2024 Harding Bisons football team

2024 Harding Bisons football
Conference	Great American Conference
Ranking
AFCA	No. 1
Record	4–0 (4–0 GAC)
Head coach	Paul Simmons (8th season)
Offensive scheme	Flexbone triple option
Defensive coordinator	Roddy Mote (8th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Luke Tribble (8th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	First Security Stadium
Seasons ←  2023 2025 →

2024 Great American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Harding		4	–	0					4	–	0
No. 16 Ouachita Baptist		4	–	0					4	–	0
No. 20 Henderson State		3	–	1					3	–	1
Southern Arkansas		3	–	1					3	–	1
Arkansas–Monticello		2	–	2					2	–	2
Arkansas Tech		2	–	2					2	–	2
SE Oklahoma State		2	–	2					2	–	2
SW Oklahoma State		2	–	2					2	–	2
NW Oklahoma State		1	–	3					1	–	3
Oklahoma Baptist		1	–	3					1	–	3
East Central		0	–	4					0	–	4
Southern Nazarene		0	–	4					0	–	4
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

The 2024 Harding Bisons football team represents Harding University in the 2024 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Great American Conference (GAC). The Bisons are led by eighth-year head coach Paul Simmons and play their home games at First Security Stadium in Searcy, Arkansas.

The team entered the 2024 season as both the reigning GAC champion and the defending NCAA Division II national champion. ^[1]

Preseason

The GAC coaches preseason poll was released on August 1, 2024. The Bisons were predicted to finish first in the conference, receiving 10 of the 12 first place votes, while Oauchita Baptist and Southern Arkansas each received one first place vote. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 5	7:00 p.m.	Southern Nazarene	No. 1	First Security Stadium Searcy, AR	W 59–0	3,500
September 14	7:00 p.m.	at Oklahoma Baptist	No. 1	Crain Family Stadium Shawnee, OK	W 59–7	2,706
September 19	6:00 p.m.	at Arkansas–Monticello	No. 1	Cotton Boll Stadium Monticello, AR	W 63–3	2,100
September 28	7:00 p.m.	No. 20 Henderson State	No. 1	First Security Stadium Searcy, AR	W 66–0	5,200
October 5	2:00 p.m.	at SW Oklahoma State		Milam Stadium Weatherford, OK
October 12	2:00 p.m.	NW Oklahoma State		First Security Stadium Searcy, AR
October 19	7:00 p.m.	at Ouachita Baptist		Cliff Harris Stadium Arkadelphia, AR
October 26	3:00 p.m.	Southern Arkansas		First Security Stadium Searcy, AR
October 31	7:00 p.m.	SE Oklahoma State		First Security Stadium Searcy, AR
November 9	2:00 p.m.	at East Central		Koi Ishto Stadium Ada, OK
November 16	2:00 p.m.	Arkansas Tech		First Security Stadium Searcy, AR
Homecoming Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Rankings

See also: 2024 NCAA Division II football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Final
AFCA	1 (25)	1 (25)*	1 (27)	1 (27)	1 (29)
D2 Football	1	1	1	1	1

* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

Personnel

2024 Harding Bisons football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 5 Stone Sheffield Sr RB 7 Braden Jay Jr RB 8 Andrew Miller So RB 10 Jhalen Spicer Sr QB 11 Kyler Finney Fr QB 13 Carter Zimmerman Fr WR 14 Will White Sr QB 15 Cole Keylon Jr QB 16 Malik Young So QB 17 Camren Cavalier Fr WR 18 Darius Brown Jr WR 19 Dane Romberger Sr RB 21 Chauncey Martin Sr RB 22 Will Fitzhugh Sr RB 25 Christian Franklin Jr RB 26 Blake Delacruz Sr RB 30 Josh Strickland Jr. So WR 31 Brady Barnett  Fr RB 32 Sam Mitchum  Fr RB 34 Josh Evans-Pickens  Fr RB 35 Josh Jones Sr RB 37 Jimmy Citty Sr OL 50 Jose Lopez So OL 51 Vincent Cox  Fr OL 54 Jake Mitchell Jr OL 56 Jonathan Underwood Sr OL 57 Jake Duggar Sr OL 59 Jonathan Vining  Fr OL 60 Sam Ruffino So OL 62 Josh Lawrence  Fr OL 63 David Gomez So OL 64 Jude Steffen Jr OL 65 Joshua Cobb  Fr OL 67 Luke McCormick  Fr OL 70 Jordan McClaine Jr OL 73 Carter Lees Sr OL 75 Cobe Williams  Fr OL 76 Matt Colvin  Fr OL 77 Isaac Gray  Fr OL 78 Dylan Daring Jr OL 79 Duance Johnson Sr WR 80 Drew Porter So WR 82 Bodie Neal  Fr WR 83 Jarrett Atchley  Fr TE 85 Levi Mercer  Fr WR 86 Jackson Richardson  Fr TE 87 Mike Ericson Jr TE 88 Dylan Cummings  Fr RB Chris Banard Fr RB Ben Boehm Fr OL Quan'Travious Bradford Fr OL Pablo Cerda Fr RB Da'Shawn Chairs Fr WR Jack Citty Fr OL Cason Craig Fr RB Payton Evans-Pickens Fr RB Antonio Ford Fr OL Lucas McCain Fr OL Talan Owen Fr WR Bob Patterson Fr OL John Silvestri Fr WR Mabry Verser Fr OL Gavin Waters Fr RB Bo Williams Fr WR Dane Williams Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 0 Darion Dunlap-Johnson Sr DB 1 Kendale Allen Sr DB 2 Kyle McDonald Sr LB 3 Cayden Pierce Sr DB 4 Deion Campbell So DB 6 Travis Greenwalt Sr DL 9 Dre Hall Sr DB 11 Grayson Lewis  Fr DB 12 Troy Wiseman So DB 13 Jeremiah Johnson So DB 16 Lamont Cox  Fr DB 17 Luke Martin So DB 19 Josh Gatlin Fr DB 20 Ty Dugger Jr DL 23 Tirrell Johnson So LB 24 Clark Griffin Sr DB 26 Drew Nelson  Fr DB 27 G'Kyson Wright  Fr DB 28 Zac O'Day So DB 29 Curtis Jackson So LB 33 Kyle Henry Fr DB 36 Carter Hill  Fr LB 37 Dax Goff Fr DL 40 Keith Hargraves Sr DB 41 Elijah Carlton  Fr LB 42 Kekoa Carroll Sr LB 44 Jordan Mays  Fr DL 45 Devonte Manning Sr LB 46 Christian Brumley  Fr DL 47 Nathan Muhle Jr DL 48 Tony Agyapong So LB 52 Jackson Cody  Fr DL 55 Gage Price Sr DL 58 Austin Bailey Sr DL 89 Justin Sobczak So DL 90 Diego Davis  Fr DL 91 Brock Knapton  Fr DL 92 Bryce Rushing  Fr DL 95 Nii Addy  Fr DL 96 Joseph Oluwayemi  Fr DL 99 Wesley Coleman Sr LB Calan Castles Fr DB Connor Dean Fr DB Corey Dean Fr DL Cam Draper Fr DB Kelon Fountain Fr DB Ayden Hamilton Fr DL Beau Hardin Fr DL Andrew Hodge Fr DB Ahmad Jenkins Fr LB B. T. McMillian Fr DL Peyton McNeely Fr DL Landen Meredith Fr DB Xavier Rodriguez Fr DL Kaden Spencer Fr DL Kaleb Walker Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 38 Luke Mammana Jr K 39 Magnus Lepak So K 43 James Satterfield Fr LS 49 Xavier Hylton Jr LS 53 Chase Whitfield Sr K, P 84 Griffin Thomas Fr LS Jack Edwards Fr LS Aidan Hall Fr	Head coach Paul Simmons Coordinators/assistant coaches Roddy Mote Defensive coordinator/Linebackers Luke Tribble Co-defensive coordinator/Special teams coordinator/Defensive backs Tre'von Biglow Defensive line Sam Blakenship Safeties Kevin Chism Offensive line Ryan Derrick Wide receivers Matt Middleton Quarterbacks/Fullbacks Matt Underwood Director of recruiting/Slotbacks Kenny Wheaton Offensive consultant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: September 10, 2024

Game summaries

Southern Nazarene

Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm at No. 1 Harding Bisons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Crimson Storm	0	0	0	0	0
No. 1 Bisons	14	28	10	7	59

at First Security Stadium, Searcy, Arkansas

• Date: September 5
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 3,500
• Referee: Michael Catton
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter HAR – Blake Delacruz 5-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 13:57. Bisons 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 5 yards, 0:05. HAR – Cole Keylon 9-yard run (Magnuz Lepak kick), 10:16. Bisons 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 2:10. Second quarter HAR – Cole Keylon 1-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 13:44. Bisons 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 35 yards, 1:16. HAR – Blake Delacruz 15-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 8:43. Bisons 28–0. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:54. HAR – Braden Jay 21-yard pass from Cole Keylon (Magnus Lepak kick), 7:20. Bisons 35–0. Drive: 2 plays, 23 yards, 0:47. HAR – Andrew Miller 88-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 4:48. Bisons 42–0. Drive: 1 play, 88 yards, 0:14. Third quarter HAR – Josh Evans-Pickens 21-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 11:35. Bisons 49–0. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 3:25. HAR – Magnus Lepak 33-yard field goal, 1:34. Bisons 52–0. Drive: 6 plays, 28 yards, 3:52. Fourth quarter HAR – Malik Young 20-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 12:18. Bisons 59–0. Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 2:32.

Statistics	SNU	HAR
First downs	4	24
Total yards	49	607
Rushing yards	33	554
Passing yards	16	53
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	25:38	34:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Nazarene	Passing	Rasheed Noel	2/5, 17 yards
	Rushing	Evan Rader	1 rush, 37 yards
	Receiving	Dalen Smith	1 reception, 9 yards
Harding	Passing	Cole Keylon	2/5, 53 yards, TD
	Rushing	Andrew Miller	6 rushes, 129 yards, TD
	Receiving	Will White	1 reception, 32 yards

At Oklahoma Baptist

No. 1 Harding Bisons at Oklahoma Baptist Bison – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 HAR Bisons	14	17	21	7	59
OKB Bison	0	7	0	0	7

at Crain Family Stadium, Shawnee, Oklahoma

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 88 °F (31 °C)
• Game attendance: 2,706
• Referee: Darin Lair
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter HAR – Blake Delacruz 1-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 9:52. Harding 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 4:13. HAR – Stone Sheffield 34-yard pass from Cole Keylon (Magnus Lepak kick), 6:15. Harding 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 78 yards, 2:39. Second quarter HAR – Blake Delacruz 3-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 11:44. Harding 21–0. Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 5:30. OKB – Haven Lysell-Stewart 5-yard pass from Kenny Rosenthal (Patrick Maxwell kick), 8:49. Harding 21–7. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:55. HAR – Braden Jay 11-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 2:43. Harding 28–7. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 5:59. HAR – Magnus Lepak 36-yard field goal, 0:10. Harding 31–7. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 1:58. Third quarter HAR – Andrew Miller 8-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 10:33. Harding 38–7. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:22. HAR – Malik Young 1-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 5:06. Harding 45–7. Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 4:20. HAR – Josh Strickland Jr. 3-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 0:49. Harding 52–7. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 3:09. Fourth quarter HAR – G'Kyson Wright 15-yard interception return (Magnus Lepak kick), 12:26. Harding 59–7.

Statistics	HAR	OKB
First downs	31	8
Total yards	506	157
Rushing yards	427	27
Passing yards	79	130
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	42:24	17:36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harding	Passing	Cole Keylon	4/6, 60 yards, TD
	Rushing	Blake Delacruz	14 rushes, 68 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Stone Sheffield	2 receptions, 53 yards, TD
Oklahoma Baptist	Passing	Kenny Rosenthal	12/33, 110 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Caden Peevy	2 rushes, 19 yards
	Receiving	Michael Marshall	4 receptions, 33 yards

At Arkansas–Monticello

No. 1 Harding Bisons at Arkansas–Monticello Boll Weevils – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Bisons	35	7	14	7	63
Boll Weevils	0	0	3	0	3

at Cotton Boll Stadium, Monticello, Arkansas

• Date: September 19
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 2,100
• Referee: Brad Frisby
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter HAR – Braden Jay 37-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 8:36. Bisons 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 3:25. HAR – Blake Delacruz 33-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 6:56. Bisons 14–0. Drive: 2 plays, 39 yards, 0:52. HAR – Ty Dugger 43-yard interception return (Magnus Lepak kick), 5:39. Bisons 21–0. HAR – Braden Jay 70-yard pass from Cole Keylon (Magnus Lepak kick), 3:36. Bisons 28–0. Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:17. HAR – Dane Romberger 53-yard pass from Cole Keylon (Magnus Lepak kick), 0:27. Bisons 35–0. Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:39. Second quarter HAR – Andrew Miller 1-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 5:52. Bisons 42–0. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 6:51. Third quarter UAM – Dylan Duhon 22-yard field goal, 6:36. Bisons 42–3. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 1:20. HAR – Andrew Miller 69-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 5:10. Bisons 49–3. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:26. HAR – Josh Strickland Jr. 27-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 0:15. Bisons 56–3. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 3:03. Fourth quarter HAR – Jimmy Citty 4-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 4:14. Bisons 63–3. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 7:36.

Statistics	HAR	UAM
First downs	23	9
Total yards	578	191
Rushing yards	433	104
Passing yards	145	87
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	32:42	27:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harding	Passing	Cole Keylon	3/4, 145 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Andrew Miller	6 rushes, 78 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Braden Jay	1 reception, 70 yards, TD
Arkansas–Monticello	Passing	Demilon Brown	9/20, 79 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Tyler Reed	17 rushes, 73 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Cross	3 receptions, 32 yards

No. 20 Henderson State

No. 20 Henderson State Reddies at No. 1 Harding Bisons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Reddies	0	0	0	0	0
No. 1 Bisons	28	21	10	7	66

at First Security Stadium, Searcy, Arkansas

• Date: September 28
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
• Game attendance: 5,200
• Referee: Jimmy Malone
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter HAR – Braden Jay 69-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 13:50. Bisons 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 69 yards, 0:12. HAR – Blake Delacruz 2-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 11:46. Bisons 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 20 yards, 1:56. HAR – Blake Delacruz 2-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 4:09. Bisons 21–0. Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 5:27. HAR – Braden Jay 44-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 0:02. Bisons 28–0. Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 2:00. Second quarter HAR – Blake Delacruz 1-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 10:23. Bisons 35–0. Drive: 4 plays, 42 yards, 2:40. HAR – Braden Jay 35-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 4:59. Bisons 42–0. Drive: 8 plays, 93 yards, 4:47. HAR – Blake Delacruz 3-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 0:45. Bisons 49–0. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:55. Third quarter HAR – Magnus Lepak 23-yard field goal, 7:52. Bisons 52–0. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 7:00. HAR – Malik Young 3-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 6:02. Bisons 59–0. Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards, 1:30. Fourth quarter HAR – Andrew Miller 14-yard run (Magnus Lepak kick), 6:06. Bisons 66–0. Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 3:20.

Statistics	HSU	HAR
First downs	4	25
Total yards	153	618
Rushing yards	28	546
Passing yards	125	72
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	18:49	41:11

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Henderson State	Passing	Andrew Edwards	7/19, 125 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Andrew Edwards	4 rushes, 11 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Abraham	2 receptions, 59 yards
Harding	Passing	Cole Keylon	1/1, 41 yards
	Rushing	Braden Jay	4 rushes, 162 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Will White	1 reception, 41 yards

At SW Oklahoma State

Harding Bisons at Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bisons	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Milam Stadium, Weatherford, Oklahoma

• Date: October 5
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT

Statistics	HAR	SWO
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harding	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SW Oklahoma State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

NW Oklahoma State

Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers at Harding Bisons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rangers	0	0	0	0	0
Bisons	0	0	0	0	0

at First Security Stadium, Searcy, Arkansas

• Date: October 12
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT

Statistics	NWO	HAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
NW Oklahoma State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Harding	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Ouachita Baptist

Harding Bisons at Ouachita Baptist Tigers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bisons	0	0	0	0	0
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

at Cliff Harris Stadium, Arkadelphia, Arkansas

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT

Statistics	HAR	OUA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harding	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Ouachita Baptist	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Southern Arkansas

Southern Arkansas Muleriders at Harding Bisons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Muleriders	0	0	0	0	0
Bisons	0	0	0	0	0

at First Security Stadium, Searcy, Arkansas

• Date: October 26
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT

Statistics	SAU	HAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Arkansas	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Harding	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

SE Oklahoma State

Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm at Harding Bisons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Savage Storm	0	0	0	0	0
Bisons	0	0	0	0	0

at First Security Stadium, Searcy, Arkansas

• Date: October 31
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT

Statistics	SOU	HAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SE Oklahoma State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Harding	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At East Central

Harding Bisons at East Central Tigers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bisons	0	0	0	0	0
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0

at Koi Ishto Stadium, Ada, Oklahoma

• Date: November 16
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST

Statistics	HAR	ECU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Harding	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Central	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Arkansas Tech

Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys at Harding Bisons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wonder Boys	0	0	0	0	0
Bisons	0	0	0	0	0

at First Security Stadium, Searcy, Arkansas

• Date: November 16
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST

Statistics	ATU	HAR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Harding	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. "#1 Harding football kicks off 2024 season Thursday night at home". KAIT. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
2. "REIGNING NATIONAL CHAMPION BISONS VOTED #theGAC FAVORITE". Great American Conference. August 1, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
3. "2024 Football Schedule". Harding University Athletics. Retrieved September 9, 2024.