Cullowhee, N.C. – With the regular-season kickoff just over 100 days away for Western Carolina football when it hits the gridiron for the first time in 2024 in the state capital against the NC State Wolfpack, the Catamounts are receiving national recognition in preseason polling. Craig Haley from Stats Perform FCS had the Catamounts slated 23rd where it ended the 2023 season, while the staff at HERO Sports listed WCU at No. 16 in its preseason rankings.
HERO Sports also announced the return of its FCS Jersey Countdown, highlighting the nation’s top returning players by number as part of counting down to the start of the 2024 season.
WCU was one of three Southern Conference teams among the early preseason national rankings, joined by Chattanooga at No. 11 by Stats Perform FCS and No. 10 in the HERO Sports polling. Furman was ranked No. 16 /15, respectively, in those same polls. Two of WCU’s opponents among its first four games are also ranked in the preseason with the Montana Grizzlies pegged third in both polls with Stats Perform FCS ranking the Elon Phoenix 18th and in the others receiving votes category by HERO Sports.
Western Carolina is coming off a season that saw the Catamounts produce a school-record 5,545 yards of total offense and finish as the only team in the NCAA FCS to average over 500 yards on the year at 504.1 yards per game. WCU was arguably one win away from ending a 40-year hiatus from the NCAA FCS football postseason but lost starting QB Cole Gonzales – the media selection for Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award – early in the going at the regular-season finale at VMI and suffered the setback that all but eliminated WCU from postseason considerations.
Gonzales threw for 2,803 yards and set a school single-season record with 28 touchdown passes in 2023. He returns two of his top targets in AJ Colombo (31 catches for 438 yards and 5 TDs) and Calvin Jones (27 catches for 348 yards and 2 TDs), with RB Branson Adams (89 carries for 539 yards and 3 TDs) returning as the top ball carrier.
Defensively, a new direction under veteran assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jerry Odom has provided a solid shot in the arm for the Catamount defense that lost three of its top five tacklers from a season ago. Depth across the field allowed Kerwin Bell and company to rotate a lot of players in 2023 that should help bolster the experience factor. Look for play-makers in Antoine Williams (39 tackles, 3 TFL) and Hayward McQueen Jr. (26 tackles, 5 TFL) to take steps from the hybrid linebacker position, with the influx of talented youth providing exciting options on defense.
Season tickets for Western Carolina’s 2024 season are on sale now both online at CatamountSports.com, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center. Ticket options include general admission, reserved bleacher bench, and chairback seats, with a Family Zone four-pack in Section FF. A $10 transaction fee will be charged for all season ticket orders including credit card, cash, and check.
The renewal deadline for returning Catamount football season ticket holders is Saturday, June 1, 2024. Everyone is encouraged to join the Catamount Club and current Catamount Club members are also reminded to renew their memberships before the end of June.
WCU opens its 12-game 2024 schedule on Thursday, Aug. 29, against NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Celebrating 50 Years at E.J. Whitmire Stadium, the five-game home schedule opens with the first-ever meeting with instate foe Campbell on Sat., Sept. 7, in Cullowhee, and includes league visits from Wofford (Oct. 5, Family Weekend), The Citadel (Oct. 12, Heroes Day), Chattanooga (Nov. 2, Homecoming), and VMI (Nov. 16, Senior Day/Hall of Fame Day).
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
