NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State quarterback Juwan Carter was voted as the preseason MEAC Offensive Player of the Year and leads a list of 14 Spartans who were named to the preseason All-MEAC teams, the conference announced on Friday.

NSU was picked to finish second in the preseason poll of conference head coaches and sports information directors, trailing only South Carolina State.

Carter was one of 12 Spartans earning preseason first-team All-MEAC honors. He was joined on the first-team offense by running back Kevin Johnson, receiver Da'Kendall James, tight end Shawn McFarland and linemen Justin Redd and Jalen Powell. Others who were named to the first team include defensive linemen De'Shaan Dixon, Tavien Blackwell and Chris Myers, defensive back Devyn Coles, punter Ryan Richter and kicker Josh Nardone.

Receiver Justin Smith and defensive back Brandon Savage were voted to the second team.

Carter earned second-team All-MEAC honors in 2019 after leading the conference with 2,632 passing yards, 2,856 yards of total offense and a 60.6 completion percentage. His 23 touchdowns were the most by a Spartan quarterback in the Division I era.

Johnson was a third-team All-MEAC pick after scoring 11 touchdowns as a freshman in 2019. He led NSU with 468 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, and also caught 13 passes for 200 yards and three more scores. Johnson ranked fourth in the MEAC in scoring and eighth in all-purpose yards (959).

James led a deep NSU receiving corps with 37 catches two seasons ago. His 557 receiving yards and four touchdown catches were second-most on the team. He also posted three 100-yard receiving games while ranking among the MEAC's top 10 in receptions and yards.

McFarland caught 15 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown while earning All-MEAC first-team honors in 2019. He served as a key blocker for NSU's offense and also made an impact on special teams, making 12 tackles on coverage units.

Redd and Powell anchor NSU's offensive line. Redd was a second-team All-MEAC selection after starting all 12 games at right guard in 2019. Powell was voted to the All-MEAC third team in 2019 after starting twice at center and 10 times at left guard. The pair were part of an offense which set a new NSU single-season Division I scoring record, at 28.9 points per game.

Myers and Dixon were both third-team All-MEAC picks in 2019. The two bookend defensive ends combined for 13.5 sacks in 2019, with Myers tied for the MEAC lead with 9.0. Dixon also amassed 61 total tackles that season and deflected three passes.

Blackwell was also a key cog on NSU's defensive front, starting all 12 games at nose guard. He finished the 2019 campaign with 32 tackles, 7.5 for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

Coles tied for the MEAC lead with five interceptions as a true freshman two seasons ago. H was named to Phil Steele Magazine's FCS Freshman All-America fourth team after recording 38 tackles and six pass breakups.

Richter earned third-team All-MEAC accolades in 2019 after ranking third in the MEAC in punting average, at 39.7 yards per attempt. That ranks as the fourth-best single-season average in school history.

Nardone made 9 of his 11 field goal attempts and 40-of-43 extra point tries for a season total of 67 points in 2019. He ranked ninth among all players and third among kickers in the MEAC in scoring, at 5.6 points per game. He also ranked third in PAT percentage (93.0) and fifth in field goals per game (0.75).

Smith caught 36 passes for a team-high 639 yards and six touchdowns two seasons ago. He had two 100-yard receiving games. In MEAC-only games, Smith tied for third in the conference in receiving touchdowns (six) and was fifth in receiving yards (519, 64.9 ypg).

Savage totaled 60 tackles, two interceptions and four pass deflections in 2019. He also forced and recovered one fumble and started all 12 games at one cornerback position.

South Carolina State received five first-place votes and was chosen as the preseason MEAC favorite. NSU was in second with two first-place votes. North Carolina Central, Delaware State, Morgan State and Howard rounded out the poll.

The Spartans and first-year head coach Dawson Odums open preseason football camp on Friday, Aug. 6. Their season-opener is on Sept. 4 at the University of Toledo.

MEAC's predicted order of finish for the 2021 season (first-place votes in parentheses):

School (First-Place Votes)	Points
1. South Carolina State (5)	118
2. Norfolk State (2)	96
3. North Carolina Central (2)	78
4. Delaware State (1)	56
5. Morgan State (1)	48
6. Howard (1)	36

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Juwan Carter – QB, Norfolk State
 
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Decobie Durant – DB, South Carolina State
 
First Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Juwan Carter	Sr.	Norfolk State	Richmond, Va.
RB	Kevin Johnson	So.	Norfolk State	Suffolk, Va.
RB	Isaiah Totten	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Apex, N.C.
WR	Shaquan Davis	So.	South Carolina State	Summerville, S.C.
WR	Da'Kendall James	r-So.	Norfolk State	Chesapeake, Va.
TE	Shawn McFarland	Sr.	Norfolk State	Selden, N.Y.
C	Jalen Page	r-Sr.	South Carolina State	Florence, S.C.
OL	Jalen Powell	Sr.	Norfolk State	Temple Hill, Md.
OL	Matthew Derks	Sr.	Delaware State	Brantford, Ontario
OL	Tison Gray	r-Jr.	South Carolina State	Columbia, S.C.
OL	Justin Redd	r-Jr.	Norfolk State	Hampton, Va.

First Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Isaiah Williams	r-Jr.	Delaware State	Brooklyn, N.Y.
DL	Tavien Blackwell	Sr.	Norfolk State	Richmond, Va.
DL	De'Shaan Dixon	Sr.	Norfolk State	Chesapeake, Va.
DL	Chris Myers	r-Sr.	Norfolk State	LaVergne, Tenn.
LB	Brooks Parker	Jr.	Delaware State	Laurel, Del.
LB	Antquan Kinsey	r-So.	Delaware State	Liberty City, Fla.
LB	Chad Gilchrist	r-Sr.	South Carolina State	Johnston, S.C.
DB	Devyn Coles	So.	Norfolk State	Highland Springs, Va.
DB	Jawain Granger	Jr.	Delaware State	New Castle, Del.
DB	Stephen Stokes	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Baltimore, Md.
DB	Decobie Durant	r-Sr.	South Carolina State	Lamar, S.C.
P	Ryan Richter	Jr.	Norfolk State	Temecula, Calif.
PK	Josh Nardone	Sr.	Norfolk State	Virginia Beach, Va.
RS	Brandon Codrington	So.	North Carolina Central	Raleigh, N.C.

Second Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Corey Fields	So.	South Carolina State	Hollywood, S.C.
RB	Thomas Bertrand-Hudon	r-So.	Delaware State	Mont Saint-Halaire, Quebec
RB	Kendrall Flowers	r-Fr.	South Carolina State	Columbia, S.C.
WR	Trey Gross	Sr.	Delaware State	Annapolis, Md.
WR	Justin Smith	r-Sr.	Norfolk State	Richmond, Va.
TE	Myles Beverly	Sr.	Delaware State	Burlington, Vt.
C	Dillon Marshall	r-Jr.	Delaware State	Waldorf, Md.
OL	Chris Simon	r-So.	South Carolina State	Dalzell, S.C.
OL	Robert Mitchell	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Millsboro, Del.
OL	Marvin Atuatasi	So.	Morgan State	Leone, American Samoa
OL	Corey Bullock	So.	North Carolina Central	Accokeek, Md.

Second Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Jessie Malit	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Concord, N.C.
DL	Darrian Brokenburr	So.	Howard	Manassas, Va.
DL	Deion Harry	So.	Howard	University Park, Ill.
DL	Merinio Dendoe	Sr.	Morgan State	Amsterdam, Netherlands
LB	Christian White	So.	Howard	Richmond, Va.
LB	Devan Hebron	r-Jr.	Morgan State	Lanham, Md.
LB	BJ Davis	r-So.	South Carolina State	Blair, S.C.
DB	Rodney Dennard	Jr.	Howard	Braddock, Pa.
DB	Manny Smith	r-So.	North Carolina Central	Laurel Hill, N.C.
DB	Rayshawn Williams	So.	Howard	Detroit, Mich.
DB	Brandon Savage	Jr.	Norfolk State	Baltimore, Md.
P	Dyson Roberts	r-Fr.	South Carolina State	Sumter, S.C.
PK	Adrian Olivo	So.	North Carolina Central	Plant City, Fla.
RS	Antoine Murray	Sr.	Howard	Miramar, Fla.

 
The predicted order of finish, preseason players of the year, and preseason All-MEAC teams were voted on by the league's head football coaches and sports information directors