NORFOLK, Va. – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion North Carolina Central University and runner-up North Carolina A&T State University dominated the 2016 All-MEAC Football Team with 30 student-athletes between both teams. The team is voted on by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors.
North Carolina A&T State’s Brandon Parker was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Lineman of the Year, for the second consecutive year, while teammate Elijah Bell earned Rookie of the Year honors. North Carolina Central’s Jerry Mack was selected as Coach of the Year.
Parker started all 12 games for the Aggies, at left tackle, this season. He paved the way for the MEAC’s top scoring offense (35.2 points/game), 12th nationally. North Carolina A&T State led the MEAC in rushing offense averaging 203.8 yards per game, with 27 rushing touchdowns. Parker led an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the conference (13th nationally), while amassing 2,385 passing yards and 26 receiving touchdowns. The Aggies had seven games with 400-plus yards of total offense including three games of 500 yards or better. On the ground, the offensive line paved the way for six games with 200-plus rushing yards with a high of 313 yards.
As a freshman, Bell led the Aggies in total receiving yards (631) and ranked third in the MEAC in receiving yards per game (52.6). He earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors after catching two touchdown passes in a win over South Carolina State. He had a pair of 100-yard receiving games this season and was the second freshman in school history to have a 100-yard receiving game when he had 101 yards in the game at Tulsa on Sept. 17. Bell finished the season with eight touchdowns, averaging 18 yards per reception.
Since arriving at North Carolina Central in 2014, all head coach Jerry Mack has done is win as the Eagles won the 2016 MEAC Football Championship outright after winning a share of the title in 2014 and 2015. A finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award, Mack led the Eagles to a national ranking for the first time in school history as an FCS member and has won 15 consecutive contests versus MEAC opponents. This past season, the Eagles finished third or higher in 16 of the MEAC’s 31 statistical categories while also fielding the top dual threat quarterback in the conference in Malcom Bell. The Eagles had the highest single game offensive output in the MEAC this past season along with the highest scoring output. Mack is the first NCCU head coach to win 24 contests in his first three seasons with one more contest scheduled as the Eagles will play in the 2nd annual Air Force Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 in Atlanta, Ga.
In a partnership with the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame, the league’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year will be announced as part of the festivities surrounding the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
Listed below are the 2016 All-MEAC teams:
2016 MEAC Football All-Conference Teams
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T State
Rookie of the Year: Elijah Bell, North Carolina A&T State
Coach of the Year: Jerry Mack, North Carolina Central
First-Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB | Malcolm Bell | R-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Richmond, Va. |
| RB | Tarik Cohen | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Bunn, N.C. |
| RB | Anthony Philyaw | Jr. | Howard | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| WR | Rashawn Proctor | Sr. | Hampton | Hampton, Va. |
| WR | LaVontis Smith | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Maben, Miss. |
| TE | Leroy Hill | R-So. | North Carolina A&T State | Smithfield, N.C. |
| C | Carl Jones | R-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Nashville, Tenn. |
| OL | Brandon Parker | R-Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Kannapolis, N.C. |
| OL | Wes Cole | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Norwood, N.C. |
| OL | Tarrance Wells | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Oxon Hill, Md. |
| OL | Toree Boyd | Sr. | Howard | Miami, Fla. |
First-Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | Marquis Ragland | R-Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Fayetteville, N.C. |
| DL | Angelo Keyes | R-Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Kinston, N.C. |
| DL | Marquis Smith | Sr. | Savannah State | Prince Georges County, Md. |
| DL | Frederick Henry-Ajudua | Sr. | North Carolina Central | Durham, N.C. |
| LB | Darius Leonard | R-Jr. | South Carolina State | Lake View, S.C. |
| LB | Dayshawn Taylor | R-Jr. | South Carolina State | Lincolnton, Ga. |
| LB | Jeremy Taylor | Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Kinston, N.C. |
| DB | Jacques Bryant | So. | Florida A&M | Tallahassee, Fla. |
| DB | Diquan Richardson | Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Alvin, S.C. |
| DB | Phillip Henry | R-Sr. | South Carolina State | Manning, S.C. |
| DB | Mike Jones | R-Jr. | North Carolina Central | Baltimore, Md. |
| P | John Barron | Sr. | Savannah State | Marietta, Ga. |
| PK | Cameron Marouf | Sr. | Norfolk State | Woodbridge, Va. |
| RS | Mike Jones | R-Jr. | North Carolina Central | Baltimore, Md. |
Second-Team Offense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| QB | Lamar Raynard | R-So. | North Carolina A&T State | High Point, N.C. |
| RB | Ramone Simpson | R-So. | North Carolina Central | Wilmington, N.C. |
| RB | Yahkee Johnson | Jr. | Hampton | Richmond, Va. |
| WR | Denzel Keyes | Sr. | North Carolina A&T State | Kinston, N.C. |
| WR | Elijah Bell | Fr. | North Carolina A&T State | Wheeling Park, W.Va. |
| TE | Jack Willenbrock | Gr. | Hampton | West Chester, Pa. |
| C | Darriel Mack | R-Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Cilo, S.C. |
| OL | Javarius Leamon | R-Sr. | South Carolina State | Woodruff, S.C. |
| OL | Jamaal Symmonett | R-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Nassau, Bahamas |
| OL | Johnny Cruz | Sr. | Hampton | Yorktown, Va. |
| OL | Keonte Cash | Sr. | Florida A&M | Miami, Fla. |
Second-Team Defense
| Pos. | Name | Cl. | School | Hometown |
| DL | Antonio Brown | R-Jr. | North Carolina Central | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| DL | Stefen Banks | So. | Savannah State | Columbus, Ohio |
| DL | Elijah Price | Jr. | Florida A&M | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| DL | Jai Franklin | Jr. | Morgan State | Clinton, Md. |
| LB | Reggie Hunter | R-Jr. | North Carolina Central | Henderson, N.C. |
| LB | LeGrande Harley | R-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Durham, N.C. |
| LB | Greg Gibson | Sr. | Morgan State | Houston, Texas |
| DB | Sandy Chapman | Sr. | Norfolk State | Raleigh, N.C. |
| DB | Jason Baxter | R-Jr. | South Carolina State | Manning, S.C. |
| DB | Alden McClellon | So. | North Carolina Central | Lake Butler, Fla. |
| DB | Craig Johnson | Sr. | Howard | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| P | Christian Faber-Kinney | Gr. | Hampton | Williamsburg, Va. |
| PK | Brandon McLaren | R-Sr. | North Carolina Central | Miami, Fla. |
| RS* | Khris Gardin | Jr. | North Carolina A&T State | Morganton, N.C. |
| RS* | Frank Brown | R-Jr. | Bethune-Cookman | Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. |