NORFOLK, Va. – Howard University quarterback Caylin Newton was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Delaware State University linebacker Brian Cavicante was selected as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
All awards were voted on by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors.
After winning the 2017 MEAC Rookie of the Year award, Newton ended his sophomore campaign ranked among the nation’s leaders in several categories, including passing yards per completion (1st/16.85) and total offense (7th/313.3) en route to earning the 2018 MEAC Offensive Player of the Year honor. The Atlanta, Ga. product was named to the 2018 Walter Payton Award Watch List after winning MEAC Offensive Player of the Week twice and was a finalist for the Black College Football Player of the Year Award. In the season opener against Ohio (Sept. 1), he posted 532 total yards, which was the third-highest output in program history. Newton completed his sophomore campaign as the MEAC’s top passer with 2,629 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 games.
Cavicante was a 2018 All-MEAC First Team selection and finished second in the league in total tackles with 89. He was third in the MEAC in tackles per game (8.1), second with 17 tackles for loss and tied for third with 50 unassisted tackles. For his performance against St. Francis (Sept. 8), Cavicante was selected as MEAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 12 tackles (eight unassisted), including five behind the line-of-scrimmage, and a fumble return for a touchdown.
Bethune-Cookman led the way with six members of the Preseason First Team, while defending MEAC champion North Carolina A&T State, Delaware State and Howard each had four First Team honorees.
Listed below are the 2019 Preseason All-MEAC teams:
Offensive Player of the Year: Caylin Newton, Howard
Defensive Player of the Year: Brian Cavicante, Delaware StateFirst Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB | Caylin Newton | Jr. | Howard | Atlanta, Ga. |
| RB | Isaiah Totten | r-Jr. | North Carolina Central | Apex, N.C. |
| RB | Dedrick Parson | r-So. | Howard | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| WR | Jequez Ezzard | Sr. | Howard | College Park, Ga. |
| WR | Kyle Anthony | Sr. | Howard | Miramar, Fla. |
| TE | Xavier Gravette | So. | Morgan State | Nottingham, Md. |
| C | L’Dre Barnes | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| OL | Alex Taylor | r-Sr. | South Carolina State | Moncks Corner, S.C. |
| OL | Marcus Pettiford | r-Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Durham, N.C. |
| OL | Kaiden Crawford | Sr. | Delaware State | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| OL | Dontae Keys | r-Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Fayetteville, N.C. |
First Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | Marques Ford | r-Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Gibsonton, Fla. |
| DL | Justin Cates | Gr. | North Carolina A&T State | Goldsboro, N.C. |
| DL* | Darius Royster | r-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Chesapeake, Va. |
| DL* | Kawuan Cox | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Summerville, S.C. |
| LB | Brian Cavicante | Jr. | Delaware State | Portsmouth, Va. |
| LB | Marquis Hendrix | r-Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Ocala, Fla. |
| LB | Rico Kennedy | r-Sr. | Morgan State | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |
| DB | Trevor Merritt | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Rockledge, Fla. |
| DB | Tydarius Peters | Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Jayess, Miss. |
| DB | Franklin McCain III | r-Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Greensboro, N.C. |
| DB | Jahad Neibauer | Sr. | Delaware State | Harrisburg, Pa. |
| PK | Yahia Aly | Gr. | Florida A&M | Whittier, Calif. |
| P | Chris Faddoul | Jr. | Florida A&M | Wesley Chapel, Fla. |
| RS | Jimmie Robinson | r-Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Palm Coast, Fla. |
Second Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB | Ryan Stanley | r-Sr. | Florida A&M | Pembroke Pines, Fla. |
| RB | Jah-Maine Martin | r-Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Conway, S.C. |
| RB | Deshawn Smith | Sr. | Florida A&M | Brooksville, Fla. |
| WR | Elijah Bell | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Wheeling, W.Va. |
| WR | Xavier Smith | So. | Florida A&M | Haines City, Fla. |
| TE | Malik Hyatt | So. | Howard | Gastonia, N.C. |
| C | Mike Terry | Jr. | South Carolina State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| OL | Kenneth Kirby | Jr. | Norfolk State | Newport News, Va. |
| OL* | Andrew Dale | r-Jr. | North Carolina Central | Morehead City, N.C. |
| OL* | Stefan Touani | Jr. | Morgan State | Temple Hills, Md. |
| OL | Cedric Jackson | r-So. | Bethune-Cookman | Miami, Fla. |
Second Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | Marcellos Allison | Sr. | Howard | Durham, N.C. |
| DL | Zamon Robinson | So. | Howard | Silver Springs, Md. |
| DL* | Christian Johnson | Sr. | Delaware State | Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| DL* | Tyrell Goodwin | r-Sr. | South Carolina State | Columbia, S.C. |
| DL* | Paul Mckeiver | r-Sr. | South Carolina State | Batesburg, S.C. |
| LB | Nigel Chavis | Sr. | Norfolk State | Richmond, Va. |
| LB | Ian McBorrough | Sr. | Morgan State | Baltimore, Md. |
| LB | Antoine Wilder | r-Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| DB* | Terry Jefferson | Gr. | Florida A&M | Miami, Fla. |
| DB* | Donte Small | Jr. | Morgan State | Union, N.J. |
| DB | Tye Freeland | Jr. | Howard | Petersburg, Va. |
| DB | Bobby Price | Sr. | Norfolk State | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| DB | Nhyre’ Quinerly | Sr. | Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. |
| PK | Jose Romo-Martinez | r-Jr. | Delaware State | Banning, Calif. |
| P | Fidel Romo-Martinez | Sr. | Delaware State | Banning, Calif. |
Third Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB* | Tyrece Nick | Jr. | South Carolina State | Johnston, S.C. |
| QB* | Akevious Williams | Gr. | Bethune-Cookman | Madison, Fla. |
| RB | Bishop Bonnette | Jr. | Florida A&M | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| RB* | Josh Chase | Sr. | Morgan State | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| RB* | Aaron Savage | Sr. | Norfolk State | Baltimore, Md. |
| WR | Chad Hunter | Jr. | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| WR | Zachary Leslie | r-Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Lawndale, N.C. |
| TE* | Isiah Williams | Sr. | Delaware State | Bronx, N.Y. |
| TE* | Anthony Williams | Jr. | Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. |
| C | Somadina Okezie-Okeke | r-So. | North Carolina Central | Woodstock, Ga. |
| OL* | Ricky Lee | So. | North Carolina Central | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| OL* | Bruce Trigg | r-Jr. | Morgan State | Loganville, Ga. |
| OL | Nicholas Roos | r-Sr. | Bethune-Cookman | Ormond Beach, Fla. |
| OL | Jamal Savage | r-Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Plant City, Fla. |
Third Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | Bruce Johnson | Gr. | South Carolina State | Greenwood, S.C. |
| DL | Gerome Howard | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Sarasota, Fla. |
| DL | Jermaine Williams | r-Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Lumberton, N.C. |
| DL* | Demontre Moore | Sr. | Florida A&M | Tampa, Fla. |
| DL* | Devan Henron | r-So. | Morgan State | Lanham, Md. |
| LB | Richie Kittles | r-Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. |
| LB | Elijah Richardson | Sr. | Florida A&M | Port St. Lucie, Fla. |
| LB | Branden Bailey | Jr. | North Carolina Central | Deerfield Beach, Fla. |
| DB* | Aaron Walker | So. | Howard | Washington, D.C. |
| DB* | Devin Smith | Sr. | Delaware State | Washington, D.C. |
| DB | Decobe Durant | r-So. | South Carolina State | Lamar, S.C. |
| DB* | Dominick Trigg | r-Sr. | Morgan State | Tampa, Fla. |
| DB* | Herman Jackson, Jr. | So. | Florida A&M | Miami, Fla. |
| PK | Nicholas O’Shea | So. | Morgan State | Detroit, Mich. |
| P | Michael Rivers | So. | North Carolina A&T State | Wilmington, N.C. |
| RS | Dedrick Parson | r-So. | Howard | Philadelphia, Pa. |
*indicates tie
Courtesy: MEAC
