EAST DIVISION SUMMER NOTES
 
CHARLOTTE
Sixth-year head coach Brad Lambert returns 17 starters from 2017, including 9 on the defensive side of the ball and eight on offense.  Returning starters include the 49ers leading scorer Hasaan Klugh, leading rusher Benny LeMay, leading receiver  Mark Quattlebaum and leading tacklers Jeff Gemmell and Ben DeLuca.
 
Junior DB Ben DeLuca ranked fourth in C-USA in tackles with an average of 9.3 per game.  A former Freshman All-America, DeLuca became the first 49er to lead the nation in a statistical category when he recorded a school-record and NCAA-leading five forced fumbles last season (0.45/gm).  In his two-year career, DeLuca ranks tied for first for the 49ers in forced fumbles (6) and second in fumbles recovered (4).  After registering five double-digit tackle games last season, he is now fourth in Charlotte history with 170 total tackles.
 
Senior QB Hasaan Klugh rushed for a team-high nine rushing touchdowns and had 10 passing TDs.  He accounted for 19 of the 49ers 23 offensive TDs last season.  Klugh also finished second on the team in rushing yards in 2017 with 532.
 
Junior RB Benny LeMay completed the season with a team-high 732 rushing yards, placing him ninth in Conference USA.  LeMay had a pair of touchdowns on the ground and two more scores through the air.
 
Junior LB Jeff Gemmell led the 49ers in total tackles last season with 106, placing him sixth in C-USA.  He registered double-digit stops in his last five games of the year.
 
Charlotte has a pair of new coordinators this season.  Former Youngstown State Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Shane Montgomery was named to the same positions with the 49ers. Montgomery has coached for over 20 years, including four years as head coach at Miami (Ohio), where he also coached all-America and future Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  Former Oklahoma State Defensive Coordinator Glenn Spencer comes to Charlotte in the same position. Spencer has more than 25 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 18 at the FBS level, and has been a part of 12 FBS Bowl Games.
 
 
FIU
In just one season at FIU, Butch Davis’ impact on the program was felt as the Panthers matched a school record in wins (8) and earned the school’s third bowl berth –the first since the 2011 season.  The 8-5 mark is the best record of any first-year head coach at FIU and he also led the Panthers to a 5-3 record in the C-USA East Division, which was good enough for second place.
 
FIU finished the 2017 regular season leading the nation in red zone scoring offense, converting 98 percent of its red-zone chances (40-of-41), which included 30 touchdowns.
 
FIU forced 13 turnovers and recorded 19 sacks in its last seven games of 2017, finishing the season with 15 forced miscues and 23 sacks registered.
 
Senior DE Fermin Silva was a second-team All-C-USA selection at defensive end in 2017.  He is the team leader in tackles-for-loss (14.0), sacks (7.0) and quarterback hurries (6) while also racking up 50 total tackles.  Silva also ranked fourth in C-USA in tackles-for-loss, and recorded tackles-for-loss in five of FIU's last seven regular season games.  Silva had three multi-TFL games last year, with three tackles for loss against both Tulane on Oct. 14 and Alcorn State on Sept. 9.
 
Junior K Jose Borregales connected on 15 made field goals last season (on 18 attempts) to tie for third in a single season at FIU.  He hit on all 40 of his PAT’s to give him 85 points on the season.
 
 
FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Lane Kiffin’s first season saw Florida Atlantic become the second school to finish the regular season undefeated in conference play and win the C-USA Championship Game.  The Owls captured their second conference title, the first since joining C-USA and first since 2007. FAU remained a perfect 3-0 in bowl play by defeating Akron in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl, 50-3.  Statistically, the Owls finished in the top-25 in 16 team categories, including: No. 2 in passes intercepted, No. 5 in first down offense, No. 6 in rushing offense, No. 8 in kickoff return defense, red zone offense and turnovers lost, and No. 9 in total offense and turnover margin.
 
Florida Atlantic will enter the 2018 season with the second-longest winning streak in the FBS at 10 games.  Only UCF (the Owls week four opponent) has a longer streak at 13 heading into the 2017 campaign.  Florida Atlantic, which had the second-most successful first year coach in Lane Kiffin (1103), opens the 2018 season at Oklahoma, the team with the most successful first-year coach last season (Lincoln Riley at 12-2).
 
Running back Devin "Motor" Singletary was named C-USA MVP After scoring a nation-leading 32 rushing touchdowns last season (nine more than any other player) and 33 total TDs (five more than any other player).  He scored more rushing touchdowns last year (32) than previous school career record-holder Alfred Morris had in four years from 2008-11 (27).  Singletary also topped 100 yards in each of the final 11 games of the season for the Owls.  Both the rushing TD’s and total TD’s are new C-USA records in those categories, breaking records held by UCF RB Kevin Smith, now his running backs coach. Singletary finished fifth nationally with 1,920 rushing yards and FAU was sixth nationally in rushing at 285.9 yards per game.
 
Senior LB Azeez Al-Shaair was a first team All-Conference USA selection who set a new FAU single-season record with 147 tackles.  He posted nine games with double-digit stops and also helped the defense with 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four passes defended and one forced fumble.  Al-Shaair already holds the schools’ career tackles mark with 354.
 
Senior S Jalen Young was second in the FBS with seven interceptions last season, returning those picks for 121 yards and a touchdown.  He tied a school record with three interceptions against Marshall and had two more INTs in the C-USA Championship Game victory over North Texas.  Young added 77 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
 
MARSHALL
Senior WR Tyre Brady made a huge impact in his first season at Marshall in 2017, starting 11 games and leading the team in receptions (62) and receiving yards (942), while placing second in receiving touchdowns (eight).  The first team All-Conference USA selection was also named Offensive MVP of the Thundering Herd’s victory in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.  Brady had 15 catches of 20 yards or longer and his breakout game came at NC State when he registered career-highs off 11 catches for 248 yards.
 
Redshirt junior C Levi Brown was named to the preseason Rimington Trophy Watch List.  A second-team All-Conference USA selection last year, Brown helped anchor an offensive line that allowed just 11 sacks, the fourth-fewest nationally.
 
The Marshall offense welcomes the return of a pair of 800-yard rushers from last season.  Sophomore Tyler King picked up 820 yards, registering 5.2 yards per carry with seven rushing touchdowns.  Senior Keion Davis ran for 812 yards and six scores, while adding 134 receiving yards. 
 
Tim Cramsey joins the Marshall staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Cramsey comes to Huntington from Sam Houston State University where he served in the same capacity during the 2017 season. Last season, the Bearkats led the FCS in scoring offense (43.3), passing offense (362.7), total offense (538.1) and first downs (365).
 
Senior LB Chase Hancock earned Team MVP honors last season after leading the team in tackles (128) and tackles for a loss (9.5), ranking No. 13 nationally in tackles and second among C-USA players.  He also had two sacks, seven pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.  Hancock recorded double-digit tackles in seven games and registered at least one tackle for loss in 10 of 13 outings. 
 
Marshall has won six straight bowl games following last year’s Gildan New Mexico Bowl and is 11-2 all-time.  The Thundering Herd is now 5-0 in bowl games under head coach Doc Holliday.
 
 
MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Junior QB Brent Stockstill owns Middle Tennessee career records in touchdown passes (77), 300-yard passing games (14), 400-yard passing games (2), passing yards per game (288.7) and completions (729).  Among active players nationally he ranks third in passing yards, first in passing yards per game, second in total offense and eighth in passing efficiency.  Last season, he played in just seven games due to injury, but still finished with 1,672 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. 
 
Junior WR Ty Lee, a second team All-Conference USA pick last season, led the league in receptions in 2017 with a career-best 79.  His catches went for 955 yards (seventh-most in a season at MT) and five touchdowns.  Lee also had 109 yards on the ground and a score.  He had seven or more receptions six times.
 
Junior LB Khalil Brooks led the team in tackles for loss last season with 17.0 (third in C-USA and 21st nationally) and sacks with 7.5 (3rd all-time in MT history), while adding six hurries and a forced fumble.  He registered 76 total tackles and earned second team All-Conference USA honors.
 
Senior S Jovante Moffatt finished with a career-best 101 total tackles to lead the team in 2017.  He also added 4.5 TFLs, three pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
 
The Blue Raiders have been bowl eligible nine times in 12 years under head coach Rick Stockstill and competed in seven bowl games, including last season’s victory in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
 
OLD DOMINION
Junior WR/KR Isaiah Harper was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year after ranking eighth in the FBS in kickoff return average with 29.1 yards per return.  Harper tied for third with three kickoff return touchdowns, including two at North Texas, and a 100-yard return against North Carolina.  He is just the fifth player in C-USA history to have three or more kickoffs returned for touchdowns in one season.  He set the ODU single-season record for kickoff return touchdowns in a season and a career in 2017.  As a receiver he led ODU with 39 receptions for 462 yards, both career highs.
 
Senior DE Oshane Ximines earned 2017 Conference USA First-Team honors at defensive end after breaking his own school record with 8.5 sacks and leading the team with 14 tackles for loss.  He added 44 total tackles and tied ODU's single-season record with four forced fumbles.  Ximines is now tied with TJ Ricks for the ODU career record with seven forced fumbles.  He also had three pass breakups and a team-high seven quarterback hurries last season.
 
Senior RB Jeremy Cox rushed for 621 yards and four touchdowns last season, despite missing two full games with injuries.  As a sophomore in 2016, rushed for 685 yards and 13 touchdowns. 
 
The return of senior WR Jonathan Duhart should provide a boost to the receiving corps.  He started the first two games last season but suffered a season-ending injury in the win at UMass.  For his career, he ranks sixth in school history with 109 receptions and is sixth with 1,619 receiving yards.
 
Old Dominion has sold out all 60 home games in school history and has a 44-16 record in those games.
 
WKU
Mike Sanford enters year two as WKU’s head football coach on the heels of back-to-back record-setting recruiting classes. His 2017 signing class - which included the likes of Cole Spencer, Jacquez Sloan, and Kyle Bailey who all saw considerable snaps as true freshmen - set a new record for the highest-rated recruiting class in school history.  The 2018 WKU signing class improved upon that mark.
 
Since 2010, few teams in the nation have been as consistent as the Hilltoppers at the quarterback position.  Only Troy has had fewer opening day starters (two) than WKU’s three (all hailing from Florida).  This year, Florida-born senior Drew Eckels will look to fend off competition from non-Floridians in Steven Duncan, Davis Shanley, and Graydon Kulick, for the starting job, along with Florida-born four-star freshman quarterback Kevaris Thomas, who steps on campus this fall.
 
Junior WR Lucky Jackson played in 12 games last season, catching 39 passes for 600 yards and three touchdowns.  He had the longest reception of the season (second-longest in C-USA) with a 93-yard scoring reception against Middle Tennessee.
 
Sophomore S Devon Key earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman team after making 94 tackles (which led WKU defensive backs) - including four for loss - with an interception and a pair of pass breakups.
 
WKU’s 59 wins since 2011 are the most in the league over that span.  The Hilltoppers have made bowl appearances in four straight seasons, including last year’s trip to the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida.