CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Big South-OVC Association preseason favorite Southeast Missouri football team took the field for the first time Wednesday afternoon.
 
Due to rain in the area and the finishing touches being put on Phase One of the Houck Project (scheduled to be completed by the start of the season), SEMO moved its first official practice off campus to Cape Central High School. 
 
The workout started a series of 26 practices the Redhawks will have leading up to their season-opener at Football Bowl Subdivision and reigning Big 12 Conference Champion Kansas State on Sept. 2.
 
SEMO, which won the OVC title and represented the conference in the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs last season, received six of the possible 10 first-place votes in the overall preseason voting by Big South-OVC head coaches. 
 
The Redhawks carry a 106-man roster into their two-week camp. That number includes 21 seniors, three graduates, 17 juniors, 36 sophomores and 32 freshmen. In terms of talent and experience alone, it is the best roster Tom Matukewicz has had in his 10 years at the SEMO helm.
 
So far, SEMO has been ranked in three Preseason Top-25 Polls, including Athlon Sports (#9), HERO Sports (#11) and FCS Coaches (#13). The #9 preseason ranking is the Redhawks highest all-time. Those rankings are in large part based on SEMO's strong 2022 finish which saw the Redhawks go 9-3 overall and undefeated in OVC play (first time ever) with a 5-0 mark.
 
The Redhawks welcome back 14 starters with six on offense and eight on defense.
 
All-Americans Geno Hess and Lawrence Johnson each return for their sixth season wearing the red and black. Hess is the school's all-time leading rusher with 4,112 yards and 53 touchdowns in his career. He needs 1,038 more yards to become the OVC's all-time career rushing leader.
 
Hess and Johnson, along with offensive lineman Zack Gieg, wide receiver Ryan Flournoy and inside linebacker Bryce Norman were named to multiple All-America teams this preseason.
 
Gieg won the prestigious Rimington Award in 2022, which goes to the top center in FCS Football. He became only the third player in SEMO history to claim the honor.
 
Flournoy, who was on the NFL Draft radar a year ago, decided to return for his senior season at SEMO. He is the Redhawks top receiver back after catching 61 balls for 984 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2022 campaign.
 
Norman, a native of nearby Jackson, is the Redhawks top returning tackler. He led SEMO in tackles each of his first two seasons at inside linebacker accumulating 119 a season ago.
 
At quarterback, Paxton DeLaurent is under center for his second season. DeLaurent, named to the Big South-OVC Association Preseason Players to Watch, completed 210-of-344 passes for 2,694 yards and 19 touchdowns in 10 starts his first NCAA Division I season.
 
Offensively, SEMO should again have a balanced attack even though it lost three starters up front. The Redhawks had the top rushing offense in the OVC and 13th-best in the FCS with 225.6 yards per game last year.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, the Redhawks are bolstered by the return of nine players who started six or more games in 2022.
 
SEMO's defense was one of the best in the OVC, particularly down the stretch where it allowed only 29 combined points in the final three games of the regular season. Overall, the Redhawks have eight of their top 10 tacklers back from the 2022 campaign.
 
Special teams wise, SEMO has the top kick return and punt return man in the OVC in Dalyn McDonald. McDonald, a First-Team All-OVC pick in 2022, led the league with 7.3 yards per punt return and 26.1 yards per kick return.
 
As far as kicking goes, the Redhawks are in good shape with returning place kicker DC Pippin. Pippin was the team's second-leading scorer behind Hess with 98 points. He made 16-of-24 field goals and did not miss an extra point (50-of-50) last season.
 
Zach Haynes, who started as SEMO's punter the last three years, transferred to New Mexico State. Newcomer Adam Heston is expected to fill the void. Heston comes to Cape Girardeau from Eastern Michigan where he was the Eagles' holder in 2022.
 
Single-Game tickets for the 2023 season are on sale now. Both single-game and season ticket packages can be purchased online and through the SEMO Athletics Ticket Office. Click Here for ticket prices and information.