University of Richmond Athletics
Sports Network Ranks Spiders No. 4
Aug. 19, 2008
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Sports Network has ranked the Richmond football team No. 4 in its 2008 Football Championship Subdivision Preseason Top 25 Poll, now making the Spiders a unanimous preseason top-10 selection heading into the season.
Returning 16 starters off the most successful season in school history, the Spiders have already been tabbed a preseason No. 3 by both Phil Steele and Any Given Saturday, No. 6 by Lindy's, No. 7 by USA Today and No. 8 by the SME Network.
The preseason rankings represent the highest-ever for the Spiders.
Richmond finished 2007 ranked as high as fourth in final top 25 polls, broke a school record with 11 wins (11-3), reached the NCAA National Semifinals for the first time and captured the CAA Football Championship.
Among the Spiders' deep returning class is a pair of highly-touted defensive ends - senior Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. and senior Sherman Logan - who are ranked No. 1 and No. 6, respectively, in FCS Football at the position by NFL Draft Scout.
Sidbury was a Preseason All-CAA Football selection and finished 2007 with 48 tackles and was second on the team with 5.0 sacks. Logan missed all but four games last season with an injury and returns for his final year of eligibility with 115 tackles and 14 sacks to his credit.
First-year head coach Mike London and the Spiders are in the midst of Training Camp, with the season-opener set for August 30 at Elon, which is ranked as high as No. 8 in preseason top-25 polls.
The Phoenix (No. 15) are one of five Spider opponents ranked in the Sports Network Top 25, along with CAA Football foes Massachusetts (No. 5), James Madison (No. 6), Delaware (No. 9) and Villanova (No. 21). Including New Hampshire at 16th, the CAA led the nation with six teams ranked overall and four in the top 10.