From the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference:
Photo courtesy of Melissa Macatee/National Football Foundation
LAS VEGAS, Nev., Dec. 7, 2021 – Redshirt senior quarterback Juwan Carter of Norfolk State and graduate defensive back Decobie Durant of South Carolina State were named 2021 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, on Tuesday.
The MEAC’s top football honors were bestowed upon the two stars during the 63rdAnnual National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame Press Conference, which was aired live on ESPN3.
“These two young men represent the continuing legacy of stellar student-athletes that this conference has produced since its founding more than 50 years ago,” said MEAC Commissioner Dr. Dennis E. Thomas. “The work that they have done as both students in the classroom and athletes on the football field are a direct correlation to ideals taught by the institutions that they represent. So, congratulations are extended to them as they close out their college careers and take aim at what we know will be successful and productive lives.”
Carter (QB, 6-0, 175, r-Sr., Richmond, Va.) put a period on his stellar career at Norfolk State by leading all MEAC quarterbacks in passing yards (2,511), touchdown passes (21), completion percentage (63.8) and pass efficiency (150.4). He also ran for 390 yards and six touchdowns.
A four-time MEAC Offensive Player of the Week in 2021, Carter leaves Norfolk State as the school’s all-time leader with 9,271 career passing yards, 10,249 total yards, 749 completions and 1,270 attempts. For much of the 2021 FCS season, he ranked among the NCAA’s Top 25 in passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, points responsible for, yards per completion and yards per game.
Durant (DB, 5-11, 180, Gr., Lamar, S.C.), considered one of the MEAC’s top pro prospects, earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year following a final season that saw him accumulate 37 tackles, including 29 solo stops. He led the league in passes defended with 14 and tied for second in interceptions with three. Two of his interceptions came against nationally-ranked Clemson on Sept. 11.
Named a Preseason All-American and Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, Durant has two games left in his collegiate career: the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 18 in Atlanta, Ga., and the East/West Shrine Bowl on Feb. 3, 2022 in Las Vegas, for which he has accepted an invitation.
Durant was named to the MEAC All-Academic Team earlier this fall.
About the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include Football Matters®, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy Presented by Mazda, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 51styear of intercollegiate competition with the 2021-22 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.
