North Carolina A&T State University (7) and Howard (6) led the way in this year’s All-MEAC Conference football voting with a combined 12 student-athletes named to the first team. The team was voted on by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors.
For the fourth consecutive year, the MEAC’s Offensive Lineman of the Year award will remain in Greensboro, N.C., as North Carolina A&T State’s Micah Shaw received the honor. Howard’s Dedrick Parson was tabbed as the league’s Freshman of the Year, while North Carolina A&T State’s Sam Washington was selected as Coach of the Year.
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 60th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Hilton Midtown in New York City. The event will be streamed live at 9:30 a.m. via the NFF website.
Shaw was a key player on North Carolina A&T State’s offensive line, as the unit produced the lone 1,000-yard rusher in the MEAC this season. A two-time MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week, opposing defenders had trouble getting to the Aggies’ backfield as the unit only allowed 12 sacks in the regular season. Despite the departure of four starters from last year’s unit, the Aggies finished no less than third in the MEAC in scoring offense, total offense, rushing offense, sacks against, first downs, third down conversions and fourth down conversions.
Parson became the second consecutive student-athlete from Howard to win Freshman of the Year. The Philadelphia, Pa. native finished third in the MEAC in rushing with 706 yards and second with nine rushing touchdowns. He exploded onto the scene midway through the season, as he rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns at Morgan State and a 26-carry, 149-yard performance versus Florida A&M. He closed out the season with a three-touchdown performance versus Bryant.
Washington kept the Aggie train rolling, as North Carolina A&T State won its second consecutive outright MEAC championship and fourth title in five years in his first season as head coach. Under Washington’s watch this season, the Aggies won their third straight contest versus a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent, while also defeating the No. 6-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) ranks. The Aggies finished the regular season ranked 11th in both the STATS FCS and FCS Coaches Polls. Washington is the third person in school history, joining Hornsby Howell (1968) and George Small (2003), to win a conference title in his first season as the Aggies’ head football coach. North Carolina A&T State will represent the MEAC in the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl for the third time on Dec. 15 in Atlanta, Ga.
Listed below are the 2018 All-MEAC teams:
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Micah Shaw, North Carolina A&T State
Rookie of the Year: Dedrick Parson, Howard
Coach of the Year: Sam Washington, North Carolina A&T State
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB
Caylin Newton
So.
Howard
Atlanta, Ga.
RB
Marquell Cartwright
Sr.
North Carolina A&T State
High Point, N.C.
RB
Isaiah Totten
So.
N.C. Central
Apex, N.C.
WR
Jequez Ezzard
Jr.
Howard
College Park, Ga.
WR
Kyle Anthony
Jr.
Howard
Miramar, Fla.
TE
Justin Chaney
Sr.
Howard
Hammond, La.
C
James Holmon
Gr.
Howard
Augusta, Ga.
OL
Marcus Pettiford
Jr.
North Carolina A&T State
Durham, N.C
OL
Micah Shaw
Sr.
North Carolina A&T State
Fayetteville, N.C
OL
Obinna Nwaknwo
Jr.
Florida A&M
Miramar, Fla.
OL
Tyler Shadrach
Gr.
Howard
Teaneck, N.J.
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL
Darryl Johnson
Jr.
North Carolina A&T State
Kingsdale, Ga.
DL
Marques Ford
Jr.
Bethune-Cookman
Gibsonton, Fla
DL
Antonio Miller
Sr.
Florida A&M
Lakeland, Fla.
DL
Stefen Banks
Sr.
Savannah State
Columbus, Ohio
LB
Brian Cavicante
Jr.
Delaware State
Portsmouth, Va.
LB
Ian McBorrough
Jr.
Morgan State
Essex, Md.
LB
Nigel Chavis
Jr.
Norfolk State
Richmond, Va.
DB
Mac McCain III
So.
North Carolina A&T State
Greensboro, N.C.
DB
Davanta Reynolds
Sr.
N.C. Central
Tucker, Ga.
DB
Donte Small
So.
Morgan State
Union, N.J.
DB
Timadre Abram
Sr.
North Carolina A&T State
Lakeland, Fla.
P
Chris Faddoul
So.
Florida A&M
Wesley Chapel, Fla.
PK
Adam Lippy
Fr.
N.C. Central
Tucker, Ga.
RS
Malik Wilson
Sr.
North Carolina A&T State
Burlington, N.C.
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB
Lamar Raynard
R-Sr.
North Carolina A&T State
High Point, N.C.
RB
Dedrick Parson
R-Fr.
Howard
Philadelphia, Pa.
RB
Deshawn Smith
Jr.
Florida A&M
Brooksville, Fla.
WR
Elijah Bell
Jr.
North Carolina A&T State
Wheeling, W.Va.
WR
Xavier Smith
Fr.
Florida A&M
Haines City, Fla.
TE
Sherman McLeod
Fr.
N.C. Central
Raleigh, N.C.
C
Mike Terry
Jr.
South Carolina State
Duluth, Ga.
OL
Loubens Polinice
Gr.
Florida A&M
Daytona Beach, Fla.
OL
Dwayne Brown
Sr.
Bethune-Cookman
Indianapolis, Ind.
OL
Robbie Stephenson
Sr.
South Carolina State
Fairburn, Ga.
OL
Nick Leverett
Gr.
N.C. Central
Concord, N.C.
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL
Justin Cates
Jr.
North Carolina A&T State
Goldsboro, N.C.
DL
Rico Kennedy
Jr.
Morgan State
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
DL
Julian McKnight
Sr.
North Carolina A&T State
Conyers, Ga.
DL
Bruce Johnson
Sr.
South Carolina State
Greenwood, S.C.
LB
Antoine Wilder
Jr.
North Carolina A&T State
Riverdale, Ga.
LB
Damari Whitaker
Sr.
Morgan State
Washington, D.C.
LB
Marquis Hendrix
Jr.
Bethune-Cookman
Ocala, Fla.
DB
Keyjuan Selby
Sr.
Delaware State
Bear, Del.
DB
Alex Brown
Sr.
South Carolina State
Holly Hill, S.C.
DB
Trevor Merritt
Jr.
Bethune-Cookman
Rockledge, Fla.
DB
J.T. Wahee
Jr.
Norfolk State
Norfolk, Va.
P
Taylor Goettie
So.
Norfolk State
Lexington, Ga.
PK
Yahia Aly
Sr.
Florida A&M
Whittier, Calif.
RS
Jimmie Robinson
Sr.
Bethune-Cookman
Palm Coast, Fla.
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE
QB
Ryan Stanley
R-Jr.
Florida A&M
Pembroke Pines, Fla.
RB
Brycen Alleyne
Sr.
Delaware State
Wilmington, Del.
RB
Jah-Maine Martin
So.
North Carolina A&T State
Conway, S.C.
WR
Zachary Leslie
So.
North Carolina A&T State
Lawndale, N.C.
WR
Chad Hunter
So.
Florida A&M
Tallahassee, Fla.
TE
Leroy Hill
Sr.
North Carolina A&T State
Fayetteville, Ga.
C
L’Dre Barnes
So.
Bethune-Cookman
St. Petersburg, Fla.
OL
Joshua Miles
Sr.
Morgan State
Baltimore, Md.
OL
Kaiden Crawford
Jr.
Delaware State
Philadelphia, Pa.
OL
Alex Taylor
Jr.
South Carolina State
Monks Corner, S.C.
OL
Liki Seu
So.
Delaware State
Bellflower, Calif.
THIRD TEAM DEFENSE
DL
Kawuan Cox
Jr.
N.C. Central
Summerville, S.C.
DL
Darius Royster
Sr.
N.C. Central
Chesapeake, Va.
DL
Paul McKeiver
Jr.
South Carolina State
Batesburg, SC
DL
Damu Ford
Sr.
South Carolina State
Dillon, S.C.
LB
Mulik Simmons
Sr.
Savannah State
Savannah, Ga.
LB
Elijah Richardson
Jr.
Florida A&M
Port St. Lucie, Fla.
LB
Marcellos Allison
Jr.
Howard
Durham, N.C.
DB
Jahad Neibauer
Jr.
Delaware State
Harrisburg, Pa.
DB
Tydarius Peters
Jr.
Bethune-Cookman
Jayess, Miss.
DB
Bobby Price
Jr.
Norfolk State
Virginia Beach, Va.
DB
Terry Jefferson
Jr.
Florida A&M
Miami, Fla.
P
Jerome Pettiway
Sr.
South Carolina State
York, S.C.
PK
Alex Raya
Sr.
Morgan State
Beaumont, Calif.
RS
Marcus Taylor
Sr.
Norfolk State
Highland Springs, Va.