Big South-OVC announces Media Day Schedule
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthOVCFootball.com) – The first annual Big South-OVC Football Association Media Day is set to take place on Tuesday, July 25 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. The event will kick off the inaugural season of the Big South-OVC Football Association and features a morning live show on ESPN+; interview sessions with local, regional and national media outlets; and a luncheon.
As part of the event, the Association will announce its 2023 preseason poll and Top 63 Players Watch List. In addition, all 10 head coaches will speak during the luncheon, which is schedule to begin at 11:30am CT. The preseason poll Top 63 Watch List will first be posted on the Association's website – www.BigSouthOVCFootball.com, in addition to the social media platforms of both conferences. Fans can follow Football Media Day and engage with the event using the hashtag #BigSouthOVCFB, as well as following @BigSouthOVCFB on Twitter.
Interviews with Ohio Valley Commissioner Beth DeBauche and Big South Commissioner Sherika Montgomery, as well as each team's head coach and student-athletes will be part of the morning live show on ESPN+ hosted by Bob Belvin. The show will begin at 8:15am CT/9:15am ET, and the full schedule and appearance order is listed below. Click here to access the live feed.
The following student-athletes are confirmed as attending:
School Student-Athletes
Bryant Zevi Eckhaus (QB), Kenny Dyson Jr. (DL)
Charleston Southern JD Moore (RB), Cooper Dawson (DL)
Eastern Illinois Chad Strickland (OL), Mark Aitken (DB)
Gardner-Webb Narii Gaither (RB), Ty French (DL)
Lindenwood Ethan Johnson (OL), Moses Ale (DL)
Robert Morris Hayden Baron (OL), Jamar Shegog (LB)
Southeast Missouri Ryan Flournoy (WR), Lunden Manuel (DL)
Tennessee State Romello Tarver (OL), Josh Green (DB)
Tennessee Tech Trevor Stephens (OL), Kail Dava (DL)
UT Martin Gavin Olson (OL), Daylan Dotson (DE)
ESPN+ Live Show Schedule (approximate and subject to change)
8:15am CT / 9:15am ET Opening Remarks / Preseason Poll
8:20am CT / 9:20am ET Commissioners Beth DeBauche and Sherika Montgomery
8:30am CT / 9:30am ET Gardner-Webb
8:45am CT / 9:45am ET Tennessee Tech
9:00am CT / 10:00am ET Southeast Missouri
9:15am CT / 10:15am ET Eastern Illinois
9:30am CT / 10:30am ET Robert Morris
9:45am CT / 10:45am ET UT Martin
10:00am CT / 11:00am ET Charleston Southern
10:15am CT / 11:15am ET Tennessee State
10:30am CT / 11:30am ET Bryant
10:45am CT / 11:45am ET Lindenwood
11:00am CT / 12:00pm ET Coordinator of Officials Matt Young
ABOUT THE BIG SOUTH-OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE ASSOCIATION
On Feb. 22, 2022, the Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference announced the creation of an association of their football member institutions, to begin with the 2023 NCAA Division I football season and have an initial term of at least four years. The unique agreement combines the two conferences' football membership to ensure NCAA championship access and stability for the multisport conferences. In creating the association, presidents from each of the multisport conferences pointed to the similarities of the OVC and the Big South, with their complementary geographies and intercollegiate athletic philosophies, as key to making this association possible.
Schools in the association are Bryant University (Smithfield, RI), Charleston Southern University (Charleston, SC), Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL), Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC), Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO), Robert Morris University (Moon Township, PA), Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, MO), Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN), Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN) and University of Tennessee at Martin (Martin, TN). Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL) will join the Association beginning with the 2024 season. For more information on the Association, visit www.BigSouthOVCFootball.com.