See You Later MEAC, Hello Big South

By Kurtis Alston
After leaving the CIAA and helping the start of the MEAC in 1970, North Carolina A&T recently left the MEAC for the Big South. A&T had some rough patches in the ’80s, even though they went 9-3 in the 1980 season under James Mckinley. After that season, Mckinley went to coach for Prairie View A&M. A&T football in the 1980s only had three good seasons: 1980 (9-3),1985 (6-5), and 1986 (9-3) where they were the conference champions. During that time, their best offensive player was quarterback Alan Hooker. Hooker held several records at A&T, most completions (593), Attempts (1,073) touchdowns (59), and passing yards (6,994) until Lamar Raynard came along and broke them.
This move to the Big South for the football team is to show the doubters that their success isn’t a fluke. Since the celebration bowl began in 2015, A&T has won four out of the five championships, crushing the competition in MEAC and SWAC. This decision will test the Aggie football team to see if they can live up to the hype.
The Football team isn’t the only athletics program that is having success. Both men’s and women’s track teams are having great success. Just this year alone, the Aggies took home four titles in four different events at the NCAA Championships. This year at the MEAC Championship, the men’s track team won it for the fourth consecutive year and the women second in a row.
A&T joins Hampton University in the Big South. Hampton united with the Big South in 2018. Joining the Big South was a risky move but was worth it to get a chance at better recruits. In Power ranking, the MEAC ranked 32nd and the Big South ranked 21st in Conference power ranking. They are the only two HBCUs in the Big South which is a predominantly white conference.
Early Big South conference predictions on the 2021 season had A&T ranked third in the conference. Also, having Hampton sitting seventh on that list which was predicted by coaches and media personnel. Monmouth was voted to finish first and Kennesaw to finish second. Preseason All-Conference A&T running back Jah-Maine Martin, defensive lineman Jermaine McDaniel, and Linebackers Kylin Howard and Korey Banks were named as honorable mention selections.