Alcorn State seeks third-straight championship; parity in the West
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EASTERN DIVISION
Alcorn State (9-4, 7-2)
The Braves had about as good a season as they could have hoped for in 2015. They repeated as SWAC Champions, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since Grambling State won three-straight (2000-02). They couldn’t win back-to-back HBCU national championships after a hard fought inaugural Celebration Bowl loss – 41-34 – to North Carolina A&T. In the offseason, the Braves lost their head coach Jay Hopson, who is now the head coach at Southern Miss. Enter Alcorn great Fred McNair as the new head coach. McNair has been an assistant coach and offensive coordinator the last four years. He definitely has some talent returning. On the offensive side of the ball, junior quarterback Lenorris Footman returns and was the best quarterback in the SWAC the second half of the season. Footman was so good that after then reigning SWAC and BOXTOROW Offensive Player of the Year John Gibbs, Jr. was healthy after an injury in week seven at Southern where the Braves crushed the Jaguars 48-7, Gibbs barely saw the field the rest of the season. In that game Footman rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns and threw for another 71 yards on three pass completions, two touchdowns and no interceptions. On the season, while Footman completed just 44 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards, he threw 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions. To boot, he rushed for 1,023 yards, 7.4 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns. All of that in just eight games. Redshirt senior Marquis Warford will be Footman’s main target, more than likely out of the backfield this year, and led the Braves in receptions (36) and receiving yards (478), averaged 13.3 yards per reception and caught four touchdown passes. He carried the ball 38 times for 442 yards, averaging 11.6 yards per carry and six touchdowns making him the SWAC’s most versatile retuning player. The offense will certainly miss the services of two-time BOXTOROW All-American tight end Jordan Payne who averaged 25.9 yards per receptions and caught seven touchdown passes last year. The firepower continues offensively for the Braves as even thought they lose All-SWAC running back Darryan Ragsdale and his 1,183 yards and 7.6 yards per carry, they return Arron Baker whose carries were limited (79) but he rushed for 369 yards, 4.7 yards per carry and nine touchdowns. BOXTOROW preseason All-American center Antonio Dade returns to anchor an offensive line that has been dominant the last couple of years, but will have to restructure due to several losses The Braves have had a dominating defense the last few years, but lose five starters from a unit that led the league in total defense (295.0). First Team All-SWAC performer Stacey Garner will be the leader on the defensive line after registering 14.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and 42 tackles (25 solo). Senior Darien Anderson leads the linebackers and led the team in tackles last year with 73 (43 solo), 10 tackles for loss and had five sacks. Senior safety Michael Hurns will be the leader in the secondary after registering 45 tackles (27 solo), six tackles for loss and three sacks last year.
Alabama State (6-5, 5-4)
We are picking Alabama State at second over Jackson State because we will not go against second-year head coach Brian Jenkins and what he has accomplished in his career and the Hornets had a decent first-year under Jenkins. The Hornets registered a winning record, won the games they were supposed to win, but also lost the games where their opponent was favored. The strength of last year’s team was the defense which finished second in the SWAC in total defense (365.2), points allowed per game (24.8) and led the league in rushing defense (142.4). The Hornets return eight starters led by two-time BOXTOROW All-American linebacker Kourtney Berry. Berry led the SWAC in tackles with 130 and had 5.5 tackles for loss. All four starters return on the defensive line led by Roderick Henderson who finished last season with 23 tackles and 10.5 for loss. Andre Wilson, Robert Brown and Darien Barrett also return and combined for 40 tackles. Barrett also had nine tackles for loss and six sacks. In addition to Berry, the linebacking unit will be solid as Torrey Davis returns having registered 43 tackles, including 8.5 for loss and two sacks. Dominique Jackson started nine games last season and was fourth on the team in tackles (61) and also had 6.5 tackles for loss. The defensive backfield is an area of concern for the Hornets. There is no doubt however that safety Bradley Street is one of the best in the conference. He registered 81 tackles (43 solo), an interception and a team-high seven pass breakups. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two. Offensively, Jenkins has been known throughout his career to shuffle quarterbacks and no one has solidified the job. There are five in camp and Quinterris Toppings is the only one that has had any in-game experience last year playing in just four games and completing 21-of-39 passes. The quarterback will have a deep threat to get the ball to in Josh Davis who ASU will look to use more after catching 21 passes for 422 yards, 20.1 yards per reception and four touchdowns. The Hornets will be strong at running back retuning their top four rushers led by senior Khalid Tomas who led the Hornets with 720 yards on 151 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and five touchdowns. Thomas is also a threat to catch the ball as he led the team with 33 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns. The Offensive line returns two three-year starters in center Kerry Williams and Jylan Ware.
Jackson State (3-8, 3-6)
The Tigers no questions underachieved last year. But there have been some questionable moves within the football program over the last three seasons. Rick Comegy was fired after the 2013 season. He amassed a 56-35 record in eight seasons including a SWAC championship in 2007, an 8-4 record in 2013 and a spot in the SWAC championship game, and winning or sharing the Eastern Division crown his last four seasons. Then enter JSU great Harold Jackson who some didn’t like immediately and 17 games into his hire, he was fired in the middle of last season with a year still remaining on this contract. Derrick McCall was named interim coach for the remainder of the season. What seems like one of the right moves over the last three years for JSU is the hiring of longtime Mississippi State assistant coach Tony Hughes. Hughes was an assistant at MSU the last seven years and one of his positions was recruiting coordinator. Hughes was ranked by rivals.com as one of the top 25 recruiters in the country. This will be Hughes’ first head coaching position after 31 years as an assistant, but he immediately will have one of the top defensive players in the country in defensive end/linebacker Javancy Jones. Jones has been one of the top players in the conference since his freshman year when he was named SWAC Rookie of the Year in 2013. He had a breakout year last year, leading FCS in tackles for loss (25.5), was second in the SWAC in sacks (9) and recorded 91 tackles. He did all of this while playing defensive end, outside linebacker and middle linebacker during the course of the season. The numbers the overall defense put up weren’t indicative of how good the defense could be. Six of the seven leading tacklers return. On the defensive line starters Keontre Anderson and Cornelius Henderson return and combined for 20 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and 120 tackles. Even taking Jones out of the equation the linebackers will be very good with Kwame Bowens (94 tackles, nine tackles for loss), Stacy Noble (85 tackles, four tackles for loss and Shawn Bishop (55 tackles, five tackles for loss) returning. Three of the four starters return in the secondary led by cornerback Zavian Bingham (37 tackles, seven pass breakups). In total nine of the 11 starters return. Offensively, nine starters return led by one of the best quarterbacks in the league in LaMontiez Ivy. Ivy was leading the SWAC in passing before sustaining a high ankle sprain midway through the season and ultimately missing the last two games. In eight games, Ivy completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,199 yards (274.9 yards per game), 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Hughes will be Ivy’s fourth head coach, with offensive coordinator Chad Germany now being his third offensive coordinator and Hughes has not yet named Ivy the starter but all indications are that he will be the starter. Ivy will have back one of the premiere wide receivers in the league in Dan Williams who caught 54 passes for 802 yards, 14.9 yards per reception and seven touchdowns. Also returning is the team’s third leading receiver from last year in Jairus Moll who caught 40 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns. All five starters return on the offensive line led by preseason first team All-SWAC selection center Markus Cook. Robert Johnson returns at running back as the team’s leading rusher (402 yards, two touchdowns).
Mississippi Valley State (1-10, 1-8)
Third-year veteran head coach Rick Comegy hopes things will be a lot better than in 2015 when the Delta Devils only won one game. But unlike last year when MVSU had just 31 players returning from the previous year, 76 players return from a young team last year. And it’s not just the numbers of players returning. First Team All-SWAC performer defensive back Marquis Green had a great rookie season and returns for his sophomore year, having led the SWAC in interceptions (7). Defensive back Farrean Toney also returns and was second in the league with four interceptions and also had four pass breakups. Also returning on defense is lineman Khalil Young who had 56 tackles (33 solo) and 11 tackles for loss. The offense struggled mightily last year only averaging 252.5 yards of total offense per game. Quarterbacks Ruban Thurston, Jr. and Slade Jarman return after combining to complete 46 percent of their passes for 1,257 yards, nine touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The offense as a unit scored just 19 touchdowns last year.
Alabama A&M (3-8, 3-6)
Tragedy struck the Bulldogs program during the offseason as starting safety Danny Johnson was tragically killed in a car accident. The Bulldogs will play this season for Johnson and look to improve on last season’s record. Head coach James Spady is hoping year three will be the turnaround for the Bulldogs. Senior quarterback De’Angelo Ballard hopefully can improve upon his accuracy this season after completing just 45 percent of his passes in 2015. But he threw for 1,516 yards, nine touchdowns and just three interceptions in 197 attempts as he split time with Damion May. Jonathan Dorsey is the leading returning receiver and at 6’6” 225 creates matchup problems because of his size. Last year he caught 22 passes for 358 yards, averaged 16.3 yards per reception and five touchdowns. O’Darius Williams was also a deep threat last year and returns for this senior season after catching 18 passes for 376 yards, 20.9 yards per reception and four touchdowns. Freshman running back Jordan Bentley (Guntersville) has looked good in summer drills so far and could earn a starting spot. He is a load at 6’0”, 200 pounds and as a senior last year he was the Alabama Class 5A Back of the Year, had 2,148 yards rushing and 38 touchdowns. He finished his career with 5,969 yards rushing on 843 carries and scored 104 touchdowns. Defensively, the Bulldogs gave up almost 483 yards per game and they must improve. Linebacker Bryan Bower is back and looking for an even bigger season than last year when he led the Bulldogs in tackles with 76 (49 solo) and had four tackles for loss.
WESTERN DIVISION
Prairie View A&M (8-2, 8-1)
The Panthers did very well last year in Willie Simmons’ first year as a head coach, finishing second in the West to Grambling State who beat the Panthers 70-54 in a shootout at the State Fair Classic in Dallas. The Panthers gave up a whopping 33.1 points per game on defense last year. Having 10 starters return on defense may not necessarily be a great thing. While the Panthers rush defense ranked third in the SWAC (157.9), they were next to last in pass defense (263.5). BOXTOROW rated the PV recruiting class No.2 amongst HBCU FCS schools and the highlight of the class is cornerback Ju’Anthony Parker a three-star recruit from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff who is expected to have an immediate impact. Outside linebacker Jalan Coleman returns for his redshirt junior year after leading PV and finishing sixth in the conference in tackles (71) and had 6.5 tackles for loss. Rover Marquice O’Leary will also be key and was third on the team in tackles with 51 (31 solo) and also recorded two interceptions and three pass breakups. Offensively, we thought it was a typo when quarterback Trey Green was not named preseason All-SWAC. He was voted preseason BOXTOROW All-American after a spectacular year in helping lead the high-powered PV offense. Green led the SWAC in passing yards per game (251.4) and touchdown to interception ratio (21-3) while completing 59 percent of his passes for 2,614 yards and rushing for 243 yards and seven touchdowns. He may have to do more as he will not have the services of running backs Johnta Hebert and Courtney Brown who combined for 1,557 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns last season. Green will also miss the versatility that Hebert provided as a receiver out of the backfield last season (47-575-4). KhaDarel Hodge returns and was the team’s second-leading receiver, catching 28 passes for 499 yards and three touchdowns.
Grambling (9-3, 9-0)
It is with the slimmest of margins that we chose Prairie View over Grambling. It will be hard for third-year head coach Broderick Fobbs and his staff to replace BOXTOROW Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Johnathan Williams. Williams accounted for 65 percent of the Tigers’ offense last year, passing for 3,135 yards with 37 touchdowns and 18 interceptions and rushing for 389 yards and five touchdowns. Ole Miss transfer Devante Kincaid will look to take the reigns. Kincade was the third-string quarterback for the Rebels last year and has two years of eligibility. Sophomore Trevon Cherry and redshirt freshman Charles Wright are also vying for the starting spot. The quarterback position will be aided by one of the top running backs in the league in Martez Carter. Carter was spectacular last year and a big part of the G-Men’s success offensively rushing for 876 yards, a whopping 7.9 yards per carry and nine touchdowns. The Tigers also return big-play receiver Chad Williams a first team All-SWAC selection last year, who led the SWAC in receptions (64), receiving yards (1,012), was second in touchdown receptions (10) and averaged 15.8 yards per reception. The offensive line is also solid, led by BOXTOROW All-American Justin Miller. Defensively, the Tigers hopefully will be much improved. They finished next to last in the conference in total defense (454.8). BOXTOROW All-American safety Guy Stallworth led the team with 101 tackles (65), had 7.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, forced three fumbles and broke up six passes. Tulane transfer cornerback Dedrick Shy is expected to have an impact. Linebacker Arkez Cooper had a solid season recording 93 tackles (50 solo), 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks and leads a talented corps that includes FBS transfer Edward Williams of Tulane who started eight games for the Green Wave in 2014.
Southern (6-5, 6-3)
It wasn’t that the Jaguars took a step back in 2015, it was that Grambling and Prairie View A&M took things to another level. The Jaguars are only three years removed from winning the SWAC title and were Western Division champs in 2013 and 2014. A wealth of talent especially on the offensive side of the ball returns to SU. 2014 BOXTOROW Rookie of the Year quarterback Austin Howard returns for his junior year after a solid overall season last year. Howard started the season off slow, but then came on and led the SWAC in passing efficiency (156.6), completion percentage (65.4) and threw for 2,292 yards with 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions, while also rushing for eight touchdowns. Howard will once again be able to hand the ball off to BOXTOROW All-American running back Lenard Tillery, who led the league in rushing (1,211), rushing touchdowns (14) and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Three starters return to the offensive line led by Preseason All-SWAC selections guard Anthony Mosley and center Terrell Lee. The wide receiver position returns two-time BOXTOROW All-American Willie Quinn, who had 49 receptions for 587 yards, averaged 12 yards per receptions and caught touchdowns last year. While his numbers weren’t as good as they were two years ago, his presence on the field forced defenses to pay more attention to him, freeing up Randall Mernard, who also returns after averaging 20.1 yards per reception, catching just 27 passes but for 543 yards and five touchdowns. While the defense gave up a lot of yards last year (385.8), it ranked third in a conference known for its high-powered offenses. Returning at one linebacker spot after having a breakout year last year is junior Aaron Tiller, who led the SWAC in sacks (10). He also registered 36 tackles and eight tackles for loss. Cornerback Danny Johnson is one of the league’s best cover corners and returns for his junior season after intercepting three passes and breaking up another seven last year. The secondary should be solid with the return of Bryan Anderson, Blake Monroe and Rhaheim Ledbetter, who were ruled ineligible last year.
Texas Southern (3-7, 2-7)
After four years, Texas Southern and Darrell Asberry parted ways. When Asberry took over the reigns of the program in 2012 he had no idea the academic and APR issues he was walking into. He was able to get the program through some difficult years including not having spring practice some years. Former Miami (OH) head coach Michael Haywood was introduced as the new head coach in early December last year. He comes in with a clean slate as TSU continues to improve in the APR department. This seems to be a good fit especially with Haywood being from Houston. Averion Hurts returns as the signal caller with the most experience. Hurts split time with Johnathan Bowen last year and was fairly productive in eight games last year completing 54 percent of his passes for 996 yards, but with 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He will compete with Arkansas Baptist transfer Cameron Davis for the starting job. The quarterback’s main target will be SWAC Rookie of the Year Derrick Griffin who caught just 36 passes, but 11 of those were for touchdowns, while averaging a league-leading 19.7 yards per reception. The Tigers have a solid one-two combination at running back in junior Darrell Robinson and sophomore Brad Woodard who combined for 901 yards on 159 carries, 5.6 yards per carry and five touchdowns. The offensive line must improve after allowing 36 sacks last year. On defense, the Tigers will look for improvement after finishing in the middle of the pack in total defense. Senior linebacker Jamal Lucas led the team in tackles with 62 (31 solo), recorded five tackles for loss and three passes defended, and is among five starters returning. Three starters return on the defensive line in Caleb Jenkins (44 tackles, five tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries), Damond King (31 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks) and Derrik Lyles (28 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack). The secondary was solid last year raking second in pass defense (192.6). Defensive back Dondre Dobbins recorded 46 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups last year and will provide leadership in the secondary.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-9, 1-8)
The last three years have been difficult at UAPB. Remember, the Golden Lions are just four years removed from winning the SWAC championship. And despite the difficulties on the field, UAPB feels like ninth-year head coach Monte Coleman is doing well, as the two sides agreed to a two-year extension in the offseason that will make Coleman the coach through the 2017 season. The leader of the defense is linebacker Willie Duncan who was second in the SWAC with 118 tackles last year and also registered 7.5 tackles for loss. As a matter of fact linebacker will be a strength for the Golden Lions as Je’Kevin Carter returns for this sophomore year after playing in all 11 games as a freshman registering 45 tackles (26 solo) and 4.5 tackles for loss. Offensively, quarterback Brandon Duncan had an up-and-down year as a sophomore, completing 54 percent of his passes for 1,027 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven games. Both Marcus Terrell and Nolen Sorensen both saw time last year and will look to compete for the starting job. The top two wide receivers are also back in Willie Young who led the team with 49 receptions for 584 yards, 11.9 yards per reception and three touchdowns and John Hawkins who had 30 receptions for 482 yards, 16.1 yards per reception and four touchdowns.