NORFOLK, Virginia – North Carolina Central University was rewarded for winning the league's first outright championship since 2012 by having a conference-high 17 selections to the All-MEAC Football Team, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced Monday.
Representing NCCU on the All-MEAC First Team are redshirt senior quarterback Malcolm Bell, senior wide receiver LaVontis Smith, redshirt senior center Carl Jones, senior offensive lineman Tarrance Wells, defensive lineman Frederick Henry-Ajudua and redshirt junior Mike Jones, who is recognized as both a defensive back and a return specialist.
Complete 2016 All-MEAC Football Team
All-MEAC Second Team honors go to redshirt sophomore running back Ramone Simpson, redshirt senior offensive lineman Jamaal Symmonett, redshirt junior defensive lineman Antonio Brown, redshirt junior linebacker Reggie Hunter, redshirt senior linebacker LeGrande Harley, sophomore defensive back Alden McClellon and redshirt senior placekicker Brandon McLaren.
Earning All-MEAC Third Team recognition are freshman tight end Maleek Henderson, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Nick Leverett and redshirt junior Ja'Quan Smith.
NCCU head coach Jerry Mack, who engineered the Eagles to a third consecutive conference title and the program's first NCAA Division I-FCS national ranking, was selected as the 2016 MEAC Football Coach of the Year.
The All-MEAC Football Team is voted on by the conference's head football coaches and sports information directors.
NCCU has topped the league in all-conference honorees in each of the last three seasons, with 13 in 2015 and 12 in 2014.
Bell (Richmond, Va.) topped the MEAC with an average of 248.6 yards of total offense per game. He threw for 2,191 yards and 16 touchdowns on 161-of-267 passing (60.3 percent), and was the league's eighth-leading rusher with 544 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
LaVontis Smith (Maben, Miss.) ranked second in the league with 58.7 receiving yards per game, accounting for a team-high 40 receptions for 646 yards and five touchdowns.
Carl Jones (Nashville, Tenn.) was chosen as the top center in the MEAC for the second straight year after leading NCCU linemen with an average grade of 91 percent on blocking assignments, while amassing a team-best 65 pancake blocks and allowing only one sack in 707 snaps during his senior campaign.
Wells (Oxon Hill, Md.) graded out at 84 percent on blocking assignments from his guard position and ranked second on the team with 43 pancake blocks.
Henry-Ajudua (Durham, N.C.) finished second in the conference with a team-best 7.5 sacks, along with 11.5 hits for a loss and 33 total tackles.
Mike Jones (Baltimore, Md.) makes a return to the all-conference first team after missing most of the 2015 campaign due to an injury. As a return specialist, he tops the MEAC with an average of 22.0 yards per punt return and is one of only four returners in the FCS with two punt return touchdowns. As a cornerback, he has tallied 30 tackles and five passes defended with two interceptions and three pass break-ups.
Simpson (Wilmington, N.C.) averaged 5.1 yards per carry with a team-high 630 rushing yards and five trips to the end zone, while also catching 19 passes for 231 yards.
Symmonett (Nassau, Bahamas) posted the team's second-highest grade of 89 percent on blocking assignments with 27 pancake blocks.
Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) ranked fourth in the conference with 7.0 sacks and sixth with a team-high 13.0 tackles for a loss, while also contributing 48 total tackles, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Hunter (Henderson, N.C.) totaled a team-high 73 total tackles, including 11.0 hits for a loss with 2.0 sacks, and tied for third in the league with a team-best four interceptions.
Harley (Durham, N.C.) placed third on the Eagles with 67 tackles, including 6.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
McClellon (Lake Butler, Fla.) finished second on the team with 71 tackles, including 7.0 hits for a loss with 2.0 sacks, along with three pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.
McLaren (Miami, Fla.) ranked second in the MEAC in field goals made with nine, field goal percentage at 75.0 percent and scoring among kickers with 65 points (5.9 avg.).
Henderson (Danville, Va.) collected nine receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown, averaging 13.1 yards per catch.
Leverett (Concord, N.C.) achieved a grade of 84 percent on blocking assignments from his tackle position, while adding 35 pancake blocks in his first year of college football.
Ja'Quan Smith (Miramar, Fla.) accumulated 54 tackles from his interior lineman position to place fourth on the squad, as well as 7.5 stops for a loss with 3.5 sacks.
After defeating nationally-ranked North Carolina A&T 42-21 on Nov. 19 to capture the MEAC championship, No. 18 NCCU (9-2, 8-0 MEAC) will play the winner of the SWAC championship in the second annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 inside the Georgia Dome.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Fourteen North Carolina A&T Aggies Earn All-MEAC Honors
GREENSBORO, North Carolina – North Carolina A&T head coach Rod Broadway’s point that the Aggies football team had a good season despite coming short of winning their third straight MEAC title will be furthered by the fact 14 of his players were named to one of the three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s all-conference teams on Monday.
Two Aggies earned top superlatives with another one potentially on the way. Left tackle Brandon Parker (6-foot-7, 299, R-JR, Kannapolis, N.C.) was named offensive lineman of the year for the second straight season, while wide receiver Elijah Bell (6-2, 210, FR, Wheeling Park, WVa.) was named rookie of the year. The offensive and defensive players of the year will be announced on Dec. 6 at the National Football Foundation awards press conference at the Empire Room at the Waldorf Astoria. The NFF and College Hall of Fame announced a partnership with the MEAC to reveal the league’s offensive and defensive players of the year as part of the festivities surrounding the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City.
Running back Tarik Cohen (5-6, 179, SR, Bunn, N.C.) has a chance to make conference history at the Waldorf. If he wins offensive player of the year, he will be the first player in MEAC history to win the honor three consecutive years. Bell is the third Aggie to be named the conference’s top rookie in eight years joining Mike Mayhew (2009) and Cohen (2013).
Seven of the Aggies 14 all-conference players are first teamers. The Aggies first-team all-conference selections were Cohen, right tackle Wes Cole (6-6, 335, SR, Stanley, N.C.), tight end Leroy Hill (6-3, 239, R-SO, Smithfield, N.C.), defensive end Angelo Keyes (6-1, 270, R-SR, Kinston, N.C.), Parker, defensive tackle Marquis Ragland (6-3, 271, R-SR, Fayetteville, N.C.) and linebacker Jeremy Taylor (5-11, 181, R-JR, Kinston, N.C.).
Bell, return specialist Khris Gardin (5-7, 164, JR, Morganton, N.C.), wide receiver Denzel Keyes (6-4, 215, SR, Kinston, N.C.), center Darriel Mack (6-2, 291, R-JR, Clio, S.C.), quarterback and Lamar Raynard (6-4, 176, R-SO, High Point, N.C.) were second teamers, while right guard Daquan Blake (6-3, 315, JR, Leavenworth, Kan.) and placekicker Cody Jones (5-11, 141, SR, Gastonia, N.C.) made the third team.
In his rookie season, Bell caught a freshman school-record eight touchdown passes. His eight TD receptions ranks second in the conference and 33rd in the nation. Bell caught 35 passes for 631 yards and averaged 18.0 yards per reception. He joins Dexter Feaster, Larry Orie and Wallace Miles as the only four players to lead the Aggies in receiving as freshmen. Bell leads the conference in yards per reception and ranks third receiving yards.
Parker had another solid season at the left tackle position where he did not yield a sack this season, and he had just two penalties called against him this season. Parker won offensive lineman of the week five times this season from the MEAC after consistently grading out with 90’s during the season. The Aggies ranked first this season in total offense, rushing offense and third in passing offense.
Cohen ended his career on Saturday against Richmond with 5,619 rushing yards, the most in MEAC history. Only Winston-Salem State’s Richard Huntley (6,286) had more rushing yards as a player from an historically black college or university football program. Cohen has led the MEAC in rushing four straight years and rushed for 1,588 yards this season, breaking his own single-season rushing record (1,543) from last season. He is one of only 10 players in NCAA FCS history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons.
He is second in the nation in rushing yards per carry and third in rushing TD’s (18), rushing yards and seventh in all-purpose yards (160.58). He broke the Aggies single-season record for total touchdowns with 19 this season.
Wes Cole earned his first all-conference honor. He is a four-year starter for the Aggies who has mostly played right tackle but has also started at right guard. He earned one offensive lineman of the week honor on Oct. 24 after the Aggies defeated Howard 34-7. Hill had an excellent season in his first year as a starter. Hill led all MEAC tight ends in receiving with 174 yards and two touchdowns on 17 receptions.
Angelo Keyes earned his second straight first team honor. He proved to be an excellent pass rusher this season for the Aggies. He made 38 tackles with eight tackles for loss. His six sacks ranked fifth in the MEAC. His athleticism allowed him to finish his career with 16 pass break ups. Ragland is also a two-time first-team selection. Ragland is regarded as the Aggies best defensive player with teams needing to double team him to stop him from being disruptive. He made 50 tackles from his interior defensive line position with 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Taylor had a career year for the Aggies. It started with his breakout game at Kent State when he posted 15 tackles, four tackles loss, two sacks, two pass break ups and one interception. The performance earned him STATS FCS National Player of the Week honors. He led the Aggies in tackles (79), passes defended (12), interceptions (4) and tied for the team lead in break ups (8). He was 13th in the league in tackles and tackles for loss and he was fourth in passes defended.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Texas Southern coach Davis not afraid of tough schedule, including Arizona Wildcats
TUCSON, Arizona -- Mike Davis coached Indiana to the NCAA title game in 2002, and he’s dead set on getting back there again.
With Texas Southern, that is a school in the low-major Southwestern Athletic Conference that’s based in a saturated Houston sports market where attention can be scarce.
He’s trying to get there by playing all-road nonconference schedules that appear more suicidal than any in Division I — including a game Wednesday against Arizona at McKale Center — then trying to parlay those results into a better NCAA tournament seed, better NCAA tournament results and, eventually, better recruiting leverage that can build increasingly better teams.
It’s crazy, right? Davis has been called that.
At least, he says, by people who don’t listen.
“I just want to win a national championship,” Davis said Monday by telephone from Houston. “People are saying there’s no way you can do that at Texas Southern. It’s like when Phil Knight started Nike, when there were Converse and Adidas. People said ‘Why would you do that?’ But look at what Nike does now.”
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With Texas Southern, that is a school in the low-major Southwestern Athletic Conference that’s based in a saturated Houston sports market where attention can be scarce.
He’s trying to get there by playing all-road nonconference schedules that appear more suicidal than any in Division I — including a game Wednesday against Arizona at McKale Center — then trying to parlay those results into a better NCAA tournament seed, better NCAA tournament results and, eventually, better recruiting leverage that can build increasingly better teams.
It’s crazy, right? Davis has been called that.
At least, he says, by people who don’t listen.
“I just want to win a national championship,” Davis said Monday by telephone from Houston. “People are saying there’s no way you can do that at Texas Southern. It’s like when Phil Knight started Nike, when there were Converse and Adidas. People said ‘Why would you do that?’ But look at what Nike does now.”
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Miles HC: ASU duo worthy of Senior Bowl invite
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State defensive stars Kourtney Berry and Roderick “Ghost” Henderson aren’t on the current list of accepted invites for next month’s Senior Bowl.Miles College coach Reginald Ruffin thinks they should wind up playing in the Jan. 28 all-star game in Mobile.
“They are two of the best guys and I wish they’ll have the opportunity to play in the Senior Bowl and get an opportunity because they will be difference makers in the next level,” said Ruffin the day before Alabama State beat Miles College, 53-20, in last week’s Turkey Day Classic.
“It shows that whatever we’re doing, it shows on film,” said the 6-foot, 210-pound Berry, the 2015 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year who made 66 tackles in 10 games this season. “Coaches see it. It’s not just our coaches, but other coaches, they acknowledge it and it just goes to show that our hard work is actually paying off.”
Berry, a linebacker, and Henderson, a 6-foot, 1-inch, 352-pound defensive tackle, combined for 10 tackles in their final game at ASU. Berry made six stops with one being for a loss against the team coached by the man who sees him as someone worthy of playing with FBS talent in the Senior Bowl.
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Grambling students soak up Bayou Classic experience
NEW ORLEANS -- Grambling State University students Robert Bailey Jr., Shelby Prout and Que Robinson weren’t on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome football field for a single play Saturday, but each had an impact on the Bayou Classic matchup between Grambling State University and Southern University.
Grambling State clawed its way to a 52-30 victory, winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference West championship with an undefeated regular season conference record and guaranteeing a trip to Houston to play Alcorn State University at NRG Stadium for the SWAC championship on Dec. 3. The win broke a Bayou Classic tie, putting GSU up over SU 22-21in the series.
It was a great GSU and Bayou Classic day, including an attendance of 67,845.
Bailey, a graduate student and football tight ends coach, captured a lot of campus and alumni attention with his “I’m So GramFam” branding, and much of the GSU student section to the left of the Tigers bench wore red 'I’m So GramFam' T-shirts created by Bailey. Other fans waved red Grambling placards with the iconic Grambling G, supporting a “Red Out” Bayou Classic.
Bailey was busy with game prep and business prep going into the Bayou Classic, supporting head football coach Broderick Fobbs’ game plan for the team and providing shirts as he also studied for his sports administration graduate degree.
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Grambling State clawed its way to a 52-30 victory, winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference West championship with an undefeated regular season conference record and guaranteeing a trip to Houston to play Alcorn State University at NRG Stadium for the SWAC championship on Dec. 3. The win broke a Bayou Classic tie, putting GSU up over SU 22-21in the series.
It was a great GSU and Bayou Classic day, including an attendance of 67,845.
Bailey, a graduate student and football tight ends coach, captured a lot of campus and alumni attention with his “I’m So GramFam” branding, and much of the GSU student section to the left of the Tigers bench wore red 'I’m So GramFam' T-shirts created by Bailey. Other fans waved red Grambling placards with the iconic Grambling G, supporting a “Red Out” Bayou Classic.
Bailey was busy with game prep and business prep going into the Bayou Classic, supporting head football coach Broderick Fobbs’ game plan for the team and providing shirts as he also studied for his sports administration graduate degree.
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Monday, November 28, 2016
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
| 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
Raeburn, Savannah State Tigers look forward to continued progression following 3-7 season
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| HEAD COACH ERIK RAEBURN |
Raeburn was hired as the Tigers new head coach in March 2016 after Earnest Wilson III announced that he would be accepting a new head coach’s position at Elizabeth City State University and would be resigning from SSU.
Raeburn and the Tigers practiced and trained through many steaming hot summer days to prepare for a season that showed a lot of potential for the Tigers to make some noise.
During the preseason scrimmages, the Tigers introduced the “No Fly Zone” defensive scheme for a defensive unit that had improved greatly and there was much optimism throughout the Tiger Nation fan base.
Fans would get their first look at the Tigers in their season opener at Georgia Southern on September 3, but it was a disappointing outing for the Tigers as they were defeated 54-0 by the Eagles. The Tigers followed that up by traveling to Southern Mississippi University the next week and losing 56-0.
However, fans were still encouraged despite the huge margins of defeat because the strides and improvements that the defense had made were coming to full fruition, but there were lingering questions about the team’s offense which was struggling mightily.
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