HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team led the Southland Conference in rushing a season ago, thanks in large part to a dominant offensive line.
Several key contributors from last year’s group return and a pair of newcomers make up what should be another solid corps up front for the Lion offense.
Assistant coach Travis Mikel, who coaches the SLU guards and centers, is in his sixth season working with the Southeastern offensive line.
Senior Kyle Strickland, junior Alfred Beverly III and junior Shaq McClain head into the upcoming season with the most experience in a Southeastern uniform. Sophomore Tarveres Tate Jr., sophomore Rendon-Miles Character, senior Lorenz Jones, freshman Tyree Rhodes and sophomore Drew Jones are all vying for bigger roles in 2018.
The Lion offensive line will be fortified by the addition of two newcomers who are slated to have an immediate positive influence. Junior Pat Allen is competing for one of the tackle spots after spending the previous two seasons at Georgia. At guard, junior Jarius Gooch is slated to see plenty of playing time after transferring from Holmes Community College, where he was an all-state performer.
“The competition between our guys is probably heavier than it’s been in a long time,” Mikel commented. “Our guys know they have to continue being better than they were the day before if they want to earn a spot. Competition breeds success and is what drives all of us.
“We’re going to set a ceiling as a group on week one and we want to continue to raise that ceiling each week,” Mikel added. “If we’re playing our best football as a group when the season ends, we’ve done our job.”
SLU returns to the practice field on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. The Lions open the 2018 season with a 7 p.m. contest on Aug. 30 at ULM.
SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
For season ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. The Lions will welcome conference foes Central Arkansas (Sept. 15), Northwestern State (Sept. 29), Houston Baptist (Oct. 13 – Homecoming), Abilene Christian (Oct. 20 – Hall of Fame Game) and McNeese (Nov. 3).
Season ticket holders will also be able to participate in the Season Ticket Party, set for Aug. 25 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the south end zone of Strawberry Stadium.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.
TOUCHDOWN CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.
All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at la*@so**********.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA/#SelfieWithScelfo
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @SLUFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
Fans can also win a pair of SLU Football season tickets by participating in the #SelfieWithScelfo campaign during the month of August. Follow @SLU_athletictix on Twitter for more information.
FRANK SCELFO COACHES SHOW
The Frank Scelfo Coaches Show will debut on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. at Tope La Catering (113 East Thomas Street) in downtown Hammond. The season’s first show will air on Tuesday due to Labor Day. The season’s remaining shows will be held each Monday through Nov. 12 with a 7 p.m. start for each.
The show will air on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (KSLU-FM (90.9), Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and WFPR 1400 AM). Fans can also listen live at www.LionSports.net/listenlive and via the Radio FX and TuneIn Radio apps. A live video stream of the show will be available via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/sluathletics.
Fall Camp Key Dates
Aug. 25 – 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Season Ticket Party); 2 p.m. (Media Day)
By: Southeastern Athletics
