MEAC Places 14 Athletes on 2024 Black College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List

Atlanta, GA – The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) announced today the 2024 Watch List for the Black College Football Player of the Year Award. The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University.

Former North Carolina A&T University running back Tarik Cohen was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Award in 2016; Bowie State University quarterback Amir Hall was the 2017 and 2018 recipient; former Tennessee State University wide receiver Chris Rowland was the 2019 recipient; former Alabama A&M University quarterback Aqeel Glass was the recipient in the Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 seasons, former Jackson State University quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the 2022 winner of the Award; North Carolina Central University quarterback Davius Richard and Florida A&M University quarterback Jeremy Moussa were the co-winners in 2023.

The MEAC was represented by 14 student-athletes including Darius Fox, Kenny Gallop Jr., Kasey Hawthorne, Jarett Hunter and Eden James from Howard, Marquis Gillis from Delaware State, Otto Kuhns from Norfolk State, Trayvon Branch, Erick Hunter and Elijah Williams from Morgan State, and Aaron Smith, Justin Smith-Brown, Nick Taiste and KeShawn Toney from South Carolina State.

Four finalists will be unveiled after the season. The winner of the 2024 Black College Football Player of the Year Award, which will be announced during halftime of the 2025 Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl, will be presented with the Deacon Jones Trophy. The bowl takes place on Saturday, February 22, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game will be broadcast live on NFL Network.

“The Black College Football Player of the Year Award highlights the incredible talent and dedication of today’s HBCU football players,” said Doug Williams, Super Bowl XXII MVP, BCFHOF Co-Founder and 2011 Inductee. “These student-athletes represent the very best of HBCU football.”

The Watch List candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list will be made as the 2024 season progresses. The finalists and the winner will be chosen by a Selection Committee.

“The Deacon Jones Trophy is regarded as the most prestigious and recognized award in HBCU football,” said BCFHOF co-founder and 2012 inductee James Harris. “Deacon is still considered one of the greatest to play the game and is a legend in every way, shape, and form, and to this day, still represents the very best of Black College Football.”