CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL | 2021 QUICK FACTS FOOTBALL CONTACT: Daniel Hooker /// OFFICE: 828.227.2339 /// CELL: 828.508.2494 /// EMAIL: [email protected]
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CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL | 2021 QUICK FACTS FOOTBALL CONTACT: Daniel Hooker /// OFFICE: 828.227.2339 /// CELL: 828.508.2494 /// EMAIL: [email protected] UNIVERSITY INFORMATION CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF LOCATION: Cullowhee, N.C. Kerwin Bell Head Coach ENROLLMENT: 12,000 Kade Bell Assistant Coach / Offensive Coordinator / QBs FOUNDED: 1889 Justin Hinds Assistant Coach / Defensive Coordinator / LBs NICKNAME: Catamounts Kerry Webb Assistant Coach / Special Teams Coordinator / Nickels COLORS: Purple (PMS 267) & Gold (PMS 467 Chaz Scales Assistant Coach / co-Defensive Coordinator / Defensive Backs STADIUM (CAPACITY): E.J. Whitmire Stadium (13,742) JJ Laster Assistant Coach / Wide Receivers FIELD (SURFACE): Bob Waters Field (Artificial – IronTurf) Larry Murphy Assistant Coach / Cornerbacks CONFERENCE: Southern (SoCon) John Peacock Assistant Coach / Offensive Line AFFILIATION: NCAA Div. I – Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Rudi Small Assistant Coach / Running Backs CHANCELLOR: Dr. Kelli R. Brown (Univ. of Toledo, 1982) Dennis Thomas Assistant Coach / Defensive Line ATHLETICS DIRECTOR: Alex Gary (VCU, 2005) Rylan Wells Assistant Coach / Tight Ends & Fullbacks CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL HISTORY CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL ADMINISTRATION & SUPPORT STAFF FIRST YEAR OF FOOTBALL / SEASONS: 1931 / 87 Todd Shealy Director of Football Operations ALL-TIME RECORD: 342-510-23 (.404) Trent Turknett Director of Player Personnel NCAA POSTSEASON APPEARANCES: 2 – 1974 (NCAA D-II), 1983 (NCAA D-I) Sandy Neuenschwander Football Administrative Support BEST FINISH: 1983 National Finalist (lost 43-7 to Southern Illinois) Mike Taylor Head Athletic Equipment Manager LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 1983 Alayna Ledford Assistant Athletic Equipment Manager Rory Jimerson Director of Athletics Facilities / Game Operations BASIC CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL TEAM INFORMATION BASIC OFFENSE: Pro Spread WESTERN CAROLINA SPORTS PERFORMANCE STAFF BASIC DEFENSE: 4-2-5 Ben Jacobs Director of Sports Performance & Nutrition 2020-21 RECORD: 1-8 (Home: 1-1 | Away: 0-7) Collin Lawless Assistant Director of Sports Performance Southern Conference Record 1-5 (Home: 1-1 | Away: 0-4) Brian Dryden Assistant Sports Performance Coach HEAD COACH: Kerwin Bell (Florida, 1987) Bailey Forst Assistant Sports Performance Coach Record at WCU / Overall: 1st season / 93-42 (12 yrs) Ryan Gipson Assistant Sports Performance Coach D-I: Jacksonville, 66-35 (2007-2015) | D-II: Valdosta State, 27-7 (2016-2018) LETTERMEN RETURNING: 53 – (21 offense, 28 defense, 4 specialists) WESTERN CAROLINA SPORTS MEDICINE STAFF LETTERMEN LOST: 18 – (11 offense, 7 defense, 0 specialists) Steven Honbarger Director of Sports Medicine Other Returners: 17 – (10 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialists) Robert Reyburn Associate Head Athletic Trainer NEWCOMERS: 43 – (28 freshmen, 15 transfers) Nicole Bohannon Assistant Athletic Trainer STARTERS RETURNING: 20 – (6 offense, 10 defense, 4 specialists) Alisha Grisby Assistant Athletic Trainer STARTERS LOST: 6 – (5 offense, 1 defense, 0 specialists) Jackson Thompson Assistant Athletic Trainer Braxton Zeigler Assistant Athletic Trainer 2020-21 WCU POSTSEASON RETURNING AWARD WINNERS: Tyler Spain Athletic Training Intern Ty Harris All-SoCon LB (2nd team media) CATAMOUNT ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACTS Ronald Kent Jr. All-SoCon DB (2nd team media) Daniel Hooker, Assistant Athletics Director for Media Relations (football contact) Jaquarius Guinn SoCon All-Freshman team Email: [email protected] | Office: (828) 227-2339 | Cell: (828) 508-2494 Paxton Robertson SoCon All-Freshman team Steven Grandy, Director of Media Relations (secondary contact) Email: [email protected] | Office: (828) 227-2655 CONTACT & SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION Denise Gideon, Director of Media Relations OFFICIAL ATHLETICS WEBSITE: CatamountSports.com Email: [email protected] | Office: (828) 227-2336 OFFICIAL ATHLETICS TWITTER: @Catamounts Noah Sautter, Director of Video Operations OFFICIAL ATHLETICS FACEBOOK: FB.com/CatamountSports Email: [email protected] | Office: (828) 227-2458 ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT PHONE: (828) 227-7338 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL TWITTER: @CatamountsFB CATAMOUNT ATHLETICS MAILING ADDRESS CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL OFFICE: (828) 227-7395 Western Carolina University FOOTBALL PRESS BOX PHONE: (828) 227-2116 Ramsey Center – Athletics OFFICIAL SoCon WEBSITE: SoConSports.com 92 Catamount Road OFFICIAL SoCon TWITTER: @SoConSports Cullowhee, NC 28723 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL | 2021 SoCon MEDIA DAY WESTERN CAROLINA – 2020-21 RESULTS FALL 2021 PRESEASON STORY LINES & NOTES: Nov. 14 at #22 Liberty Lynchburg, Va. ESPNU L, 58-14 u For the first time since 2012, Western Carolina enters the 2021 fall season under Nov. 21 at Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. ESPN3 L, 49-17 new leadership ... KERWIN BELL was named the 14th head football coach at Dec. 5 at #17 North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. ACCN L, 49-9 WCU on April 27, 2021 ... Bell came to Cullowhee having served as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida under head coach Charlie Strong Feb. 20 at Furman * Greenville, S.C. ESPN+ L, 35-7 in 2019. Bell most recently walked off the field as a head coach after winning the Feb. 27 at Samford * Birmingham, Ala. ESPN+ L, 55-27 2018 NCAA Division II national championship, leading the Valdosta State Blazers March 6 VMI * Cullowhee, N.C. ESPN+ L, 30-7 where he coached for three seasons, twice making playoff appearances. March 13 THE CITADEL * Cullowhee, N.C. ESPN+ W, 21-14 u Bell was an accomplished player who worked his way from walk-on to All- March 20 at Mercer * Macon, Ga. ESPN+ L, 45-28 American to the National Football League. He won a combined four conference March 27 at ETSU * Johnson City, Tenn. ESPN+ L, 24-17 championships and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship in 12 seasons as a collegiate head coach. April 3 CHATTANOOGA * Cullowhee, N.C. Canceled – COVID Aprl 10 WOFFORD * Cullowhee, N.C. Canceled – COVID u Western Carolina returns just TWO of its 11 rushing touchdowns in the 2020-21 sea- son – both by RB MIKAI STANLEY – but returns FIVE of its six receiving scores in the nine-game season in 2020-21: TE CLAYTON BARDALL caught three TD passes WESTERN CAROLINA – 2021 SCHEDULE with RAEKWON HEATH and CALVIN JONES both returning with a score through Sept. 4 EASTERN KENTUCKY Cullowhee, N.C. 6:00 pm the air last season; Sept. 11 at Oklahoma Norman, Okla. TBA u Western Carolina returns EIGHT of its Top 10 tacklers from a season ago including Sept. 18 SAMFORD * Cullowhee, N.C. 3:30 pm leader TY HARRIS, who had 90 stops a season ago ... WCU a bulk of its starters on Sept. 25 at Gardner-Webb Boiling Springs, N.C. 6:00 pm the defensive side of the football in the fall of 2021 as a lot of young players saw Oct. 2 at Chattanooga * Chattanooga, Tenn. 1:30 pm playing time in the split 2020-21 season; Oct. 9 MERCER * Cullowhee, N.C. 3:30 pm WHAT RETURNS ON OFFENSE: WHAT RETURNS ON DEFENSE: Oct. 23 at The Citadel * Charleston, S.C. 2:00 pm Rushing Yards 222 of 1,208 21% Tackles 626 of 762 82% Oct. 30 at Wofford * Spartanburg, S.C. 1:30 pm Rushing TDs 2 of 11 18% Tackles for Loss 31 of 33 94% Nov. 6 FURMAN * Cullowhee, N.C. 2:00 pm Receiving Yards 936 of 1,266 74% Sacks 11 of 11 100% Receiving TDs 5 of 6 83% Interceptions 6 of 6 100% Nov. 13 ETSU * Cullowhee, N.C. 2:00 pm Scoring (pts) 87 of 147 59% Pass Break-Ups 25 of 33 76% Nov. 20 at VMI * Lexington, Va. 1:30 pm Total Offense Yds Forced Fumbles 6 of 7 86% All-Purpose Yards 1,759 of 3,243 54% Fumble Recoveries 6 of 8 75% ADDITIONAL 2021 TEAM BREAKDOWN Field Goals 5 of 5 100% Punting Yards 2,112 of 2,120 99% STARTERS RETURNING: .........................20 – (6 offense – 10 defense – 4 specialist) u Western Carolina’s 2021 preseason roster includes 12 “super seniors” who are OFFENSE (6): DEFENSE (10): returning for the additional season granted by the COVID exemption from the Matthew Bair ................................... OL Ronald Kent Jr. .....................................CB 2020-21 roster ... Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA did not count the fall Owen Cosenke .................................TE Aaron Gethers ......................................CB 2020 or spring 2021 season against a student-athlete’s eligibility clock, allowing Raekwon Heath .............................. WR Jaquarius Guinn ................................... DL these players to return for an additional year of eligibility: Dillon Luther .................................... OL Willie Hampton ......................................LB PLAYER NAME POS NOTES Daquan Patten ............................... WR Jacob Harris .........................................DB Matt Bair OL WCU fifth-year senior Tyler Smith ....................................... OL Ty Harris ................................................LB Trevor Childers LB WCU fifth-year senior Trae Churn TE Transfer from SC State; 2nd yr at WCU Roman Johnson ................................... DL Owen Cosenke TE WCU fifth-year senior LA Rogers-Anderson ...............................S Ty Harris LB WCU fifth-year senior K.J. Milner ............................................ DL Ivan Hogans LB Transfer from Tusculum Micah Nelson ........................................LB Nick Oelrich DB Fifth-year, transfer from Florida SPECALISTS (4): Ricky Palao DL WCU fifth-year senior Daquan Patten WR WCU fifth-year senior Colby Cross ......................................LS Richard McCollum ................................ PK Curtis Roach NIC WCU sixth-year senior (includes a medical hardship) Brandon Dickerson............................ P Paxton