Winston-Salem State had what could be considered a down year in 2015 for a traditional HBCU power.
But the Rams still won the Southern Division with a 6-5 overall record (5-2 CIAA) and won the CIAA championship. [lasso align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B0145VW3NQ” locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″ ref=”amzn-winston-salem-state-university-14-oz-ceramic-coffee-mug-black” type=”single” id=”71993″ link_id=”4912″]
WSSU return a combined 13 starters on offense and defense from a team that won the league championship for the third time since 2011.
That group includes preseason All-CIAA offensive linemen Jac’que Polite, Tim Samuels and place-kicker Will Johnson.
Quarterback Rod Tinsley will be at the helm for the Rams. The redshirt sophomore added 10 pounds in the offseason and his play will likely determine how far the Rams go this season.
Stability at quarterback is one less concern head coach Kienus Boulware has heading into the regular season. He still has to find out whether a new-look receiving corps can make plays and if his young defense can make up for the loss of four starters.
The Rams failed to make the Division II postseason though the program won the CIAA again — which is well below expectations of the blueblood they’ve become.
Winston-Salem State will be challenged again this season. But the Rams most often find a way to rise to the top.
