Lindenwood WR Jeff Caldwell led the Big South-OVC Football Association in yards per catch and receiving touchdowns last season. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
With the 2024 NCAA football season set to begin in a little over a month, the Big South-OVC Football Association released a list of “Preseason Offensive Players to Watch” for the new season.
Three Lindenwood players were among those listed, led by junior-to-be wide receiver Jeff Caldwell, who led the Lions with 32 catches for 599 yards in just nine games played. Caldwell also had averaged 18.7 yards per catch and scored eight touchdowns, which both were top numbers in the Big South-OVC last year.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder from Louisville, Ky., saw his season end early due to an injury, but he will be back this season to lead a Lindenwood offense many expect to be among the most explosive in the conference this season.
Also included on the “Players to Watch” list was running Robert Giaimo. He was Freshman of the Year in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2021, but has injury issues in both the last two seasons that have kept him from bursting onto the nation scene like Lindenwood’s coaches thought he would.
Last year, Giaimo rushed for 440 yards on 81 carries and caught 15 passes for 102 yards in five games. He averaged 108.4 all-purpose yards per game, which would have been fourth-most in the conference if he had played in enough games.
In 2022, Giaimo only played in two games before suffering an injury that ended his season.
The third Lindenwood player to make the “Players to Watch” list is senior offensive lineman Ethan Johnson. Last year, Johnson was one of the top performers on an offensive line that produced 134.7 rushing yards per game — the fourth-best mark in the conference.
Johnson was a second team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection as a sophomore in 2022 and was a CSC Academic All-District selection last season. He was also a member of the FCS ADA Academic All- Star Team last year.
Big South-OVC Football Association head coaches from the nine member schools selected players for the “Preseason Offensive Players to Watch” list. Each team could select one player per offensive position (quarterback running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, all-purpose and place kicker) to be included on the Watch List.
The “Preseason Defensive Players to Watch” list will be released on Tuesday, while the “Predicted Order of Finish” and “Preseason Players of the Year” will come out on Wednesday.
Lindenwood will begin its season on August 29, when the Lions will travel to Kansas City to take on the University of Kansas.
The 2024 Lindenwood football home opener will be the following week, on September 7, when the Lions will host Central Arkansas. Kickoff for that matchup at Hunter Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
2024 PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Quarterback
Zolten Osborne (So.), Charleston Southern
Pierce Holley (Grad.), Eastern Illinois
Ren Hefley (Grad.), Gardner-Webb
Paxton DeLaurent (Sr.), Southeast Missouri
Draylen Ellis (Grad.), Tennessee State
Dylan Laible (Jr.), Tennessee Tech
Kinkead Dent (Grad), UT Martin
Nate Lamb (Sr.), Western Illinois
Running Back
Autavius Ison (So.), Charleston Southern
MJ Flowers (So.), Eastern Illinois
Carson Gresock (So.), Gardner-Webb
Robert Giaimo (Jr.), Lindenwood
Jordan Gant (R-So.), Tennessee State
Obie Sanni (Jr.), Tennessee Tech
Narkel LeFlore (Sr.), UT Martin
Torrance Famer Jr. (Sr.), Western Illinois
Wide Receiver
Noah Jennings (So.), Charleston Southern
Eli Mirza (Sr.), Eastern Illinois
Jordan Bly (Sr.), Gardner-Webb
Jeff Caldwell (Jr.), Lindenwood
Jalal Dean (Sr.), Tennessee State
Tremel Jones (Jr.), Tennessee Tech
DeVonte Tanksley (Grad.), UT Martin
Demari Davis (Jr.), Western Illinois
Tight End
Landon Sauers (R-Jr.), Charleston Southern
Anthony Manaves (Sr.), Eastern Illinois
Cole Schnieder (Jr.), Gardner-Webb
Danny Joiner (Jr.), Southeast Missouri
Jason Hoath Jr. (So.), Tennessee State
Hunter Barnhart (Sr.), Tennessee Tech
Brandon Lanier (Jr.), Western Illinois
Offensive Line
Ronnie Hayes II (R-Jr.), Charleston Southern
Sebastian Pares (Sr.), Eastern Illinois
CJ Dawson (So.), Gardner-Webb
Ethan Johnson (Jr.), Lindenwood
Zack Gieg (Sr.), Southeast Missouri
Connor Meadows (R-So.), Tennessee State
Logan Weedman (Jr.), Tennessee Tech
Drake Carroll (Grad.), UT Martin
Isaiah Foote (Jr.), Western Illinois
All-Purpose
Leon Thomas (So.), Charleston Southern
Edward Sayeed (Sr.), Gardner-Webb
Dayron Johnson (Sr.), Tennessee State
Kyron Cumby (Sr.), Tennessee Tech
Narkel LeFlore (Sr.), UT Martin
Placekicker
Jay Billingsley (Jr.), Gardner-Webb
DC Pippin (Jr.), Southeast Missouri
James Lowery (R-Sr.), Tennessee State
Hayden Olsen (Sr.), Tennessee Tech
Christiaan Masucci (Grad.), Western Illinois
2024 LINDENWOOD LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 29, 2024 (Thursday) | TBA | Away | Kansas | Kansas City, Kan. |
| September 7, 2024 (Saturday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Central Arkansas | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| September 14, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Missouri State | Springfield, Mo. |
| September 21, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | St. Thomas | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| September 28, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Eastern Illinois | Charleston, Ill. |
| October 5, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee State | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| October 12, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Charleston Southern | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| October 19, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Gardner-Webb | Boiling Springs, N.C. |
| October 26, 2024 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | Western Illinois | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| November 2, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Tennessee Tech | Cookeville, Tenn. |
| November 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri State | St. Charles, Mo. / Hunter Stadium |
| November 23, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. |