Aggies Earn Preseason Ranking, Wilson Earns Preseason Honor
Jul 26, 2021 14:11:28 GMT -5
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Post by bluehaze on Jul 26, 2021 14:11:28 GMT -5
Aggies Earn Preseason Ranking, Wilson Earns Preseason Honor
N.C. A&T's starting center makes CFAY starting lineup.
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EAST GREENSBORO – College Football America Yearbook (CFAY) released its preseason rankings and FCS Starting Lineup team on Monday, and the North Carolina A&T Aggies are well represented.
The organization has N.C. A&T ranked No. 22 coming into the 2021 season. They also named center Dacquari Wilson (6-foot-3, 300, JR, Greensboro, N.C.) to their starting lineup.
N.C. A&T is one of three Big South Conference schools ranked in the CFAY's top-30. Monmouth is ranked 13th and Kennesaw State is 20th. The Aggies play Monmouth at the Greatest Homecoming On Earth, Oct. 30. They face Kennesaw State on Oct. 16 at KSU. N.C. A&T is the only historically black college or university (HBCU) in the preseason rankings.
Wilson is the only Big South player in CFAY's starting lineup and one of only three HBCU players.
N.C. A&T will play their first season in the Big South after competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) for 50 years. The Aggies did not play football in 2020 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
They do, however, return seven starters on offense and eight starters on defense from their 2019 team that won the MEAC, the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta and the black college football national championship after going 9-3.
"I am so pleased with how well we have stuck together through this pandemic," said N.C. A&T head coach Sam Washington who is entering his fourth season as the Aggies head coach with a 19-5 record. "They have been working their butts off. We were fortunate to pretty much get the entire team to both summer sessions, which is unique. Normally, we don't report until the second summer session. This summer, we started early, and they have been very diligent about working hard."
The starting returners on offense include All-American running back Jah-Maine Martin (5-10, 220, SR, Conway, S.C.), standout receivers Zach Leslie (6-4, 210, SR, Lawndale, N.C.) and Korey Banks (6-0, 195, SR, Tyrone, Ga.) and All-MEAC offensive linemen Wilson and De'Jour Simpson (6-3, 290, SR, Charlotte, N.C.).
The defensive standouts include All-MEAC defensive ends Jermaine McDaniel (6-3, 240, SR, Dillon, S.C.) and Devin Harrell (6-3, 240, SR, Gastonia, N.C.) and All-MEAC linebackers Kyin Howard (6-0, 250, JR, Greensboro, N.C.) and Jacob Roberts (6-0, 235, SO, Charlotte, N.C.).
The Aggies, who won four out of the last five MEAC titles before leaving, hope to make waves in their new conference.
"I have accepted it," said Washington about the move to the Big South. "I have reconciled with it. It was tough being an HBCU school leaving an HBCU conference and going into a more diverse conference. But there is a time and place for everything. I think it's the right time, and we're the right team to do it."
Wilson comes into the season poised to prove himself in the Big South after earning first-team all-conference honors in the MEAC in 2019. He is one of the strongest Aggies on the team. Wilson played 764 snaps in 2019, grading out at 83 percent for the season. He finished out the season with 21 knockdown blocks and had only 12 missed assignments on the season.
Wilson and the Aggies begin the season on the road at Furman on Sept. 4. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
N.C. A&T's starting center makes CFAY starting lineup.
link
EAST GREENSBORO – College Football America Yearbook (CFAY) released its preseason rankings and FCS Starting Lineup team on Monday, and the North Carolina A&T Aggies are well represented.
The organization has N.C. A&T ranked No. 22 coming into the 2021 season. They also named center Dacquari Wilson (6-foot-3, 300, JR, Greensboro, N.C.) to their starting lineup.
N.C. A&T is one of three Big South Conference schools ranked in the CFAY's top-30. Monmouth is ranked 13th and Kennesaw State is 20th. The Aggies play Monmouth at the Greatest Homecoming On Earth, Oct. 30. They face Kennesaw State on Oct. 16 at KSU. N.C. A&T is the only historically black college or university (HBCU) in the preseason rankings.
Wilson is the only Big South player in CFAY's starting lineup and one of only three HBCU players.
N.C. A&T will play their first season in the Big South after competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) for 50 years. The Aggies did not play football in 2020 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
They do, however, return seven starters on offense and eight starters on defense from their 2019 team that won the MEAC, the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta and the black college football national championship after going 9-3.
"I am so pleased with how well we have stuck together through this pandemic," said N.C. A&T head coach Sam Washington who is entering his fourth season as the Aggies head coach with a 19-5 record. "They have been working their butts off. We were fortunate to pretty much get the entire team to both summer sessions, which is unique. Normally, we don't report until the second summer session. This summer, we started early, and they have been very diligent about working hard."
The starting returners on offense include All-American running back Jah-Maine Martin (5-10, 220, SR, Conway, S.C.), standout receivers Zach Leslie (6-4, 210, SR, Lawndale, N.C.) and Korey Banks (6-0, 195, SR, Tyrone, Ga.) and All-MEAC offensive linemen Wilson and De'Jour Simpson (6-3, 290, SR, Charlotte, N.C.).
The defensive standouts include All-MEAC defensive ends Jermaine McDaniel (6-3, 240, SR, Dillon, S.C.) and Devin Harrell (6-3, 240, SR, Gastonia, N.C.) and All-MEAC linebackers Kyin Howard (6-0, 250, JR, Greensboro, N.C.) and Jacob Roberts (6-0, 235, SO, Charlotte, N.C.).
The Aggies, who won four out of the last five MEAC titles before leaving, hope to make waves in their new conference.
"I have accepted it," said Washington about the move to the Big South. "I have reconciled with it. It was tough being an HBCU school leaving an HBCU conference and going into a more diverse conference. But there is a time and place for everything. I think it's the right time, and we're the right team to do it."
Wilson comes into the season poised to prove himself in the Big South after earning first-team all-conference honors in the MEAC in 2019. He is one of the strongest Aggies on the team. Wilson played 764 snaps in 2019, grading out at 83 percent for the season. He finished out the season with 21 knockdown blocks and had only 12 missed assignments on the season.
Wilson and the Aggies begin the season on the road at Furman on Sept. 4. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
