Presbyterian

4-5

Program outlook

Program outlook

An unusual name with an honest origin story—the 'Blue Hose' started in 1915 when coach Walter Johnson switched uniform colors to blue and required blue socks, which sportswriters called 'Blue Stockings,' later shortened to 'hose.'

Since Jul 3: W 38-21 vs Davidson; W 47-43 at Stetson; L 7-24 at Valparaiso; L 10-27 vs Butler. 4-5 this season.

Read the full essay — 3 more paragraphs

Presbyterian College, located in Clinton, South Carolina, competes in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League as a 113-year-old FCS program.

Quarterback Collin Hurst earned All-Pioneer Football League First Team honors, and rookie punt returner Darriel Harper was named a Freshman All-American by Sports Illustrated's FCS Football Central.

Presbyterian spent 12 seasons (2008–2019) in the Big South Conference before transitioning to the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League in 2020. There is no singular defining rivalry or dramatic arc—just a small program that won decisively at home and proved competitive in 2025.

On the field

Presbyterian plays non-scholarship football and has learned to win at Crocker Field, where they posted zero home losses in 2025. Their 10-win campaign was built on home-field dominance and consistency.

Program outlook · as of Jul 3, 2026

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

2006

Bronze Derby rivalry

The 93-season, 95-game Bronze Derby rivalry with Newberry College ends when Presbyterian moves out of Division II

Wound

Moment of the year · 2026

Won 55-21 vs St. Thomas (MN)

Week 5 of 2026. An upset win. It turned on one snap in Q2 — Deverious Abercrombie to Landon Sharpe, a 45-point win-probability swing.

50%Q1Q2Q3Q436% → 80%50%Q1Q2Q3Q436% → 80%
Presbyterian’s chance to win through the game; the line turns dark at the play.
Decisive marginUpset · was a 28.5-point underdog

More in this tab

ConferenceWhere this team sits in this season's conference standings.

Pioneer standing · 2026

7th in the Pioneer

Presbyterian is 7th of 12 in the Pioneer at 3-3. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on playoff positioning and rivalry wins.

#ProgramRecord
1Butler4-1
2Dayton4-1
3St. Thomas (MN)4-1
4Marist3-2
5Valparaiso3-2
6Drake3-3
7Presbyterian3-3
8San Diego3-3
9Davidson1-4
10Morehead State1-4
–Jacksonville0-0
12Stetson0-5
Coaching historyCurrent head coach Walter Johnson, hired 1935

Coaching history

  • Walter Johnson departs5-13, 2 seasons
  • Hired Walter Johnson1935
  • Walter Johnson departs31-30-6, 8 seasons
  • Hired Walter Johnson1919
  • Walter Johnson departs16-8, 3 seasons
  • Hired Walter Johnson1915
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.

The Blue Hose Name

since 1915

more

The 'Blue Hose' name traces to 1915, when head coach Walter Johnson switched the team's uniform colors to blue and required players to wear blue socks. Sportswriters called the team the 'Blue Stockings,' later shortened to 'Blue Hose' in newspaper headlines. The nickname was formalized in 1954.

The 2025 Breakthrough

since 2025

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
This page may include content derived from public news sources, social media, and fan communities. We relay these sources as-is — we are not reporting them. Sources may be summarized or quoted imperfectly; for anything that matters, go look at the original source directly. The original source may also be wrong. Text written by our model says so in a line beneath it, and it can get facts wrong. All analysis is editorial opinion, not professional reporting. Data sources · About this site