RICHMOND, Ky. -- In The Sporting News' 1998 College Football preview which hit the newsstands today, coach Roy Kidd's Eastern Kentucky University Colonels have been placed ninth in the nation in TSN's Top 25 poll, included in this pre-season magazine's edition.
The preview also includes The Sporting News I-AA Player Rankings, which names four EKU Colonels among the best at their respective positions. TSN ranks Derick Logan fifth among runningbacks, Rondel Menendez fourth among wide receivers and offensive linemen Tyrone Hopson and Josh Hunter third and eighth, respectively.
Hopson, a 6-3, 309-pound senior offensive guard-tackle from Owensboro, was also chosen for the 1998 Sporting News pre-season All-American team. He was a first-team All-OVC player in 1997 and a third-team I-AA All-American last season.
Logan, 6-0, 218 junior from Chatham, VA, was also a first-team all-conference player last season, while leading Eastern in rushing with his 849 yards on the ground and 11 TD's. He will be in his second year with the Colonels after transferring last year from the University of Kentucky where he was the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year in 1996.
Menendez, a 5-9 1/2, 178-pound senior from Louisville, paced Eastern in pass receiving last season, hauling in 54 receptions for 1,137 yards, surpassing a 31-year old school mark for most yards receiving in a single season. Nine of his receptions last year went for TD's. He was also a first-team All-OVC choice in 1997 and an honorable mention All-American last year.
Hunter is a 6-2, 280-pound junior offensive guard from Bradenton, FL. A two-year starter for the Colonels, he was a first-team All-OVC performer in 1997.
Kidd and his staff return 14 starters and 33 lettermen from the '97 Colonel squad that closed 8-4 overall and won the Ohio Valley Conference with a perfect 7-0 record. EKU finished the '97 season ranked 15th in the both the Sports Network and USAToday/ESPN I-AA polls.
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