INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis was voted in the preseason coaches’ poll as the unanimous choice to win the 2022 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) football title, the league office announced on Friday.
The preseason poll is selected by the league’s seven head coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own team.
No. 1 Indianapolis
- Received all six of the possible first-place votes and 36 total points.
- Have won seven of the nine GLVC titles.
- Head coach Chris Keevers enters his fourth season at the helm of the program, recording a 7-4 mark overall and 5-2 GLVC record in 2021 to finish second in the league.
- UIndy returns Harlon Hill candidate Toriano Clinton who rushed for over 1,500 yards and scored 17 touchdowns last season on his way to being named an All-American by the AFCA.
- UIndy brings back numerous All-GLVC selections on the defensive side of the ball including two-time First Team All-GLVC defensive lineman Jacob Jones who registered 23.5 tackles for loss a season ago.
No. 2 Truman State University
- Received the other first-place vote and 31 total points.
- Have won one GLVC title when it shared the crown in 2016 with Southwest Baptist.
- Head coach Gregg Nesbitt enters his 13th season leading the program, recording a 9-3 mark overall and 4-3 GLVC record in 2021 to finish third in the league.
- The Bulldogs won their second-straight America’s Crossroads Bowl last season with a 34-17 win over Hillsdale on Dec. 4, 2021.
- Truman returns 57 letterwinners in 2021, including 20 on offense where they will see signal caller Nolan Hair back under center after throwing for 2,135 yards.
- The Bulldogs return four on defense who each recorded over 80 tackles last year in Isaiah Estes, Peyton Carr, Ben Watson, and Ben Thomas.
No. 3 McKendree University
- Received 22 total points.
- Head coach Mike Babcock enters his 10th year in Lebanon, going 4-7 overall and 3-4 in GLVC action to finish fifth a season ago.
- McKendree returns junior wideout Jacob Bachman, who set a school record with 80 receptions last year to earn First Team All-GLVC honors.
- The Bearcats lost eight defensive starters from last season but bring back defensive back Kenneth Scarbrough III, who led the team with eight pass breakups in 2021.
No. 4 Southwest Baptist University
- Received 20 total points.
- Head coach Robert Clardy returns for his eighth season leading his alma mater, as the Bearcats are coming off a 4-7 overall record in 2021 with a 3-4 league clip to finish sixth.
- SBU has won one GLVC title when it shared the league crown with Truman in 2016.
- Quarterback Cooper Callis returns in 2022 as the only two-time GLVC Offensive Player of the Year in Conference history, while he was also named the GLVC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year last fall.
- All-American linebacker Coleton Smith also is back, manning the defense for the Bearcats after leading the nation in tackles with 162 in 2021.
No. 5 Missouri S&T
- Received 18 total points.
- The only team with a new head coach this year, Andy Ball was promoted in March to lead the Miners program, which finished fourth in league standings with a 4-3 record while also going 6-5 overall in 2021.
- S&T returns multiple offensive linemen that helped that unit rank second in the league in total offense last year, including First Team All-GLVC lineman Jorge Escalante.
- First Team All-GLVC linebacker Ben Straatmann is back in Rolla for his final season after leading the Miners in tackles (92) and sacks (14) last year.
No. 6 Quincy University
- Received 14 total points.
- Head coach Gary Bass returns for his sixth season at the helm after recording a 4-7 overall mark last year, going 2-5 in GLVC play for a seventh-place finish.
- The Hawks return plenty of experience with 17 starters back this year, as quarterback Tionne Harris is joined by a pair of 600+ yard rushers in the backfield and leading receiver AJ Hardin on the outside.
- Nine defensive starters are back for the Hawks, including Second Team All-GLVC linebacker Peyten Chappel, Second Team All-GLVC defensive back, and Honorable Mention All-GLVC defensive lineman Cole Schnettgoecke.
No. 7 William Jewell College
- Received six total points.
- Head coach Mike McGlinchey enters his third season in Liberty after going 0-11 overall and 0-7 in GLVC play in 2021.
- Quarterback Bart Harris returns with plenty of weapons in wide receivers Jesse Thomas and Grant Latina, running backs Jordan Clay and Livingston Benoit, and tight end Joe Thomas.
- The Cardinals bring back their top two tacklers on defense from last season in Second Team All-GLVC linebacker Carson Anderson and junior linebacker Kian Betancourt.
The 2022 GLVC Champion will be determined by the results of the round-robin league schedule. Co-Champions will be named in the result of a tie, which has happened once since football became a Conference-sponsored sport in 2012 when Southwest Baptist and Truman
shared the crown in 2016.
The complete poll and voting results can be found below.
2022 GLVC FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Place |
School |
Points (first-place votes) |
| 1. |
Indianapolis |
36 (6) |
| 2. |
Truman State |
31 (1) |
| 3. |
McKendree |
22 |
| 4. |
Southwest Baptist |
20 |
| 5. |
Missouri S&T |
18 |
| 6. |
Quincy |
14 |
| 7. |
William Jewell |
6 |