MARTIN, Tenn. – Coinciding with the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision season last night, both end-of-season major polls were revealed this afternoon and the University of Tennessee at Martin secured a spot in both rankings. The Skyhawks were slated No. 17 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 18 in the AFCA Coaches rankings.
UT Martin leapt six spots in the Stats Perform rankings and two spots in the AFCA Coaches poll from the final poll of the regular season. The Skyhawks defeated No. 23/24 New Hampshire (seeded 16th in the NCAA Division I Football Championship) on the road by a 41-10 margin before falling to eventual national runner-up Montana State in the second round of the playoffs.
Fresh off its FCS-record 10th national championship last night, North Dakota State ended the season ranked No. 1 in both polls. Montana State, South Dakota State, South Dakota and UC Davis rounded out the identical top-five in each set of rankings.
UT Martin wrapped up the 2024 campaign with a 9-5 overall record after a 6-2 mark in the Big South-OVC Football Association led to the program’s fourth straight conference championship. The Skyhawks defeated a Football Bowl Subdivision member (24-13 at Kennesaw State on Sept. 28) for just the second time in school history as that triumph helped reel off a six-game winning streak. The Skyhawks received an at-large berth into the playoffs, claiming the second postseason victory in the school’s FCS Era (since 1992). The nine wins are tied for the third-most in the 95-year history of UT Martin football, only following 11 victories in 1988 and 10 wins in 2021.
The Skyhawks set school records for total offense (5,249 yards), first downs (255), rushing touchdowns (28), pass breakups (86), PAT’s made (54) in 2024. UT Martin ranked in the top-15 nationally in passes intercepted (19, third), defensive touchdowns (4, fifth), rushing defense (93.2 yards per game, sixth), third down conversion percentage defense (.306, ninth), time of possession (31:54 per contest, 13th), turnovers gained (24, 14th) and punt return yardage (13.14 per return, 14th). The Skyhawks also boasted the Big South-OVC’s top scoring offense at 31.4 points per outing and best red zone offense at an 87.8 percent conversion rate.
Individually, 14 different UT Martin players claimed All-Big South-OVC accolades while Oshae Baker (safety/all-purpose), Drake Carroll (right guard), Christian Dowell (nose tackle), Chris Hunter, Jr. (linebacker), JaMichael McGoy, Jr. (defensive back), Charles Perkins (defensive end), Jaylon Sharpe (linebacker) and Vance Van Every (center) have each received All-American mentions. Patrick Smith led the Big South-OVC in rushing yards (1,226) and total touchdowns (14) while quarterback Kinkead Dent ended his two-year Skyhawk career in the school’s top-10 in combined touchdowns (56, third), passing touchdowns (46, fourth) and passing yards (4,800, seventh).