After 14 weeks of exciting gridiron have brought us to the final week of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab poll ranking. Throughout the season, teams rose and fell, but only one team will reign supreme atop polls as the Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Mid-Major National Champion. 7. Livingstone College ( 6-4, 4-3) Livingstone ends the season 7th in the poll rankings. A 15-10 defeat of Johnson C. Smith in the season finale put a bow on the Blue Bears’ most successful season since posting a 5-4 mark…
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Tennessee State’s Sanders Ellis named FCS Football Central Freshman All-American
For his gridiron exploits this season Tennessee State linebacker Sanders Ellis was named an FCS Football Central Freshman All-Amwrican. Thrust into a starting role when Micah Gay was sidelined for the season with an elbow injury, the Nashville, TN was an immediate impact player. The true freshman appeared in 14 contests, recording 86 total tackles (59 solo, 27 assisted), 15.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 passes defended. Ellis was named Big South-OVC Freshman of Week 5 times on the season, with the fifth coming after…
Read MoreMEAC names Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year
Title image via the MEAC Courtesy the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference South Carolina State quarterback Eric Phoenix and Morgan State defensive lineman Elijah Williams have been named the 2024 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. The announcement was made during the 66th Annual National Football Foundation (NFF) Hall of Fame Press Conference, broadcast live on ESPN+.“Congratulations to Eric and Elijah on being named the MEAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year,” said MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills. “These exceptional student-athletes have demonstrated excellence on the field…
Read MoreVirginia Union’s season ends at the hands of Valdosta State, 49-14
title image via Virginia Union Athletics via VUU Athletics 14 VUU 49 Winner VSU Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F VUU 0 7 0 7 14 VSU 7 21 14 7 49 Virginia Union University’s greatest season in the program’s history came to an end as #1 Valdosta State University defeated the Panthers 49-14 in the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals of the Division II Playoffs on Saturday, December 7, in Valdosta, Ga. The loss marked an end to a season which saw the Panthers advance further in the NCAA Playoffs,…
Read MoreJackson State pulls away in second half, wins SWAC Championship 41-13
title image via Jackson State Football Courtesy of Jackson State Athletics | Zy McDonald came off the bench late in the first half, sparking a rally from Jackson State and leading the Tigers to a 41-13 victory over Southern in the 2024 Pepsi SWAC Championship Game presented by GM at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The championship is the third in four years for Jackson State (11-2), winners of nine straight games, and the first for head coach T.C. Taylor. McDonald was named the Offensive MVP after coming in late in the…
Read MoreNorth Carolina A&T names Shaun Gibbs new football coach
title image via Kevin L. Dorsey Courtesy ot North Carolina A&T Athletics Shawn Gibbs will return to Aggieland. Only this time, he returns as the 23rd head football coach in North Carolina A&T State University football program history. A&T Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III announced Gibbs’ hiring on Friday. Gibbs, 49, replaces Vincent Brown, who spent two seasons at A&T. An introductory press conference for Gibbs is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18, at 11:30 a.m. in Deese Ballroom inside the A&T campus Student Center. A native of Black Mountain, N.C., Gibbs…
Read MoreBreaking News: Vincent Brown out at North Carolina A&T
Courtesy of North Carolina A&T Athletics Coach Vincent Brown has been relieved of his head coaching duties at North Carolina A&T State University, Director of Athletics Earl Hilton announced on Wednesday. Brown, 59, coached the Aggies for two seasons after spending four years as the defensive coordinator at William & Mary. In his final season at A&T, the Aggies posted a 1-11 record overall and a 0-8 mark in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). Before starting his coaching career, Brown played collegiately at Mississippi Valley State (1984-87) before becoming a second-round NFL Draft…
Read MoreDr. Cavil’s Insode the HBCU Sports Lab Week 14 Major Division Top 7
Dr. Kenyatta Cavil contributed to this report. Week 14 of Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Major Division Poll featured a first this season in that the order of the rankings was unchanged from the previous week. 7. Alabama State (7-5, 5-3) Alabama State stays at no.7 in the week’s poll rankings. The Hornets are coming off a decisive 34-6 thrashing of Tuskegee in the 100th Turkey Day Classic. The win marked the Hornets’ 5th consecutive win over the Golden Tigers in the annual meeting. The win also lifted…
Read MoreConnell Maynor and Alabama A&M part ways
title image via the Clarion-Ledger The latest SWAC coaching domino to fall comes out of Huntsville, AL. Alabama A&M has announced that head football coach Connell Maynor has been relieved of his head coaching duties, according to an announcement from AAMU Director of Athletics Dr. Paul A. Bryant. We want to thank Connell Maynor for his seven seasons at Alabama A&M University,” Bryant said “We wish him well in all his future endeavors.” In his seven seasons at the helm of the Alabama A&M program, Coach Maynor compiled a 40-32 overall record…
Read MoreTennessee State falls short in playoff matchup with Montana, 41-27
title image via Tennessee State Athletics Ill-timed miscues proved to be Tennessee State’s undoing as they came up short in a hard-fought 41-27 defeat to Montana in the first round of FCS Playoffs. Montana struck first when Ty Morrison kicked a 39-yard field goal, giving the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Tennessee State responded with a James Lowery field goal, tying the game at 3 as time expired in the period. Montana then scored the first touchdown of the evening with a 7-yard run by Eli Gillman,…
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