BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three-time defending Gulf South Conference champion and the 2021 national runner-up Valdosta State football team was picked to repeat as league favorites in the 2022 GSC Preseason Poll, announced Wednesday. In addition, six Blazers were named to the All-GSC Preseason Team.

The Blazers, who finished 12-2 last season and tied for first in the GSC standings with West Florida at 6-1, garnered six of the eight first-place votes and 48 points in the preseason poll. West Florida accounted for the final two first-place nods and 43 points for second. West Georgia tallied 38 points for third as the top three teams all qualified for the NCAA postseason in 2021. West Alabama was picked fourth (29 points), followed by Delta State (26 points) to round out the top five. Mississippi College was picked sixth (17 points), edging North Greenville by one point (16) and Shorter was eighth with seven points.

Blazer senior quarterback Ivory Durham, along with senior running backs Seth McGill and Jamar Thompkins were named to the team, along with graduate student offensive lineman Jeremiah Campbell.  On defense, senior linebacker Jameon Gaskin earned preseason honors, along with sophomore kicker Estin Thiele.

Durham, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., helped lead the Blazers to the program’s sixth national title appearance in 2021 in his first year as a starter under center. Durham went 12-2 last season earning All-GSC Second Team honors and D2CCA Second Team All-Region accolades. He went 244 of 406 passing for 3,425 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while he was one of three Blazers (all returning this season) to rush for over 1,000 yards on 128 carries for 1,012 yards and 13 rushing scores. He also had one reception for four yards and a touchdown. He finished the season second in the GSC in passing completion percentage at a 60.1 clip, while he was second in the league and 19th nationally in passing efficiency at a 151.6 average. Durham’s 3,425 yards passing were good for second in the league and seventh nationally. His 13 rushing touchdowns put him 18th nationally and second in the conference, while he was 11th nationally in total offense at 316.9 yards per game for second in the GSC.

For his career, Durham has played in 39 games with 14 starts and has gone 283 of 476 (59.5%) for 4,034 yards, 42 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. He has rushed 210 times for 1,774 yards and 22 rushing scores.  Durham has 1,923 all-purpose yards for his career and 5,808 yards of total offense on 686 plays, while he has scored 138 points. Durham is tenth all-time in school history in career rushing touchdowns (22), while he also is tenth in passing touchdowns (42) and seventh in total offense (5,808).

McGill, a native of Miami, Fla., earned GSC First Team honors as he played in all 14 games with 12 starts. McGill earned D2CCA Second Team All-Region and averaged 88.2 yards per game on 189 carries and 1,235 yards, while scoring 14 rushing touchdowns. He also had 20 receptions for 147 yards and two receiving touchdowns as he scored 16 touchdowns for 96 points for the season and 1,235 all-purpose yards. McGill finished atop the GSC in rushing touchdowns for 16th nationally (14) and was tops in the GSC in rushing yards (1,235) for 15th nationally. McGill finished 12th nationally in rushing yards per carry at a 6.53 clip for second on the team and fourth in the league.

He has played in 39 games with 13 starts for his career and has rushed the ball 429 times for 2,651 yards and 37 rushing scores. McGill has caught 63 balls for 492 yards and three scores, while recording 14 kick returns for 384 yards and one punt return for five yards. He has recorded 3,511 all-purpose yards and has 40 total touchdowns for 240 points. McGill is ninth in school history in rushing yards (2,651) and second all-time in rushing touchdowns (37). His 240 points puts him sixth all-time in school history.

Thompkins, a native of Miami, Fla., earned first team all-conference honors last season as an all-purpose back for the third-straight year. He rushed for 1,001 yards on 145 carries and averaged 71.5 yards per game. He has six catches for 46 yards, while returning 11 kicks for 202 yards. Thompkins had 1,250 all-purpose yards for the season.

Over his outstanding career, Thompkins has played in 39 games with 24 starts and earned first team all-conference honors three times, along with honorable mention All-America accolades in 2018. He earned GSC All-Decade Honorable Mention honors and has scored 186 points on 29 rushing touchdowns and two receiving scores for 31 total touchdowns. He has 406 carries for 3,280 yards for third all-time in rushing yards in program history. Thompkins has 29 rushing touchdowns for fifth all-time in program history and his 8.1 average per carry is tops all-time in the Gulf South Conference for a career.

Campbell, a native of Gahanna, Ohio, started all 14 games on the offensive line for the Blazers in 2021. He earned D2CCA Second Team All-Region honors and helped block for an offensive that finished second nationally in total offense at 508.7 yards per game and led the nation in the fewest sacks allowed all season (4) for a 0.29 clip. He helped block for a rushing offense that had three 1,000-yard rushers this past season and the sixth-best rushing offense in the country at 255.8 yards per game. The Blazers finished fourth in the GSC in passing offense at 252.9 yards per game for 37th nationally, while the team was 21st nationally in passing efficiency at a 151.27 clip.

Douglas, Ga., native, Gaskin, earned second team all-conference honors in 2021 and finished second on the team in tackles with 82, while he had 28 solo stops. Finished with 2.5 tackles for loss for 12 yards and 1.5 sacks for eight yards, along with one interception and registered three pass breakups and four hurries.  He led the team with two forced fumbles for the season.

Gaskin has played in 35 games with 28 starts and recorded 176 tackles, along with 71 solo stops.  He has 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks for his career, along with eight hurries, five breakups and one interception.  Gaskin was named GSC Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2018 and earned multiple all-region honors that season.

Thiele, a native of St. Augustine, Fla., had a great first season for the red and black in 2021. He earned second team all-conference honors and handled the field goal and extra-point duties, as well as kickoffs, along with a number of punts. He held the GSC lead in scoring at 8.2 points per game for 26th nationally, while finishing third in the league in field goal percentage at a .778 clip on 14 of 18 field goals. Thiele was 73 of 74 in extra-points and averaged 61.8 yards on kickoffs with 47 touchbacks. He also had eight punts for 342 yards and a 43.28 average per punt with a long of 56. Thiele’s 115 points marks him seventh all-time in school history for points in a season.

VSU has five outstanding home games this season and the possibility of a sixth with the GSC Challenge scheduled for Nov. 12. The GSC enters the second year of a partnership with FloSports for live streaming coverage of all home Blazer football games and all GSC football contests this fall.

Season Tickets are on sale now as CURRENT season ticket holders will have a chance to win prizes throughout May, June and July as they will be entered into weekly drawings based on when they renew their season tickets. Renewals were mailed out Friday, Apr. 15, 2022.

Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the first time can purchase them, beginning April 15 for a special discounted price! Football reserved seats for first year purchasers are buy one and get one seat free. VSU will also offer a new ticket package, a general admission football season pass for $50.

New season ticket holders will receive a one year 50% discounted price on a reserve seat All-Sports Passes. General admission sports passes are $99. Single game family packs with four reserved tickets are $60, while four general admission tickets are $36 per game. Call the Blazer Athletic Ticket Office at 229-333-SEAT (7328) to purchase your seats.

VSU Faculty and Staff season ticket prices for reserved seats are $50, while a general admission season pass is $25. Reserved single game seats for faculty and staff are $10, while general admission tickets for single games for faculty and staff are $5. Payroll deduction is available for VSU faculty and staff for season ticket purchases.