FOREST, Va. --- ODAC football has routinely been amongst the most competitive sports in the conference, with 2021 proving no different after Washington and Lee University and Randolph-Macon College tied atop the league standings. Much of the same could be in store for 2022 with Randolph-Macon leading the ODAC Football Preseason Poll by just five points over last year's champions.

The Yellow Jackets collected a league-best 48 points powered by six first-place votes in the annual survey of the ODAC's eight head coaches. The Generals scored 43 tallies including the remaining two top nods in a close second. Hampden-Sydney College rounds out the top-three with 36 markers.

In the sections below, we look back to what we saw during the 2021 fall season and take a look at what to expect entering the new campaign.

2021-22 SEASON RECAP | ODAC STANDINGS | NCAA BRACKET

• Washington and Lee and Randolph-Macon tied atop the ODAC standings with 5-1 records. The tiebreaker, as it so often is in ODAC football, came down to head-to-head results in the matchup with the Generals and Yellow Jackets; W&L, which lost at Shenandoah (14-6) on the final weekend to setup the stalemate, earned the league title and the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament via its 25-24 win at R-MC in late September.
• The Generals hoisted their third ODAC trophy since 2015 and seventh overall.
• With just five at-large selections available to the Division III Football Championship Committee -- 32 teams with 27 conference AQs -- Washington and Lee was the lone ODAC representative in the national field; the 2021 tournament was the first Division III football championship event since North Central (Ill.) won the national title in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Generals traveled to Alliance, Ohio, for a date with 13-time champion Mount Union; the Purple Raiders ran out early on W&L, scoring 35 points in the first half on the way to a 52-0 victory.
• Mary Hardin-Baylor was the eventual national champion, posting a 57-24 triumph over North Central (Ill.) at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

THE NATIONAL SCENE ENTERING 2022

• D3football.com released its annual Preseason Top-25 Poll in late July with a pair of ODAC teams among those mentioned. Randolph-Macon sits 21st in the survey with 121 points following last year's 9-1 campaign. Washington and Lee earned one vote from the contingent of 25 voters. Reigning national champion Mary Hardin-Baylor (619) tops the chart with runner-up North Central (587) and perennial power Mount Union (577) separated by just 10 points for second.
• D3football.com announced its annual list of Preseason All-Americans on August 15. Bridgewater punter Garrett Graves was the lone ODAC standout to receive recognition as he was tabbed to the Preseason All-America First Team.

WELCOME TO THE ODAC!

• Averett University became the 15th full-time member of the ODAC on July 1 and opens its first season of ODAC football this fall; The Cougars previously played out of the USA South Athletic Conference.
• Head coach Patrick Henry leads a program that was named USA South champion in 2006 along with Christopher Newport University.
• The Cougars saw 10 players earn a spot on the All-USA South First or Second Teams; three return this season led by All-Region offensive lineman Johnny Alston.

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS | 2021-22 Statistics
The athletes listed below represent the top-3 returning statistical leaders for each category from the 2020-21 season.

   PASSING | Minimum: 15 pass attempts/game (comp. pct.)

• Yards | 2,715 - Bryce Jackson, AU | 2,546 - Tanner Bernard, H-SC | 1,639 - Steven Hugney, SU
• Comp. Pct. | 59.8 (208-of-348) - Bryce Jackson, AU | 59.3 (181-305) - Tanner Bernard, H-SC | 57.0 (143-251) - Steven Hugney, SU
• Touchdowns | 22 - Bryce Jackson, AU | 15 - Tanner Bernard, H-SC | 13 - Steven Hugney, SU

   RUSHING | Minimum: 8 rushes/game (yards/rush)

• Yards | 820 - Rashadeen Byrd, Jr., SU | 728 - Stephen Murrin, W&L | 580 - Shawn Watlington, AU
• Yards/Rush | 6.9 - Stephen Murrin, W&L | 6.2 - Alex Wertz, W&L | 5.7 - Joshua Ellerbe, FC
• Long | 94 - Giorgia Antonacci, W&L | 82 - Stephen Murrin, W&L/Shawn Watlington, AU
• Touchdowns | 11 - Rashadeen Byrd, Jr., SU | 5 - Stephen Murrin, W&L | 4 - Kwesi Clarke, R-MC/Nick Hale, R-MC/Bryce Phipps, AU/Alex Wertz, W&L

   RECEIVING | Minimum: 3 receptions/game (yards/rec.)

• Receptions | 47 - Ethan Bigbee, SU | 41 - Braeden Bowling, H-SC | 34 - Viante Tucker, BC
• Yards | 828 - Braeden Bowling, H-SC | 507 - David Wallis, R-MC | 476 - Ethan Bigbee, SU
• Yards/Rec. | 20.2 - Braeden Bowling, H-SC | 18.5 - Tre Alexander, GC | 10.1 - Ethan Bigbee, SU
• Long | 94 - Zach Bowman, R-MC | 86 - Ethan Bigbee, SU | 81 - David Wallis, R-MC
• Touchdowns | 8 - Tre Alexander, GC | 6 - Braeden Bowling, H-SC | 5 - Ethan Bigbee, SU/David Wallis, R-MC

   ALL-PURPOSE / SCORING

• All-Purpose Yards | 1,040 - Alex Wertz, W&L | 900 - Rashadeen Byrd, Jr., SU | 828 - Braeden Bowling, H-SC
• Scoring (Pts.) | 66 - Rashadeen Byrd, Jr. (RB), SU | 60 - Seth Deaton (PK), FC | 58 - Will Caviness, AU
• Touchdowns | 11 - Rashadeen Byrd, Jr., SU | 8 - Tre Alexander, GC | 6 - Braeden Bowling, H-SC

   DEFENSE

• Tackles | 136 - Ben Burgan, SU | 106 - Will Pickren, H-SC | 80 - Nazeer Jordan, BC
• Solo | 74 - Ben Burgan, SU | 54 - Will Pickren, H-SC | 42 - Drew Hill, FC
• Tackles for Loss | 14.5 - Ben Burgan, SU | 11.5 - Robert Poindexter, W&L | 11 - Robert Harvey, W&L
• Sacks | 5.5 - Robert Poindexter, W&L | 5 - Robert Harvey, W&L | 4 - Kevin Gholson, H-SC/Nazeer Jordan, BC/Nathan Unger, W&L
• Interceptions | 5 - Tobias Lafayette, H-SC | 3 - Quante Redd, SU/Keyshawn Wilder, SU
• Pass Breakups | 6 - Will Pickren, H-SC/Ricky Thompson, R-MC/Val West, BC

   SPECIAL TEAMS | Minimum: 3.6 punts/game (yard/punt) / 1.2 kick returns/game (kick return avg.) / 1.2 punt returns/game (punt return avg.)

• PAT Made | 36-of-36 - Arturo Ramirez, W&L | 33-of-35 - Seth Deaton, FC | 28-of-32 - Will Caviness, AU
• FG Made | 10-of-16 - Will Caviness, AU | 9-of-14 - Seth Deaton, FC | 9-of-12 - Jackson Hendren, BC
• Yards/Punt (Gross) | 40.3 - Garrett Graves, BC | 39.1 - Josh Luckett, FC | 35.8 - Mason Smith, AU
• Punts Inside 20 | 26 - Garrett Graves, BC | 16 - Josh Luckett, FC | 10 - Charlie Fleming, W&L
• Kick Return Yards | 478 - Alex Wertz, W&L | 470 - Brice Wilson, H-SC | 341 - Viante Tucker, BC
• Kick Return Avg. | 29.9 - Alex Wertz, W&L | 24.2 - David Wallis, R-MC | 22.7 - Viante Tucker, BC
• Punt Return Yards | 68 - Jacob Romero, W&L | 57 - Tobias Lafayette, H-SC | 34 - Tucker Harris, BC
• Punt Return Avg. | None Qualify
• Return TDs | Alex Wertz, W&L - Kickoff, 96 yards | Tucker Harris, BC - Blocked Punt, 34 yards

RETURNING ALL-ODAC TALENT | 2021-22 ALL-ODAC FOOTBALL AWARDS
ODAC rosters will be dotted with 36 returning all-conference honorees from a season ago. That includes three All-USA South standouts from new ODAC member Averett University and 33 All-ODAC stars. The split is even on either side of the ball with 18 offensive players and 18 defensive athletes accounting for the overall total. Below we take a look at those returning in 2022-23.

   BACKS, RECEIVERS, AND TIGHT ENDS (9)

• Tanner Bernard, QB, H-SC -- All-ODAC First Team
• Braeden Bowling, WR, H-SC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Rashadeen Byrd, Jr., RB, SU -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Alex Wertz, APB, W&L -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Deven Gray, TE, FC -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Ricky Mayfield, TE, R-MC -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Stephen Murrin, QB, W&L -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Carter Runyon, TE, SU -- All-ODAC Third Team
• David Wallis, WR, R-MC -- All-ODAC Third Team

   OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (7)

• Will Jackson, R-MC -- All-ODAC First Team
• TJ Minter, H-SC -- All-ODAC First Team
• Logan Moyer, W&L -- All-ODAC First Team
• Matt Hale, R-MC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• David Munoz, SU -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Nehemiah Nixon, R-MC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Johnny Alston, AU -- All-USA South First Team

   DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (10)

• Mason Caldwell, SU -- All-ODAC First Team
• Robert Poindexter, W&L -- All-ODAC First Team
• Michael Harris, H-SC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Robert Harvey, W&L -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Jacob Hutchinson, R-MC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Mustafa Alkhatib, W&L -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Kevin Gholson, H-SC -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Jordan Rice, SU -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Johnathan Terrell, AU -- All-USA South First Team
• JaVon Lofton, AU -- All-USA South Second Team

   LINEBACKERS (6)

• David Onyejekwe, W&L -- All-ODAC First Team
• Ben Burgan, SU -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Nazeer Jordan, BC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Erik Harris, R-MC -- All-ODAC Third Team

   DEFENSIVE BACKS (7)

• Will Pickren, H-SC -- All-ODAC First Team
• Tobias Lafayette, H-SC -- All-ODAC Second Team
• Jaden James, GC -- All-ODAC Third Team
• Val West, BC -- All-ODAC Third Team

   SPECIALISTS (2)

• Garrett Graves, P, BC -- All-ODAC First Team
• Jackson Hendren, PK, BC -- All-ODAC Second Team

ODAC HEAD COACHES
Some of the best coaches in the business lead ODAC teams in all sports. Below we take a look at the career records and tenures for the league's football coaches entering the 2022 campaign.

• Patrick Henry (AU) -- Overall: 6-8-0 (.429)/2 | at AU: 6-8-0 (.429)/2
• Scott Lemn (BC) -- Overall: 4-6-0 (.400)/1 | at BC: 4-6-0 (.400)/1
• Cleive Adams (FC) -- Overall: 38-36-0 (.514)/6 | at FC: 8-7-0 (.533)/2
• Brad Davis (GC) -- Overall: 1-12-0 (.077)/2 | at GC: 1-12-0 (.077)/2
• Marty Favret (H-SC) -- Overall: 140-81-0 (.633)/22 | at H-SC: 140-81-0 (.633)/22
  • 5x ODAC COY (2003, 07, 09, 11, 13)
• Pedro Arruza (R-MC) -- Overall: 113-67-0 (.628)/18 | at R-MC: 113-67-0 (.628)/22
  • 4x ODAC COY (2008, 16, 18, 21 spring)
• Scott Yoder (SU) -- Overall: 43-42-0 (.506)/9 | at SU: 43-42-0 (.506)/9
• Garrett LeRose (W&L) -- Overall: 19-11-0 (.633)/3 | at W&L: 19-11-0 (.633)/3
  • 1x ODAC COY (2021 fall)

THE SCHEDULE AND CHAMPIONSHIP

• With the inclusion of Averett University in 2022, the ODAC's eight-team contingent is slated for a seven-game conference schedule and three non-league fixtures for a 10-game season played over an 11-week period for each squad.
• One week of the non-conference slate was reserved for an opponent from the USA South Athletic Conference as part of the ODAC-USA South scheduling agreement.
• The top team in the league standings (ODAC games only) will be declared the ODAC champion and earn the league's automatic entry into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
• The 32-team bracket for the NCAA field will be determined and announced on Sunday, November 13; the tournament is five rounds long including the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, which will be played at the Navy Marine Corps Stadium near the U.S. Naval Academy campus in Annapolis, Md.

For more information on ODAC football, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.