SLU Lions preseason favorites to win the Southland Conference football title

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Hammond America is the home of the preseason favorite to win the Southland Conference, the Southeastern Lions.

It shows respect from the league, but the Lions know there is work to be done.

“I guess it’s better than being picked last, right? There is some respect, but in this league, everybody is equal. The parity in this league is just tough. There’s some tough places to play, and Strawberry Stadium is one of them,” said head coach Frank Scelfo.

“Yeah we’re selected to win conference, but we still gotta take care of business. We gotta take care of today and then game one and then so forth and so forth,” said quarterback Cephus Johnson III.

It’s impressive that the Lions are the favorites, considering their All-American quarterback Cole Kelly went on to the NFL.

So Cephus Johnson and Colby Suits are currently battling for the starting job.

Head coach Frank Scelfo says right now, Johnson has the upper hand.

“Every week they’re competing. You gotta take care of the football, make good decisions, being able to managae and run the offense. Right now I think those guys are competing really well. Cephus has probably got the upper hand but all those other guys are competing really well,” said Scelfo.

Johnson started his career at South Alabama, then transferred to Southeastern after the 2019 season.

He’s spent the last two seasons splitting time as a backup quarterback and wide receiver..

The Alabama native believes his best asset is his ability to extend plays.

“I feel like that is one of my strong suits, being able to run, extend the play when I need to, run the ball, and honestly I have a very strong arm. So those are two of my main, strong attributes,” said Johnson.

Southeastern led the FCS in scoring offense last year, and the Lions are ranked 15th in the FCS preseason poll.

Week one, they’ll be on the road in Lafayette against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

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