The 2024 HBCU football Season is less than four weeks away from kickoff, and at the Division I level, there is plenty of intrigue in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference races.
One team from each conference will earn a trip to Atlanta for the Cricket Celebration Bowl, while Tennessee State (OVC-Big South), Hampton, and North Carolina A&T (Coastal Athletic Association) look to make some noise in their respective conference races and possibly earn an FCS playoff spot.
As we prepare for everything to get underway on August 24, we’ve put together a preseason Division I top 10 that, of course, will be fluid through December 14 and possibly beyond.
1. North Carolina Central
2023 record: 9-3, 4-1 MEAC, qualified for FCS playoffs.
Trei Oliver demands respect for the MEAC as a whole but is even more insistent on such for his Eagles, who went unbeaten against equal non-conference competition last season.
Central lost a couple of key weapons (Davius Richard and Latrell Collier) to graduation, but the entire team has faith in quarterback Walker Harris to continue NCCU’s high-powered offensive tradition.
2. Alabama State
2023 record: 7-4, 5-3 SWAC.
The Hornets have moved up in each of head coach Eddie Robinson Jr.’s first two seasons—third place in the SWAC East in 2022 and second place in 2023—so there’s only one spot left to climb.
If ASU is to claim the division crown and possibly the conference title, the talented right arm and legs of Texas Southern transfer Andrew Body will be a huge key in completing that mission.
Bama State’s defense, headlined by preseason all-conference picks Treqwan Thomas, Rico Dozier, Demarkus Cunningham and James Burgess, will need to be at its stingy best as well for a trip to Atlanta.
3. Howard
2023 record: 6-6, 4-1 MEAC, conference champions, Celebration Bowl participants.
Howard finally claimed the MEAC title for the first time since Jay “Sky” Walker was their quarterback and nearly knocked off Florida A&M in one of the best Celebration Bowl games in the event’s nine-year history.
It will be tougher to repeat as the Bison’s closest competition has all gotten better, but sporting both the offensive (Jarett Hunter) and defensive (Kenny Gallop Jr.) preseason players of the year will go a long way toward a return trip to Mercedes Benz Stadium.
4. Florida A&M
2023 record: 12-1, 8-0 SWAC, SWAC East and conference champions, Celebration Bowl champions.
The 2023 season confirmed Florida A&M’s long-awaited run to the top of HBCU football, but the corresponding offseason was one of change from the top (Willie Simmons to James Colzie as head coach) and on the field (Jeremy Moussa and Isaiah Major graduating).
Still, underestimate the Black College national champs at your own peril. Several key players return for the Rattlers, such as Celebration Bowl offensive MVP Kelvin Dean Jr. and preseason all-conference defensive back Kendall Bohler, making them an experienced and dangerous team with all the trophies their opponents covet.
5. Jackson State
2023 record: 7-4, 5-3 SWAC.
The Tigers tied Alabama State for second place in the East, but they can’t be discounted as favorites to win that division and the SWAC.
T.C. Taylor has the benefit of returning quarterback Jacobian Morgan, who threw 10 touchdowns against just one interception in six games of work last season, giving the offense an identity and a leader.
6. Prairie View A&M
2023 record: 6-6, 6-2 SWAC, SWAC West champions.
Bubba McDowell’s Panthers outlasted Alcorn in the wild, wild SWAC West a season ago and will look to return to the conference championship game out of what looks to be a competitive division again in 2024.
7. Alcorn State
2023 record: 7-4, 6-2 SWAC.
The Braves’ 2023 season ended in bittersweet fashion. They knocked off Jackson State in the Soul Bowl, only to discover soon after that Prairie View was able to pick up a win against Alabama State to clinch the SWAC West.
New head coach Cedric Thomas said during SWAC Media Day that would be all the motivation Alcorn needed to finish business in 2024. The SWAC preseason predictors agreed, naming them the favorites to win the West.
8. Morgan State
2023 record: 4-6, 3-2 MEAC.
Morgan State got off to a great start in 2023, dominating eventually FCS playoff team Richmond and coming within a few seconds of beating FBS Akron, but a homecoming tragedy and a few missed opportunities relegated the Bears to third place in the MEAC.
Damon Wilson’s squad comes into 2024 hungrier and more experienced, featuring a stifling defense led by linebacker Erick Hunter and defensive lineman Elijah Williams. If the Bears’ offense can match their defense’s aggression and opportunistic style of play, it could be MSU heading to Atlanta.
9. South Carolina State
2023 record: 5-6, 3-2 MEAC.
With Buddy Pough riding off into the sunset, Chennis Berry comes from a successful stint at Division II Benedict to become just the fourth different head Bulldog in over 50 years. His enthusiasm and recruiting will get SCSU back in the MEAC title chase sooner rather than later.
Plenty of bite returns on offense for SCSU, most notably first-team preseason picks receiver Justin Smith-Brown, tight end Keshawn Toney and linemen Eric Brown Jr., Nick Taiste and Cam Johnson.
10. Southern
2023 record: 6-5, 5-3 SWAC.
The Jaguars ended an up-and-down 2023 on a high note, defeating Grambling in the Bayou Classic. Now, with Terrence Graves firmly entrenched as head coach, Southern looks to make the SWAC West a three-team race.
SU returns quarterback Noah Bodden, who made his starting debut count in the Bayou Classic, as well as conference preseason defensive player of the year Ckelby Givens to give the Jags playmakers on both sides of the ball.
I will be watching for South Carolina St and all that talent they have recruited and now I have watched their schedule and they have three teams in the P5 ranks that the Bulldogs need to bring their A GAME and show that they are a FCS POWER.Those teams are South Carolina,North Carolina, Clemson.These are the teams that WR Nick Sowell needs to show up and prove that he is a player who has NFL POTENTIAL.