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After an overall deep run for SoCon teams in 2023, and a hard hit from the transfer portal, who are the top returning offensive players for the conference in 2024?
Best Quarterback (Tie)
Cole Gonzales, Western Carolina, Jr.
With four starts as a freshman in 2022, Gonzales had his coming out party on the FCS fields last fall.
𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 🤝 @ColeGonzales8 #OurTime » #LOTE pic.twitter.com/A61sb5Nk3o
— Western Carolina Football (@CatamountsFB) June 25, 2024
Gonzales finished 204/310 passing for 2,803 yards, 28 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, plus 203 rushing yards. His injury at the regular-season finale verses VMI likely prevented the Catamounts from making the playoffs. Gonzales’ passing efficiency of 166.4 ranked third in the FCS. PFF graded him as the 13th overall FCS quarterback, while his passing grade ranked sixth.
His play earned First Team All-Conference honors and was voted by the media as the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year.
Chase Artopoeus, Chattanooga, RS-Sr
UT Chattanooga quarterback Chase Artopoeus started ten games last year as a redshirt Junior in his first year in Chattanooga after transferring from UCLA. He led the Mocs to the playoffs.
Summer is here, and the @GoMocsFB team is back on campus prepping for fall camp in August. The annual preview series kicks off with Chase Artopoeus, the first returning starter at QB of the Rusty Wright Era. Exciting season ahead! https://t.co/tAPcatIXA1
— Steven Angle, Ph.D. (@UTCChancellor) June 25, 2024
He threw for 2.672 yards completing 187 of 298 pass attempts with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Top 20 nationally in yards per completion (7th), yards per attempt (7), pass efficiency (12), pass yards per game (19), total offense (20) and pass TDs (20). He also had Three 300-yard contests with a season high of 399 with five TDs against Western Carolina.
Best Running Back
Hunter Rice, VMI, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: 867 rushing yards, 14 TDs
Finishing the Series Strong with Hunter Rice's 4 TD's! 🏈🏈🏈🏈
— VMI Athletics (@VMIAthletics) January 3, 2024
On our final #falltopmoments we feature @VMI_Football Hunter Rice's 4 TD's against Western Carolina to finish with a win!#RahVaMil @HunterJamesRice pic.twitter.com/qMvWrXqPNv
VMI needed a battering ram this past fall, and after two solid years as a contributor in the run game, Rice exploded and scored 14 touchdowns to lead the offense. Rice’s 194-yard, 4-TD game in a win over a very strong, nationally-ranked Western Carolina team was a highlight in 2023.
Best Wide Receiver
Javin Whatley, Chattanooga, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 55 receptions, 977 yards, nine TDs
SLANT CITY 👉
— Chattanooga Football (@GoMocsFB) November 18, 2023
Javin Whatley hauls it in over the middle & goes 54 yards down to the ALA10.
📺 SEC Network+ pic.twitter.com/bMv0NEFxLR
Whatley’s only just getting started in the SoCon. He also was the Mocs’ primary kick returner last year as well. As a redshirt freshman, he had six starts and caught 29 passes for 451 yards including a 54-yard reception against Alabama last year.
Best Offensive Tackle
Quincy Hughes, Wofford, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: Started nine games at left tackle for the Terriers
The Wofford football game at South Carolina will be at 4:00 PM on November 23! https://t.co/VQXAPqQknX
— Wofford Football (@Wofford_FB) June 11, 2024
The 6’4″ 295-pound LT from Cincinnati, OH has 14 career starts for Wofford. In a conference that features a lot of strong interior linemen coming back, Hughes is clearly one of the best SoCon offensive tackles returning in 2024.
Best Interior Lineman
Blake Whitmore, Western Carolina, Sr.
2023 STAT LINE: Started all 11 games at center for the Catamounts
72 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff – #72 Blake Whitmorehttps://t.co/CFUzE4WoSi @BlakeWhitmore44 pic.twitter.com/SKFbo4yQr1
— Purple & Gold (@Purple_Gold1889) June 18, 2024
Whitmore has started 27 career games and first saw action for Western Carolina in 2019 – even seeing action against Alabama towards the end of the season. He’s been a mainstay ever since at WCU.
Chattanooga’s Reid Williams is another notable candidate for the top returning interior lineman from the SoCon.
Best Tight End
Jonathan Burns, ETSU, Jr.
2023 STAT LINE: 20 receptions, 171 yards, one TD in seven games
ETSU Offered! pic.twitter.com/4Wqnyp2a01
— Jonathan Burns (@BurnsJ_10) December 4, 2023
Burns transferred to ETSU from Gardner Webb where he was part of back-to-back conference champions. He has played 19 games the past two seasons and accounted for 37 receptions for 365 yards and three TDs. He was named Big South’s Freshman of the Week for the week of Oct 31st in 2022.
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