NORFOLK, Va. – Thirteen North Carolina Central University Eagles have earned recognition on the 2023 Preseason All-MEAC Football Team, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference announced on Friday, July 21.

Headlining the group are NCCU senior quarterback Davius Richard as the Preseason MEAC Offensive Player of the Year and senior defensive back Khalil Baker as the Preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. 

Joining Richard and Baker on the Preseason All-MEAC First Team are senior running back Latrell Collier, junior wide receiver Devin Smith, junior center Torricelli Simpkins III, junior linebacker Jaki Brevard, and senior kicker Adrian Olivo.

Receiving All-MEAC Second Team honors are junior running back J'Mari Taylor, junior wide receiver Andrew Smith, junior wide receiver Quentin McCall, junior defensive lineman Jaden Taylor, senior defensive back Manny Smith, and junior punter Juan Velarde.

In voting conducted by the conference's head football coaches and sports information directors, NCCU is predicted to repeat as the MEAC champion. The Eagles, who posted a 10-2 overall record with just one conference loss in 2022 under the leadership of MEAC Coach of the Year Trei Oliver, received 124 points, including nine first-place votes, followed by Howard with 98 points, South Carolina State with 74 points, Morgan State with 68 points, Norfolk State with 40 points, and Delaware State with 28 points.

Richard (Belle Glade, Fla.), the 2022 MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, capped the historic season with an MVP performance during the Cricket Celebration Bowl victory to provide the Eagles with their fourth HBCU national championship in school history. He topped the conference in passing yards (2,661), passing touchdowns (25), and rushing touchdowns (15), while breaking NCCU single-season records for pass completions (199), pass completion percentage (64.0%), and total offense (3,449 yards). After three seasons (2019, 2021-22), Richard ranks second on NCCU's all-time career passing list with 6,814 passing yards and 52 passing touchdowns, and is second in career total offense with 8,210 total yards.

Baker (Winston-Salem, N.C.), the 2022 MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, became the first NCCU Eagle to earn First Team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) or the Associated Press on the NCAA Division I-FCS level following his junior season. He was also selected as the recipient of the inaugural Aeneas Williams Award winner, presented to the nation's best defensive back in HBCU Division I college football on behalf of the award's namesake, Aeneas Williams, and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. The safety ranked second in the MEAC with four interceptions, including a touchdown return in a road win over nationally-ranked New Hampshire, and placed fifth in the conference in passes defended with nine. Baker registered 61 tackles (43 solo), including 2.0 stops for a loss, while also recording five pass break-ups and recovering a fumble. He capped his historic season by amassing 10 tackles in an overtime victory over Jackson State to earn the Cricket Celebration Bowl Defensive MVP award.

Collier (Bluefield, W.Va.) earned All-MEAC First Team recognition a year ago after ranking second in the MEAC in rushing with 979 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and 81.6 yards per game. He also finished third on the team with 32 receptions for 262 yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.2 yards per catch. Collier enters his senior campaign positioned 13th on NCCU's career rushing list with 1,588 ground yards.

Devin Smith (Durham, N.C.) was an All-MEAC Second Team honoree last season after placing third in the conference with a team-best 38 receptions for 509 receiving yards and six touchdowns, averaging 13.4 yards per catch and 46.3 yards per game.

Simpkins (Charlotte, N.C.) earned All-MEAC First Team honors last year as the starting center for the No. 1 scoring offense and total offense in the MEAC. A two-time MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Week, he topped NCCU with an astonishing 81 pancake blocks, an average of 6.8 per game, and ranked second on the squad with an average grade of 85.3%.

Brevard (Durham, N.C.) garnered an All-MEAC Second Team selection in 2022 with team-highs of 9.5 tackles for a loss and 3.0 sacks. He finished fourth on the team with 48 tackles, while adding three pass break-ups and a forced fumble.

Olivo (Plant City, Fla.) claimed his second straight All-MEAC First Team citation in 2022 after leading the league with 13 field goals, including a career-long boot of 43 yards, and ranked second in scoring with 90 points. The three-time MEAC Specialist of the Week converted 13-of-15 field goals and a single-season NCCU record 51-of-54 extra-point kicks.

J'Mari Taylor (Charlotte, N.C.) received All-MEAC Third Team recognition after scoring 10 touchdowns for the Eagles last season. He rushed for 421 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and caught nine passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns for an average of 14.3 yards per grab.

Andrew Smith (Cary, N.C.) collected 21 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown, averaging 14.4 yards per catch in 2022. 

McCall (Charlotte, N.C.) finished last season with 18 catches for 331 yards, an average of 18.4 yards per reception, with four touchdowns.

Jaden Taylor (Durham, N.C.) collected All-MEAC Second Team honors a year ago with 32 tackles, including 4.5 stops for a loss with a sack.

Manny Smith (Laurel Hill, N.C.) achieved All-MEAC Second Team merit after amassing 62 tackles (40 solo), including 4.0 hits for a loss and a sack, along with four pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

Velarde (Anderson, S.C.) ranked third in the MEAC in punting last season with an average distance of 41.3 yards per punt. He boomed four punts more than 50 yards, including a long of 55 yards, and placed 13 out of 33 punts inside the 20-yard line.

In 2022, NCCU won its first MEAC football championship since 2016, and defeated No. 5 Jackson State University, 41-34, in an overtime thriller in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The victory delivered the university's fourth HBCU national championship title, joining the company of those captured in 1954, 2005 and 2006. The 2022 NCCU Eagles became just the third team in school history to win 10 games in a season and earned the program's highest NCAA Division I-FCS national ranking at No. 17 in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches' Poll. The Eagles celebrated non-conference FCS triumphs over North Carolina A&T, Tennessee Tech, No. 25 New Hampshire, and No. 5 Jackson State.

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