HAMPTON, Va. -- As the calendar turns to July 1, its time for the football team to make their first mark in Big South Conference competition, as they will have their first season of conference action this fall.

The Big South has made a mark in NCAA FCS action over the last few years as Kennesaw State has won the league two straight years and advanced as far as the quarterfinals both seasons.  In 2017, both Kennesaw State and Monmouth earned NCAA bids for the league.

Teams from the Big South have advanced as far as the quarterfinals in the NCAA Championships twice in the last four years as Charleston Southern advanced to the quarters in 2015, winning the conference in 2015 and 2016.

Team Capsules in order of 2018 finish:
Kennesaw State
Location: Kennesaw, Ga.
2018 Record: 11-2/5-0 Big South
Notes: Return four first-team All-Conference defensive players among eight starters on defense.   The Owls are in their fifth-year of having a football team and are two-time defending Big South Conference champions...Hampton will host the first-ever meeting between the schools on November 16

Monmouth
Location: West Long Branch, N.J.
2018 Record: 8-3/4-1
Notes: Have played Hampton in each of the last two years winning both matchups...Monmouth returns a loaded offensive backfield behind QB Kenji Bahar (2,626 yards in 2018) and a RB tandem of Pete Guerriero (918 yards) and Juwon Farri (1,024 yards)...

Charleston Southern
Location: Charleston, S.C.
2018 Record: 5-6/3-2
Notes: Played Hampton in 2018 winning at Armstrong Stadium.  Will be led by first-year head coach Autry Denson coming from Notre Dame.  Will look to rebuild a passing game that had 913 yards for the 2018 season.

Gardner-Webb
Location: Boiling Springs, N.C.
2018 Record: 3-8/2-3
Notes: The Runnin' Bulldogs return eight starters on offense including QB Jordan Smith who threw for 1,588 yards with 10 touchdowns…Hampton will visit Gardner-Webb in mid-October…The teams have met three times in history, once as NCAA Division II member in 1978 and twice as FCS members in 2004 and 2005 with Hampton winning both of those meetings.

Campbell
Location: Buies Creek, N.C.
2018 Record: 6-5/1-4
Notes: Campbell is in its second season on scholarship FCS football…Daniel Smith returns as the school's all-time passing leader off a 2018 season when he had 13 rushing and 13 passing touchdowns and had 2,250 yards of total offense.  The first meeting between the schools will take place on October 19 at Campbell.

Presbyterian
Location: Clinton, S.C.
2018 Record: 2-8/0-5
Notes: Hampton edged Presbyterian in 2018 in the first-ever meeting between the schools…The Blue Hose are playing their last season of scholarship-level FCS football before transitioning to non-scholarship FCS in the Pioneer League…Presbyterian visits Hampton on November 2 which will be the fifth road game for the Blue Hose in a six-week span.

North Alabama
Location: Florence, Al.
2018 Record: 7-4
Notes: Joins Hampton as new members of the Big South Conference for football only…Return senior QB Christian Lopez who threw for 14 touchdowns against only two interceptions in 2018…Also return three WR's who had the 14 touchdown receptions and combined for 1,604 yards on 122 catches.  This will be the conference opener for Hampton, as they will host the Lions on October 5.

For more information on Hampton University football, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.