The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s 53rd football campaign begins with media day on Friday, July 21st, at the Hilton Norfolk Main Hotel in Norfolk, Virginia.
This is the first MEAC football media day that will be sponsored by the conference’s new partner, Wells Fargo. Coaches and players from all six of the conference’s football-playing schools will be available for comment. More information regarding streaming and other details will come later.
North Carolina Central (10-2, 4-1) and Howard (5-6, 4-1) shared the conference crown in 2022, and the Eagles went on to win the Celebration Bowl over Jackson State 41-34 in overtime.
NCCU will return conference player of the year Davius Richard for his senior season. The 6-3, 215-pound quarterback won the conference’s offensive player of the year award, totaling 3,449 yards of offense and accounting for 40 touchdowns.
Senior defensive back Khalil Baker, the MEAC defensive player of the year, also returns in 2023. Baker won the first-ever Aeneas Williams Award for outstanding defensive performance in the Celebration Bowl and was an Associated Press First-Team FCS All-American selection.
The Bison, under head coach Larry Scott earned a share of just their second MEAC title since 1993. Howard returns a few pieces to the fold, including leading rusher Jarett Hunter (120 carries, 627 yards, five touchdowns) and first-team safety Kenny Gallop Jr., the conference’s leading tackler with 58 solo tackles and 89 total.
Five of the six schools will return their coaches from the previous season, with Delaware State being the lone exception. The Hornets replaced school Hall of Famer and former all-MEAC lineman Rod Milstead with Lee Hull, who led Morgan State to a share of the MEAC championship and the FCS playoffs in 2014.
Hull served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Howard last season.