ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Catawba College football team has been selected to finish sixth in the 10-team South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, per the league's Monday announcement. Six returning student-athletes were named players to watch.
The Catawba Indians had the No. 1 total offense in the SAC last season and one of the country's top red-zone squads on both sides of the ball. In Tyler Haines' fourth season at the helm, the blue and white aim to springboard off their 7-4 record in 2025 that featured a perfect 6-0 ledger at Shuford Stadium and five conference victories.
Wingate led the poll with 72 points and two first-place votes, beating out defending national semifinalist Newberry (67, 5 FPV) and Lenoir-Rhyne (64, 2 FPV) by single-digit points. Carson-Newman took the fourth slot and the final first-place vote as Emory & Henry rounded out the top half of league standings, followed by Catawba in sixth as Anderson, Mars Hill, UVA Wise and Tusculum placed in the bottom four positions.
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Braylon Baker, Bennett Galloway, Jaylen Hinton, Sean McFarland, Luke Raykovicz and Jymiek Sampson were selected as the Catawba Indians' players to watch.
Baker, a junior defensive end, racked up 39 tackles, including 6.5 stops for losses, the team's second-highest mark. He flocked the backfield for two sacks and a season-high four QB hurries, forcing one fumble with two recoveries. The Harrisburg, N.C., product hit his career high in tackles with 14 in the contest at Carson-Newman (11/1).
Galloway returns to the field after scoring 11 touchdowns with 573 rushing yards on 84 carries. His scoring total landed third in the SAC and collected the eighth-most rushing yards in the league despite being limited to seven games. He compiled seven touchdowns in a two-week span across wins over Newberry (9/20) and Southern Connecticut State (9/27). Galloway is a defending All-SAC Second Team honoree as he enters his redshirt senior campaign.
Hinton totaled a team-high 71 tackles last season with no fewer than four stops per contest. The Irmo, S.C., native spearheaded multiple goal-line stands, exhibited by a No. 2 ranking in the league for red-zone defense. Hinton tallied nine tackles highlighted by seven solo stops, both season highs, in the 38-3 hushing of Tusculum (10/25).
McFarland remains the anchor of Catawba's offensive line unit after starting all 11 games at center. His efforts in the trenches helped pave the way for the league's top offense and second-best rushing corps. The Waxhaw, N.C., product shined in late-down situations as Catawba ranked first and second in third- and fourth-down conversions, respectively.
Raykovicz is a veteran presence on the Catawba Indian defense, looking to take on a larger role following multiple departures in the secondary. He appeared in all 11 games last season, collecting 22 tackles with one pass breakup and an interception. Raykovicz's lone INT helped swing the momentum and kick-start the big fourth-quarter rally at Lenoir-Rhyne (11/15).
Sampson, entering his junior year on the defensive line, is expected to take a leap as he finished the 2025 campaign on a solid trajectory. The Clinton, N.C., product logged 14 tackles, with 10 coming in the final four contests. He notched a tackle for a loss in the Lenoir-Rhyne (11/15) game as well as a QB hurry against eventual SAC champion Newberry (9/20).
Catawba's 2026 season kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 29, on the road against nonconference foe Ferrum. The Catawba Indians' home opener is slated for the following Saturday (Sept. 5) as they host North Greenville at 6 p.m.
