Cullowhee, N.C. – With the start of the 2023 football season still four weeks away, excitement for the return to the gridiron ramps up on Thursday, July 27, as the Southern Conference converges on the Hotel Hartness in Greenville, S.C., for the 2023 SoCon Football Media Day. The SoCon's 2023 preseason all-conference team from the league's head coaches and both official preseason polls are to be unveiled as a part of Thursday's event, followed by on-site interviews with media members.
 
All nine league head coaches and two student-athletes from each school will be on hand and preview the upcoming season. In addition to Catamount third-year head coach Kerwin Bell, WCU will be represented by a pair of seniors in veteran offensive lineman Tyler Smith and linebacker Va Lealaimatafao. A first-team All-SoCon selection a season ago, Smith enters his fifth year in the Purple & Gold, while Lealaimatafao ranked third on the WCU defense with 52 tackles a season ago, his first in Cullowhee.
 
Thursday's media day festivities include conference meetings in the morning, officially kicking off with a media day luncheon at Noon. First-year SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross will speak at the afternoon's luncheon in his first league media day event since being named commissioner back on May 30. Cross is the 10th commissioner in league history.
 
WSPA-TV Sports Director Pete Yanity will conduct one-on-one interviews with the league's head coaches and players during the afternoon's media session, with those interviews slated to air live on ESPN+ starting at 1:30 p.m. ET Thursday. He will be joined on the broadcast by Jason Patterson, who will offer insights on each team. A complete team-by-team schedule of the broadcast and each school's participants is included below.
 
Catamount fans are invited to keep tabs on and join in the conversation about SoCon Football Media Day through WCU's social media outlets including Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts) using the hashtag #SoConFB.
 
The Southern Conference enters 2023 seeking its ninth NCAA FCS Football title with the league's eight currently ranking as the second-most all-time in the subdivision. Five of the league's nine teams appeared in the NCAA FCS national rankings a season ago.
 
Seven of the 15 All-America selections from a season ago return to the league this year, as do five of the seven finalists for the 2022 Walter Payton Award (offensive player of the year), 2022 Buck Buchanan (defensive player of the year), and the 2022 Jerry Rice Award (freshman of the year), the latter in the form of WCU running back Desmond Reid who finished sixth in the national vote last fall.
 
Single-game tickets for WCU football's 2023 home opener against defending SoCon champion Samford are on sale now, with single-game sales for the remaining four home dates available on Tues., Aug. 1. The opener against the Bulldogs, which won its first outright SoCon title and finished seventh in the final national polls last fall, has been designated as the "White Out Whitmire" game, presented by Ingles, 99.9 FM Kiss Country, and Star 104.3. The first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive a free "White Out Whitmire" t-shirt.
 
Season tickets and season-long Catamount Club parking for WCU's five-game 2023 home schedule remain on sale through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office and online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. A variety of season ticket packages are available including the 2023 Football Family Four Pack and the new "Fight On" package which includes two tickets and a $100 membership into the Catamount Club.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount Football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports) and Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB).
 
2023 Southern Conference Football Media Day attendees:
The Citadel: Head coach Maurice Drayton; Tyler Cherry (WR); Wilson Hendricks III (DB)
ETSU: Head coach George Quarles; Noah West (TE); Sheldon Arnold II (DB)
Furman: Head coach Clay Hendrix; Tyler Huff (QB); Matt Sochovka (DT)
Mercer: Head coach Drew Cronic; John Thomas (OL); Lance Wise (DB)
Samford: Head coach Chris Hatcher; Michael Hiers (QB); Joseph Mera (DL)
Chattanooga: Head coach Rusty Wright; Ailym Ford (RB); Jay Person (DL)
VMI: Head coach Danny Rocco; Chance Knox (WR); Alex Oliver (DB)
Western Carolina: Head coach Kerwin Bell; Tyler Smith (OL); Va Lealaimatafao (LB)
Wofford: Head coach Shawn Watson; Kyle Pinnix (WR); Brandon Maina (DL)
 
ESPN+ broadcast schedule (Thursday, July 27; all times Eastern)
1:30 p.m. – Southern Conference Commissioner Michael Cross
1:45 p.m. – VMI
2:00 p.m. – Samford
2:15 p.m. – Chattanooga
2:30 p.m. – Mercer
2:45 p.m. – The Citadel
3:00 p.m. – Western Carolina
3:15 p.m. – ETSU
3:30 p.m. – Furman
3:45 p.m. – Wofford