WILSON, N.C. – The Barton Football Team is set to launch its fifth season of reestablishment on Thursday night when the Bulldogs host West Virginia State in the 2024 opener at Electric Supply Company Field and Truist Stadium.  The kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

The Bulldogs are coming off a second winning season in three years – 6-5 overall and 4-5 in the South Atlantic Conference last fall – are in their final campaign as an Associate Member of the SAC.  Conference Carolinas is starting football as a league in 2025.

Barton will have a new look this year with the loss of several key components including NCAA Division II All-American running back Jordan Terrell and wide receiver Kameron Johnson, who recently earned a roster spot on the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bulldogs will turn to sophomore quarterback Trevor Nored (Waldorf, Md.) behind center.  Nored is a transfer from the University of Rhode Island.

The young receiver corps returns junior wideout Isaiah Jacobs (Raleigh, N.C.) and senior wideout Jayden Flood-Brown (Newport News, Va.).  Jacobs caught 16 passes for 249 yards and Flood-Brown was on the receiving end of a pair of scores in 2023.  First up to move into to Terrell’s spot looks like sophomore running back Tay Long (Winston-Salem, N.C.).

The Bulldogs have a lot of experience up front with four seniors penciled in to start opening day:  left tackle Trey Pickard (Reidsville, N.C.), left guard Seth Phillips (Holly Springs, N.C.), center Connor Sauls (Holly Springs, N.C.) and right guard Hunter Sauls (Holly Springs, N.C.).

Despite the loss of two-time all-league linebacker Shane Perry, there is plenty of depth on the defensive side of the ball.  Senior linebacker Matt Smith (Raleigh, N.C.) was an all-league preseason honoree after finishing second on the squad in tackles with 97.

The secondary is led by senior strong safety Dereck Barringer (Rockingham, N.C.), senior free safety Connor Stanley (Garner, N.C.) and senior cornerback Mike Webb (Winterville, N.C.).  Barringer had 80 tackles last year while both Webb and Stanley picked off a pair of passes.

The Bulldogs brought in a pair of transfers – graduate student defensive end Sam Brady (Lincolnton, N.C.) and junior defensive end Bailey Carraway (Hartsville, S.C.) – to help shore up the defensive line.

The punting and kicking duties will be turned over to redshirt freshman Bryson Jenkins (Red Oak, N.C.) and freshman Andrew Bontekoe (Charlotte, N.C.).

West Virginia State, an NCAA Division II school out of Institute, W.Va., and a member of the Mountain East Conference, is looking to bounce back after a 4-6 campaign (4-5 in the MEC) in 2023.

The Yellow Jackets return Joel Felder (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at running back.  Felder rushed for 1,115 yards and 13 scores and was an all-league and all-region honoree.

The Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs are meeting for the first time ever.  Barton is coached by fifth-year mentor Chip Hester was West Virginia State was headed up by John Pennington, who is in his eighth year at the helm.