NORFOLK, Va., – Norfolk State leads the way with 11 First Team All-MEAC honorees, as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its postseason football honors, presented by TowneBank. Delaware State followed with six First Team honorees, while South Carolina State had five.
All awards and honors were voted on by the league’s head football coaches and sports information directors.
In partnership with the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, the MEAC will announce its Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year as part of the festivities surrounding the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at the ARIA Resort & Casino.
Norfolk State claimed the Offensive Lineman of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, with Justin Redd and J.J. Davis earning those awards, respectively. South Carolina State head coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough was named MEAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
This season marks the first time Norfolk State has claimed either the Rookie or Offensive Lineman of the Year award.
Also read: MEAC champion South Carolina State heads to Celebration Bowl unblemished
Redd anchored a Spartans offensive line that helped Norfolk State lead the MEAC in total offense (440.5 yards per game) and scoring offense (33.2 points per game) this season. Norfolk State also had the conference’s top rushing offense, averaging 212.2 yards per game, and their passing offense (228.3 yards per game) ranked second in the league. Redd was part of an offensive line that only gave up 17 sacks on the season, tied for the lowest amount in the MEAC.
Davis is the MEAC’s leading rusher, having averaged 80.6 yards per carry for the Spartans. His 10 touchdowns were tied for the most among conference running backs, and Davis also ranked seventh in total offense. The five-time MEAC Rookie of the Week had four 100-yard rushing performances during the season, including a season-best 217 yards against North Carolina Central.
Pough led the Bulldogs to a perfect 5-0 mark in conference play this season to claim the MEAC championship outright and clinch the league’s bid to the Cricket Celebration Bowl (Saturday, Dec. 18, 12 noon on ABC). The Bulldogs won their 18th championship overall and the eighth of Pough’s tenure. This is Pough’s second straight MEAC Coach of the Year, as he won the award in 2019.
See below for the full All-MEAC teams.
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Justin Redd, Norfolk State
Rookie of the Year: J.J. Davis, Norfolk State
Coach of the Year: Buddy Pough, South Carolina State
First Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB | Juwan Carter | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Richmond, Va. |
| RB | J.J. Davis | r-Fr. | Norfolk State | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| RB | Sy’Veon Wilkerson | Fr. | Delaware State | Elkridge, Md. |
| WR | Justin Smith | Sr. | Norfolk State | Richmond, Va. |
| WR | Trey Gross | Sr. | Delaware State | Annapolis, Md. |
| TE | Anthony Williams | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Norfolk, Va. |
| C | Colby Byrd | Jr. | Norfolk State | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| OL | Jalen Powell | Sr. | Norfolk State | Temple Hills Md. |
| OL | Justin Redd | Jr. | Norfolk State | Hampton, Va. |
| OL | Matthew Derks | Gr. | Delaware State | Brantford, Ontario |
| OL | D’Montre’ Smith | r-So. | Norfolk State | Columbia, S.C. |
First Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | De’Shaan Dixon | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Chesapeake, Va. |
| DL | Chris Myers | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | LaVergne, Tenn. |
| DL | Isaiah Williams | r-Jr. | Delaware State | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| DL | Jeblonski Green | r-So. | South Carolina State | Lamar, S.C. |
| LB | Chad Gilchrist | r-Sr. | South Carolina State | Johnston, S.C. |
| LB | B.J. Davis | r.-So. | South Carolina State | Blair, S.C. |
| LB | Noah Rainbow-Douglas | r-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| DB | Decobie Durant | Gr. | South Carolina State | Lamar, S.C. |
| DB | Brandon Savage | r-Jr. | Norfolk State | Baltimore, Md. |
| DB | Zafir Kelly | Sr. | South Carolina State | Irmo, S.C. |
| DB | Esaias Guthrie | r-Fr. | Delaware State | Wilmington, Del. |
| P | Matt Noll | Fr. | Delaware State | Robesonia, Pa. |
| PK | Adrian Olivo | So. | North Carolina Central | Plant City, Fla. |
| RS | Brandon Codrington | So. | North Carolina Central | Raleigh, N.C. |
Second Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB | Davius Richard | So. | North Carolina Central | Belle Glade, Fla. |
| RB | Kendrell Flowers | r-Fr. | South Carolina State | Columbia, S.C. |
| RB | Ian Wheeler | Jr. | Howard | Houston, Tex. |
| WR | Ryan McDaniel | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Sugar Land, Tex. |
| WR | Will Vereen | Sr. | South Carolina State | Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
| TE | Isaiah Gerena* | Fr. | Morgan State | Barnegat, N.J. |
| TE | Yancey Washington* | r-So. | South Carolina State | North Charleston, S.C. |
| C | Dillon Marshall | r-Jr. | Delaware State | Waldorf, Md. |
| OL | Corey Bullock | So. | North Carolina Central | Accokeek, Md. |
| OL | Nick Taiste | Fr. | South Carolina Central | West Columbia, S.C. |
| OL | Anim Dunkwah | Jr. | Howard | Toronto, Canada |
| OL | Bruce Trigg | r-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Loganville, Ga. |
* Indicates a tie.
Second Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | Patrick Godbolt | So. | South Carolina State | Blythewood, S.C. |
| DL | Darren Brokenburr | Jr. | Howard | Manassas, Va. |
| DL | Octaveon Minter | Fr. | South Carolina State | Chester, S.C. |
| DL | Christian Teague | So. | Morgan State | Hagerstown, Md. |
| LB | Marquis Hall | r-Jr. | Norfolk State | Woodbridge, Va. |
| LB | Cole Williams | r-So. | North Carolina Central | Laurel, Md. |
| LB | Tyler Long | r-So. | Norfolk State | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| DB | Kenny Gallop | So. | Howard | Portsmouth, Va. |
| DB | Jae-Veyon Morton | Jr. | Morgan State | Detroit, Mich. |
| DB | Justin Toler | r-So. | Norfolk State | Falmouth, Va. |
| DB | Charles Peeler | r-Jr. | Delaware State | Washington, D.C. |
| P | Neil Boudreau | Gr. | Morgan State | Irvine, Calif. |
| PK | Josh Nardone | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| RS | Kwannah Kollie | Sr. | Delaware State | Staten Island, N.Y. |
Third Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB | Quinton Williams* | Jr. | Howard | Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| QB | Corey Fields, Jr.* | r-So. | South Carolina State | Hollywood, S.C. |
| RB | Jarett Hunter | So. | Howard | Mineral, Va. |
| RB | Cameryn Brent | r-Sr. | Norfolk State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| WR | Shaquan Davis | r-So. | South Carolina State | Summerville, S.C. |
| WR | Antoine Murray | Sr. | Howard | Miramar, Fla. |
| TE | Isiah Macklin | r-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| C | Eric Brown | Fr. | South Carolina State | Hartsville, S.C. |
| OL | James King | Sr. | Delaware State | Wayne, Pa. |
| OL | Darius Fox | Fr. | Howard | Washington, D.C. |
| OL | Cam Johnson | r-Fr. | South Carolina State | Irmo, S.C. |
| OL | Brandon Bradford | Jr. | Delaware State | New Castle, Del. |
* Indicates a tie.
Third Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | Marcus Winfield | r-Fr. | Delaware State | Cheltenham, Pa. |
| DL | Chuck Manning | Jr. | North Carolina Central | Durham, N.C. |
| DL | Jessie Malit | r-Jr. | North Carolina Central | Concord, N.C. |
| DL | Jaden Taylor | r-Fr. | North Carolina Central | Durham, N.C. |
| LB | Ronald Holmes | Fr. | Delaware State | Darby, Pa. |
| LB | Brooks Parker | Jr. | Delaware State | Laurel, Del. |
| LB | Kamari Jackson | r-Jr. | Delaware State | Brandywine, Md. |
| DB | Aaron Walker | Sr. | Howard | Washington, D.C. |
| DB | Jawain Granger | r-Jr. | Delaware State | New Castle, Del. |
| DB | Manny Smith | r-So. | North Carolina Central | Laurel Hill, N.C. |
| DB | Romell Harris-Freeman* | r-So. | Delaware State | Rockville, Md. |
| DB | Stuart Anderson, Jr.* | r-Jr. | Norfolk State | Mathews, Va. |
| P | Ryan Richter | r-Jr. | Norfolk State | Temecula, Calif. |
| PK | Faraji Woodson | Sr. | Howard | Greensboro, N.C. |
| RS | Ian Wheeler | Jr. | Howard | Houston, TEx. |
* Indicates a tie.
Courtesy: MEAC
