FMU Football Voted to Finish 3rd in Preseason Coaches’ Poll; Highest Ranking in SUN History

TAMPA, Fla. - The Florida Memorial University Lions football team earned its highest preseason ranking in SUN Conference history, earning 36 first place votes, good for third place in the conference.

"We are very thankful and honored, but you won't survive in the SUN Conference setting your standard and sights on third place," said FMU Lions head football coach Bobby Rome. "The conference is loaded with talented teams from top to bottom, including two teams ranked in the top 12 in the country, not to mention the defending NAIA National Champions Keiser. So regardless of what the preseason ranking reflects, we have to be ready to play every Saturday, that's for sure," Rome explained.

Keiser University has been picked as the favorite to win the Sun Conference Football Title as voted on by the head coaches in the 2024 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Seahawks, reigning NAIA National Champions, finished their 2023 campaign with a record of 12-2 and a 7-0 conference record. After falling to Northwestern College in the 2022 Championship Game, KU flipped the script against the Red Raiders last season, defeating them 31-21 to claim the NAIA's Red Banner. This year brings a new look for the Seahawks with a change at Head Coach, with Myles Russ stepping in.

St. Thomas is picked to finish second with 45 points and three first-place votes. STU finished last season with an overall record of 9-4 and a 6-1 conference record. The Bobcats earned their program's first-ever playoff game in 2023 and tallied their first playoff win over Reinhardt 55-7 before falling to Keiser in the Second Round of the NAIA Championship.

The Lions of Florida Memorial tally 36 points in the third-place spot of this year's poll, coming off a 5-2 conference season in 2023. Southeastern is voted at No. 4 just behind FMU with 32 points.

Ave Maria (26 points) and Webber International (18 points), both with 2-5 record in conference play last season, aim to climb into the top half of the conference this year and are ranked No. 5 and No. 6 in the poll, respectively.

Warner (14 points) and Thomas (seven points) round out the poll, coming in at the No. 7 and No. 8 spots.
Conference play begins Saturday, September 28. Scores for all games can be found on The Sun Scoreboard and stayed tuned into SUN live action all season long on The Sun Digital Network.

2024 SUN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
Pos. Team Points (First Place Votes) 2023 SUN Record 2023 Overall Record
1. Keiser 46 (5) 7-0 12-2
2. St. Thomas 45 (3) 6-1 9-4
3. Florida Memorial 36 5-2 6-4
4. Southeastern 32 4-3 5-5
5. Ave Maria 26 2-5 4-6
6. Webber Int'l 18 2-5 3-7
7. Warner 14 1-6 4-6
8. Thomas 7 1-6 1-8

ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now in its 34th year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 24 NAIA sports. Learn more at thesunconference.com

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