NORFOLK, Va. – Howard quarterback Greg McGee was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Norfolk State linebacker Lynden Trail was awarded preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors by the MEAC head football coaches and sports information directors.
McGee, the defending Co-Player of the Year, led the MEAC in total offense last season accumulating 272.9 yards. He ranked second in the MEAC in passing yards with 198.2. McGee completed 59 percent of his passes last season (228-385) while compiling a 16 to 12 touchdown to interception ratio in 12 games. A true dual threat McGee ran for 896 yards, third best in the conference, with three rushing touchdowns.
McGee, was also highly ranked nationally during his junior campaign; his total offensive yardage ranked him 19th in the country, while his 19 completions per game ranked him 31st in the NCAA. Last year he earned Player of the Week honors twice.
Senior Lynden Trail recorded 94 tackles last season on a Spartan defense that ranked fourth in scoring defense and fifth in overall defense in the conference.
A great pass rusher, Trail recorded the second most sacks for the Spartans (8.5), fifth best in the MEAC. He also registered 12.5 tackles for a loss. He intercepted two passes, posted eight pass breaks, and blocked two field goal attempts during the 2013 season. To his credit, Trail also forced five fumbles and recovered two of them. He finished tied at the number one position in the nation with 0.42 forced fumbles per game.
In January, Trail was named Black College All-American by SBN Sports. Additionally, Trail was awarded first-team Division I FCS All-American and was a first-team All-MEAC performer last season.
Listed below are the 2014 MEAC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish and Preseason All-MEAC teams:
2014 Predicted Order of Finish
(First Place Votes in Parenthesis)
School Points
1. Bethune-Cookman 487
2. South Carolina State 457
3. North Carolina A&T 338
4. Howard 309
5. Delaware State 229
6. Norfolk State 225
7. Hampton 200
8. North Carolina Central 187
9. Morgan State 148
** Florida A&M and Savannah State are not eligible for post season competition therefore is not listed on the above prediction order
2014 Football All-Conference Preseason Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Greg McGhee, Howard
Defensive Player of the Year: Lynden Trail, Norfolk State
| Name | School | Hometown | ||
| QB | Greg McGhee | Howard | Pittsburgh, Pa. | |
| RB | Tarik Cohen | N.C. A&T | Bunn, N.C. | |
| RB | Anthony Philyaw | Howard | Los Angeles, Ca. | |
| WR | Milton Williams III | Delaware State | Washington, D.C. | |
| WR | Desmond Lawrence | N.C. A&T | Durham, N.C. | |
| TE | Kris Drummond | Savannah State | Washington D.C. | |
| C | Andrew Edouard | Bethune-Cookman | Philadelphia, Pa. | |
| OL | Domanic Wilson | r-Sr. | S.C. State | Lake City, S.C. |
| OL | Willie Robinson | r-Sr. | N.C A&T | Clinton. Md. |
| OL | Darren Pinnock | Morgan State | Miami, Fla | |
| OL | Devin Flowers | r-Sr. | S.C. State | Charlotte, N.C. |
| OL | Toree Boyd | Howard | Miami, Fla. | |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| Name | School | Hometown | ||
| DL | LeBrandon Richardson | Bethune-Cookman | Miami, Fla. | |
| DL | Miles Grooms | Hampton | Richmond, Va | |
| DL | Alex Glover | S.C. State | Charlotte, N.C. | |
| DL | Andrew Carter | S.C. State | Hamlet, N.C. | |
| LB | Lynden Trail | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Miami, Fla. |
| LB | D’Vonte Grant | North Carolina A&T | Charlotte, N.C. | |
| LB | Tavarus Dantzler | Bethune-Cookman | Homestead, Fla. | |
| DB | Darrin Marrow | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| DB | Cameron Alston | r-Sr. | Howard | North Augusta, S.C. |
| DB | Mike Jones | N.C. Central | Baltimore,Md. | |
| DB | Marquis Drayton | Bethune-Cookman | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | |
| P | Lawrence Forbes | r-So. | Morgan State | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| PK | Anthony Prevost | r-So. | Hampton | Chesterfield, Va. |
| RS | Adrian Wilkins | r-Jr. | N.C. Central | Forest City, N.C. |
| Second Team | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Name | School | Hometown | ||
| QB | Quentin Williams | r-Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Tampa, Fla. |
| RB | Lamont Brown III | r-So. | Morgan State | Suffolk, Va. |
| RB | Justin Taylor | r- Jr. | S.C. State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| WR | Joseph Cervalo | r-Sr. | Delaware State | Venice |
| WR | Thomas Martin | r-So. | Morgan State | Naples, Fla. |
| TE* | James Lynch | r-Jr. | Norfolk State | Darby, Pa. |
| TE* | Temarrick Hemingway | r-Jr. | S.C. State | Loris, SC |
| C | Ronald Canty | r-Sr. | N.C. A&T | Chester, S.C. |
| OL | John Smith | r-Jr. | Howard | Atlanta. Ga. |
| OL | Jerron Searles | Delaware State | Atlantic City, N.J. | |
| OL | Keonte Cash | Florida A&M | Miami, Fla. | |
| OL | Justin Myler | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Woodbridge, Va. |
| OL | Chris Pressley | N.C. Central | Upper Marlboro, Md. | |
|
DEFENSE |
||||
| Name | School | Hometown | ||
| DL | Rodney Gunter | Delaware State | Lake Hamilton, Fla. | |
| DL | Damon Gresham-Chisolm | Howard | Covington, GA | |
| DL | Ronnie Barrow | Bethune-Cookman | ||
| DL
DL |
Demarco Bisbee
Javon Hargrave |
r-Jr. | Morgan State
S.C. State |
Lansing, Mich.
Salisbury, NC |
| LB | Joshua Thorne | Hampton | Oxon Hill, Md. | |
| LB | Cody Acker | Morgan State | Landover, Md. | |
| LB | Marquis Smith | Savannah State | Prince Georges County, Md. | |
| DB | Khambrel McGee | Hampton | Miami, Fla. | |
| DB | Devonte Johnson | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. | |
| DB | Tony McRae | N.C. A&T | Laurinburg, N.C. | |
| DB* | Patrick Aiken | r-So. | Florida A&M | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| DB* | Keenan Lambert | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. |
| P | Christian Faber-Kinney | r-So. | Hampton | Williamsburg, Va. |
| PK | Chase Varnadore | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. | |
| RS | Tony McRae | N.C. A&T | Laurinburg, N.C. | |
| Third Team | ||||
| OFFENSE | ||||
| Name | School | Hometown | ||
| QB | Damien Fleming | Florida A&M | Jacksonville, Fla. | |
| RB | Jorrian Washington | r-Sr. | Hampton | Los Angeles, Ca. |
| RB | Dae-Hon Cheung | Delaware State | Coatesville, Pa. | |
| WR | DennisRowe | r-Sr. | S.C. State | Columbia, S.C. |
| WR | Jhomo Gordon | Bethune-Cookman | Palm Bay, Fla. | |
| TE
TE* |
Nathan Scruggs
Nate Ingram |
r-Jr.
Graduate |
N.C. Central
Howard |
Jacksonville, Fla.
Sicklerville, N.J. |
| C | Erick Dickerson | r-So. | S.C. State | Goose Creek, SC |
| OL | Mike Phillips | Norfolk State | Virginia Beach, Va. | |
| OL | Clevonne Davis | N.C. Central | Miramar, FL | |
| OL | Afolabi Ayangbayi | Savannah State | Union, NJ | |
| OL | Ryan Templeton | Florida A&M | Chicago, Ill | |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| Name | School | Hometown | ||
| DL | Michael Neal | N.C. A&T | Greensboro, N.C. | |
| DL | Daniel Pinnix | N.C. A&T | High Point, N.C. | |
| DL | Deon King | Norfolk State | Reston, Va | |
| DL | George Riddick | Norfolk State | Suffolk, Va. | |
| LB | Justin Hughes | S.C. State | Virginia Beach, Va. | |
| LB | Marcell Coke | Norfolk State | Orlando, Fla. | |
| LB | Justin Dixon | Savannah State | Duluth, Ga. | |
| DB | Ronald Robinson | Delaware State | Jersey City, N.J. | |
| DB | Julien David | Howard | Coral Springs, FL | |
| DB | Ryan Smith | r-So. | N.C. Central | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| DB
DB P |
Greg Brown
DeShaun Summers Domnic Frescura |
Savannah State
Morgan State N.C. A&T |
Tucker, Ga.
Hampton, Va. South Pasadena, CA |
|
| PK | Cody Jones | N.C. A&T | Gastonia, N.C. |
Courtesy: MEACSports.com
