Defending champ Slippery Rock again the pick in PSAC West
Defending champ Slippery Rock was selected No. 1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s West Division football preseason poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Berks Catholic grad Josiah “Jay Jay” Jordan, who played last season at Wilkes, is a freshman transfer for Slippery Rock. He was the Landmark Conference rookie of the year in 2023.
| 1 | Slippery Rock |
| 2 | California |
| 3 | Indiana |
| 4 | Gannon |
| 5 | Seton Hall |
| 6 | Edinboro |
| 7 | Clarion |
The Rock went 7-0 in the league and 12-2 overall record last season and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. Slippery Rock collected a maximum six first-place votes and returns plenty of talent, including PSAC West and Super Region One Offensive Athlete of the Year Brayden Long at quarterback and All-American tight end Kam Kruzelyak. Defensively, All-American defensive backs Josh Stokes and Eddie Faulkner IV return.
California was voted No. 2. The Vulcans went 6-1 in league play and finished 7-3 last season. Quarterback Davis Black and wide receiver Eric Willis III return to an offense that ranked second in the conference in scoring at 34.7 points per game.
Indiana, voted as No. 3, closed the 2023 season with a pair of road wins to complete its 13th consecutive winning season. The Crimson Hawks were PSAC champions in 2022 and were the top team in last year’s preseason poll; they return plenty of veterans as they try to improve on a 6-5 overall record.
Gannon finished third in the always-tough West at 5-2 and comes in at No. 4 in this year’s poll. The Golden Knights return lots of talent across the offensive line and linebacking corps.
Seton Hill won four straight games to close out last season at 6-5. It looks to keep the momentum going. The defense returns seven starters, including six of the front seven.
Edinboro brings back four starters on the offensive line and six players with starting experience on defense as it looks to improve on last year’s 3-8 record.
The Golden Eagles of Clarion, voted No. 7 in the poll, return 16 total starters (eight on defense, six on offense, and two on special teams.)