. Benedict2. Albany State3. Tuskegee4. Fort Valley State5. Savannah State6. Lane7. Edward Waters8. Miles9. Central State10. Clark Atlanta11. Allen12. Kentucky State13. Morehouse
Denulus earns SIAC honor
Benedict College senior defensive end Loobert Denelus was named the SIAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
In the 2022 season, Denelus was recognized as the SIAC Defensive Player of the Year and was named an American Football Coaches Association First Team All-American.
Denelus led the SIAC and ranked fifth in Division II in sacks per game, averaging 1.17 sacks per game. He ranked second in the SIAC and ninth in Division II in tackles for loss per game, with an average of 1.8 TFL per game.
With Denelus making his presence felt throughout the season, the Benedict defense held opponents to an average of just 12.9 points per game, tops in the SIAC and fourth in Division II. Also, the Tiger defense allowed only 248.2 yards per game, putting the Tigers first in the SIAC and seventh in Division II.