University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Phil Steele Releases Preseason Predictions and Rankings
6/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 13, 2007
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Phil Steele has released its 2007 Football Preview magazine, selecting Southern Miss to win Conference USA. The Golden Eagles also are ranked No. 33 in the national rankings, and several Golden Eagles were selected for preseason honors.
Ten members of the Southern Miss football team landed their on Phil Steele's 2007 C-USA teams. Damion Fletcher, Shawn Nelson, Chris Clark, Martavius Prince, Gerald McRath and Brandon Sumrall were named to the first team, while Sean Merrill, Robert Henderson and Britt Barefoot were named to the second team. Rounding out the list was Tokumbo Abanikanda, who was named to the third team.
Jeremy Young also received preseason recognition, ranking No. 63 on the list of Phil's Top Quarterbacks list. Young, a redshirt senior, started all 14 games for Southern Miss, completing 161-of-281 (57.3) for 1,769 yards, with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also was the team's third-leading rusher with 81carries for 224 yards and four touchdowns.
Fletcher, Southern Miss' and Conference USA's freshman all-time rushing leader, carried the ball 276 times for 1,388 yards, an average of 5.0 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns last season. He also has 18 catches for 142 yards. He has a school freshman-record seven 100-yard or more rushing yard performances and had a season-high 177 yards against NC State. He also rushed for three of the top 10 freshman rushing marks in the school's history and is second on the school's single-season rushing list.
Fletcher, the GMAC Bowl MVP, was named to the Scripps Freshman All-American team, second team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News, rivals.com and scout.com, All-Conference USA first team, All-Conference USA Freshman team and was finalist for the Conerly Trophy, signifying the best player in the state of Mississippi. He also was named No. 46 on the list of Phil's Top 67 Running Backs.
Nelson, a junior tight end and All-American candidate, garnered first-team honors on the All-Conference USA Coaches' Team and honorable-mention sophomore All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and has been named to the preliminary watch list for the 2007 Rotary Lombardi Award. He completed the 2006 season with a team-leading 36 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns. Nelson also was named No. 7 on the list of Phil's Top 40 Tight Ends.
Clark, a senior offensive lineman, earned third-team All-Conference USA honors on the Coaches' Team and the Media Team, marking his first all-conference selection. He helped pave the way for Southern Miss' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002. The Golden Eagles were the top rushing team in Conference USA last season, averaging 169.9 yards per game and No. 25 in the nation. Clark gave up two sacks for the season and was named the "Hawg of the Week" six times.
Prince, a senior defensive lineman, was named to the second team on the Coaches' All-Conference USA team, after being named to the third team on the Media team. He was the ninth-leading tackler on the team with 45 tackles, including 22 solo stops, two sacks and a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss. He also had an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also was named No. 51 on the list of Phil's Top 60 Defensive Tackles.
McRath, a third-team All-Conference USA selection and All-Freshman team member, as well as a first-team Sporting News Freshman All-American, led the Golden Eagles in tackles with 104 tackles, including 59 solos stops, two sacks, 11 tackles for loss, one pass breakup and two forced fumbles. He finished with double-digit tackles in six games, including a season-high 15 against Houston in the Conference USA championship game. McRath also was named to the Scripps Freshman All-American team as selected by the Football Writers of America and to the Freshman All-American team by CollegeFootballNews.com. He was chosen as No. 14 on the list of Phil's Top 53 Inside Linebackers for the 2007 season.
Sumrall, a senior defensive back, was the second-leading tackler for Southern Miss with 77 total tackles, including 51 solo stops, two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles. One of his best performances of last season came against Memphis in which he recorded a total of 12 tackles, including 10 solos and a tackle for loss. He received All-Conference USA honors for the second-straight year, being named to the third team on the Coaches' and Media teams. He also was named No. 22 on the list of Phil's Top 43 Strong Safeties.
Merrill, a redshirt senior, finished the 2006 season with 24 total tackles, including 12 solo stops, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup. He finished with a season-high four tackles against UAB. Merrill also was named No 53 on the list of Phil's Top 60 Defensive Tackles.
Henderson, a senior defensive end, received All-Conference USA honors, landing on the second team of the Media Team and third team on the coaches' squad. He was the team's third-leading tackler with 59 tackles, including 36 solo stops, and was tied for the team lead with five sacks and has 12 tackles for loss. He forced a fumble, blocked a punt and broke up three passes.
Barefoot, who handled the team's punting and kickoffs last season, will step into the role as Southern Miss placekicker, replacing four-year starter Darren McCaleb. He finished the season with 68 kickoffs for 4,257 yards, an average of 62.6 yards per kick. He punted for 1,863 yards, averaging 38.0 yards per punt and a long of 55 yards.
Abanikanda, a junior linebacker, finished fifth on the team in total tackles last season with 59, including 35 solo stops, 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, an interception, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He recorded a season-high eight tackles in contests against east Carolina and Tulane, finished with seven solo stops against the Green Wave. In the victory over Marshall to ensure a spot in the Conference USA championship game, Abanikanda totaled two quarterback sacks.
