SAC names seven Eagles as players to watch
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The South Atlantic Conference has named seven Eagles as players to watch in its annual release of preseason prognostications, Monday morning.
VIDEO: Ashley Ingram in a car getting coffee
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The South Atlantic Conference has named seven Eagles as players to watch in its annual release of preseason prognostications, Monday morning.
Defensive lineman Martavis Mason (Ninety Six, S.C.), linebacker Mekhi Brown (Wauchula, Fla.), linebacker Cruz Temple (Abbeville, S.C.), defensive back Champ Baker (Lilburn, Ga.), punter Grayson Campbell (Lebanon, Tenn.), running back Jayden Sullins (Cullman, Ala.) and wide receiver Jeremiah Carroll (Atlanta, Ga.) were all recognized.
Mason started all 12 games for C-N at defensive end last season. He had 32 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also hurried the quarterback three times. Mason had a career-best six-tackle day in the SAC title game against Wingate (Nov. 16). he made a stop behind the line of scrimmage in the final four weeks of the year.
Brown followed up his Freshman of the Year campaign in the league by earning All-Mountain Division honors for a second straight year. He finished second on the team in both tackles, with 63, and tackles for loss with 10. Brown also had 5.5 sacks, the fourth-most in the league. Brown had three sacks in the SAC title game against Wingate (Nov. 16) – tied for the sixth-most in a game in school history. Brown had three eight-tackle days at Catawba (Sept. 28) and in back-to-back weeks to close the regular season against Tusculum (Nov. 9) and Wingate (Nov. 16).
Temple finished third on the team in tackles at his linebacker spot. He tallied 61 stops on the year with 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also recovered a fumble. Temple tallied a career-best 10 tackles in the SAC title game against Wingate (Sept. 21). He also had 1.5 sacks against the Bulldogs. Temple started in six of the 12 games that he played.
Baker started all 12 games at corner for C-N. Baker tallied 27 tackles with 3 stops for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also broke up a team-best 14 passes. He had season-highs for stops against UVA Wise (Oct. 19) and Anderson (Nov. 2). He broke up four passes against Catawb (Sept. 28).
Campell finished second in the SAC in punting, averaging 42.5 yards per boot. He pinned 14 of his 40 punts inside the 20 to finish second in the league in that regard. Campbell had seven punts longer than 50 yards and a long of 69 yards that forced overtime against Wingate on Sept. 21.
Carson-Newman's 29th all-time 1,000 yard rusher, averaging just short of 100 yards per game, Sullins earned SAC Player of the Week honors and TSWA State Player of the Week honors for one of his two, 200-yard rushing days on the season. Sullins exploded against Barton (Oct. 5) when he rushed 31 times for 261 yards and a score. He followed that up two weeks later with a 235-yard day on 25 carries against UVA Wise (Oct. 19). Sullins had 11 rushing TDs on the season, the third-most in the SAC. He wrapped the year with 1,224 yards rushing, the most in the South Atlantic Conference and the eighth-most nationally. His 1,224 yards rushing put him 16th for a single-season in school history. Sullins had five, 100-yard performances on the season, including four in Carson-Newman's last six games.
A highly versatile wideout, Carroll appeared in 12 games with 10 starts for C-N offensively. He led Carson-Newman in receiving, catching 23 passes for 364 yards and four scores, with a long reception of 73 yards. He also rushed the ball seven times for 148 yards and a 64-yard touchdown. He topped triple-digit all-purpose yards against Wingate (Sept. 21) when he caught four passes for 100 yards and two scores. His third-quarter touchdown grab ended up being a game-sealer for the Eagles. He caught a 73-yard score against Anderson (Nov. 2) and rushed for a 64-yard score on a reverse against Barton (Oct. 5). He was C-N's fourth leading scorer for 2024.
Carson-Newman opens the season Aug. 30 at noon against West Virginia State inside Burke-Tarr Stadium. Pregame coverage on the Eagle Sports Network begins at 11 a.m with the AEC Countdown to Kickoff on Joy 620 (WRJZ-AM, Knoxville), Mix 105.5 (WSEV-FM, Sevierville) and online at cneagles.com/live. A video stream is available with a subscription to FloCollege at cneagles.com/FloFB.
