HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University football team enters the fall season with a strong commitment to the running game and enters the fall with several talented options at the running back position.
 
The top returner among the group is Harlan Dixon. Last fall, the Slidell, Louisiana native earned All-Southland Conference honors in his first season in a Lion uniform. Dixon rushed for 426 yards and a team-high five touchdowns in 2023, while also finishing second on the squad with 35 catches for 408 yards.
 
SLU head coach Frank Scelfo is excited to see Dixon continue to develop with an added year of experience.
 
"Harlan sometimes doesn't recognize how powerful of a runner he is and underestimates his ability to run through people," Scelfo commented. "He's more valuable to us when he's going north and south and (running back) Coach (Trey) Willie has done a great job getting Harlan to go downhill."
 
Dixon, fellow veteran Rodeo Graham (352 yards, 3 TD in 2023) and newcomer Antonio Martin Jr. have been the top performers at running back through fall camp.
 
"Harlan, Antonio and Rodeo have separated themselves and really done a good job for us this fall," Scelfo said. "All three of them are physical and three-down backs with the ability to pass protect, catch the ball out of the backfield and run the football in short-yardage situations."
 
Two other new faces in the running back room, Kimon O'Sullivan and Christian Womack, are expected to provide depth at the position.
 
Southeastern will practice at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday until the first day of school Aug. 21. From that point forward, the Lions will begin practicing at 3:50 p.m. on weekdays during the season.
 
All season ticket holders will be able to pickup their season tickets at the Football Season Ticket Pickup Party Aug. 24 from 9-11 a.m. in the Strawberry Stadium west concourse. Refreshments will be available and fans who have not yet purchased season tickets will be able to do so at the event, which will not be held in conjunction with a Lion practice.
 
Southeastern opens the 2024 season with a 7 p.m. contest at Tulane Aug. 29 on ESPN+ and the Southeastern Sports Radio Network (Kajun 107.1 FM, The Highway 104.7 FM and The Boss 103.7 FM/1400 AM).
 
Southeastern Athletics Marketing and Student Promotions is offering SLU students an opportunity to travel to Tulane. Students wanting to make the ride to the Big Easy can pay their $5 deposit reserving their spot on the bus at the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office. The deposit will be refunded on the day of the trip. Those on the bus trip will receive free food and a ticket to the game versus the Green Wave.
 
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. 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.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics observes a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/clear.