Custom Search Norfolk, VA - North Carolina A&T State University was picked to defend its MEAC Football Championship as the Aggies topped the league’s annual preseason poll. Voting for the poll was conducted by the MEAC’s 10 head coaches and football sports information directors.
The Aggies received 19 first-place votes and were a unanimous choice to defend their MEAC Championship and represent the league in the annual Celebration Bowl on Dec. 15 in Atlanta, Ga. The Aggies, led by new head coach Sam Washington, have not won consecutive MEAC Championships since the 1991 and 1992 campaigns. Howard University was predicted to place second in head coach Mike London’s second season followed by N.C. Central in third place and Bethune-Cookman in fourth. Florida A&M was picked fifth followed by Norfolk State, South Carolina State, Savannah State, Morgan State and Delaware State..
| 1. | North Carolina A&T State (19) |
| 2. | Howard |
| 3. | N.C. Central |
| 4. | Bethune-Cookman |
| 5. | Florida A&M (1) |
| 6. | Norfolk State |
| 7. | S.C. State |
| 8. | Savannah State |
| 9. | Morgan State |
| 10. | Delaware State |
North Carolina A&T State University quarterback Lamar Raynard was selected as the MEAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while N.C. Central defensive back Davanta Reynolds was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. All votes were submitted by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information contacts.
Raynard passed for a MEAC-best 2,932 yards and 27 touchdowns en route to an undefeated (12-0) 2017 season which included a postseason win in the Celebration Bowl. The redshirt senior from High Point, N.C. has compiled a 27-0 record as a starter and led the MEAC in six (6) statistical categories while shattering the Aggie record books as he broke the North Carolina A&T State single-season school records for touchdowns responsible, passing, total offense, touchdown passes and completions in a season. Nationally, Raynard ranked sixth in passing efficiency (140.8), seventh in yards per pass attempt (8.94), ninth in completion percentage (64.6%), 11th in passing TDs (27), 13th in both points responsible for (14.03) and points responsible per game (15.7) and 16th in completion percentage (63.7%).
Reynolds ranked second nationally in interceptions per game (.06) while finishing the 2017 campaign ranked fifth amongst FCS defenders with six interceptions.
The Tucker, Ga. native broke up a pass, returned an interception for a touchdown, recovered a fumble, defended seven passes and forced a fumble which led to an 85-yard fumble recovery for a touch-down. In addition to his success in the secondary, the FCS All-American also finished fourth on the team in tackles with 54 stops and 2.5 tackles for loss.
North Carolina A&T State led the way on the 2018 preseason team with a total of eight first team members and nine players overall. A total of 11 players from Howard University were represented on all three teams while N.C. Central had nine student-athletes selected.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
| QB | Lamar Raynard | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | High Point, N.C. |
| RB | Marquell Cartwright | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | High Point, N.C. |
| RB | Isaiah Totten | So. | N.C. Central | Apex, N.C. |
| WR | Elijah Bell | Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Wheeling, W. Va. |
| WR | Jequez Ezzard | Jr. | Howard | Union City, Ga. |
| TE | Leroy Hill | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Smithfield, N.C. |
| C | James Holmon | Sr. | Howard | Augusta, Ga. |
| OL | Marcus Pettiford | Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Durham, N.C. |
| OL | Dwayne Brown | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| OL | Nick Leverett | Sr. | N.C. Central | Concord, N.C. |
| OL | Tyrone Ramsey | Jr. | Howard | Detroit, Mich. |
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
| DL | Darryl Johnson, Jr. | Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Kingsdale, Ga. |
| DL | Kawuan Cox | Jr. | N.C. Central | Summerville, S.C. |
| DL | Malachi Washington | Sr. | Morgan State | Waldorf, Md. |
| DL | Stefen Banks | Sr. | Savannah State | Columbus, Ohio |
| LB | Nigel Chavis | Jr. | Norfolk State | Richmond, Va. |
| LB | Brian Cavicante | Jr. | Delaware State | Portsmouth, Va. |
| LB | Rico Kennedy | Jr. | Morgan State | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| DB | Davanta Reynolds | Sr. | N.C. Central | Tucker, Ga. |
| DB | Timadre Abram | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Lakeland, Fla. |
| DB | Frank McCain | So. | North Carolina A&T State | Greensboro, N.C. |
| DB | Keyjuan Selby | Sr. | Delaware State | Bear, Del. |
FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
| PK | Uriel Hernandez | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Homestead, Fla. |
| P | Fidel Romo-Martinez | Jr. | Delaware State | Banning, Calif. |
| RS | Marcus Taylor | Sr. | Norfolk State | Highland Springs, Va. |
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
| QB | Caylin Newton | Sr. | Howard | Atlanta, Ga. |
| RB | Devin Bowers | Sr. | Florida A&M | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| RB | Brycen Alleyne | Sr. | Delaware State | Wilmington, Del. |
| WR | Kyle Anthony | Jr. | Howard | Miami, Fla. |
| WR | Marcus Taylor | Sr. | Norfolk State | Highland Springs, Va. |
| TE | Josh McCoy | Sr. | N.C. Central | Sharon, S.C. |
| C | Wes Jones | Sr. | Norfolk State | Wilmington, Del. |
| OL | Kenneth Kirby | Jr. | Norfolk State | Newport News, Va. |
| OL | Andrew Dale | Jr. | N.C. Central | Morehead City, N.C. |
| OL | Loubens Polinice | Sr. | Florida A&M | Palm Coast, Fla. |
| OL | Kendrick Hair | Sr. | South Carolina State | Orlando, Fla. |
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
| DL | Julian McKnight | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Conyers, Ga. |
| DL | Todney Evans | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Delray Beach, Fla. |
| DL | Randy Anyanwu | Sr. | N.C. Central | Clayton County, Ga. |
| DL | Antonio Miller | Sr. | Florida A&M | Lakeland, Fla. |
| LB | Jibreel Hazly | Sr. | Florida A&M | Akron, Ohio |
| LB | Damu Ford | Sr. | S.C. State | Dillon, S.C. |
| LB | Marcellus Allison | Sr. | Howard | Durham, N.C. |
| DB | Bryan Cook | So. | Howard | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| DB | J.T. Wahee | Jr. | Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. |
| DB | Orlando McKinley | Sr. | Florida A&M | Atlanta, Ga. |
| DB | Terry Jefferson | Jr. | Florida A&M | Miami, Fla. |
SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
| PK | Giovanni Lugo | Jr. | Savannah State | Belle Glade, Fla. |
| P | Chris Faddoul | So. | Florida A&M | Wesley Chapel, Fla. |
| RS | Jequez Ezzard | Jr. | Howard | Union City, Ga. |
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
| QB | Ryan Stanley | Jr. | Florida A&M | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| RB | Tupac Isme | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Naples, Fla. |
| RB | Aaron Savage | Jr. | Norfolk State | Baltimore, Md. |
| WR | Manasseh Bailey | Jr. | Morgan State | Capital Heights, Md. |
| WR | Xavier McKoy | Jr. | N.C. Central | Charlotte, N.C. |
| TE | Paris Baker | Sr. | Savannah State | Savannah, Ga. |
| C | Matthew Thompson | Sr. | Morgan State | Perry Hall, Md. |
| OL | Obinna Nwanko | Jr. | Florida A&M | Miramar, Fla. |
| OL | Joshua Miles | Sr. | Morgan State | Baltimore, Md. |
| OL | Robbie Stephenson | Sr. | South Carolina State | Fairburn, Ga. |
| OL | Khalil Harris | Jr. | Florida A&M | Gulfport, Miss. |
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
| DL | Brandon Carswell | Sr. | Savannah State | Mt. Vernon, Ga. |
| DL | Kevin Thompson | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Baltimore, Md. |
| DL | Deshaywn Middleton | Sr. | Norfolk State | Winston-Salem, N.C. |
| DL | Aaron Motley | So. | Howard | Highland Springs, Va. |
| LB | Ian McBorrough | Jr. | Morgan State | Essex, Md. |
| DB | Carl Garnes | Sr. | Morgan State | Columbus, N.J. |
| DB | De'Mario Evans | Sr. | N.C. Central | Columbia, S.C. |
| DB | Kendrick Gathers | Sr. | S.C. State | Columbia, S.C. |
| DB | Alex Brown | Sr. | S.C. State | Holly Hill, S.C. |
THIRD TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
| PK | Dakota Lebofsky | Gr. | Howard | Overland Park, Kan. |
| P | Clifford Benjamin, Jr. | Jr. | S.C. State | Holly Hill, S.C. |
| RS | JaMichael Baldwin | So. | Savannah State | Conyers, Ga. |