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[/insert_php]Some of the top players in HBCU football aren’t even seniors.
That will be evident by some of the players that are on this list. As is the case with most lists, a lot of players are going to be missing from the top five. This list is not necessarily the five best players in HBCU football. Players like Morgan State running back Herb Walker, Jr., defensive backs and return specialists Mike Jones of North Carolina Central and Antonio Hamilton of South Carolina State, Albany State running back Jarvis Small and wide receiver Jalen Hendricks of Livingstone all could have made this list.
To the point about young players, all of those players with the exception of Hendricks are juniors.
5. Willie Quinn, Southern, Wide Receiver/Return Specialist (5-5, 145, Sr. Miami, Fla.) Quinn is one of the more underrated players. He is one of the littlest guys in college football, but all he does is make big plays. Quinn led all non-running backs in the SWAC in all-purpose yards (1,817). In 2014 Quinn caught 62 passes for 892 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 14.4 yards per reception. If that wasn’t enough he retuned 14 punts for 289 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 20.6 yards per punt return. And if that wasn’t enough he returned 25 kickoffs for 645 yards and one touchdown, averaging 25.8 yards per return. Wow!
4. Drew Powell, Livingstone, Quarterback (6-3, 225, Sr., Upper Marlboro, Md.) Powell is as good as any quarterback in HBCU football. As a junior the scouts took notice, especially the Seattle Seahawks who have shown a lot of interest. It’s not hard to see why as Powell put up some impressive numbers as a junior, his best season. He led the CIAA in passing yards (2,241) and passing touchdowns (26). He also finished third in the CIAA in rushing (881). He’ll have to get his pass completion percentage up (55 percent), but put in some offseason work with NFL guys from the Washington, DC area who were very impressed with him. Powell has had a stellar career and is climbing towards CIAA records. He is 4,012 yards away from former North Carolina Central quarterback Earl Harvey’s all-time passing yards record of 10,621 yards, but is 2,665 yards from Harvey’s all-time total yards record of 10,667 yards. He also has 60 passing touchdowns, 26 away from Harvey’s all-time record of 86.
3. Kourtney Berry, Alabama State, Linebacker (6-0, 215, r-Jr., Merrillville, Ind.) Berry really began to make his mark as a freshman and had a banner sophomore season last year. He led the SWAC in tackles (128), 61 solos, 12.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. He put up an 18-tackle performance in a victory over Grambling last year. In his career Berry has recorded 233 tackles, 25 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He was named the SWAC’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year last year.
2. John Gibbs, Jr., Alcorn State, Quarterback (6-6, 220, Sr., Houston, Texas) Alcorn State had one of the most dominating rushing attacks in the country. And despite having three or four top running backs, Gibbs was the team’s leading rusher. As a matter of fact, he was the only player in Division I football to throw for over 2,000 yards (2,482) and rush for over 1,000 yards (1,006). He finished third in the SWAC in passing, second in touchdown passes (21) while completing 58 percent of his passes. He led the SWAC in total touchdowns (32) and was second in the SWAC in pass efficiency (139.7).
1-tie Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State, Defensive Tackle (6-2, 300, Sr., Salisbury, N.C.) Hargrave had one of the most dominating performances ever by a defensive tackle. He is a serious NFL prospect – I’ve heard as high as a third rounder – and was last year’s BOXTOROW Willie Davis National Defensive Player of the Year and MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. He led the conference in sacks (16) for losses totaling 199 yards and tackles for loss (24). He was second in FCS in tackles for loss per game (2.0) and sacks per game (1.3) and tied a conference and FCS record with six sacks in an SCSU victory over Bethune-Cookman. Four of those sacks came on third downs. Hargave is getting it done off the field as well. He’s a communications major who is on the Dean’s List.
1-tie Tarik Cohen, North Carolina A&T, Running Back (5-6, 173, Jr., Bunn, N.C.) There hasn’t been a bigger star in HBCU football since Howard’s Keith Pough a few years ago. And I mean this kid is a star off the field also. At the MEAC Media Day he was dressed like a star, black tapered pants, black blazer, black tie, white shirt and white shoes. He had the selfie stick in effect as well. He was working the room. In the last couple of months he has been featured on ESPN and ESPN Top 10 plays for the one-handed grab he made of the football coming off the Juggs machine while doing a flip. By the way, his numbers on the field back it up. The former BOXTOROW Rookie of the Year has put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, leading the MEAC in rushing yards (1,340), was tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns (15) averaged 6.2 yards per carry and 121.8 rushing yards per game.
