SAN DIEGO—San Diego football was selected to finish second in the Pioneer Football League Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced Tuesday by the league.

USD has won a total of 11 PFL Championships, including six of the last seven and eight of the last 10 dating back to 2011. The Toreros are second all-time in the league behind Dayton (12 titles).

The Toreros received 93 of the maximum 100 points possible, and three first-place votes. Davidson, the defending PFL Champion, was picked to finish first with 97 points and eight of the 11 first-place votes. Drake and Dayton round out the top four with 67 and 62 points, respectively.
 
Presbyterian, which will make its first run at the league title this season, got 59 points and a fifth-place nod from the league's head coaches. Valparaiso (55 points), Morehead State (51), newcomer St. Thomas (36), Marist (35), Stetson (35) and Butler (15) round out the 11-team poll.
 
The Toreros—who placed second in the PFL last season—will return the majority of their roster for the fall campaign, including seven of their nine All-PFL first team honorees.
 
Redshirt sophomore All-American tight end Derek Kline highlights the returners on the offensive side of the ball. Kline was a unanimous All-PFL first team pick after a breakout season in 2021. He'll be joined by two-time All-PFL first team offensive lineman, DJ Wright and leading receiver Michael Carner.
 
Defensively, the Toreros return their top four leading tacklers including three-time All-PFL nickelback Kama Kamaka, linebacker Kyle Bilchik and defensive backs Hunter Nichols and Michael Hawkins. All four earned a spot on the spring All-PFL first team, while Nichols was also named PFL Co-Special Teams Player of the Year.
 
The upcoming 2021 season marks the 29th year for the Pioneer Football League—the nation's only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature 11 teams each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the NCAA FCS Championship.
 
USD kicks off the fall 2021 season at home in Torero Stadium on Sept. 4 against Cal Poly. The Toreros will face a tough nonconference schedule against three Big Sky opponents before PFL play begins Sept. 25 against defending champion, Davidson in North Carolina.