The Pioneer Football League might only have one preseason FCS All-American per FCS Football Central, but the non-scholarship conference can surprise some with its D1 transfer numbers and its depth in the league championship chase. It’s a heated march toward what’s likely a single FCS playoff bid.
Drake, Davidson, St. Thomas, Butler, and San Diego form a compelling top five as San Diego looks to hold off the emergence of Davidson and St. Thomas in recent years. St. Thomas remains one of the best storylines in college football as it progresses since its elevation directly from Division III to Division I. Dating back to fall 2021, the Tommies are 21-3 in PFL games, with the losses coming to San Diego, Davidson, and Drake.
Drake is coming off an 8-0 PFL record in 2023 and has in its corner that lone PFL preseason AA pick. He leads this preview of the 2024 Pioneer.
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Preseason All-American
Drake (1) – DL Finn Claypool (2nd Team)
Teams Bringing In The Most D1 Transfers
FBS-to-FCS Transfers & FCS-to-FCS Transfers
Butler — 12 (3 FBS, 9 FCS)
Marist — 12 (2 FBS, 10 FCS)
Valparaiso — 11 (3 FBS, 8 FCS)
Stetson — 8 (7 FBS, 1 FCS)
San Diego — 8 (6 FBS, 2 FCS)
Morehead State — 4 (4 FBS)
Names To Know
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Ryan Upp, Morehead State WR — After Upp combined for nine games played in 2021 and 2022 with MSU, production and playing time took off in 2023. Upp had 55 receptions in 11 games for 833 yards, checking in at third and first in the PFL, respectively. Upp’s 1,140 all-purpose yards were keyed by 263 kick-return yards. With Morehead State losing fellow receiver Kyle Daly from a season ago, who had at least one touchdown in each of his three seasons and who was just shy of 700 receiving yards last year, the Eagles will go to Upp all the more often in an offense that finished ’23 last in the PFL in rushing attempts and yards per rush.
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Alex Herriott, Presbyterian LB — Herriott enters his senior season having played in all 33 possible games in his Blue Hose career, including making 19 starts in his first two years. 2023 was good to Herriott as he concluded inside the nation’s top 10 in tackles per game (10.7) and wrapped up fourth in the FCS in solo stops (70). Herriott will be instrumental once more this fall if Presby is able to compile an encore to its ’23 No. 1 PFL total defense (314.5 YPG).
TOP NFL PROSPECT: Finn Claypool, Drake DL — Claypool may well be the face of the Pioneer nationally, leading the Bulldogs in last year’s title run with 12.5 sacks, six more than the second-place PFL finisher in the category. Claypool set career highs in total tackles (57), tackles for loss (19), and forced fumbles (5) in 2023 to win PFL Defensive Player of the Year. In 2022, the Des Moines, Iowa native followed up a fall 2021 redshirt by earning a HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American nod. Claypool’s PFF scores last fall ranked third (91.1 overall grade) and second (92.8 pass-rush grade) among FCS edge defenders.
HERO Sports’ Predicted Order of Finish
- Davidson
- Drake
- St. Thomas
- Butler
- San Diego
- Marist
- Morehead State
- Dayton
- Presbyterian
- Valparaiso
- Stetson
It’s hard to dispute St. Thomas, even in a conference with parity, finishing 2024 in the PFL’s top three barring something unforeseen injury-wise. The Tommies have the well-earned D1 precedent established by now, not missing much of a beat in their move-up, and just lacking the postseason access to prove it further. Although not playoff-eligible until 2026, UST is a problem for the opponent every week with offensive tackle Alec Rasmussen standing at 6-7 and 319 pounds. He played over 90% of the Tommies’ offensive snaps as a yearlong starter last time around.
The trifecta atop the PFL preseason outlook is complete with Davidson and Drake.
Davidson secured FCS playoff berths in three straight seasons from 2020 to 2022, but it faltered to end 2023 when it dropped to Morehead State and Dayton by an average score of 46-15.5. That opened the door for Drake, which benefited from last season’s six one-score Pioneer triumphs.
Thus, the Bulldogs are pretty battle-tested as they bring back starting quarterback Luke Bailey, the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list choice who is unbeaten against PFL teams as a starter.
Butler bears watching with Dartmouth grad and midyear transfer QB Nick Howard joining the fold. Howard had an offer from CAA member Campbell and visited Notre Dame before landing on Butler, which stands to gain from his rushing prowess (1,925 yards in 29 career games at Dartmouth).
Marist ties Butler at a dozen for the most D1 transfers in the Pioneer. The Red Foxes added Monmouth transfer QB Enzo Arjona, who saw time for the Hawks as a true freshman in 2022 when he started MU’s final three games. The best outing among those was his collegiate debut vs. Towson in which he tossed three touchdowns on 18-of-25 passing for 213 yards. Arjona got in four games in his sophomore year of 2023 while playing behind Sacred Heart grad transfer Marquez McCray.
Former LSU walk-on QB Matt O’Dowd is also new to Marist. O’Dowd did not play in any of his three years in Baton Rouge, serving as scout team QB and sideline signaler in games.
San Diego will have an important role in the PFL mix as it aims to flip from 2023’s narrow defeats that included two in overtime. There was also a last-second setback to Drake, 25-20. The Toreros host Davidson on Nov. 2 in Davidson’s only road game against a fellow HERO Sports preseason PFL top-five pick. The Wildcats’ schedule gives them the edge in our POOF for a league lineup that should be closely matched.
