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Somerset, NJ - Sacred Heart and its All-American running back are looking to “run it back.”
Following their Northeast Conference championship spring season, the SHU Pioneers and Walter Payton Award hopeful Julius Chestnut earned four first-place votes to claim the top spot in the 2021 NEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Chestnut is one of 21 returning starters from the Sacred Heart team that played its way into both major national top-25 polls by season’s end.
Spring season runner-up Duquesne and 2019 champion Central Connecticut State tied for second place in the coaches’ preseason predicted order-of-finish. The former earned two top nods while the latter secured the lone remaining first-place vote.
Duquesne won all four of its regular season spring games before suffering an overtime loss to SHU in the NEC title tilt. CCSU returns to the gridiron after opting out of competition during the 2020-21 academic year.
Bryant, which paced the circuit in scoring defense this past spring, finished fourth in the poll ahead of fifth-place Saint Francis U, which returns to competition for the first time since November 2019.
New York rivals Long Island University and Wagner rounded out the poll results in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Merrimack, which is ineligible for the title until 2023 due to the NCAA reclassification process, will contest a full NEC schedule.
The Northeast Conference unveiled the preseason poll results along with a 27-member All-NEC Team as part of its virtual media day on-air program, which was carried by ESPN3 and NEC Front Row on August 3. All eight NEC teams are home to at least one preseason all-conference honoree.
All eight league members are slated to kick off the fall season in Week 1 (September 2-4).
MORE TO KNOW…
> The top-three poll finishers have all made a FCS playoffs appearance over the past three seasons – Duquesne (2018), CCSU (2019), Sacred Heart (2020*).
> Central Connecticut has not lost a NEC game since November 17, 2018.
> Five active players have All-America credentials – Julius Chestnut (2020, 2019), JD DiRenzo (2020), Jake Dixon (2020), Noah Gettman (2020), J’Von Brown (2018).
> Sacred Heart finished the 2020 season ranked in both major top-25 polls – STATS (22), AFCA (22).
> LIU secured its first two wins as a Division I program this past spring.
> Merrimack saw two alumni sign NFL deals following the 2021 Draft – OL Sam Cooper (Ravens), DB Jovan Grant (Rams).
> Bryant plays its first-ever game against an FBS member on September 18 with a visit to Akron.
> Saint Francis will face an FBS member for the first time when the Flash visit Eastern Michigan on September 3.
> Sacred Heart and Bryant will be the first teams to kick off Northeast Conference play when they meet for a Week 2 matchup in Smithfield on September 11.
> Duquesne safety Spencer DeMedal (First Team) and offensive tackle Jake Dixon (Second Team) were named to the 2020-21 Academic All-America® Division I football teams selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
