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North Carolina Central University enters the 2014 gridiron campaign after saying goodbye to the most accurate passer and most prolific tackler in school history, while also welcoming a first-year college head coach.
 
Quarterback Jordan Reid ended his college football tenure with NCCU's best career pass completion percentage (55.9), and linebacker Tazmon Foster amassed the most tackles by an Eagle in a season with 144 takedowns in 2013.
 

Jerry Mack accepted his first college head coaching job in December 2013, when NCCU hired the 33-year-old to lead a program that has enjoyed only two winning seasons and has not won more than six games since beginning its move to Division I-FCS in 2007.
 
Still, the new NCCU head coach feels the Eagles are up for the challenge and believes that change is good.
 
"Change is always interesting, new and exciting," said Mack, who boasts 10 years of coaching experience, including stints with five NCAA Division I programs and two conference championship teams.  "The guys have been working hard and they are up for the challenge of bringing our fans a more exciting brand of football than what they have seen in a few years.
 
"We want to get back to the glory years of winning championships," said Mack, referencing the Eagles' back-to-back conference titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as NCCU's eight other league crowns. "All of our guys understand that is the expectation and they know it is not going to be easy. They are going to have to put forth a great effort in order to get us back to that championship level of football."
 
In order to reach that level, Mack says two key factors are discipline and consistency. "We need to be a lot more disciplined and consistent than we have been in the past," he said. "Every week, we need to go out and attack the field with a sense of urgency and play with passion. If we play with energy and passion, I think good things will come our way."
 
 
OFFENSE:  "Consistency"
 
Mack is installing a high-octane, no-huddle offense; but besides playing at a fast pace, he is looking for consistency in the Eagles' offensive production.
 
"I would like our offense to be consistent week in and week out," said Mack, who serves as offensive coordinator of a unit that returns seven starters. "We would like to be extremely efficient on certain down-and-distances, and in the red zone we would like to score touchdowns as opposed to coming away with field goals."
 
Mack wants NCCU to be balanced offensively, but not in the traditional measure of looking at an equal number of run and pass plays. He says that true balance is having the ability to either run or pass, depending on the defense.
 
"Run or pass, we want to do whatever we need to do to win the game," said Mack. "It is going to vary from game to game. You never know what the situation will call for. At the end of the day, we want to be a balanced offense in order to keep defenses off balance."
 
The strength of the NCCU offense, according to the head coach, is at the quarterback position, with two signal callers he feels good about. Redshirt sophomore Malcolm Bell (6-1, 190, Richmond, Va.) is a dual-threat quarterback that possesses game experience, appearing in eight games with two starts under center last season. Junior transfer Quinn Billerman (6-3, 215, Raleigh, N.C.) was a record-breaking passer at both Ravenscroft High School and New Mexico Military Institute, and he had a really good spring practice, according to Mack.
 
"Whenever you have two triggermen that can come in and manage your offense, I think that's the key to any offense," said Mack.
 

Redshirt junior Adrian Wilkins (5-8, 170, Forest City, N.C.) enters the season as NCCU's most lethal offensive weapon and is expected to lead a replenished receiving corps. Although he garnered First Team All-MEAC honors and several All-America citations as a return specialist last season, he also proved himself as a productive receiver. Wilkins topped the Eagles with 37 receptions for 427 yards and two touchdowns in 2013.
 
"We'll move him around to give him the ability to run an array of routes to try to take advantage of his skill set a little bit more," Mack said about Wilkins.
 
With two of NCCU's other top receivers gone, a host of newcomers are expected to fill the void. Senior Marshall University transfer Jazz King (5-11, 197, Duncan, S.C.) caught 22 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons (2011-13) with the Thundering Herd; junior transfer Quentin Atkinson (6-0, 190, Raleigh, N.C.) was one of Georgia Military College's top receivers during the team's run to the 2013 NJCAA national championship game; junior transfer Anas Hasic (6-0, 195, Phoenix, Ariz.) collected 58 catches for 890 yards and 10 touchdowns during Scottsdale Community College's 10-1 season in 2013; and transfer Delqwan Jackson (6-1, 180, Louisville, Ky.) averaged 14.9 yards per reception to help lead Dakota College at Bottineau to an 8-3 record and its first bowl game.
 
At tight end, redshirt junior Nathan Scruggs (6-2, 235, Jacksonville, Fla.) is a returning nine-game starter who caught seven passes for 58 yards last season. Senior Kevin Staton (6-2, 255, Washington, D.C.) was primarily a blocking tight end a year ago, but Mack liked what he saw in the spring and feels he can be effective in the passing game as well. Highly-recruited true freshman Jvon Simmons (6-2, 220, La Plata, Md.) is also expected to contribute during his rookie campaign by utilizing his blocking skills and incredible hands, according to Mack.
 
Spearheading the ground attack is returning starter and redshirt senior Andre Clarke (5-10, 230, Mauldin, S.C.), who led the Eagles with 355 rushing yards last season. He had a productive effort last year coming off a season-ending injury in 2012, but Mack noted that he is rehabbing even more and expects the bruising runner to be at 100 percent entering 2014. "He is a bigger back and can give us some great yards between the tackles," the head coach said.
 
In contrast to Clarke, junior running back Deyonta Wright (5-9, 175, Charlotte, N.C.) is a shiftier and more explosive runner, according to Mack, who expects Wright's role to increase this season after posting 256 rushing yards and two touchdowns last year.
 
Other running backs expected to contribute are redshirt sophomore Shaheed Swinson (5-8, 160, Kinston, N.C.), who gained valuable experience working out with the wide receivers in the spring, and redshirt junior Kevin Thompson (5-9, 180, Washington, D.C.), who averaged 6.7 yards per carry in limited action last year.
 
An experienced group of offensive linemen return up front, led by redshirt sophomore center Carl Jones (6-1, 285, Nashville, Tenn.). "Carl is one of the leaders on the offensive side, especially up front," said Mack. "He rallies the troops and keeps them in line."
 
Mack calls junior guard Clevonne Davis (6-2, 295, Miramar, Fla.) a rock. Mack added, "Clevonne is athletic and you don't have to worry about him on or off the field."
 
Redshirt junior Darius James (6-3, 305, Shallotte, N.C.) is coming off an injury, but is expected to play the other guard position.
 
The likely candidates to fill the tackle spots this year are senior Christopher Pressley (6-5, 360, Upper Marlboro, Md.), who started nine games last season and possesses NFL size, and redshirt sophomore Ty Gatson (6-3, 280, Parker, Texas), who had four starts up front in 2013.
 
 
DEFENSE:  "Aggressive"
 
The way Mack describes it, NCCU defenders will be in attack mode as soon as they leave the locker room.
 
"We want to be an attacking, aggressive defense," Mack said. "We want to keep opposing offenses off balance by constantly putting pressure on their quarterback. We want to be in attack mode at all times on defense."
 
Mack believes the strength of the defense is the depth in the secondary. "I think we have some quality safeties and some depth at the corner position that will allow us to rotate some guys in and out," he said. "Whenever you have that depth on the backend, it will really help."
 
Leading the charge in the secondary are two veteran do-it-all starting safeties, redshirt junior Ryan Smith (6-0, 180, Upper Marlboro, Md.) and senior C.J. Moore (6-2, 195, Raleigh, N.C.). Last season, this dynamic duo combined for 165 tackles, 3.5 hits for a loss, four interceptions, eight pass break-ups, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
 
Mack says Smith, who ranked second on the squad with 88 tackles and topped the Eagles with three fumble recoveries, is "a field general that can cover a lot of ground sideline-to-sideline. He can be a ball hawk and can come down on run support and strike."
 
Moore, who missed two games last year due to an injury, still managed to record 77 tackles and defend seven passes. "He has length and range," said Mack. "C.J. is a team leader and an overall solid guy."
 
Three other safeties all saw a lot of action last year and made significant contributions. Redshirt junior Theo Livingston (5-10, 200, Fayetteville, N.C.) played in all 12 games with three starts and collected 33 tackles, redshirt senior Sayyid Muhammad (6-0, 190, Charlotte, N.C.) appeared in 11 games with two starts and tallied 28 stops, including 3.0 tackles for a loss, and redshirt senior Cameron Hughes (6-0, 180, Charlotte, N.C.) played in all 12 games with two starts and chipped in 22 takedowns.
 
Another leader in the defensive backfield is sophomore cornerback Michael Jones (5-9, 175, Baltimore, Md.), who earned Second Team All-MEAC honors after ranking third in the conference with four interceptions and fourth in the league with 12 total passes defended. He added 39 tackles (27 solo), including 3.5 hits for a loss, and a fumble recovery as a true freshman.
 
"Michael is a proven player," said Mack. "I am looking forward to him getting better and being one of the premier players in the MEAC."
 
The other cornerback spot will find competition between returning starter Hakiem Swann (5-8, 165, Portsmouth, Va.), who had 31 tackles and a pair of interceptions in eight starts as a true freshman last season, and redshirt junior Haki Dennis (5-8, 185, Baltimore, Md.), who did not play in 2013.
 

The Eagles have two potential all-conference defensive ends in redshirt senior Ty Brown (6-4, 235, Charlotte, N.C.) and senior Felix Small (6-2, 250, Brooklyn, N.Y.).
 
Brown amassed 53 tackles with 5.5 hits for a loss, five pass deflections and two forced fumbles last season, but Mack believes bigger things are still to come. "We feel this could be a breakout year for Ty," the head coach said. "He is a star on the rise."
 
Small recorded 48 tackles with 8.5 hits for a loss and ranked second on the team with 4.0 sacks last year. "Felix is a guy that plays with a lot of energy and passion," said Mack. "He can provide a lot of pressure on the quarterback."
 
Mack knows he has quality depth at defensive end with redshirt sophomore Darius Spruill (6-1, 260, Chester, Va.), who posted 41 tackles, including 8.5 hits for a loss, in 12 games with eight starts during his first season, and junior transfer Richard Mitchell (6-5, 250, Southaven, Miss), a highly-recruited defensive end out of Holmes Community College in Mississippi.
 
The interior of the defensive line is young, Mack admits, but "hopefully, we have some unproven potential stars."
 
Topping the list of potential stars in the middle of the defensive front are redshirt junior Joshua Wade (6-1, 250, Brentwood, Md.), who Mack says "is a really explosive player" that "can create some havoc up front," and redshirt sophomore Daniel Rhodes (6-1, 255, Charlotte, N.C.), whose role will be increased this year after appearing in limited action with four tackles last season.
 
Other interior lineman expected to contribute are Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College transfer George McGue (6-1, 295, Coral Springs, Fla.), redshirt freshman Antonio Brown (6-3, 250, Jacksonville, Fla.), redshirt freshman JaCory Fitzgerald (6-0, 260, Dinwiddie, Va.), and redshirt freshman Ja'Quan Smith (6-2, 260, Miramar, Fla.).
 
At linebacker, although mostly young, the Eagles have depth at the position. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Miles (5-11, 225, Woodbridge, Va.) finished fourth on the squad with 55 tackles, playing in 11 games with three starts in his rookie season. Mack says Miles gained valuable experience last year and expects him to continue to grow as a linebacker. Redshirt sophomore Tre Smith (6-3, 205, Upper Marlboro, Md.) collected 21 tackles with appearances in all 12 games in 2013. "Tre has the athletic ability to really make some plays in space," said Mack.
 
Adding to the depth at linebacker are redshirt senior Demontray Ryland (6-2, 245, Portsmouth, Va.), who recorded 49 tackles in 10 games a year ago; redshirt sophomore Jeremy Thompson (6-1, 225, Durham, N.C.), who Mack says is pound-for-pound one of the most athletic players on the team; and true freshman Michael Gray (6-1, 220, Aberdeen, N.C.), who amassed 155 tackles for Pinecrest High School last season.
 
Overall, Mack feels good about the leadership on the defensive side of the ball. "At every position on defense, I feel we have someone that can be a leader at that position… someone that can be a voice," he said. "That's big."
 
 
SPECIAL TEAMS:  "Explosive"
 
In 2012, NCCU topped the NCAA Division I-FCS ranks in yards per punt return and punt return touchdowns. In 2013, the Eagles led the nation in yards per kickoff return and kickoff return touchdowns.
 
"Obviously, the proof is in the pudding as far as our special teams play the last few years," Mack said. "We have a lot of returning guys on those teams that will be able to play in all parts of special teams. Of course, Adrian Wilkins is a big part of our success."
 
In 2013, Adrian Wilkins (R-Jr., 5-8, 170, Forest City, N.C.) was the only student-athlete in the NCAA Division I-FCS with five special teams return touchdowns with scores on three kickoff returns (100, 96, 91 yards) and two punt returns (89, 73 yards). He topped the MEAC in punt returns (13.4 yards per return) and ranked second in kickoff returns (30.3 yards per return).
 
Safety Ryan Smith (R-Jr., 6-0, 180, Upper Marlboro, Md.) will also have an opportunity to return kicks, joining Wilkins back deep on the kickoff return unit.
 
True freshman Nathaniel Tilque (6-2, 185, Charlotte, N.C.) will handle the punting duties for the Eagles. As one of the top punters in the state, he was highly recruited out of Mallard Creek High School. "He is extremely intelligent and is a very mature freshman coming from a military background," said Mack.
 
Redshirt sophomore Brandon McLaren (5-9, 170, Miami, Fla.) will takeover the role as NCCU's placekicker. Mack credits his tremendous work ethic for earning the position. "Brandon had a great spring and pushed himself to work on his craft," the head coach said.
 
Although both kickers are new to their roles on the college level, Mack is confident they will get the job done. "We have two guys that are trustworthy, dependable and consistent," he said. "That's important to me."
 
Redshirt senior Sayyid Muhammad (6-0, 190, Charlotte, N.C.) proved himself to be a big-play special teams contributor last year, blocking three kicks, including two blocked field goals that teammates returned for touchdowns. He now has four blocked kicks in the past two seasons.
 
 
For more information about NCCU football, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network mobile app for iOS and Android devices.