Samford (18-14, 11-7 SoCon/T-2nd)
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| Samford head coach Lennie Acuff |
Many Samford fans didn't know exactly what to expect in year one under Lennie Acuff, but the experts that cover this sport year-in and year-out knew that, while it would be drastically different than it was under Bucky McMillan, but the championship expectations were the same.Samford spent the first two-and-a-half months of the season adjusting to Acuff, showing glimpses along the way, with a 79-75 loss to No. 21 Arkansas being an early sign that when the Bulldogs clicked, they could beat anyone in the Southern Conference.
Then in late January, things all started to gel for the Bulldogs following a 78-73 loss at Furman. Following that loss, Samford found a rhythm very similar to the one they found down the stretch in McMillan's second season as the head coach of the Bulldogs back in the 2021-22 season, as the Bulldogs would go on to get hot and finish third in the league in that particular season.
Following the loss at Timmons Arena, the Bulldogs went on to win seven-straight and eight of their final nine games to head into the Southern Conference Tournament red hot, finishing third in the league just like that 2021-22 team did. The Bulldogs' most impressive win during that stretch run of games came on the road at East Tennessee State, as the Bulldogs were able to pick up an 82-72 overtime over the Bucs.
The Bulldogs had two Bonafide stars, in shooting guard Jadin Booth and forward Dylan Faulkner, and it would be those two that would help lead the Bulldogs to the Valentine's Day triumph over ETSU, with Faulkner's 24 points leading the way, while Booth added 19. Brothers Cade and Keaton Norris finished out the contest by adding 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The Bulldogs would end up getting a signature performance from Booth in the regular-season finale against UNC Greensboro, which would see the senior guard, who transferred in from Florida Southern out the NCAA Division II ranks where he was an All-American, and he would post 40 points on a school-record 11 three-pointers in the final game of the regular-season, as the Bulldogs posted what was an 87-78 win to close out the regular-season and lock up the No. 3 seed for the Southern Conference Tournament.
That meant for a second-straight season that the Bulldogs open the Southern Conference Tournament against Furman, who was a seed line lower this time around, as the Paladins were the No. 6 rather than the No. 5 like they had been the year before, however, it wouldn't matter, as Furman would deliver the same season-ending blow to Samford's title hopes, posting an 86-81 win over Samford in what was one of the most thrilling games of the entire tournament weekend.
The Bulldogs entered the 2026 SoCon Tournament, having won eight of their final nine games, and despite a valiant effort by Booth, who posted 34 points in his final college game, the Paladins found a way to slow him just enough in the second half to hold on for the win. Had Samford been able to find a way past the Paladins, I am a firm believer that it would have been Samford as the SoCon's representative in the NCAA Tournament this past March.
Despite the opening round loss, the 18-14 finish on the year, and an 11-7 conference mark, which was in a three-way tie for second place with Wofford and Mercer, the vibe around Samford coming off Acuff's first season at the helm was very good and excitement abounds heading into his second season at the helm.
Jadin Booth was simply sensational in his only season with the Bulldogs', as he would garner SoCon Player of the Year accolades after leading the league in scoring, averaging 21.6 PPG and three-pointers made (127).
Booth ended up posting 40 and 34-point games, respectively, to close out his final season of college basketball. In my opinion, he was one of the best pure shooters the SoCon has seen since Fletcher Magee. He finished his career with over 2,000 points scored. Booth ended up being the first Samford player to ever win the SoCon Player of the Year award since the Bulldogs joined the SoCon back in 2009.
Booth's 648 points scored during the 2025-26 season would mark the third-best individual season in the history of Samford basketball during its NCAA Division I membership, with only Craig Beard's back-to-back seasons of 656 and 703 points in both 1983-84 and '84-85 ranking as better individual campaigns.
An equal part of that winning formula during the 2025-26 season was forward Dylan Faulkner, who on the rare nights when Booth didn’t have his best night shooting, Faulkner was there to pick up the slack. He was a player that played bigger than his size and he was extremely adept around the basket and was outstanding on the offensive glass. He wasn’t a great free throw shooter, but improved as the season went on, and by the time the Bulldogs arrived in Asheville for the SoCon Tournament, he had become a guy that you couldn’t easily foul with the hopes of him missing the mark from the line.
Faulkner was everything that head coach Lennie Acuff said he would be when he came over from Lipscomb to join the Samford program. Faulkner ended his one season in Homewood putting up some excellent numbers, as he finished out his one season posting nine 20+point scoring outings and finished with a total of 12 double-doubles, including 11 of which came against Southern Conference competition.
While the Bulldogs lose their top three scorers from a year ago, Samford will still enter the season as one of the favorites to claim the 2026-27 crown. If there's a more likable winner in college basketball than Acuff, I challenge you to find him. Acuff's a proven winner, and it might not be the same type of youthful exuberance that Samford had with McMillan, but not all winning formulas are the same ones.
The one universal truth in all sports is that winning is never unpopular. Winning is what the Bulldogs will continue to do under Acuff, and he will continue to put a winning product on the floor even despite the new era of college basketball we're in. After all, he proved that this past season.
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| Samford F/G Cade Norris |
Portal Losses/Portal Adds and Returners
Not much returns in the way of returning production from a year ago for Samford, but there is some returning talent from a year ago, with the likes of forward Cade Norris, guard Isaiah Campbell-Finch, forward Judson Bjornstad and center William Shaver form a nice returning nucleus for Samford heading into the 2026-27 season.
Norris has all-conference potential as a wing coming into the season and is really coming off a strong finish to the 2025-26 season. The 6-4 junior started 22 out 23 games he played in last season, finishing his first season in the Bulldog Red and Navy averaging 8.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 2.2 APG, while also shooting an impressive 42.7% (32-of-75) from three-point range, while connecting on 45.7% (64-of-140) from three-point land.
Norris, who is the younger brother of Keaton Norris, who has now graduated, posted 14 games in double figures in his first season after transferring in from Illinois State. Norris turned in his best performance of the season after starting and logging 38 minutes in what was a crucial 78-75 win at The Citadel last season, posting 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range.
Norris is versatile play both wing guard or small forward and has the potential to find himself on one of the all-conference teams by the end of the season. Norris is the leading returning scorer for the Bulldogs, and was on a good run of form to close the season, finishing out the campaign with five double-figure scoring games in his final seven games of the season, including 11 points in the 86-81 tournament loss to Furman.
Joining Norris in the backcourt as the potential starting point guard is Isaiah Campbell-Finch, who was one of the top freshman guards in the SoCon last season, as he saw action in 20 games, logging 15 starts last season. Campbell-Finch finished the season posting 6.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG and 1.2 APG.
All told, Campbell-Finch would find his way into double figures on nine occasions last season, which included his top performance of the season against Texas Southern, as he would lead the Bulldogs to an overtime win in that contest, as he ended the game with a career-best 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field to go along with a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range.
His best string of performances came in late November and early December, when he posted a trio of double figure scoring games, which started with a 12-point performance in a win over Georgia State in Cancun, and that would be followed by 12- and 10-point performances in consecutive losses to Utah Valley and VCU.
Campbell-Finch finished in double figures four times during the conference season, as he finished with his best performance in league play coming in what was an 88-79 loss at Chattanooga, as he ended up posting 16 points in 28 minutes of action, connecting on 6-of-10 shots from the field, including going 1-for-3 from three-point land. He followed that up with a 10-point effort in what was a 77-73 home loss to Furman, logging 32 minutes of action running the point for Samford. He also posted three rebounds and an assist against the Paladins.
Judson Bjornstad and Will Shaver round out the returning players that saw significant action in the lineup for the Bulldogs last season. The 6-8 Bjornstad saw action in 15 games, with one start for the Bulldogs last season. He finished the season averaging 2.0 PPG and 1.2 RPG, with his best performance of the season coming in a non-Division I win over Reinhardt, as he posted 16 points in 23 minutes of action.
Shaver was still a bit of a project when he arrived at Samford, and that was even after having spent some time at both UAB and North Carolina before his arrival in Homewood. The 6-10, 265-lb native of Birmingham had some really good performances for the Bulldogs last season, however, for the most part, was an inconsistent performer.
The former four-star recruit finished the season finished the season averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG, while shooting 51.1% (24-of-47) from the field and saw action in 22 of 32 games for the Bulldogs in his first season. Shaver posted a pair of double-figure scoring performances last season, with the best of those coming in the 77-73 home loss to Furman, as he finished with 15 points in just 13 minutes off the bench against the Paladins. Shaver finished the night connecting on 5-of-9 shots from the field, including making the only three-pointer he put up.
Samford has added six newcomers, with five coming from the transfer portal and the other one being a freshman signee. The Bulldogs added four guards and a big man from the portal, while also adding a big man from the high school ranks.
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| Montevallo transfer guard Brandon Fussell |
Leading the newcomers is 6-1 guard Brandon Fussell from Montevallo, where he spent his first three seasons playing at the NCAA Division II level for Montevallo, as he played in 71 games over the course of three seasons for the Falcons. He started all three seasons for the Falcons, averaging 17 PPG and 4 APG over the course of his three seasons, while also having been a 39% career three-point shooter.
Fussell posted a season-high 29 points in a game against West Florida this past season, as he connected on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, which included a 5-for-11 effort from three-point range in what was an 89-77 win. According to coach Lennie Acuff, Fussell will add both toughness and skill to the team, and could be the projected starter at point guard entering the 2026-27 season. Fussell connected on a team-high 65 triples this past season.
Another Alabama native returning to his home state will be 6-3 guard Win Miller, who joins the Samford program after having spent the past three seasons at Belmont, where he saw action in a total of 76 games, averaging 7.1 minutes-per-game and scored 144 points while issuing out 42 assists and shooting 40% from three-point land.
In his most recent season, Miller would see action in 28 games, with one start, averaging 8.5 minutes per game and finished the season averaging 2.8 PPG and 0.7 RPG, as well as connecting 39.5% (15-of-38) from three-point range.
Like Fussell, Acuff likes the skill level and shooting acumen that Miller will bring to the rotation for the upcoming season. Miller likely will likely fit in the rotation as a wing guard this coming season.
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| New Haven transfer guard Najimi George |
Both Najimi George (New Haven) and Ty Davis (Creighton) round out the newcomers in the backcourt, and both should contribute at the wing guard spots this coming season for the Bulldogs. George, a 6-4 guard from New Haven, will add some scoring punch to the Bulldogs' backcourt, and he comes to Samford with two years of eligibility remaining.
In his most recent season at New Haven, George completed the campaign by averaging 11.2 PPG, as he saw action in 30 games, including starting 29 of those games. George finished the season shooting 41% (117-of-287) from the field, which included shooting 28% (30-of-108) from three-point range. Though he struggled as a perimeter threat this past season, George is a versatile, three-level scorer.
He finished the 2025-26 season, George posted double figures in 20 of the 30 games he logged action in this past season, including a string of scoring in double figures in 11 out of 12 games. George got a strong start to the campaign, scoring 14 points against eventual national runner-up UConn, while posting his best performance of the season against Wagner, having posted 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field in what was an 80-74 win against the Seahawks.
According to Acuff, George is an athletic, multiple position wing, who brings a lot to the table on both ends of the floor. He's rangy athletic, and is a good perimeter defender that is tough to shoot over. He is a three-level scorer that will add versatility on the wing.
Ty Davis is another 6-4 point guard that comes to Samford from Creighton, and he rounds out the backcourt contingent from the portal heading into the upcoming campaign for the Bulldogs. Davis returns to Birmingham after having spent his first couple of seasons in Omaha, playing for Creighton where he saw action in 61 games, scoring 65 points and dished out 60 assists, while playing 9.3 minutes-per-game.
He is a pass-first point guard, and he will give the Bulldogs some size and versatility at the point guard spot heading into the 2026-27 season. He has a tremendous basketball IQ, with good vision and feel for the game according to head coach Lennie Acuff.
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| Coastal Carolina F/C Braeden MacVicar |
Rounding out the newcomers from the transfer portal is 6-11 Coastal Carolina transfer Braedan MacVicar, who will come in and compete right away for time at center. A native of Port Royal, Nova Scotia, spending three seasons with the Chanticleers and ended up appearing in a total of 50 games with the Teal and Black, starting 16 of those contests as a true freshman, averaging 6.1 PPG and shooting 35% from three-point land and 83% from the charity stripe in his rookie campaign.
MacVicar saw action in 24 games this past season, averaging 2.6 PPG and 2.0 RPG, connecting on 29.6% (16-of-54) from three-point range and 68.6% (11-of-16) from the free throw line. All told, MacVicar started 16 out of 50 games in his two seasons in which he played in Conway.
Coach Acuff is most excited about the versatility that MacVicar brings to the table and most specifically, with his ability to stretch a defense shooting the three ball.
Other returnees for the Bulldogs include guards Zach Lamey, JD Gossett and Cooper Davenport, and forwards Caleb Harrison, Joshua Hughes and Bradley Kemp.
Freshman Additions
Lawson Lee is the lone freshman newcomer brought in by Lennie Acuff and staff for the 2026-27 season, and he comes to Homewood after helping lead Battle Ground Academy to a 31-8 record and a berth in the state title game.
The 6-11, Franklin, Tenn., product could give be an impact player right away this coming season for the Bulldogs this season and could be part of a "twin towers" duo in the paint along with the addition of Coastal Carolina transfer Braedan MacVicar.
He is another highly skilled performer that can dribble, pass and shoot, and was named All-State, All-Region and was a finalist for Mr. Basketball in the state of Tennessee. Lee averaged a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Samford Early Outlook For 2026-27
The Bulldogs will once again have a say in what happens in the Southern Conference race once again this season, as the Bulldogs will bring into the season the largest roster in the league.
The Bulldogs have added a good mix of skill, size and shooting ability from the portal, and Samford also has a good returning nucleus of players, led by small forward Cade Norris and point guard Isaiah Campbell-Finch. I also expect Najimi George to be an instant impact player at the shooting guard spot, where he will have the unenviable task of trying to fill the large shoes left by a guy like reigning SoCon Player of the Year Jadin Booth.
Much like last year, I expect the Bulldogs to grow into the season under Acuff, but by the time we get into the month of February, I expect the Bulldogs will be a team you other teams in the league don't want to face.Bulldogs Breakdown 2026-27
Players With Starting Experience Lost: (5)--G-Jadin Booth (Started all 30 games he played in, league-leading 21.6 PPG, league-leading 127 three-pointers, league-leading 43.6% from three-point range, Southern Conference Player of the Year/out of eligibility); F-Dylan Faulkner (17.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 61.7% FG%, 12 double-doubles/transferred to Clemson); PG-Keaton Norris (28 starts, 10.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 83.6% free throw shooter, 4.9 APG/out of eligibility); G-Kam Martin (8 starts, 5.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG/transferred to the University of Denver); F-Jaxson Pollard (8 starts, 3.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG/out of eligibility); G-Zion Wilburn (5 starts, 4.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 13 steals/transferred to Georgia State)
Others Lost: (1)-PG-Dajion Humphrey (torn Achilles Tendon in exhibition game vs. Alabama A&M and never played a game in a Samford uniform)
Best Returning Player: F/G Cade Norris (8.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG)
Potential Breakout Player in 2026-27: PG--Isaiah Campbell-Finch (7.4 PPG, 1.3 APG)
Best Transfer Portal Get: G-Najimi George (New Haven)
Potential Glue Guy: F-Judson Bjornstad (2.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG)
Best Freshman Addition: F/C Lawson Lee (Battle Ground Academy/Nashville TN)
Overall Portal/Recruiting Synopsis and Grade: B
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