Week 16 of Dr. Cavil’s comes at the end of another spectacular season of HBCU football culminating in an exciting and unforgettable Celebration Bowl. No new teams joined the party and each of the top 7 held on to their respective seats.
7 Grambling State Tigers (7-5, 4-4)
Grambling stays at No.7 in the final rankings. The Tigers finished the season with a 7-5 mark, their best record since putting together a 6-5 campaign in the 2019 season. Grambling was able to place three players on the All-SWAC First Team in the form of defensive ends Bryce Cage and Warren Robinson and defensive back Markel Linzer.
6 North Carolina Central Eagles ( 8-4, 3-2)
The Eagles end the season at No.6 in the polls. Despite a season that fell short of expectations, the Eagles were still able to post an 8-win season, their fourth consecutive year of winning 8 or more games. Seventeen Eagles received MEAC postseason honors, with 10 receiving First Team honors. In addition to making All-MEAC First Team quarterback Walker Harris was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Year.
5 Delaware State Hornets ( 8-4, 4-1)
The Hornets stay at No.5 in the final rankings. The Hornets were the proverbial talk of the town for most of the HBCU season, as first-year head coach DeSean Jackson transformed Delaware State from nearly a surefire win for opponents to having their most successful season in over a decade.
Jackson was named BOXTOROW HBCU Coach of the Year, while running back James Jones was named BOXTOROW Impact Player of the Year. The junior back was the second leading rusher on the team with 958 yards and 9 touchdowns. Teammate Marquis Gillis led the team, and the MEAC with 1,162 yards on 182 carries. Gillis and Jones spearheaded the No. 1 rushing attack in FCS football, averaging 291.2 yards per contest.
4 Alabama State Hornets ( 10-2, 7-1)
Alabama State is once again No.4 in the weekly rankings. The Hornets posted their first 10-win season since 2004, with their only losses being a 52-42 shootout with UAB in the season opener and a heartbreaking 38-34 loss at Jackson State. It was that loss to Jackson State that ultimately locked the Hornets out of the SWAC championship picture
Eleven Alabama State players earned All-SWAC Football honors with quarterback Andrew Body, wideout Jalen Jones, offensive linemen Cameron Smith and Elijah Baker, as well as safety Ta’Shawn Sims garnering First Team honors. O-lineman Jeremiah Frazier, linebacker Jalil Lenore, safeties Deontre Morris and Keane Lewis, long snapper Garrett Wireman, and receiver and return specialist Nehemiah Nixon earned Second Team honors. Body was also named 2025 STATS Perform HBCU National Player of the Year, 2025 BOXTOROW First Team All-American, 2025 BOXTOROW National Player of the Year, and 2025 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year.
3 Jackson State Tigers ( 9-3, 7-1)
Jackson State stands pat at No.3 in this week’s polls. The 2024 HBCU National Champions did not defend their crown in the Celebration Bowl as they were nipped 23-21 by Prairie View in the SWAC Championship Game. Multiple JSU players received postseason honors, with 10 players earning All-SWAC recognition. Running back Ahmad Miller, Offensive linemen Brian Williams Jr and D’Andre Townes-Blue, linebacker Reed Pulliam, and defensive end Quincy Ivory, quarterback Jacobian Morgan were all named to first team honors. Wide receiver Nate Rembert, Offensive tackle Quaveon Davis, defensive lineman Jeremian Williams, and defensive back Kamara Sallis were all named to the Second Team. Edge.
Ivory was named to the BOXTOROW HBCU All-America team and FCS Football Third Team All-American, along with defensive tackle Jeremiah Williams. Ivory racked up additional honors also being named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, SWAC Newcomer of the Year, and was a finalist for the HBCU National Player of the Year well as the Buck Buchanan Award. Quarterback Jared Lockhart was named SWAC Co-Freshman of the Year. Starting signal caller Jacobian Morgan was presented with the inaugural SWAC Impact Award, which is given to the best player in the state of Mississippi.
2 Prairie View A&M Panthers (10-4, 7-1)
The Panthers of Prairie View A&M are once again in the penultimate seat in the final rankings. The Panthers possessed the SWAC’s top scoring defense, which allowed 17.9 points per game and kept only 2 SWAC opponents from scoring 21 or more points. That defense allowed them a 7-1 romp through the SWAC, with a loss to Alabama State being their only blemish.
Prairie View defeated defending SWAC and HBCU National Champion Jackson State 23-21 on the road in the SWAC Championship game to advance to the Celebration Bowl. There the Panthers faced MEAC champion South Carolina State, where they would lose 40-38 in a 4OT thriller. Cam Peters set a Celebration Bowl record with 412 passing yards, to go along with 4 touchdowns. Seven Panthers received All-SWAC honors, with O-lineman Calvin McMillian, defensive back Trevor Randle, and wide receiver Jyzaiah Rockwell earning first team nods, and running back Chase Bingham, tight end Travon Jones, defensive back Eric Zachery, and defensive lineman Malik Gucake earning Second Team honors.
1 South Carolina State Bulldogs (10-3, 5-0)
This marks the fourth consecutive week that South Carolina State has been perched atop Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division rankings. The Bulldogs took on SWAC champion Prairie View A&M in the Celebration Bowl and pulled themselves out of a 21-0 hole to win 40-38 in a 4OT instant classic to claim the HBCU National Title. Backup Ryan Stubblefield entered the fray when starter Williams Atkins IV went down with an early injury and completed 15 of 29 passes for 234 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception, making several key throws throughout the game. Jordan Smith hauled in 9 passes for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns. Thirteen Bulldogs earned MEAC postseason honors, including defensive back Jarod Washington, who earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. Washington led FCS in passes defended and was first with 20 pass breakups. He also posted 32 tackles (29 solo), 2 interceptions ( one of which was returned 51 yards for a score), and a forced fumble.
Dropped Out: N/A
Receiving Votes: Texas Southern Tigers ( 6-5, 5-3) 138
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (6-6, 5-3) 137
