By MONTE DUTTON

I am prone to overestimation of Furman’s football prospects.

A year ago, as I perused Hunter Reid’s preview of the various position groups – the currently fashionable term is “rooms” – I discovered in the layout process that I had few action photos on file of the previous season’s returning players.

The top players were mostly gone. Their time at Furman was well spent.

Another reason for my habitual optimsm is my belief in the coaching staff. Clay Hendrix is the last of a breed. Since Dick Sheridan left Furman for North Carolina State in 1985, every single head coach has either played or coached under Sheridan.

Jimmy Satterfield, Bobby Johnson, Bobby Lamb, Bruce Fowler and Hendrix. By amd large, it’s been a glorious line of succession. The Sheridan Dynasty puts the House of Windsor to shame.

It is a unique and precious phenomenon. As a close observer of Furman football for a half century, one reason I have immense confidence in Hendrix and his staff is that the system has worked so well.

Last season the record was 3-8. Based on half a century of success, I consider this an aberration. Consecutive 10-win seasons left the cupboard bare. This year is bound to be better.

Collegiate sports have been vastly changed by the transfer portal and the transition to so-called NILs — name, image and likeness – which is an imprecise way of noting that athletes can now be paid for their services.

The world has changed, but Furman hasn’t. This poses challenges, but there is comfort in knowing that one side of the equation is stable. It has been my observation that a key to Furman’s success is bringing in athletes who like the school, are capable of doing the academic work and feel comfortable in the learning environment.

Money talks, but Furman athletes are more loyal than most. Many of the players who leave graduate before they do so.

Men’s basketball’s gaudy recent success has also been accompanied by a similar atmosphere of stability and loyalty. Furman has navigated the prevailing winds better than most.

Furman has mostly won across the board in athletics. This is because its coaches understand the school and recruit athletes who will feel comfortable. This a vital element.

“I think we’ve weathered the transfer portal about as well as anybody did,” Hendrix said back in late February to radio voice Dan Scott. “These are crazy times.

“We weathered that. We’ve added some players who are going to make us better.”

Last year’s team began the season thin and was wracked by injuries.

“We had 40-something seniors (in 2023), and we knew we were younger and thin in some areas,” Hendrix said. “We had six ACLs before we ever played a game. On defense, we just got wiped out. We had guys we thought we were redshirting who were starting the last half of the season. On offense, we had to adjust to the loss of (quarterback) Tyler Huff, and we didn’t do a lot of things well. We were young at quarterback, mostly with Trey Hedden, and we didn’t run the football very well.

“We’ve learned from that. We have player who are capable. We just had to hit the reset button. We played a bunch of guys. We were still able to redshirt a bunch of guys. … We had a chance to look at everything, and that’s what we’ve done. Most of our issues are fixable. I’m pleased with the guys we’ve got here. I’m pleased with how they fit.”

A year ago, Southern Conference coaches picked Furman second in the SoCon, which, at the time, I thought ridiculous. It was a vote of confidence based on the previous two seasons. Even optimistic I thought fourth place, tops. This year the Paladins are picked sixth. I think they’re better.

Then again, I would.

It’s never been easy for Hendrix. It wasn’t at the Air Force Academy. He has a world of experience at beating long odds.

“I love the kids I get to coach. I’ve been at two places with great kids. High achievers, academically. Can you win? Everybody works hard. We’ve got our unique challenges here. Every family has them. They’re different, but that’s what drives me. Every school is different. It just goes back to what you can control. I enjoy that part of it,” Hendrick said.

The modern era of Furman football began in 1973 with Art Baker. Furman has finished with winning records 38 times in 52 years.

I like those odds.

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