MEAC Announces 2016 Post Season Football Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion North Carolina Central University and runner-up North Carolina A&T State University dominated the 2016 All-MEAC Football Team with 30 student-athletes between both teams. The team is voted on by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors.

North Carolina A&T State’s Brandon Parker was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Lineman of the Year, for the second consecutive year, while teammate Elijah Bell earned Rookie of the Year honors. North Carolina Central’s Jerry Mack was selected as Coach of the Year.

Parker started all 12 games for the Aggies, at left tackle, this season. He paved the way for the MEAC’s top scoring offense (35.2 points/game), 12th nationally. North Carolina A&T State led the MEAC in rushing offense averaging 203.8 yards per game, with 27 rushing touchdowns. Parker led an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the conference (13th nationally), while amassing 2,385 passing yards and 26 receiving touchdowns. The Aggies had seven games with 400-plus yards of total offense including three games of 500 yards or better. On the ground, the offensive line paved the way for six games with 200-plus rushing yards with a high of 313 yards.

As a freshman, Bell led the Aggies in total receiving yards (631) and ranked third in the MEAC in receiving yards per game (52.6). He earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors after catching two touchdown passes in a win over South Carolina State. He had a pair of 100-yard receiving games this season and was the second freshman in school history to have a 100-yard receiving game when he had 101 yards in the game at Tulsa on Sept. 17. Bell finished the season with eight touchdowns, averaging 18 yards per reception.

Since arriving at North Carolina Central in 2014, all head coach Jerry Mack has done is win as the Eagles won the 2016 MEAC Football Championship outright after winning a share of the title in 2014 and 2015. A finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award, Mack led the Eagles to a national ranking for the first time in school history as an FCS member and has won 15 consecutive contests versus MEAC opponents. This past season, the Eagles finished third or higher in 16 of the MEAC’s 31 statistical categories while also fielding the top dual threat quarterback in the conference in Malcom Bell. The Eagles had the highest single game offensive output in the MEAC this past season along with the highest scoring output. Mack is the first NCCU head coach to win 24 contests in his first three seasons with one more contest scheduled as the Eagles will play in the 2nd annual Air Force Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 in Atlanta, Ga.

In a partnership with the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame, the league’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year will be announced as part of the festivities surrounding the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

Listed below are the 2016 All-MEAC teams:

2016 MEAC Football All-Conference Teams

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T State

Rookie of the Year: Elijah Bell, North Carolina A&T State

Coach of the Year: Jerry Mack, North Carolina Central

First-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Malcolm Bell	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Richmond, Va.
RB	Tarik Cohen	Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Bunn, N.C.
RB	Anthony Philyaw	Jr.	Howard	Los Angeles, Calif.
WR	Rashawn Proctor	Sr.	Hampton	Hampton, Va.
WR	LaVontis Smith	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Maben, Miss.
TE	Leroy Hill	r-So.	North Carolina A&T St.	Smithfield, N.C.
C	Carl Jones	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Nashville, Tenn.
OL	Brandon Parker	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kannapolis, N.C.
OL	Wes Cole	Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Norwood, N.C.
OL	Tarrance Wells	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Oxon Hill, Md.
OL	Toree Boyd	Sr.	Howard	Miami, Fla.

First-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Marquis Ragland	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T	Fayetteville, N.C.
DL	Angelo Keyes	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kinston, N.C.
DL	Marquis Smith	Sr.	Savannah St.	District Heights, Md.
DL	Frederick Henry-Ajudua	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Durham, N.C.
LB	Darius Leonard	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Lake View, S.C.
LB	Dayshawn Taylor	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Lincolnton, Ga.
LB	Jeremy Taylor	Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kinston, N.C.
DB	Jacques Bryant	So.	Florida A&M	Tallahassee, Fla.
DB	Diquan Richardson	Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Alvin, S.C.
DB	Phillip Henry	r-Sr.	South Carolina St.	Manning, S.C.
DB	Mike Jones	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Baltimore, Md.
P	John Barron	Sr.	Savannah St.	Marietta, Ga.
PK	Cameron Marouf	Sr.	Norfolk St.	Woodbridge, Va.
RS	Mike Jones	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Baltimore, Md.

Second-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Lamar Raynard	r-So.	North Carolina A&T St.	High Point, N.C.
RB	Ramone Simpson	r-So.	North Carolina Central	Wilmington, N.C.
RB	Yahkee Johnson	Jr.	Hampton	Richmond, Va.
WR	Denzel Keyes	Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kinston, N.C.
WR	Elijah Bell	Fr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Wheeling Park, W.Va.
TE	Jack Willenbrock	Gr.	Hampton	West Chester, Pa.
C	Darriel Mack	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Cilo, S.C.
OL	Javarius Leamon	r-Sr.	South Carolina St.	Woodruff, S.C.
OL	Jamaal Symmonett	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Nassau, Bahamas
OL	Johnny Cruz	Sr.	Hampton	Yorktown, Va.
OL	Keonte Cash	Sr.	Florida A&M	Miami, Fla.

Second-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Antonio Brown	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Jacksonville, Fla.
DL	Stefen Banks	So.	Savannah St.	Columbus, Ohio
DL	Elijah Price	Jr.	Florida A&M	Jacksonville, Fla.
DL	Jai Franklin	Jr.	Morgan St.	Clinton, Md.
LB	Reggie Hunter	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Henderson, N.C.
LB	LeGrande Harley	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Durham, N.C.
LB	Greg Gibson	Sr.	Morgan St.	Houston, Texas
DB	Sandy Chapman	Sr.	Norfolk St.	Raleigh, N.C.
DB	Jason Baxter	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Manning, S.C.
DB	Alden McClellon	So.	North Carolina Central	Lake Butler, Fla.
DB	Craig Johnson	Sr.	Howard	Brooklyn, N.Y.
P	Christian Faber-Kinney	Gr.	Hampton	Williamsburg, Va.
PK	Brandon McLaren	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Miami, Fla.
RS*	Khris Gardin	Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Morganton, N.C.
RS*	Frank Brown	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Third-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Jaylian Williamson	Gr.	Hampton	Chesapeake, Va.
RB	Arshon Spaulding	Sr.	Savannah St.	Brunswick, Ga.
RB*	Jamaruz Thompkins	Sr.	Bethune-Cookman	Tampa, Fla.
RB*	Mike Waters	Fr.	Delaware St.	Philadelphia, Pa.
WR	Brandon Norwood	Jr.	Florida A&M	Atlanta, Ga.
WR*	Kyle Anthony	Fr.	Howard	Miramar, Fla.
WR*	Mason Rutherford	Jr.	Delaware St.	San Bernadino, Calif.
TE	Willie Gillus, III	Sr.	Morgan St.	Suffolk, Va.
C	Victor Ishmael, Jr.	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Miami, Fla.
OL	Nick Leverett	r-Fr.	North Carolina Central	Concord, N.C.
OL	Daquan Blake	Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Leavenworth, Kan.
OL	Robbie Stephenson	Jr.	South Carolina St.	Fairburn, Ga.
OL	Justin Evans	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Florence, S.C.

Third-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Ja’Quan Smith	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Miramar, Fla.
DL	Chris Lee	Jr.	Norfolk St.	Woodbridge, Va.
DL	Curtis Alexander	So.	Florida A&M	Quincy, Fla.
DL	Kevin Thompson	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Baltimore, Md.
LB	Devin Vandyke	Gr.	Hampton	Lorton, Va.
LB	Mulik Simmons	Jr.	Savannah St.	Savannah, Ga.
LB	T.C. Livingston	r-Jr.	Norfolk St.	Suffolk, Va.
DB	Brandon Walker	Sr.	Norfolk St.	Chester, Va.
DB	Carl Garnes	So.	Morgan St.	Columbus, N.J.
DB	Terry Jefferson	r-Fr.	Florida A&M	Miami, Fla.
DB	Brendan Cole	r-Jr.	Hampton	Hampton, Va.
P	Colby Blanton	r-So.	Florida A&M	Jacksonville, Fla.

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS