HAMMOND, La. – The reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University football team will enter the fall season with a running back group highlighted by a second-year player looking to play a bigger role and several talented newcomers.
 
Southeastern will be looking to replace 2022 All-Southland running back Carlos Washington Jr., currently with the Atlanta Falcons, as well as fellow seniors Jessie Britt and Taron Jones. Sophomore Rodeo Graham Jr. and transfer Harlan Dixon are the top candidates to replicate the production of the senior trio.
 
"We have a strong top two in that room in Harlan and Rodeo," Southeastern head coach Frank Scelfo said. "We're still trying to find who our third and fourth guy will be, but we don't expect to have a drop off in the run game. We have a lot of faith in that top two."
 
Graham Jr. has seen the most game action with the Lions. As a true freshman, he ran for 334 yards and a score. Fourth-year running back coach Albert Poree believes Graham is set to take another leap forward in year two in the green and gold.
 
"Rodeo benefitted from learning from three seniors last season about what it takes to be successful in our program," Poree commented. "We're excited to see Rodeo take the next step as a player with an increased workload. He's flourished throughout camp and has proven he's ready."
 
Dixon has impressed since arriving on campus after transferring from Louisiana Tech. The Slidell, Louisiana native has flashed many of the skills that allowed him to earn All-State honors at Slidell High School.
 
"Harlan came in with an opportunity to play right away and he's grasped that opportunity," Poree said. "He's come a long way in a short time with us and what's impressed me is his ability to step in to a leadership role so quickly. Harlan reminds me a lot of Carlos. He can break tackles and has been very good in pass protection. Harlan and Rodeo are the leaders in our room and we look for them to lead the way.
 
Dixon is not the only newcomer in the running back room that has impressed. A product of state power Edna Karr High School, Deantre Jackson has shown the speed that earned him the nickname "The Jet" and three all-state selections in track. Cyrus Zuell, a transfer from Butler Community College in Kansas, earned all-state honors of his own at Veterans High School in Georgia.
 
"We've always had three or four guys in our room that we could count on to step up in a pinch and us not miss a beat and I believe we have that again this year," Poree stated. "Deantre's speed and ability to make plays in space has made him stand out. Cyrus is as talented as anyone we have and those two are only going to get better in our system."
 
The Lions will return to the practice field Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. The week's practice schedule culminates with the Season Ticket Pickup Party, set for 10 a.m. in conjunction with SLU's final practice before entering game week.


Southeastern opens the 2023 season with three straight nonconference road contests, beginning with a Sept. 2 trip to Mississippi State. The game versus the Bulldogs kicks off at 3 p.m. in Starkville, Mississippi and will be televised on SEC Network and can be heard on the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM, The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM).
 
Season and single-game tickets for the 2023 home football season, which includes visits from HCU (Sept. 23), Tarleton State (Sept. 30), Lamar (Oct. 14), McNeese (Nov. 4) and Nicholls (Nov. 18) are available online at https://vivenu.com/event/2023-football-2klkar.
 
Southeastern Football Preseason Practice Schedule
Aug. 23 – 3:45 p.m.
Aug. 24 – 3:45 p.m.
Aug. 25 – 9 a.m.
Aug. 26 – 9 a.m. (Season Ticket Pickup Party – 10 a.m.)
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net. Southeastern will continue offering mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2023-24 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail or text message in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Football, follow @LionUpFootball and @Coach_Scelfo on X, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and follow lionupfootball on Instagram.
 
TOUCHDOWN CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the football program are encouraged to join the Touchdown Club. Lion football alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Touchdown Club and S Club (football) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern football program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
INSIDE SOUTHEASTERN FOOTBALL WITH FRANK SCELFO
The 2023 season of Inside Southeastern Football with Frank Scelfo will debut Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. at its new home – Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux (305 CM Fagan Dr) in Hammond. Hosted by Scelfo and Allen Waddell, the hour-long radio show will air Mondays throughout the football season on Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/WFPR 1400 AM.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 football season. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.