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BREVARD, N.C. – Following the first back-to-back winning seasons in program history, the Brevard College Football team was selected second in the Fall 2021 USA South Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.  The selection comes fresh off a Spring 2021 season that saw Brevard finish with a 4-1 overall record and a USA South Conference West Division Co-Championship.

The Tornados earned a pair of first-place votes in addition to its 54 total points in the poll, earning BC the two-spot in the tabulation. Huntingdon College edged out BC, receiving five first-place votes and 58 points in the poll.

The defending USA South Conference East Division Champion Methodist University was slotted behind the Tornados in third place, receiving 48 points. Averett University and Maryville College finished tied-for-fourth in the tabulation, with each institution obtaining a first-place vote and 41 points each.

NC Wesleyan College (sixth, 31 points), LaGrange College (seventh, 21 points), Southern Virginia University (eighth, 18 points), and Greensboro College (ninth, 12 points) rounded out the annual poll. The conference features nine members for the 2021 campaign, with newcomer Southern Virginia joining the field.

Brevard will look to continue to build upon its recent success, as the Tornados compete for a conference championship and their first opportunity at an NCAA DIII Tournament berth. The Tornados, under fifth-year Head Coach Bill Khayat, feature a squad heavy with returners in addition to 60-plus newcomers.

On offense, the Tornados return sophomore quarterback Eli Carr. The local Asheville, North Carolina product by way of A.C. Reynolds High School sparked the Tornado offense while playing in nine quarters of action in Spring, 2021. Carr completed 39-of-55 passes for 462 yards and five touchdowns to help lead the BC offense. Senior running back Aaron Bennett returns after a Spring 2021 campaign that saw the Gastonia, North Carolina native earn USA South All-Conference West Division plaudits. Bennett has accumulated 593 yards on the ground through his three-year Tornado career while scoring four times. BC's leading rusher from a season ago, junior running back Mitchell Yoder, also joins Bennett in a loaded backfield for the Tornados.

Senior wide receiver Dalton Cole returns following a season that saw the Hendersonville, North Carolina product shift roles, leading to a selection on the D3football.com Team of the Week. Cole amassed 279 all-purpose yards, scoring through the air and on the ground, including three rushing touchdowns in the season finale against NC Wesleyan College. The Tornados also return a majority of an offensive line that was selected as a D3football.com Team of the Week recipient.

Defensively, the Tornados return a majority of its vaunted starting lineup which has produced some of the best numbers in the nation over the last two seasons. Junior defensive back Joc Pledger earned numerous honors after a breakout sophomore campaign in Spring. The Monroe, Georgia native picked off five passes en route to the school's first All-American selection in the NCAA DIII era. Pledger earned a spot on the Spring 2021 D3football.com All-American Second Team in addition to a D3football.com Team of the Week selection earlier in the season. Most recently, Pledger earned a Preseason All-American Second Team honor from D3football.com.

Dante Anderson, a returning senior defensive back from Hartwell, Georgia, racked up 32 tackles and an interception en route to a USA South All-Conference West Division honor and a D3football.com Team of the Week selection.

The Tornados also return standout linebackers Steffon Canady and Toby Naylor from their Spring 2021 squad. Naylor led all Tornados with 37 total tackles, earning BC's first All-Region selection on the D3football.com All-Region Second Team. Canady returns for his third season in a Tornado uniform, bringing back a resume including 95 career tackles, 13 career sacks, and MVP of the 2019 Scotty Whitelaw Bowl. BC returns starting specialists Stamati Damalos and Damon Hewitt to its 2021 squad as well.

The Tornados are slated to kick their 2021 season off on Saturday, September 4, when Brevard travels to Rome, Georgia to face NCAA DII Shorter University at 12 p.m. Brevard opens its home schedule up at Ives-Lemel Family Field on Saturday, September 11, hosting The Apprentice School at 1 p.m.

To follow the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, follow the Tornados on Twitter and Instagram @bctornados, subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados' on YouTube, follow 'Brevard College Tornados' on SoundCloud, and 'Brevard College Athletics' on Facebook. In addition, follow 'brevardcollege' on Flickr for photos from Brevard College events.

-BC-